EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (Interstat) — In a stunning reversal of fortune, the Connecticut Huskies erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Duke Blue Devils 37-34 on a crisp Saturday evening at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.

The victory, sealed by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joe Fagnano to Skyler Bell with 1:58 remaining and a subsequent successful two-point conversion, improved Connecticut to 7-3 on the season, while Duke fell to 5-4.

The game was a tale of two halves, with Duke dominating the middle quarters before Connecticut mounted a furious comeback in the final period. The Huskies’ win defied pregame projections, as they were installed as 8.5-point favorites despite statistical models heavily favoring Duke.

Duke struck first, capitalizing on a short field after a Connecticut punt. A 25-yard connection from quarterback Darian Mensah to Que’Sean Brown set up a 13-yard touchdown run by N. Sheppard just over two minutes into the game.

Connecticut responded with a methodical 15-play, 75-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Fagnano to tight end Juice Vereen. The Huskies then forced a Mensah interception on Duke’s next play from scrimmage, leading to a 29-yard field goal from Chris Freeman to take a 10-7 lead late in the opening quarter.

The Blue Devils reclaimed the lead early in the second quarter, with Mensah finding Andrel Anthony for a 10-yard touchdown pass to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive. The back-and-forth battle continued as Connecticut answered with a marathon 16-play, 73-yard march. Fagnano methodically moved the Huskies downfield, eventually hitting Bell for a 4-yard touchdown to put the home team back in front 17-14.

A late interception by Devin Pringle set up Freeman for a 45-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, sending the Huskies into the locker room with a 20-14 advantage.

The third quarter belonged entirely to Duke. The Blue Devils’ ground game found its rhythm, with Sheppard powering in from 3 yards out to cap the opening drive of the half and give Duke a 21-20 lead. After a Connecticut field goal, Duke engineered another long drive, this one spanning 13 plays and 80 yards, with Mensah connecting with Landen King on a 1-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 28-23 heading into the final quarter.

Duke’s dominance seemed to reach its peak on their first drive of the fourth quarter. They marched 80 yards on 14 plays, with Mensah hitting Jeremiah Hasley for a 10-yard touchdown. The failed two-point conversion left the score at 34-23 with 5:34 remaining, seemingly putting the game out of reach.

But Fagnano and the Huskies’ offense ignited. Starting from their own 25-yard line, Fagnano engineered a lightning-fast, 75-yard scoring drive in just six plays. The key sequence was a 16-yard completion to Reymello Murphy, followed immediately by the 19-yard game-winning strike to Bell. Fagnano then punched in the crucial two-point conversion on a designed run, giving the Huskies a three-point lead.

Duke had one final chance, driving to the Connecticut 39-yard line in the final minute. However, a sack for a 19-yard loss by the Huskies’ defense effectively ended the threat, sealing the improbable comeback victory.

Fagnano was the catalyst for Connecticut, completing 27 of 39 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 51 yards on six carries. Bell was his primary target, hauling in 11 receptions for 87 yards and two critical touchdowns. Murphy provided a deep threat, catching five passes for 110 yards. The Huskies’ defense was anchored by a prolific tackling duo, with Bryun Parham recording 16 tackles, a sack, and an interception, and Oumar Diomande adding 14 tackles and a sack.

For Duke, Mensah finished 22 of 31 for 222 yards with three touchdowns but threw two costly interceptions. Sheppard was the workhorse in the backfield, grinding out significant yardage throughout the contest. Hasley led the Duke receivers with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.

The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for Duke, which was coming off a dramatic one-point victory over Clemson. Connecticut, meanwhile, builds momentum heading into a key late-season matchup against Air Force, having now won four of its last five games. The total score of 71 points went over the pregame over/under line of 63.5.