Joe Fagnano completed 27 of 39 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns to lead UConn to a 37-34 victory over Duke in East Hartford, Conn. on Saturday.
UConn (7-3) trailed by five until Skyler Bell caught a 19-yard TD pass from Fagnano with 1:58 to play. Fagnano capped the scoring by running in the two-point conversion.
Bell caught 11 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns in the win. UConn also received three field goals from Chris Freeman.
Duke (5-4) moved the ball to its 42-yard line on its final possession, but UConn recovered a fumble with 18 seconds to play.
Duke quarterback Darian Mensah completed 22 of 31 passes for 222 yards and three TDs, but he was intercepted twice.
Duke opened the scoring on its first possession when freshman running back Nate Sheppard (16 carries, 100 yards and two TDs) capped a three-play, 55-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.
UConn made it a 7-7 game when Fagnano tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Juice Vereen, and then took a 10-7 lead on a Freeman 29-yard field goal with 6:12 remaining in the first quarter.
A 10-yard TD pass from Mensah to Andrel Anthony helped Duke move in front 14-10 with 12:25 to play in the second quarter.
A 4-yard TD pass from Fagnano to Bell gave the Huskies a 17-14 lead with 5:59 remaining in the half, and UConn extended its lead to six points when Freeman made a 45-yard field 51 seconds before halftime.
It was 21-20 Duke after Sheppard scored his second TD on a 3-yard run with 10:13 left in the third, but UConn regained the lead, 23-21 on Freeman’s 20-yard field goal with 6:50 remaining in the third.
Mensah tossed a 1-yard TD pass to Landen King to give the Blue Devils a 28-23 advantage with 2:09 left in the third, and they carried that five-point lead into the final 15 minutes.
After a 3-yard TD run by Cam Edwards put the Huskies up 29-28 with 10:48 left, Jeremiah Hasley caught a 10-yard TD pass from Mensah that gave the Blue Devils a 34-29 lead with 5:34 to play.
