The Miami University RedHawks (1-2) will face off against the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies (2-1) on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 3:30 p.m. at Yager Stadium.
Following an unfortunate finish against the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, Miami is looking to rebound in its homecoming game. This will be the last non-conference game of the season for the RedHawks before beginning Mid-American Conference (MAC) play.
This will be the first ever football matchup between the two programs. UConn comes into this game following a 48-20 win against the University of Southern Mississippi Eagles on the road. The Huskies’ one loss on the season was against the University of Maryland Terrapins, a 38-14 defeat at home.
UConn does not play in a Division I football conference and competes as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) independent team. The only other team that also plays as an FBS independent this season is the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. UConn plays most of its sports as a member of the Big East Conference, which disbanded for football in 2013.
The Huskies had solid success over the past two seasons, going 9-4 in both 2024 and 2025, earning a victory in the Fenway Bowl in 2024. UConn was coached by Jim Mora during this time, but he left to coach the Colorado State University Rams after last season.
Jason Candle is in his first season as the head coach of the Huskies. He came to UConn this past off-season after spending 11 seasons with the University of Toledo Rockets. Candle went 81-44 during his time at Toledo, winning two MAC Championships in 2017 and 2022. Candle has a significant history of facing off against the Chuck Martin-led RedHawk team.
Junior quarterback Kalieb Osborne has started the first three games of the season for the Huskies. Osborne followed Candle to UConn this season after spending last year as a back up to senior quarterback Tucker Gleason for Toledo. His first career start was in Toledo’s bowl game against the University of Louisville Cardinals.
UConn has been a run-first team this season, with 117 total carries for 581 yards and an average of five carries per carry. The Huskies have run the ball much better than Miami, who averages 3.5 yards per carry on 88 total carries. The Huskies use the dual-threat ability of Kalieb Osborne to boost their run game, and he is currently the team’s rushing leader.
The Huskies defense has allowed only 13.5 points per game in the two games outside of Maryland, where they seemed to be outmatched.
After scoring 28 points in the first half against Cincinnati, Miami’s offense was held to just three points in the second half because of two turnovers and two missed field goals. The RedHawks inconsistency in the run game has held back the offense this year. It was also a struggle against Cincinnati, where Miami ran for only 76 yards on 28 carries.
David McComb had another solid game against Cincinnati and threw for a career-high 334 yards. Expect to see the RedHawks lean on McComb to continue to throw the ball at a high level, especially if the run game continues to struggle early.
UConn should be a good matchup against the Miami defense, who only allowed seven points in the first half against Cincinnati before allowing four touchdowns in the second half. Look for the RedHawks defense to improve from last week, but don’t count out another high-scoring game either.
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Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Yager. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
hartlapo@miamioh.edu
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