UConn beats Carolina in Fenway Bowl, dominating Bill Belichick's next team in his old backyard

Updated Dec. 28, 2024 3:46 p.m. ET

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BOSTON (AP) — UConn's victory in the Fenway Bowl showed North Carolina coach-in-waiting Bill Belichick how much work he has ahead of him.

Joe Fagnano threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help the Huskies beat the Tar Heels 27-14 at Fenway Park on Saturday, embarrassing Belichick's new team in his old backyard.

Belichick was not spotted at the home of the Boston Red Sox, about an hour north of the stadium where he and Tom Brady hung six Super Bowl championship banners with the New England Patriots. Interim coach Freddie Kitchens, who like Belichick is a former Cleveland Browns coach, took over when Mack Brown was fired and handled the bowl preparations.

"The only thing I will say about that is we’re going to get up tomorrow and we’re going to go to work and try to make the program better," Kitchens said. “And then we’ll see where we’re at the next time we kick the ball off. I know it starts and ends with a bunch of people that love football, that love Carolina, and love Carolina football.”

On a day that was definitely not baseball weather, UConn fans took over the home of the Red Sox. And their team was just as dominant on the field.

Mel Brown rushed for 96 yards for UConn (9-4) and Skyler Bell caught three passes for 77 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Chris Culliver returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but that would be Carolina’s only production in the first half.

Carolina finally mustered some offense in the fourth quarter when running back Caleb Hood lined up at quarterback and ran five times for 64 yards before throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to John Copenhaver.

“It didn’t really start kicking in until the fourth quarter,” Copenhaver said. “And it was too late."

Backup QBs

Belichick's NFL coaching career turned around in 2001 when Drew Bledsoe was injured and Brady came off the bench to replace him.

Carolina didn't have the same luck with backup QBs on Saturday, when Jacolby Criswell — who completed his only pass of the day — was hit hard on the shoulder after a 7-yard scramble. Michael Merdinger replaced him, and the offense stalled.

The Tar Heels (6-7) did not get their first first down until there were 24 seconds left in the half, on a 2-minute drill that brought them into UConn territory for the first time before Merdinger’s blooper of a pass was intercepted by Tui Faumuina-Brown.

“They’re going through some turmoil, they’ve had a lot of change. They never gave up,” UConn coach Jim Mora said. “I thought Freddie did a great job of keeping that group together.”

Takeaways

UConn: Won nine games for the first time since 2007 and beat a team from one of the four power conferences for the first time in five tries this year. The Huskies lost three times to Atlantic Coast Conference teams by one touchdown or less.

“Everybody keeps talking about those three ACC games,” defensive back Durante Jones said. “It felt good to get over that hump.”

North Carolina: Lost its last three games to stumble to its first losing season since 2021 — one reason why the 73-year-old Brown was fired.

Fenway fun

The game started in rain, but the field mostly held up. There were only a few calls from the grounds crew to come out and tamp down the sod along the basepaths and pitcher’s mound. Snow was piled up along the right field line, by the Pesky Pole, and in left in front of the Green Monster.

The manual scoreboard was converted from innings and outs to quarters and downs, and the past Fenway Bowl champions were listed where the AL East standings usually go. The bullpen walls were removed to give a little more space for the Carolina end zone and goalposts.

“Sweet Caroline” played during a TV timeout in the fourth quarter.

“Playing at Fenway, the whole game I just kept looking up in the stands and thinking about how blessed we were to play at this historic park,” Mora said. “It’s a memory I’ll have forever.”

Up next

UConn: Another four years under Mora, who was signed to a two-year extension that was announced just before kickoff.

North Carolina: Welcome to “Chapel Bill.”

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