Offensive line....

[FDNY99]

I'd take Knappe over Hopkins concerning guaranteed spots. As I said in another post, Hopkins got waxed against Temple, multiple lookout blocks. Who exactly is your second tackle in the lineup you're suggesting?

I went left to right tackle to tackle.

 

[FDNY99]

Since you went there, tell me that Tommy Hopkins had a better game than Samra against Temple. He was horrible. Do you think everyone sucks on the line then?

I thought the entire line absolutely sucked the other night. And as usual I saw Samra standing around after one punishing hit that Newsome took.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Totally agree. Kind of difficult to run Outside the guard/tackle gap when your guard can't get his head across the D lineman on his outside shoulder

Agreed. But we were in game 12, with the same lineup of 5 on the OL all the way. What the players are capable of, is well documented.

That goes for Temple's D too. What they're capable of is well documented. We have not demonstrated the capability on offense to get an aggressive front 7 blocked regularly within varying game plans and our own perssonnel in several years.

We had no answer to block the pressure they brought up the gut or off the edges.

Losing Myers seems to have really forced a lot of change in the offense preparation and plan last week.

I think Diaco is nutty, in a good way,not nutty enough to go through an entire season with Boyle as a backup, and then scrap all of hiswork in week 12 with rotating players taking snaps.

 

[LRock34]

This offensive line is SOFT all the way across the board. Not sure if S&C can fix that problem. This wasn't the first game where the line showed a lack of toughness. They are much improved in the pass blocking game, that's not a surprise because four of them are 6-6 or taller. But they have been soft in run game blocking all year. Johnson and Newsome have broken a few runs here and there on trap and pull plays but this line has never been able to grind out yards like our great lines of the past. Maybe the issue is that they are simply too tall to get the proper leverage for run blocking but I don't think that's the problem. They seem more concerned with getting in front of their man and shielding him as opposed to knocking the man down...this is most evident in the screen game where they olay on blocks often.

 

[ZOOCONN]

Samra pretty solid? There are a few guys who are consistently standing around watching as Newsmen, Johnson or Sherriff's get creamed...Samra and Levy are 2 of the biggest offenders with Knappe coming in a close 2nd. If Crozier had not been hurt, I don't think Samra would have started this season if you ask me. I definitely won't miss him next season that's for sure.

couldn't agree more, he was consistently getting beat all year long. wont miss him.

 

[UConnDan97]

We have Nino Leone coming in. My wish list is we can also bring in Keith Coleman, Marcus Brown, and Mike Lonsdorf to push our current kids along the OL

You're always up to date on our recruiting, so here's a question; what do you think our realistic chances are of keeping Niang in state? I'm guessing less than 25%, which sucks. We've been able to keep some of the big in-state talents here, but it always feels like the O-Linemen leave town (outside of the projects that we develop, like Zach Hurd, Donald Thomas, etc.). The names I'm thinking of are players like Conor Hanratty, John Sullivan, etc.

Let's hope I'm wrong about the 25%...

 

[Stainmaster]

You're always up to date on our recruiting, so here's a question; what do you think our realistic chances are of keeping Niang in state? I'm guessing less than 25%, which sucks. We've been able to keep some of the big in-state talents here, but it always feels like the O-Linemen leave town (outside of the projects that we develop, like Zach Hurd, Donald Thomas, etc.). The names I'm thinking of are players like Conor Hanratty, John Sullivan, etc.

Let's hope I'm wrong about the 25%...

Niang trimmed his list last month and we aren't on it. I don't know if we're recruiting him anymore.

 

[tduconn]

I thought the entire line absolutely sucked the other night. And as usual I saw Samra standing around after one punishing hit that Newsome took.

Extremely frustrating watching the 12th game of the year and opposing defenses had no problem sending multiple players into the backfield "seconds" after the snap. We're very lucky we didn't loose our QB early in the season, or any of our RB's.

I just don't get it. A colander can contain water better than the OL can block anyone on defense. They just stand around looking at each other with a puzzled body language that begs the question "What happened?".

 

[Carl Spackler]

Hey boneyarders. There are only 5 OL positions on offense. 2 tackles, 2 guards, and a center.

We have had slow feet, weak players, bad fundsmental football position and technique in blocking and bad assignment discipline from those 5 for a few years.

It actually got better this year. We got to a 6-6 record with the same starting 5 all year. What they can do is well known. Some have lots of room to improve, some have great potential, only one is graduating.

Nothing they did on Sat, was out of the ordinary and expected.

There are four interior gaps in an OL, and 2 edges. 6 holes. A defensive front that is going to stop the run needs to plug those holes. If a D is good enough, and they can plug those holes regularly, a D can be really good, however it is built doesn't matter - build off stopping the run.

Temple's D ranks top 15 in the country against the run.

They were not only filling those 6 holes, they were bringing at least one extra player through the middle or around the edge on pretty much every down - - run or pass down and distance.

We seemed to have made a choice to go with direct snaps to a runner to get an extra blocker in the game plan, which is probably the best course of action. The coaches aren't dumb.

On thanksgiving week, with the positive hangover from beating Houston, and the goal of a post season reached, we did not prepare well. Coaches and players. Performance always reflects preparation.

The bad news is that if we can't recruit and build an offense that is deep enough, and physicslly capable to get a top 25 defense front 7 blocked regularly, getting over the hump to regular winning instead of yearly struggles for bowl eligibility is going to be difficult.

The good news is that a good recruiter, can talk to a player that is capable about a game like Temple, and sell them how they are needed immediately.

Losing Myers really hurt our ability to get a defense blocked.

 

[ktuck911]

You're always up to date on our recruiting, so here's a question; what do you think our realistic chances are of keeping Niang in state? I'm guessing less than 25%, which sucks. We've been able to keep some of the big in-state talents here, but it always feels like the O-Linemen leave town (outside of the projects that we develop, like Zach Hurd, Donald Thomas, etc.). The names I'm thinking of are players like Conor Hanratty, John Sullivan, etc.

Let's hope I'm wrong about the 25%...

He's not coming here... He should, but he's not... He goes to New Canaan HS, nuff said..

 

[Dooley]

I think one area of a team that 5th year grad and JUCO transfers should be used is OL. The difference in strength, balance and understanding between a 22 year old OL and a 18-19 OL is like night and day. I would love it if our staff can bring a few transfers in for 2016. We will need an immediate injection talent upgrade if we want to do the things that we want to do in 2016.

 

[ktuck911]

We have Cespedes and Tabur that did not burn Red Shirts.

Pearl is a Frosh, but I assume that he burned his Shirt.

I use this to sort roster by position and year.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/conn-m-footbl-mtt.html

If you sort this by year. It looks like we are well stocked with 300lb D-Line Frosh guys. Maybe one converts like Knappe.

Who is Tabur?

 

[huskymedic]

He's not coming here... He should, but he's not... He goes to New Canaan HS, nuff said..

Well, that and the fact he has bona fide offers from TCU, Auburn, MissState, Miami, among other P5 offers.

 

[ktuck911]

I think one area of a team that 5th year grad and JUCO transfers should be used is OL. The difference in strength, balance and understanding between a 22 year old OL and a 18-19 OL is like night and day. I would love it if our staff can bring a few transfers in for 2016. We will need an immediate injection talent upgrade if we want to do the things that we want to do in 2016.

Nice.. somebody who's making sense. Thanks Dooley... We need a kid like this to help solidify our OL.. maybe 2 even... No disrespect to what we already have, but what we have is getting overwhelmed. We need these kids to get better prepared with an additional year in the weight room, learning technique, and behind the scenes practicing...

 

[ktuck911]

Well, that and the fact he has bona fide offers from TCU, Auburn, MissState, Miami, among other P5 offers.

Even if he didn't have those offers his coach would poach him to BCU, Northwestern, or any other school not associated with Storrs, CT

 

[huskymedic]

Who is Tabur?

Tom Tabur - Freshman OL from Worcester Academy.

 

[Dooley]

Nice.. somebody who's making sense. Thanks Dooley... We need a kid like this to help solidify our OL.. maybe 2 even... No disrespect to what we already have, but what we have is getting overwhelmed. We need these kids to get better prepared with an additional year in the weight room, learning technique, and behind the scenes practicing...

Exactly. With Coach Balis at the helm, let the young hog mollies build up their core strength and agility while learning technique for a full year or two before hitting the field. If we can find help via the transfer route next year, I hope our coaching staff can bring them to Storrs.

 

[cohenzone]

Definitely need improvements and/or upgrades for next year. Diaco was right not to panic using a few Frosh this year if he would normally have redshirt them. He's rebuilding a program and this year was part of a "nornalizing" process. Next year is really the first year when his recruits will start seeing the field in some numbers. This year is basically over. The O-line was actually halfway decent against Houston and lousy against Temple, which I think is better overall anyway. Chances are pretty strong that our bowl opponent will not be as good as either of those two. If Sherriffs can't play, the line will be stuck with a QB who isn't very mobile unless somehow Anderson is given the nod, which would surprise me a little for a bunch of reasons.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

OK then we have 3 RS FR next year. We should get 3 per year at least. 2 deep is 10, 3 RS that's 13, and 3 more in case - 16 on hand at all times.

We have 17. We lose Samra and Gifford. That's it.

I think Nwokoji <sp> also Rich.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

That might work.
LT Levy with Peart playing and pushing to start
LG 5th year/juco with Oak subbing
C Crozier with Vechery subbing
RG Rutherford with Oak subbing
RT Hopkins with Knappe subbing

 

[uconnphil2016]

Levy, Crozier, Oak, Rutherford, Knappe is what I'd like to see next year. Hopkins, Vechery & Hashemi back ups.

I think we might see Peart next year instead of Levy

 

[uconnphil2016]

That might work.
LT Levy with Peart playing and pushing to start
LG 5th year/juco with Oak subbing
C Crozier with Vechery subbing
RG Rutherford with Oak subbing
RT Hopkins with Knappe subbing

I think we'll see Vechery end up at LG. Naturally a guard, only played center this year once Crozier went down

 

[SubbaBub]

No one will be a sure thing to start again next season. I suspect we'll see 2 to 3 new faces starting and a couple position swaps. Need to hit the weight room hard again this offseason.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

couldn't agree more, he was consistently getting beat all year long. wont miss him.

Individual O-line play may be the hardest thing to evaluate on a football field without inside knowledge of play and protection calls. That said, Samra has been seemingly bad all year. When trying to define Justice Potter once said something like "I cannot intelligently define , but I know it when he sees it." Samra's play has been in some key moments this year....hardcore filthy .

I thought he would be the best O-Lineman this season, I was wrong. Still, he may be a great leader behind the scenes and some of his misses may not be his fault so I don't want to beat the kid up.

I hope Levy winds up at OG next year.

 

[NYUConn]

O-Line definitely took a step back Saturday night after one of their best showings of the season at home versus Houston.

Granted, with Boyle at QB, Verducci gave no indication that he would offer any creativity in terms of play calling. When you know there is no deep threat in the passing game you can pin your ears back and play the run, which is what the Owls did to perfection.

They are a young group (minus Knappe) who will be much better next season and even as soon as in the bowl game. Last time they had a week off they played the games of their lives against Houston. With 2-3 weeks prior to a bowl game, I think they can really rise to the occasion next month.