NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Mike Locksley, the head coach of UConn’s upcoming opponent –
Maryland – obviously had Huskies’ head coach Jason Candle on the mind in the
opening minutes of his news conference on Tuesday.

After Locksley spoke briefly about the Terrapins’ opening
game against FCS progra Hampton – a 62-0 victory on Saturday – he transitioned to talk of
Maryland’s next contest.

“Closed the book
on them on Sunday, reviewed everything, took a long look at things that we need
to improve upon from game one to game two that was on the tape,” Locksley said
of the Hampton game. “Got it corrected, and then used (Monday) to get recovered,
to get some guys in here get healthy, and to get a jump start on obviously this
week's opponent, Toledo.”

Uh-oh.

An unintentional – and harmless – slip of the
tongue, of course; Candle was the head coach at Toledo for a decade before
accepting an offer last December to replace the departed Jim Mora. And Locksley
quickly righted himself, correctly linking Candle to UConn.

Still, it’s
something the home crowd at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in
East Hartford probably won’t let him forget on Saturday.

Game time is
3:30 p.m. ET.

Is it Saturday yet? 🏈 👀 pic.twitter.com/sQeOf48pNM

— UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) September 8, 2026

Home-field advantage?

The box score from UConn's 56-7 win against FCS school Lafayette puts the attendance at
Rentschler Field as 31,831. Seating capacity is listed as 36,000, and it can
grow with standing-room only seats. A large crowd should be on hand for the Big Ten's Maryland, one of three Power Four programs that will come to East Hartford this
season.

Last season, 38,106 fans were on hand when UConn defeated Power Four program Duke
37-34 in East Hartford.

Locksley knows just how valuable fans in the stands, especially
a filled student section, can be for a team.

“I think it was 10,000 students that showed up at the start of
that game and carried the momentum into halftime that helped us,” Locksley said
Tuesday of his team's opener.

Locksley and Candle

Despite the little slip, it was clear from his words on
Tuesday that Locksley and Candle share a cordial relationship.

“A lot of respect for our opponent this week, UConn,” he
told reporters. “I know Jason Candle really well. Did tremendous job at Toledo.
Has put together a big-time staff up there at UConn.

“Obviously, UConn's coming off of a big year, where they lost
their head coach, bowl eligible a year ago. A bunch of those guys are returning,
but if you look at Jason and what he's been able to do at Toledo, and you look at
the landscape of how he was able to bring a lot of the players that were successful
for him there at Toledo to UConn…”

Locksley is in his ninth season with the Terrapins. They are
coming off of back-to-back 4-8 seasons, and his overall coaching record there is 38-49.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos