Like the Western Michigan Broncos a few weeks back, the UConn Huskies football players will wear “77″ helmet stickers this Saturday to honor Ben Flick.

We will wear a 77 sticker on our helmets Sat to honor Cinci OL Ben Flick who passed away earlier this season. pic.twitter.com/47BixR2Sv5

— TJ Weist (@CoachTJWeist) October 17, 2013

What’s particularly moving about this gesture by Connecticut is that they will be playing the Bearcats this Saturday in a game that very much matters in the AAC standings. While they are enemies on the field, this act illustrates that the UC and UConn players are very much brothers off the field in the universe of college football. The tragedy transcends a mere football game. No one wants to lose a teammate, a friend, and in many ways a family member under any circumstance. And I’m sure the Huskies empathize with Cincinnati here.

Additionally Ben Flick’s death must hit UConn’s interim head coach TJ Weist close to home. He personally recruited Flick last year when he was the wide receiver coach at Cincinnati. Undoubtedly Weist spent hours and hours talking to the offensive lineman, getting to know both him and his family, and building a close relationship. I’m sure the now UConn head coach felt like his own son was taken from him in this tragedy.

Overall, this is a really, really touching act on the part of the Huskies.