UCONN Gets 1st Win of Bob Diaco Era

@MattSchonvisky

UCONN, quarterbacked by Chandler Whitmer, improved to 1-1 on the year with a 19-16 win over Stony Brook, before 23,543 this afternoon at The Rent.

“The team today showed a lot of grit and grind,” head coach Bob Diaco said following the win. “Our brotherhood shined through, our culture shined through. They were able to play hard for four quarters, gave it all they had, finished strong. I’m proud of the way the team fought. We came out on top today and I’m proud of the team. They love winning, they are singing and dancing, as they should.” 

The defense played strong throughout, but especially so in the first half, giving up just two first downs. However, the Seawolves took an early 10-3 lead after a pair of turnovers.

RB Josh Marriner fumbled inside his own 5 and the ball bounced inside the end zone and was recovered by Stony Brook for a touchdown. Marriner got banged up on the ensuing kickoff and never saw the field again, although Diaco did say he was cleared to go back in by the end of the fourth.

Chandler Whitmer also turned it over deep in his own territory on a non-contact play, where the ball just fell out of his throwing hand.

“It was a hot day, slipped out of my hand,” Whitmer said after the game. “I got a little sweaty, I cocked and tried to stop and it slipped out of my hands. One of those unfortunate, silly errors. There’s not much you can do about it, except just get back up on the ball. It happens sometimes, but we’ll try to avoid it.”

Last week, the Huskies fell behind 14-0 in a flash, but were able to recover after a rough start today.

“They were able to withstand adversity early and not wilt and not give it the, ‘here we go again mentality,’ which could have easily plagued our group,” Diaco said. “So the culture is growing.”

This was not Stony Brook’s first rodeo in looking to play spoiler in an FBS stadium, as the Seawolves tend to play up to the level of their opponent, taking Buffalo to 5 OT’s a year ago and were in a dog fight with Syracuse at the Carrier Dome in 2012.

“They’ve had great success here in the last few years, championship team, 10 wins, FBS victory and have played up and really created some challenging circumstances,” Diaco said. “Coach Priore does a fantastic job and again, I just want to reiterate what a great game and formidable foe they were.”

The Huskies jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on the opening drive, that was capped with a Bobby Puyol 42-yard field goal. Following the turnovers, Puyol hit a 27-yarder, before Whitmer found WR Geremy Davis for a 30-yard touchdown strike that gave UCONN a 12-10 halftime lead (the extra point was blocked).

The game changed early in the second half as WR Deshonn Foxx returned a 61-yard punt, 72-yards for a score, that made it 19-10.

“Honestly, as soon as he hit it off his foot, I turned to the guy next to me and said, he just out-kicked his coverage,” Diaco said. “That is a nightmare, when the punter hits a ball like that, it’s a nightmare for the special teams coach. It’s called out-kicking your coverage and it’s a problem because everything is now on different levels.”

Without the defense and special teams, it would’ve been hard to see the Huskies winning this one on offense, but there are three phases for a reason. UCONN gained just 223 total yards on 64 plays.

Whitmer, despite the fumble, looked good. At times he tucked and ran a little quick, but he was also decisive when he did, running 13 times for 52 yards. He finished the day 12-27 through the air for 142 yards and the TD to Davis. However, there were some overthrows and drops that halted drives.

“I thought he [Chandler] managed the game well,” Diaco said. “He was communicative, he was engaging, he was a great teammate, never got down on himself. I felt like he kept on making the right reads. He was on top of putting the guys on proper plays, was tuned into the clock and tuned into the formations. He was orchestrating things really well, just an inch here, an inch there, another inch here, you know.”

Another bright spot, it was another game without an interception for the senior QB who had some issues a year ago, but he still noted after the win, that improvements need to be made.

“There were a few points left out there, a couple of deep balls we just missed them, but we’ll work on that,” Whitmer said. “Some of it was off scrambles, others off designed plays, but we’ll work on that and be able to execute better on those.”

Stony Brook added a late touchdown to close the gap to 19-16, but a failed onside kick attempt allowed UCONN to take all, but 45 seconds off the clock. Punter Justin Wain, who shanked his first attempt that would have given the Seawolves the ball near midfield, was given a second chance after a running into the kicker penalty and promptly pinned SB inside their own 10-yard line.

Diaco deflected any reflection on what the win meant for him, his first as a head coach at any level.

“I just love the guys, I love working with them, I’m good,” Diaco said. “I love coaching the players and they need coaching, they need help and we’ll approach every player like they need something and I love doing that. I don’t want to minimize the win, I mean I’m excited, I’m happy. Dinner will taste better, hopefully UCONN Country and all the Husky fans out there, the whole week, especially in particular our football alumni, put your letterman jacket on this week and walk around the hall and big smile at the water cooler. So that’s exciting for me, that’s good news, I don’t want to minimize the win.”

The Huskies return to action next week at The Rent, when they host Boise State, at noon.

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