Buffalo Post Game Thread

[Dooooooomed]

UConn wins. BC about to lose. Good day.

 

[UConnDan97]

i keep hoping the coaches learn how to manage the end of games. Hopefully that last drive gives them confidence. Gotta give credit to Fagnano and Neider…and especially Freeman.

I still don’t like the defense…Buffalo is not a good offensive team…and the defense couldn’t get off the field or get turnovers.

At least I'll say that Mora used his timeouts extremely well. He can't tackle for them, but he managed the clock well enough to give us a chance to win it back in regulation...

 

[BlueWolf25]

The game was closer than it should have been. Again the lack of a leader in defense is gonna bite us, along with batcrap stooped playcalling. We need the win, but more emphatically we changes in how the team prepares. I don't want 3 wins to be our ceiling for the year.

Exactly. I cannot believe we’re still going turtle mode with a one possession lead in the 4th. That screen pass to Edwards on 3rd down made me furious

 

[Nameless]

Should I name my firstborn son Camryn Christopher or Christopher Camryn?

Chris Camryn rolls off the tongue better

 

[Windham4th]

Well, when I land in California I will definitely watch the replay on ESPN Plus. I am 35,000 ft above Colorado in flight. I got nervous seeing UConn up only 17-10 because predictably I assumed Buffalo was going to tie it. I was looking at the ESPN ticket and did not think I was going to be able sign online but gave it a shot.

Watch it double speed. Most of the game was boring.

 

[BlueWolf25]

i keep hoping the coaches learn how to manage the end of games. Hopefully that last drive gives them confidence. Gotta give credit to Fagnano and Neider…and especially Freeman.

I still don’t like the defense…Buffalo is not a good offensive team…and the defense couldn’t get off the field or get turnovers.

To be fair, we keep dropping interceptions. And there have been numerous instances where it looks like we’ll be in position to get a sack or tackle for a loss only to miss the tackle

 

[RitzLuce1]

This is the worst coached UConn season since Pasqualoni squandered the 2012/2013 teams. At least in his case he can point to losing to real programs on a P4 level schedule. Right now, our staff looks like deer in the headlights against one of the most manageable schedules you will ever see.

I lost track of the amount of things we did to put this game into jeopardy (as we did the last 3 games). I’ll let others relive it.

Yes a “win is a win”’, But There would have been blood on here had we thrown this game away too. Lord
Knows we certainly tried to.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

We’re obviously not good enough to complain much about a win so I’ll take it

 

[Nameless]

Exactly. I cannot believe we’re still going turtle mode with a one possession lead in the 4th. That screen pass to Edwards on 3rd down made me furious

I agree. I feel like we had some success with screen passes the first few weeks and now we're running way too many of them. Especially since Brown went down.

 

[Chin Diesel]

This is the worst coached UConn season since Pasqualoni squandered the 2012/2013 teams. At least in his case he can point to losing to real programs on a P4 level schedule. Right now, our staff looks like deer in the headlights against one of the most manageable schedules you will ever see.

I lost track of the amount of things we did to put this game into jeopardy (as we did the last 3 games). I’ll let others relive it.

Yes a “win is a win”’, But There would have been blood on here had we thrown this game away too. Lord
Knows we certainly tried to.

The fairest criticism of the staff is they whiffed on talent evaluation on defensive players from the portal. The missed tackles and yards after contact kill momentum. A lot.

 

[BugsyCT]

Another week of feeling sad after a win

That's a bit much. They got the W in a tough road game. Feeling more relieved than sad that we didn't lose this one.

 

[JohnFSilver]

A win is a win.

No complaints about winning. Should be 5-0, But are 3-2. I look at their record as the old 3-0-2…. They’ve played five football games and have late fourth quarter leads in all of them. Beats getting your brains beat out.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

To be fair, we keep dropping interceptions. And there have been numerous instances where it looks like we’ll be in position to get a sack or tackle for a loss only to miss the tackle

that’s kinda the point…they aren’t making the big plays on defense. I am not sure what is missing…is it talent…confidence…coaching.

Something is missing…they just don’t have a killer instinct.

 

[Palatine]

After we scored that first TD, you just knew the defense would give it back (it took two plays). It's like clockwork. The plays are there to be made. They just don't make them. On the 63 yard run we had a lineman in the backfield. Never touch the ball carrier. I don't now if it's talent or coaching or awareness they just can't perform under pressure. Maybe the scheme needs to simplified.

I thought if we got a little separation then, Buffalo would roll over.

 

[TRest]

We also gave up a score after scoring, I don’t know if we did it more than once after the first exchange.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Tackling was better overall. Diomonde and Brinson were big culprits on big plays today. Blown coverage on 4th down td. Buffalo has a good D and Fagnano finally ran the ball which helped loosen things up. We still have breakdowns but this team just learned how to execute winning plays down the stretch. I will take it.

 

[Devland]

It seems like, for the last 30 years, when we blitz in a big situation we get burned.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

That's a bit much. They got the W in a tough road game. Feeling more relieved than sad that we didn't lose this one.

I agree…relieved is a better word. But…let’s face it…that atmosphere on the road was pretty bad. That is not a tough place to play.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Tackling was better overall. Diomonde and Brinson were big culprits on big plays today. Blown coverage on 4th down td alright. Buffalo has a good D and Fagnano finally ran the ball which helped loosen things up. We still have breakdowns but this team just learned how to execute winning plays down the stretch. I will take it.

It feels like Diomonde got a lot of good press this year. And he has a great story…but I don’t think he has had a great year so far. On the flip side…it feels like King is getting more comfortable in Brock’s defense.

 

[uconnbill]

Both longer plays by Buffalo were due to mistakes. In the long run, there was one big miss, and the longer pass to Swan as well. I hate shoulder tackles that don't wrap the player up. They need to do a better job at that.

 

[RedStickHusky]

i keep hoping the coaches learn how to manage the end of games. Hopefully that last drive gives them confidence. Gotta give credit to Fagnano and Neider…and especially Freeman.

I still don’t like the defense…Buffalo is not a good offensive team…and the defense couldn’t get off the field or get turnovers.

Vereen...

 

[businesslawyer]

It feels like Diomonde got a lot of good press this year. And he has a great story…but I don’t think he has had a great year so far. On the flip side…it feels like King is getting more comfortable in Brock’s defense.

Similar thoughts. It appears to me that King and Parham are our two best LBs (not counting the hybrid LB/DEs, Branch and Key). I don’t think we have them on the field together much, if at all.

And I’d love to know if, on the Buffalo tieing TD, someone blew an assignment or the blitz we called left us no way to defend that little pass. I’m guessing the former but it’s just a guess.

 

[Nameless]

The fairest criticism of the staff is they whiffed on talent evaluation on defensive players from the portal. The missed tackles and yards after contact kill momentum. A lot.

I know I just started posting here but have been lurking for awhile. I remember discussion on here as to whether or not we should be bringing in guys from the portal who were at "P" level programs but hardly saw the field, or guys from lower level programs that have played and performed. IIRC most people thought bringing in guys who have performed was the way to go (like we did with McDonald last year.)

I think we did a good job getting LBs and DBs from the portal. But I think we whiffed on the D Line, and if you look at the guys we brought in, it's the one position where nobody really had performed at a high level. Smiley played every season at Virginia, but looks like he was a career backup based on his numbers. Wright is a former highly rated recruit, but he barely played at ASU and SMU and only had 15 total tackles at the FCS level last year. Carroll-Jackson barely saw the field for Nebraska. He's young and I like his upside, but it was always kind of a crapshoot as to whether or not he would perform well this year. Black is a senior who has barely played anywhere he's been.

Contrast that with the LBs, where we brought in guys like King (1st team all AAC) and Parham (over 100 tackles at SJSU in 2023.) Or the DBs where we brought in guys like Mills who had an interception in the playoff, Latu who had at least played meaningful snaps at Wisconsin, etc. Obviously all 3 groups have made mistakes throughout the season, but the D Line is the clear weakness. Just looking at the numbers this should have always been the expectation (and I think for a lot of us, it was.)

I'm hoping we prioritize guys that have performed well at lower levels over guys who were former highly rated recruits when we hit the portal this off-season.

 

[Huskydog45]

Frustrated with the defense as the defense we saw for 55 minutes against Syracuse was tough, hard hitting and gang tackling. I haven’t seen that defense since then.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The result could have been worse. Don't have much else to say about the game.

One weird thing, the game was obviously broadcast on a delay (checked my phone shortly before the second half began and it showed ~14 minutes left in the 3rd); throughout the game, the score graphic showed both teams @ 2-2. On the play before the overturned catch/fumble, it slowed us @ 3-2 and UB @ 2-3.

They displayed the outcome before the game ended.