Air Force will look to keep its hopes of bowl eligibility alive with its first meeting with UConn.

Air Force (3-6) at Connecticut (7-3)

Kickoff: 10 a.m. MT Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

TV/stream: CBS Sports Network — in Colorado Springs on DirecTV 221, Dish Network 158 and Xfinity/Comcast 170/846 as well as through the CBS Sports streaming devices

Broadcast crew: Chris Lewis (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst), Richard Johnson (sideline)

Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, Varsity App, SIRIUS 381

Air Force broadcast crew: Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

WHAT I’LL BE WATCHING

The Gazette’s Brent Briggeman identifies areas he’ll be tracking during the game.

UConn passing touchdowns

Air Force faced the most prolific quarterback in the nation last week at San Jose State. Now it draws the second-most prolific in UConn’s seventh-year quarterback Joe Fagnano. A lot of things worked well for the Falcons in a 26-16 victory against the Spartans (two interceptions, a fumble recovery, multiple passes knocked down by defensive linemen), but the bottom line is the Spartans threw for 341 but no touchdowns. No one will remember the yardage totals posted on Saturday, but they’ll remember the score. The Falcons need to eliminate the big hitters and grow stingy in the red zone.

Owen Allen & Co.

Air Force’s fullbacks revved up a little last week, with Owen Allen running for 109 yards on 20 carries and Dylan Carson adding 31 yards on 11 attempts. History has shown this is the area that can carry the Falcons to the season’s finish line. The time of possession gained through a punishing running game helps Air Force’s defense while draining the opponents’, the style leads to big plays in the passing game and it’s not an area UConn is built to stop. Impactful fullbacks could also reduce the seemingly unsustainable work load for quarterback Liam Szarka. The Falcons have found other ways to move the ball this year when needed, but this one tends to be part of a winning formula.

The fourth quarter

Air Force has scored 116 points in the fourth quarter this year (more than it has scored in the first and second quarters combined – 115). The Falcons have also given up 110 points in the final 15 minutes (also more than the first and second quarters combined – 99). Will the team have the stamina to be at its best at the end? Air Force played a key rival two weeks ago at home, went to the Pacific Coast in San Jose last week and now is as far north and east as it has been in years. UConn, on the other hand, is playing its third consecutive home game. Maybe this will be a nonfactor, but if it is it could be a massive variable.

BY THE NUMBERS

0

Previous meetings between Air Force and UConn.

1

Turnover allowed by UConn this season as it has a +13 turnover margin that ranks second in the nation.

1

Win in eight games for UConn all-time against teams from the Mountain West.

297

Points scored by Air Force this season.

297

Points allowed by Air Force this season.

1896

The first year UConn played football. The Huskies transitioned to NCAA Division I-A (now known as FBS) in 2000.