Storrs — UConn has worked on building a defense worthy of stopping any foe.

On Saturday, the Huskies showed off the results of their hard work, holding an undefeated Southeastern Conference team to just one touchdown on the road.

Their performance in a 9-6 loss to 22nd-ranked Missouri was an impressive performance by any standards. But the Huskies only surprised people outside their own locker room.

"We prepared for this," red-shirt senior defensive tackle Julian Campenni said on Tuesday. "We worked in the offseason for it. We expected to be a great defense. We knew we had the potential.

"So it's just guys going out there with belief and the work ethic to get the job done."

Through three games, UConn (2-1) is statistically ranked among the top 20 defenses in the country. The Huskies are 15th in scoring defense at 13.7 points per game and 18th in total defense at 279.3 yards per game. They lead the American Athletic Conference in both departments.

Their stingy defense limited Missouri to 270 total yards — 85 on the ground and 185 in the air.

Only offensive struggles and shaky special teams play prevented UConn from pulling off the upset.

"We just needed a little bit higher level of execution in all three phases to pull that win out, which is very realistic," UConn coach Bob Diaco said. "We prepared for that and expected it and that's why it hurt so bad."

Despite their underdog status, they weren't satisfied with a narrow defeat to a nationally-ranked opponent.

"We were disappointed that we didn't get the win...," Campenni said. "It was a close game. We had our time to mourn — 24 hours — and now we're on to Navy. ... Our mentality is we'll play any team anywhere, any place, any time. We're not intimidated by any team. We look forward to going out there to play football.

"We all love to play football."

Navy (2-0) is the next challenge in a brutal stretch in the schedule. UConn's AAC opener comes against a conference newcomer propelled by a potent triple option attack.

Diaco believes his defense, which has 22 tackles for losses, will be ready. He's been pleasantly surprised by his team's play in what he calls sudden change moments.

He pointed to an example in a 22-17 win against Army on Sept. 12.

"The worst happened — a turnover at midfield — and the defense comes on the field and gets a stop...," Diaco said. "That resilient nature and that belief and that energy... have been a real great, great positive piece that we've been working towards and they've been focused on. At the level that it's happening right now, it's been a pleasure to see."

News and notes

• According to an ESPN report, the Big Ten will count any games against UConn, Navy, Army, Cincinnati and Notre Dame as acceptable to meet the conference's requirement of facing one non-conference Power 5 team per season. UConn will play Illinois and Indiana in 2019-20. "It's exciting," Diaco said. "Although I'd be slightly torn playing the University of Iowa, I'd love to play the rest."

... Special team blunders really hurt the Huskies on Saturday. Diaco will put extra emphasis on that area during practice this week. ... Starting linebacker Marquise Vann, who sat out Saturday, is still recovering from a leg injury. "He'd like to play," Diaco said. "Here's the problem: You have to practice full speed to even have a chance to be prepared to play in the game." ... If given a do-over, Diaco said he wouldn't have called a fake field goal play late in the fourth quarter. It failed miserably. He would have given his offense a chance to make the first down.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe