UConn, UMass discussing spring football game

A little more than a month after pulling the plug on its fall season, the UConn football program has shifted its sights to competing sometime early in 2021.

UMass athletic director Ryan Bamsford told Hearst Connecticut Media Thursday that he’s had conversations with UConn about possibly squaring off in the spring.

“We’ve had discussions about potentially getting together for a competitive opportunity in the spring,” Bamsford said. “We’re here on Sept. 17, just trying to survey what’s happening around us.”

This comes a day after a report by Mark Blaudschun of SI.com indicated the teams were looking into that possibility.

UConn was the first Football Subdivision program to cancel its 2020 season due to health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. UMass followed the Huskies’ lead a week later.

The teams had been scheduled to kick off the season Sept. 3 at Rentschler Field.

Questions remain about how a spring season could play out. As independents, UConn and UMass aren’t tied down by any conference, making scheduling easier in some aspects.

Plans are in the works for now, but Bamsford cautioned things could change given the climate.

“In the current environment, what we’ve learned in the last seven months is don’t be surprised by anything,” Bamsford said. “We can only control what we can control. One thing I’ve learned is things change daily. We’re just going to do our best and keep our finger on the pulse of what’s going on around us.”

UConn athletic director Dave Benedict was not immediately available for comment.

dbonjour@ctpost.com; @DougBonjour