What you don’t know just might hurt you on Saturday if you are Air Force or UConn.

In the first meeting between the programs, the Falcons will hope the effectiveness of their unique offense will be accentuated by the Huskies’ lack of familiarity with it.

But at the same time, Air Force has no clue how UConn might opt to defend it.

The blindfolded chess match will play out at 10 a.m. Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Conn.

“I think it’s very beneficial for us offensively just because we are unique,” Air Force tight end Bruin Fleschmann said. “They haven’t played Army or Navy either, who have offenses similar to us, so it’s going to be extra unique in that sense.

“But there’s also kind of the trickiness in that you don’t know what they’re going to give you when it comes to fronts or coverages. … It’s kind of a double-edged sword.”

Air Force (3-6) ranks second in the nation with an average of 269 rushing yards per game. The best rushing team UConn (7-3) has faced this season was Rice (ranked 16^th), and the Owls handed the Huskies one of their three overtime losses.

UConn coach Jim Mora described Air Force’s style as more “explosive and powerful” than traditional option. He noted that the Falcons “kind of play hide-and-seek with the ball” and by using quarterback Liam Szarka so frequently in the running game – he has 25-plus carries in five consecutive games – it allows an extra blocker to be utilized.

“These guys are polished,” Mora said. “These are some of the smartest young men in the United States of America. They’re warriors. They play with that warrior spirit. They are relentless. You don’t go the Air Force Academy unless you have something special in your heart and soul. And they play that way. We just have to be ready for that.”

Air Force’s recent games against unfamiliar FBS opponents have gone in their favor. In victories over Colorado during the 2019 regular season and over Washington State (2019), Louisville (2021) and Baylor (2022) in bowl games, the Falcons averaged 30.5 points, 276 rushing yards and more than 38 minutes in time of possession.

Even when struggling to beat Sam Houston in their first meeting in 2023, the Falcons rushed for 244 yards and possessed the ball for 36:38 in a 13-3 victory in the season’s second game behind a new offensive line and quarterback.

This version of the Falcons’ offense, with an offensive line that has started the same five players in all nine games and ranks 29^th nationally in total offense (438 yards per game) and 32^nd in scoring offense (33 points per game) is far more seasoned than the version from early 2023.

UConn ranks 106^th in rushing defense (174.3 yards per game) and is in the bottom half in scoring defense (24.9 points per game) and time of possession (29:25 per game).

The Huskies aren’t entirely unfamiliar with Air Force.

Defensive coordinator Matt Brock coached linebackers for Washington State against the Falcons in 2019 and leading tackler Bryun Parham, a transfer from San Jose State and Washington, made 11 stops against the Falcons while playing linebacker for the Spartans in 2023.

But there’s not enough there to predict how the Huskies might attempt to stop Air Force. So any advantage for the Falcons may depend not just on style, but on in-game adjustments once that blindfold has been removed.