Former Wisconsin wide receiver reenters transfer portal
Former Wisconsin Badgers and current UConn Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Monday.
He does so after one year at UConn. He previously played for the Badgers from 2021-23 after joining the program as a three-star recruit in the class of 2021.
Bell broke out for a career year at UConn in 2024. He totaled 47 catches, a team-high 783 receiving yards and four touchdowns. His emergence was a key part of the Huskies going 8-4 in Year 3 under coach Jim Mora.
Of note, much of that production came when paired with quarterback Nick Evers, another former Badger who transferred to UConn last offseason.
“Thank You UConn Nation for this past year,” Bell wrote on X. “I plan on entering the transfer portal.”
Thank You UCONN Nation for this past year, I plan on entering the transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/TvmfS9shnm
Bell recorded 69 catches, 755 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons with the Badgers. He was one of the team’s top options in 2022 before the arrival of Phil Longo’s air raid offense and a host of transfer receivers in 2023 dropped him down the depth chart.
The veteran receiver is one of several former Badgers receivers finding success at other destinations: Chimere Dike had a strong season at Florida and Keontez Lewis had a big year at Southern Illinois.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, is rebuilding its offense with new coordinator Jeff Grimes in place. The team recently landed multiple top transfer quarterbacks and one of the best tight ends in the country. Wide receiver is high on the updated list of roster needs.
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Former Wisconsin quarterback shines for UConn in big Week 4 win
Former Wisconsin quarterback Nick Evers tallied three total touchdowns for the UConn Huskies on Saturday.
Following a pair of subpar performances against the Maryland Terrapins and Duke Blue Devils, Evers notched nine completions for 88 passing yards and a passing touchdown. He also rushed a staggering 19 times for 78 yards and two rushing scores to secure a 48-14 win over Florida Atlantic.
The Flower Mound, Texas, native’s most dynamic passing play arrived on a second-down sequence in the first quarter. Pinned at his team’s 22-yard line, Evers dropped back, rolled to his right and launched to wide receiver Skyler Bell. Bell played at UW with Evers in 2023 — to further the Wisconsin connection.
While he did play well on Saturday, Evers did not look fantastic in his first two games as a Husky. He accounted for just 21 completions, 208 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a 44.7 QBR before Week 4.
Evers elected to transfer to UConn after a 2023 after playing third fiddle to Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke on Wisconsin’s depth chart. He will receive his next opportunity against Buffalo, who just took down No. 23 Northern Illinois, on Sept. 28.
And while most folks will be tuned into contests featuring top-25 teams — games with teams from power conferences like the SEC and Big Ten and matchups that include Heisman Trophy contenders — there’s plenty of reasons to watch the rest of the sport too. And we’re not just talking about the ACC, which is sure to be chaotic once again, or the impending new-look Big 12. We recommend that you consume the sport in-full, whole-hog style, from programs as small as Tulsa and Louisiana-Monroe to as big as Texas A&M and Ohio State.
There won’t be another Power Five school in the Northeast, not anytime soon at least. UConn’s hopes of landing a spot in the Big 12 as part of the fallout of the most recent round of conference expansion appears to be dead on arrival.
UConn is mired in no man’s land in terms of football, having been a part of the old Big East when Rutgers was a member. Rutgers left for the Big Ten in 2014.
In a recent interview with Andrew Marchand, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said that UConn was in the mix for their next round of conference expansion. Not anymore, Yormark told Marchand.
The Big 12 recently expanded to include Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. This follows after Oregon and Washington defected to join the Big Ten.
UConn is currently an independent in football and a member of the Big East in all other sports, including men’s and women’s basketball.
“I did have conversations with UConn and Gonzaga and unfortunately, things didn’t work out only because the dream scenario unfolded for us,” Yormark told Marchand.
“So those conversations are no longer. I’m a big admirer of both those programs, they’re fantastic for all the right reasons. But right now, I’m focusing on the transition of those four in right now
“And also how do I leverage the fact that I’m a 16-team league in 10 states with 90 million people in four different time zones. So that’s my focus right now.”
– In a tale of two halves, Marshall took advantage of big mistakes and got the running game going on the way to a 21-0 halftime lead and a 28-0 advantage. UConn found its groove, scored 14 points on two Victor Rosa runs, and made it interesting in the fourth quarter. UConn drives stalled, Marshall’s D held up, and the was able to grind down the clock to close.
– Marshall QB Cam Fancher threw two short touchdown passes, but again, it was the D that took over early. Damion Barber came up with a pick six, there were four takeaways in all, and the line – outside of the two Rosa touchdowns – held up great against the run.
– This wasn’t pretty. It seemed like every other play was marred by a flag, that’s because that’s basically what happened. The two combined for 21 penalties for 227 yards and six turnovers.
Myrtle Beach Bowl Player of the Game
Eli Neal, LB Marshall
The junior was all over the place tying for a game-high ten tackles with seven solo stops with 1.5 tackles for loss and a broken up pass.
UConn lost, but it played well in the second half, had the effort and energy, and it was okay despite the 14 point loss. But start with this … who cares that it couldn’t pull it off? UConn was in a bowl game for the first time since 2015 and the second time since 2010. It was a fantastic season under Jim Mora Jr. as he turned around a program that wasn’t going anywhere.
UConn won six games from 2017 to 2021 and won six this year – it was playing with house money in Conway. However, this was a shot at the first winning season since 2010 and the first bowl win since 2009.
It was a strange nine-win season for Marshall, but with a win over Notre Dame early, and closing out with a bowl victory, 9-4 looks very, very good for second-year head coach Charles Huff.
For years, Marshall was a give for a bowl win under Doc Holliday, but the program lsat three in a row including last year’s New Orleans under Huff. This wasn’t a complete game – the team lost its edge in the second half, but it won by two touchdowns and got that ninth win. It’s a great way to go into the offseason.
The Marshall Thundering Herd will meet the UConn Huskies in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday afternoon from Brooks Stadium in South Carolina.
The Marshall Thundering Herd will meet the UConn Huskies in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday afternoon from Brooks Stadium in South Carolina.
Marshall finished up the season with an 8-4 record after finishing the year with a 28-23 win over Georgia State. As for UConn, they went 6-6 and will be looking to rebound after a tough loss to Army to finish off the season. Jim Mora has done wonders with this program and would expect them to be ready this afternoon.
This will be a great start to bowl season, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action today.
NCAA odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were updated at 10:30 a.m. ET on Monday.
Marshall (-12) vs. UConn
O/U: 41
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The UConn Huskies will meet the Army Black Knights in college football action on Saturday from Michie Stadium.
The UConn Huskies will meet the Army Black Knights in college football action on Saturday from Michie Stadium.
UConn comes into today’s game riding a three-game winning streak and has played well this season sitting at 6-5, while Army is coming off back-to-back losses and lost a close one to Troy last week as they look to turn things around.
This will be a great day of college football, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action.
NCAA odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were updated at 10:00 a.m. ET on Saturday.
UConn vs. Army (-10.5)
O/U: 44
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The Umass Minutemen will meet the UConn Huskies in college football action on Friday night from the Pratt & Whitney Stadium.
The Umass Minutemen will meet the UConn Huskies in college football action on Friday night from the Pratt & Whitney Stadium.
Umass is coming into tonight’s game looking to snap a five-game skid after losing to New Mexico last week. Meanwhile, UConn is coming off a 13-3 win over Boston College in their last game to improve to 4-5 on the year.
This will be a great night of college football, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action.
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NCAA Football Odds and Betting Lines
NCAA odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were updated at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
UMass vs. UConn (-15.5)
O/U:40
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For The Win spoke with RGIII about the most hostile college football environments to play in.
Robert Griffin III remembers the moment he and his Baylor team took down Texas on the road back in 2010.
In part, it’s because it was the Bears’ first win over the Longhorns since 1997 and their first victory in Austin at Texas Memorial Stadium since 1991. That’s an awfully long time for any team to go without a win or road win against an in-state foe.
But Griffin — now a college football analyst for ESPN — also remembers that victory being so sweet because of how wild, raucous and intimidating Texas’ home environment was and can be for opposing players.
“It was like a lot of history there,” Griffin said about Baylor’s first road win against Texas in almost two decades. “And the fact that when you walk into that stadium, they don’t believe you have a chance. But when you see all the cowboy hats and the cowboy and cowgirl boots and the burnt orange, it’s just overcoming a narrative that you don’t have a chance.
“Probably every player on our team at Baylor who wanted to go play at Texas, and they didn’t get that opportunity. So there’s a little bit of self doubt that are we even good enough?”
(Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports)
The menacing atmosphere the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner experienced at Texas Memorial Stadium is why it was No. 1 for him in terms of toughest college football venues to play in.
Griffin was one of 68 former FBS players, who played between 2001 and 2021, surveyed in August by Goodyear and The Player’s Tribune about the hardest away games to play.
But in the survey results, Texas was up there but not actually No. 1.
That honor belongs to Happy Valley. Penn State’s Beaver Stadium was the toughest road-game environment to play in, followed by LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and Oregon’s Autzen Stadium in Eugene to round out the top three. Ohio State, Michigan and Texas were placed in a three-way tie for fourth.
The survey followed up about the factors that contributed to former college players’ rankings, and the respective fan bases were the primary reason, followed by the climate, which makes sense because Happy Valley in November can be brutal.
(Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports)
Of course, Griffin’s experiences and perspective is based only on where he and the Bears played during between 2008 and 2011 with the team. He never played at or even against Penn State, LSU, Ohio State or Oregon.
But, along with Texas, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Texas Tech were some of the worst environments to be an opposing player in, Griffin said while promoting the Goodyear and Player’s Tribune’s survey results.
For him, it’s about more than the size of the stadiums because packing thousands of fans into a venue certainly has an impact, but traditions and history, like Baylor against Texas, were crucial too.
“You go out to [Texas Tech in] Lubbock, which, what’s out there in Lubbock?” he continued. “Well, they got football, and they love their football. So for us, it was just navigating that, the hostility of some of the fans, because of their extreme fandom for the football teams.”
For Griffin, Oklahoma State and, somewhat surprisingly, UConn were high on his list of most challenging and most hostile places to play too.
(David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
“Oklahoma State with how close the field to the sideline,” he added. “Probably got like five, six yards deep, and the fans, [it] feels like they’re breathing on the back of your neck. That was a tough place to play.
“For me, it was also UConn, which is kind of surprising to some people. But when I was in college, UConn was a top-15 team. And their fans had a lot of liquid encouragement at a night game, and it was it was loud. It was one of the hardest hardest places for us to play.”
What stands out: A lackluster running game hasn’t gotten much clarity in terms of who will shoulder the load since Chris Brooks, Lopini Katoa, and Miles Davis are all tied together with an “or”.
Why that could be important: The Cal transfer Brooks has been largely quiet since a dominant Week 1 performance against USF, which has opened the door for others like Davis, who proved to be a major factor in last week’s win over Wyoming with 131 rushing yards on 13 carries. They could all get tested against a Utah State front that has generated equally generous shares of havoc (35 tackles for loss, first in Mountain West) and big play opportunities for their opponents (28 runs allowed of ten or more yards, 11th in Mountain West).
What stands out: The Midshipmen made a number of recent changes on both sides of the ball to combat a painfully slow start to the season, including at linebacker where Jianni Woodson-Brooks and Colin Ramos have started the past two games against Memphis and East Carolina.
Why that could be important: Navy hasn’t been particularly good at much of anything through its first three games, but one thing the Middies have done well is defend the run, allowing 2.33 yards per carry while Ramos and Woodson-Brooks have combined for three tackles for loss and 36 total tackles. The Air Force ground game will, obviously, be their toughest challenge yet in that regard, but the sophomore duo could be key to preventing the Falcons from running wild.
What stands out: The Huskies’ quarterback situation has settled itself since Week 0 as true freshman Zion Turner has started each game since Ta’Quan Roberson tore his ACL in Week 0 at Utah State.
Why that could be important: Talk about a crash course in navigating the world of college football. Turner hasn’t been great overall with a 55.1% completion rate and an average of just 4.4 yards per attempt to date, but he does have a 4-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and he has shepherded to the slightest of improvements in points per drive from a year ago (from 0.93 to 1.00). He might surprise here and there against a Fresno State defense battling injuries despite being heavy favorites in the contest.
