Senior quarterback Joe Fagnano threw two touchdowns for the Huskies (9-4), who took a 24-7 halftime lead. He was named offensive MVP after going 16-for-23 for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

Fenway was kind to the Huskies. Storrs is a 90-minute drive from the Fens, just off Interstate Highways 90 and 84. The Boston area is home to droves of UConn graduates. A cheering Huskies crowd, announced at 27,900, watched as their team cemented its third nine-win season in 128 years of football, and first since 2007.

“UConn Nation put on a performance today that I haven’t seen in three years,” said coach Jim Mora, who finished 6-7 in 2022 and 3-9 last season. “(Rentschler Field, UConn’s home) will be loud, but nothing like today.”

They saw the Huskies, who had lost to four Power 4 teams this season (Maryland, 50-7; and one point loss to Duke, Wake Forest and Syracuse), score a decisive victory over a major Atlantic Coast Conference program achieved.

“Why not us?” asked energetic senior defenseman Rante Jones, who went 1-for-11 as a freshman before Mora took over. “Coming out and overcoming the crisis means a lot to us.”

While UNC raved about Belichick, UConn’s former NFL coach prevailed. Hours after UConn announced a contract extension for Mora through 2028 — he will make about the same, $10 million, in four years as Belichick will make at UNC next season — he had the most answers.

UConn outscored UNC 361-206. The Huskies did most of their damage in the first half, forcing four Tar Heels punts and intercepting one pass. They got 21 first downs and allowed 10. On third down, they held UNC to 9 to 0 and converted 8 of 16.

UNC lost starting quarterback Jacolby Criswell to an apparent shoulder injury in the first quarter and the Tar Heels spent most of the fourth quarter playing Wildcat plays with Caleb Hood. The latter, a high school quarterback, threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Copenhaver with 6:46 left. Those were UNC’s only offensive points of the day.

The cool (38 degrees and cloudy at kickoff) and humid conditions would have been ideal for the Tar Heels’ Omarion Hampton. He was the top rusher in the ACC and second nationally (1,660 yards, with 15 touchdowns). But he stood on the sidelines in street clothes, along with a dozen other UNC teammates who weren’t playing for various reasons.

“We didn’t really take any breaks today,” said UNC interim coach Freddie Kitchens, who will remain with the team in an undetermined role. In addition to the absences on offense, UNC brought in three true freshmen on offense.

There was an audition for those who will be in Hoodie Disciples for spring ball or on the roster for Belichick’s official debut in Carolina blue (August 30 vs. TCU).

On the first play from scrimmage, UConn junior Mel Brown loudly shouted “Let’s Go Huskies” after breaking free for 47 yards. The Huskies settled for a 32-yard field goal from Chris Freeman, but forced a punt and took a 10-0 lead when Fagnano dropped a 38-yard touchdown pass into junior Skyler Bell’s breadbasket .

Tar Heels sophomore Chris Culliver, who has announced his transfer plans, ran the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown. The extra point, shot from where third base on the mound is normally located, landed in the low bleachers.

From the line of scrimmage, UConn maintained total control. In the second quarter, junior tight end Alex Honig caught a 4-yard touchdown pass after another Huskies marched down the field. Sophomore defensive lineman Cam Edwards, running behind 307-pound defensive lineman Jelani Stafford, dove into the end zone to give the Huskies a 24-7 lead.

UConn senior linebacker Tui Faumuina-Brown intercepted UNC quarterback Michael Merdinger to end the first half.

Merdinger, a true freshman taking his first collegiate snaps, finished the game 9 for 12 for 86 yards and an interception. Merdinger, who subbed in for Hood for most of the fourth quarter, returned with UNC trailing by two touchdowns with about four and a half minutes left, but failed to convert a fourth-down pass near midfield with 1:14 left.

UConn became the first non-ACC team to win a Fenway Bowl, after Louisville (2022) and Boston College (2023) won the first two. The Huskies — who have played as an FBS independent since 2019 — evened their bowl record to 4-4.

Belichick takes over a program that has lost seven of its last 10 games, including a four-game losing streak (against James Madison in which it allowed 70 points, Duke, Pitt and Georgia Tech) and the current three-game season. Final slide (a Nov. 23 loss to Boston College, after which coach Mack Brown was fired; and rival NC State).

Matt Porter can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @mattyports.