Bob Diaco continues work rebuilding UConn, Huskies ranked No. 120 (Orlando Sentinel)

[huskymedic]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...ootball-countdown-no-120-uconn-2015-post.html

Outlook: UConn still faces a long climb toward joining the conference elite and a tough schedule certainly won’t do much to help the win column. Seven of the first nine opponents on the Huskies’ 2015 schedule boasted winning records last season. UConn’s nonconference schedule is challenging, with road contests against BYU, Missouri and a home game against Army. After ranking near the bottom nationally in total offense last season, UConn is hoping to generate more production with the hire of new offensive coordinator Frank Verducci, a former tight ends coach at Northern Iowa.

 

[Carl Spackler]

All I want to do is beat Villanova - for now. They are a 1-AA team. A good one, but a 1-AA team nonetheless. We should beat them like a rental car. I think we'll all have a better idea of where we stand after that game. Army and Navy back to back at home? If we can actually defend option football and score points on offense - nevermind - if we are able to match the discipline in fundamental football procedure and execution that the academies play with - those should technically be mismatches in our favor too - if we are where we should be as a program, recruiting, coaching, playing - to compete for league titles and bowl games. Mizzou and BYU on the road? Those are the kinds of games we are a long way away from being anything but a major underdog.

THe conference schedule? Ugg - don't want to think about it right now, just makes me think of last year. I can only think about villanova for now. It's sad to think how low we've fallen in the past few years, but it will just make rising up to the top again that much more enjoyable. Lose to Villanova though? Then we know we are a long, long way away.

 

[Sportsman5]

The problem with villinova is they have the 1aa player of the year coming back as their quarter back. That means that game is a big wild card.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The problem with villinova is they have the 1aa player of the year coming back as their quarter back. That means that game is a big wild card.

Disagree. Against 1-AA team we should be able to manhandle them and dominate control of the of scrimmage on both sides. If the QB is that good, you run the ball on offense all day, control time of possession, stop the run on defense, and put points up more than you don't on offensive possessions, pin them deep when you don't, and when you get up on the scoreboard as the game moves along into the 2nd/3rd Q's dial up your pass pressure up to 11 on the dial and knock the QB down.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Disagree. Against 1-AA team we should be able to manhandle them and dominate control of the of scrimmage on both sides. If the QB is that good, you run the ball on offense all day, control time of possession, stop the run on defense, and put points up more than you don't on offensive possessions, pin them deep when you don't, and when you get up on the scoreboard as the game moves along into the 2nd/3rd Q's dial up your pass pressure up to 11 on the dial and knock the QB down.

They really, really should. Will determine the season.

 

[Sportsman5]

Disagree. Against 1-AA team we should be able to manhandle them and dominate control of the of scrimmage on both sides. If the QB is that good, you run the ball on offense all day, control time of possession, stop the run on defense, and put points up more than you don't on offensive possessions, pin them deep when you don't, and when you get up on the scoreboard as the game moves along into the 2nd/3rd Q's dial up your pass pressure up to 11 on the dial and knock the QB down.

don't disagree. And if it was a game at the end of the season once the defense and offensive line have had time to fully gel, then I would say it would be close to an automatic win. However, being at the beginning of the season could be a problem.

 

[whaler11]

Villanova was flat better than UConn last year and UConn needs to improve a lot to be in a position to beat them.

Pasqualoni didn't put them in a hole. He dropped them at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then killed the burros.

 

[huskysupporter]

Villanova was flat better than UConn last year and UConn needs to improve a lot to be in a position to beat them.

Pasqualoni didn't put them in a hole. He dropped them at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then killed the burros.

Have to think Nova will be favored.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I feel pukey. Villanova favored. Puke. Vomit.

 

[whaler11]

I feel pukey. Villanova favored. Puke. Vomit.

Just be glad it will only be a FG. Would have been a TD end of last year.

 

[junglehusky]

Just be glad it will only be a FG. Would have been a TD end of last year.

yay.

 

[uconndogs]

All I want to do is beat Villanova - for now. They are a 1-AA team. A good one, but a 1-AA team nonetheless. We should beat them like a rental car. I think we'll all have a better idea of where we stand after that game. Army and Navy back to back at home? If we can actually defend option football and score points on offense - nevermind - if we are able to match the discipline in fundamental football procedure and execution that the academies play with - those should technically be mismatches in our favor too - if we are where we should be as a program, recruiting, coaching, playing - to compete for league titles and bowl games. Mizzou and BYU on the road? Those are the kinds of games we are a long way away from being anything but a major underdog.

THe conference schedule? Ugg - don't want to think about it right now, just makes me think of last year. I can only think about villanova for now. It's sad to think how low we've fallen in the past few years, but it will just make rising up to the top again that much more enjoyable. Lose to Villanova though? Then we know we are a long, long way away.

You want to point to the last game our OL pushed folks around and we ran the ball for 150-200 yards?

What GDL did to that unit has to be a felony and it will take a while to fix it. We also needs some backs that can bang. May have one in Johnson, we'll have to see.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

You want to point to the last game our OL pushed folks around and we ran the ball for 150-200 yards?

What GDL did to that unit has to be a felony and it will take a while to fix it. We also needs some backs that can bang. May have one in Johnson, we'll have to see.

The last game.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I feel pukey. Villanova favored. Puke. Vomit.

Probably but its not 2014.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Year in and year out FCS teams beat FBS teams. Why? The talent discrepancy is not as great as we all believe. The biggest difference is the depth that FBS teams have. Upper echelon FCS teams - like Towson a few years ago and Villanova this year have more than enough talent to win these games against UCONN and just about any other FBS outside the Top 25

 

[NickyNewark]

All I want to do is beat Villanova - for now. They are a 1-AA team. A good one, but a 1-AA team nonetheless. We should beat them like a rental car. I think we'll all have a better idea of where we stand after that game. Army and Navy back to back at home? If we can actually defend option football and score points on offense - nevermind - if we are able to match the discipline in fundamental football procedure and execution that the academies play with - those should technically be mismatches in our favor too - if we are where we should be as a program, recruiting, coaching, playing - to compete for league titles and bowl games. Mizzou and BYU on the road? Those are the kinds of games we are a long way away from being anything but a major underdog.

THe conference schedule? Ugg - don't want to think about it right now, just makes me think of last year. I can only think about villanova for now. It's sad to think how low we've fallen in the past few years, but it will just make rising up to the top again that much more enjoyable. Lose to Villanova though? Then we know we are a long, long way away.

I believe they gave Cuse a scare last yr only losing by missing a chippy FG in regulation but Cuse had problems at QB and WR play last yr. Due to inspired play because of the OBE roots/history I see it as a rough and closer than expected game until the 4th qtr when depth should wear them down...a ten to 13 pt win my guess !?!

 

[uconndogs]

The last game.

We got shut out in the second half and blew a 14 point lead against about the worst team in FBS. I'm going to say we didn't do a good job controlling the LOS when we needed to against what should have been an overmatched opponent.

Folks better realize that we will be and deserve to be an underdog against Nova.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

If I was WM and Diaco I'd make a goal that after my current committments are up after the 2017 game with Holy Cross (why they scheuduled that is beyond me... we'll be lucky to have 10 fans there for that barn-burner) UConn only schedules FBS opponets. No more playing these 1AA schools from the Northeast to be good neighbors. F-that... Why are we still doing it so much? I don't get it...

I would have rather just had 1 win in 2014 than played and beat Stony Brook. It's small-time program stuff. We can't afford to play these schools anymore... not with the Conference Realignment era we're in now. We lose again to a FCS school like we did to Towson a couple of years ago, we'll never get a ACC or B1G invite.

 

[HomeKing93]

The problem with villinova is they have the 1aa player of the year coming back as their quarter back. That means that game is a big wild card.

That's one problem. The other problem is their best defensive player was runner-up for the best defensive player in the FCS last year . . . and he's from CT. Think he'll be a little motivated to hit some Huskies on 9/3?

 

[whaler11]

If I was WM and Diaco I'd make a goal that after my current committments are up after the 2017 game with Holy Cross (why they scheuduled that is beyond me... we'll be lucky to have 10 fans there for that barn-burner) UConn only schedules FBS opponets. No more playing these 1AA schools from the Northeast to be good neighbors. F-that... Why are we still doing it so much? I don't get it...

I would have rather just had 1 win in 2014 than played and beat Stony Brook. It's small-time program stuff. We can't afford to play these schools anymore... not with the Conference Realignment era we're in now. We lose again to a FCS school like we did to Towson a couple of years ago, we'll never get a ACC or B1G invite.

A: they are home games
B: they count towards bowl eligibility

Dozens of huge programs play FCS games - Rutgers has played two and it didn't keep them out of the Big 10.

 

[Palatine]

Does Diaco intent to install game plans this year?

Does Diaco intent to treat the pre-conference schedule as preseason again?

That will have a big effect on our wins/losses.

 

[freescooter]

Year in and year out FCS teams beat FBS teams. Why? The talent discrepancy is not as great as we all believe. The biggest difference is the depth that FBS teams have. Upper echelon FCS teams - like Towson a few years ago and Villanova this year have more than enough talent to win these games against UCONN and just about any other FBS outside the Top 25

That's an overstatement by a mile. Top FCS teams have talent to beat maybe the bottom 10% of 1as. And as the season goes on and injuries take their toll that chance declines dramatically. You put Villanova as currently constituted in the AAC and they go maybe 2-6 in conference depending on opponents. Maybe 0-8 if they lose to us and don't get USF or SMU.

 

[Waquoit]

UConn is hoping to generate more production with the hire of new offensive coordinator Frank Verducci, a former tight ends coach at Northern Iowa.

This sentence makes me sad.

 

[ZooCougar]

This thread makes me sad.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

We got shut out in the second half and blew a 14 point lead against about the worst team in FBS. I'm going to say we didn't do a good job controlling the LOS when we needed to against what should have been an overmatched opponent.

Folks better realize that we will be and deserve to be an underdog against Nova.

That's fine.
and...

I don't expect 5 turnovers and the amount of dumb personal fouls, 230 lb TEs or Whitmer/Boyle. I expect we will see growth with depth over the entire field.