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

[Husky25]

How many scholarship athletes were on the team last year (And by scholarship athletes, I mean kids who were recruited out of high school (or transferred) and offered a scholarship as a condition of their attendance. Not some 3 year walk-on who was rewarded for his Ruettiger-like perseverance in practice)? 60? 62? So in other words, UConn was akin to a FCS team.

There were a number of head scratching calls last year, but the outcome as a whole was more directly attributed to the unmitigated disaster of 2011-2013. I expect marked improvement this year and I think some of you negative-nancys will also be pleasantly surprised. If not, why go to the games? I go to have fun and be entertained, which I am for the most part. The moment I express otherwise, I'm sure my wife would be able to find better things on which to spend $400.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

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.

1/4 of Towson's roster that year was FBS transfers. A lot!

 

[J187Money]

1/4 of Towson's roster that year was FBS transfers. A lot!

Shh. Facts.

(Damn Warde!)

 

[Excalibur]

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.

Villanova would finish with a .500 conference record if they played in the AAC next year.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Villanova would finish with a .500 conference record if they played in the AAC next year.

Which would make it altogether more depressing if we can't do to them what I typed above, because we do play in the AAC conference.

 

[Palatine]

1/4 of Towson's roster that year was FBS transfers. A lot!

And how many NFL players were on that squad that lost to Towson?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

And how many NFL players were on that squad that lost to Towson?

I'll give you credit. When you latch onto something, you grip tightly.

 

[freescooter]

Shh. Facts.

(Damn Warde!)

Most of whom transferred because they were riding the pine. Plus there is that pesky other 3/4 of the roster. Which btw has 22 fewer scholarships than a 1a team. Just the facts, Ma'am. And that contributes to why those teams would struggle more as the season went on. Even if 25% were 1a talent ( and in most cases it is marginal 1a but by no means all) the depth is just not there. Your 1a transfer dt goes down the guy replacing him is most likely not 1a. And that goes for every position on the field . It is also at least in part why these teams when they are close tend to lose late.

 

[whaler11]

If you are just finding out now how bad this team was and that teams don't get fixed overnight I don't know what to tell you.

Yes, FBS teams should generally bury FCS teams. That's nice and all but when your team is so bad you can't move the ball against Stony Brook and get hammered at home by an 0-11 team who spent most of the season completely unable to score a single touchdown... general things don't apply to you.

If Diaco can beat Villanova it's a pretty big step forward for the program.

 

[sportsart]

A better conditioned team, more experience on the OL and a good defense that will probably be even better, tells me we win the war on both sides of the line, and thus win the game.

Just the fact alone that we will be blitzing more (last year Diaco didn't feel the team could handle the exposure from blitzing) will help our defense.

I expect the conditioning will help our OL get the push needed to run the ball with more effectiveness and wear down Villanova by the 4th quarter.

Come game time I'd be willing to take all bets if we are getting points. I don't think we will be but only time will tell.

 

[ZooCougar]

Villanova would finish with a .500 conference record if they played in the AAC next year.

No doubt, they are a good team. But while teams like Villanova might have the horses to pull off a victory against an FBS school, I think they would wear down against an AAC schedule coupled with a some P5 OOC games.

 

[uconndogs]

If Diaco can beat Villanova it's a pretty big step forward for the program.

Truth!

Folks may not like it, but the fact is, it would be a big win.

It also sets us up to start the season with 2-0 before heading into four straight games where we will be sizable underdogs.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Truth!

Folks may not like it, but the fact is, it would be a big win.

It also sets us up to start the season with 2-0 before heading into four straight games where we will be sizable underdogs.

Yeah, it would demonstrate progress, mostly likely would have lost to them last year. Also the games will be managed differently this year. Time to start coming out of the induced coma.

 

[uconndogs]

This team lays an egg to open next season they will wake up 0-6 and headed for a total disaster. Diaco will immediately be on the hot seat for the start of 2017. He goes 2-22 he may not even see 2017 in Connecticut. Not even saying that's necessarily fair, but I think that's what it would come down to.

 

[mets1090]

This team lays an egg to open next season they will wake up 0-6 and headed for a total disaster. Diaco will immediately be on the hot seat for the start of 2017. He goes 2-22 he may not even see 2017 in Connecticut. Not even saying that's necessarily fair, but I think that's what it would come down to.

If they go 0-12 Diaco deserves to be fired. It's hard to go 0-12. For reference, see our last game last year.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

This team lays an egg to open next season they will wake up 0-6 and headed for a total disaster. Diaco will immediately be on the hot seat for the start of 2017. He goes 2-22 he may not even see 2017 in Connecticut. Not even saying that's necessarily fair, but I think that's what it would come down to.

No students and last year SMU level crowds. Geeez.

 

[SubbaBub]

1/4 of Towson's roster that year was FBS transfers. A lot!

It's shouldn't matter as 100% of our roster was FBS players.
The rationalizations in this thread are near as bad as the play last year.
5 wins while an improvement should still be unacceptable.
Saying Nova should be a tough game is just plain giving up on the program.
Set a higher standard then achieve it.
Limiting expectations to 3-4 wins is self defeating.

 

[Waquoit]

Saying Nova should be a tough game is just plain giving up on the program.

But saying it won't would be delusional. After last year, I'm done with the happy horsesh!t.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

It's shouldn't matter as 100% of our roster was FBS players.
The rationalizations in this thread are near as bad as the play last year.
5 wins while an improvement should still be unacceptable.
Saying Nova should be a tough game is just plain giving up on the program.
Set a higher standard then achieve it.
Limiting expectations to 3-4 wins is self defeating.

Not at all. I think most are hopeful that this season represents an inflection point in what had been a decline of the program.

 

[huskysupporter]

But saying it won't would be delusional. After last year, I'm done with the happy horsesh!t.

Yeah, not sure how saying Nova is going to be a tough game is giving up on program. It's being an honest about this team.

Regular posters on here, posting on a board for a team that was the worst team in FBS last season, love this program, I would say. None of us want the program to continue to be bad. But we have to look at this team honestly.

I am not going to jump ship if UCONN doesn't win more than 5 games. I actually think the odds aren't in our favor. I simply want to see progress. From the players. And most importantly, the coaching staff.

 

[Confident Carl]

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.

Our Defense needs to dominate their Offense!

 

[freescooter]

It's shouldn't matter as 100% of our roster was FBS players.
The rationalizations in this thread are near as bad as the play last year.
5 wins while an improvement should still be unacceptable.
Saying Nova should be a tough game is just plain giving up on the program.
Set a higher standard then achieve it.
Limiting expectations to 3-4 wins is self defeating.

Somebody else gets it!!!

 

[whaler11]

Somebody else gets it!!!

You guys are clueless on this one.

Message board posting expectations mean nothing. You and Subba can say that UConn should beat up on Villanova until you are blue in the face. It won't make it true.

Were you two in a coma the last month of last year?

Maybe in fantasy lands teams go from being terrible to really good with no transition - but here on Earth you don't just flip a switch and boom you are good.

 

[freescooter]

I still don't buy that we wereTHAT bad last year. I think at least some of it falls on coaching and a guy who really put winning distant 2nd to refashioning a program his way. He basically quit in the U.S. F game. He couldn't decide on a quarterback between Cochran an two bad quarterbacks and quite frankly anyone who saw Casey perform in 2013 should have handed him the job. I still don't buy that we lacked the talent to beat Army and had to struggle against Stony Brook. This was as much a coaching decision to be that bad as actalent decision.

 

[huskysupporter]

I still don't buy that we wereTHAT bad last year. I think at least some of it falls on coaching and a guy who really put winning distant 2nd to refashioning a program his way. He basically quit in the U.S. F game. He couldn't decide on a quarterback between Cochran an two bad quarterbacks and quite frankly anyone who saw Casey perform in 2013 should have handed him the job. I still don't buy that we lacked the talent to beat Army and had to struggle against Stony Brook. This was as much a coaching decision to be that bad as actalent decision.

We were bad, all the way around. everyone deserves blame, including the coaches.