Former Penn State QB takes over starting job at UConn

Former Penn State QB named new starting QB with his new team.

After losing the starting job due to injury a season ago, former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Ta’Quan Roberson[/autotag] will step back into the starting role with the UConn Huskies as a result of an injury. Roberson has been named the new starting quarterback for the Huskies by head coach Jim Mora following an injury to Joe Fagnano, who had been the team’s starting quarterback this season.

“Now this year, the guy ahead of Ta’Quan gets hurt and now Ta’Quan gets his chance again,” Mora said when updating the media about his team’s quarterback situation, via an AP report. “We have a lot of confidence in him and we’re really disappointed for Joe.”

Roberson transferred from Penn State to UConn after the 2021 season, and he was given the starting role by Mora in his first season as head coach of the UConn program. But Roberson was injured in UConn’s first game of the 2022 season, and he never saw the field again for the rest of the year.

Roberson completed just one of two pass attempts before suffering a season-ending shoulder surgery in 2022. Roberson played last weekend in UConn’s 35-14 loss to Georgia State. He completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 216 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also carried the football four times for a gain of 11 yards.

Roberson was a backup to former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford in 2021, getting backup snaps ahead of another former Penn State quarterback who later transferred, Christian Veilleux, early in the season. Roberson relieved an injured Clifford in a road game at Iowa that ultimately resulted in Penn State’s first loss of the season, and Roberson took a lot of heat for his performance, which was largely unfair to him. Roberson completed just 7 of 21 pass attempts for 34 yards with two interceptions in the 23-20 loss, a game Penn State appeared to be in control of at the time Clifford left the game with an injury.

Roberson was unable to land the starting job leading up to the 2023 season as UConn opted to go with Fagnano, an experienced transfer from Maine that seemed like a solid fit for the Huskies. Fagnano started UConn’s game against Georgia State before coming out with his shoulder injury.

Roberson’s first time back in the starting saddle for UConn will take place this Saturday with a home game against FIU.

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