Delaware Post Game Meltdown

[ZOOCONN]

I saw two teams, one poised and one playing tentatively. I was in K section on the 50, what a God forsaken joke. If we had converted on 4th and short late in the 4th in the red zone, game over and we win. Instead, what dejected drive home.

Brother, I was in section K lol all things considered it was actually a very good UConn turnout

 

[Alum86]

our offense is alright, good enough to get us enough points to have a chance every week. That would have been enough, under one critical assumption:

to have any chance at a season, we needed to play our faces off on Defense, as we did in '24. It is now glaringly obvious that Defensively, we are a shadow of our past 2 years. with the loss of jalani, pryce, jackson, Jayden mcdonald, and others, we are back to a 2021-and-prior level of Defensive talent. And in the era of NIL, that is disappointing to see. Brock showed what he can do when he's got dawgs in his pound. this year he's got nothing to work with. That's on Jim Mora and the recruiting staff. They utterly FAILED FAILED FAILED to re-tool this defense.

Given that reality, I must put us at 5-6 wins tops this year. Jim Mora deserves some grace, but this AD has to make some tough decisions this summer about whether they want to spend the money necessary to build a P4 team.

Mora deserves no grace. 4 year honeymoon is over.

 

[ZOOCONN]

What was up with our last drive in regulation snapping the ball multiple times with more than 10 seconds on the play clock, so dumb

I was sitting with one of top recruits from this up coming class at the game today and he said that exact thing, “ Joe, run that clock down man.”

 

[Skies2018]

Mora deserves no grace. 4 year honeymoon is over.

The expirement is over. Guy was skiing in Idaho when we hired him for a reason. He’s a great person but not the coach we need. He had the money and support to build a top G5 team. We lost to Delaware. This was a very winnable game and season and he clearly doesn’t have the team assembled or prepared to execute. It’s unacceptable. Just like not going out and finding a legit QB or OC and instead sticking with mediocrity which leads to failure in the long run.

 

[ZOOCONN]

x1000

JF makes these critical mistakes far foo often. He’ll play decent/okay for most of the game and that’s great, but we aren’t good enough to survive these mistakes.

Had a convo with a kid from our incoming class today about this exact thing. He’s gonna be solid, will take care of the football but he’s never gonna make the “oh my god” throw. Needless to say, he wasn’t upset a different guy is gonna be throwing him the ball next yr.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Extremely disappointing.

I don't understand why we ran clock on our last offensive possession in 4Q... But would still snap the ball with 10 seconds left.

Didn't like the 4th down play call on the last drive or the pass calls in OT on the goaline.

If it's me, you run it 4 straight times and if they stop you, tip your cap. When they kicked the fg there was 0% chance UDel wasn't scoring a walk off td.

 

[Woof 101]

Can we have their qb?

Only if we raise more money, 😉

Geez. Terrible loss, just frustrating...

They still likely 8-4. End of season they gonna be upset they they could have been 10-2, 11-1.

Very optimistic but then again a weak schedule overall. 8-4 would get us a meaningless bowl that the school would lose money once again. Die hard fan, just keeping it real.

Rosa probably ain't playing much anymore this year after that fumble. It's clearly why he doesn't play and it's too bad because he's great besides the fumbles

I politely hope you are wrong here, maybe it's me but I do not recall him as being fumble prone. He had three runs for 40 yards, not something you want to leave on the bench. Yes every runner has to protect the ball but defensive players are now taught to attack the player and strip the ball at the same time.

So much for those undefeated and 10-2 predictions on this board. Mora really knows how to kill attendance at the Rent.

This is not all on Mora, he took a job that was promised to be in a conference. He is making the best of what he can of a football
s*#t show.

I was planning to go to the game next weekend but not anymore.

Don't let your feelings disrupt the day. Die hard UConn fan mind cleansed of the day. What more could one ask for? Who is a better fan than you?

 

[cellocgg]

Let’s stop this charade! UConn is not, and never will be, a football destination. You have to be what you are…and it has nothing to do with football. Drop the sport completely…save the money!

Man why are people acting like we got blown out by 50

Overreaction much?

 

[jostar1]

The team just needs to keep practicing and work on improving every day. No one said it would be easy. Just keep grinding

Problem is we've been saying that for years. Why can't we win against teams when we have more money invested in the program than they do and more NIL money? It's baffling.

 

[FightOnCT]

Problem is we've been saying that for years. Why can't we win against teams when we have more money invested in the program than they do and more NIL money? It's baffling.

Virginia Tech just lost to Old Dominion and UCLA to New Mexico. Having money doesn’t exclusively mean you win but it does usually help. It’s more of a coaching/program issue at that point. It’s been very up and down coaching wise for us with Mora; great last year but this is easily the worst lost of his tenure.

 

[huskyblooz]

Remember when we thought this team could go 12-0

8 days ago.

 

[hookshot]

Defense was terrible. The team is undisciplined with all of the penalties. Fagnano is a mediocre quarterback whom we are stuck with. Rosa has a nose for the goal line, yet he barely gets touches. McDonald comes in cold off the bench on 1st and 10 and they dial up a pass play? Bell needs to get the ball more, but he is probably double covered because we've developed no other receiving threats, nor a quarterback who shows any consistency with passing. Clock management at the end was questionable. Lots of blame to go around.

Bingo, Rosa finds the hole on any of those key short yard run opportunities that would have turned the game, but he can't do that from the bench

 

[HuskiesFourLife]

I don’t understand how our defense could hold Syracuse to 6 points for 3 1/2 quarters and then gives up 44 to Delaware?? I honestly thought that even with the collapse at the end of the ‘Cuse game, our defense was gonna be ok. Right now I feel like I’m done with UConn football and counting down to basketball…. but I’ll recover and be there at the Rent next week. Huskie for life

 

[Alum86]

He lost the fumble. The penalty saved us.

 

[ktuck911]

I realized today that I take this team way too serious. I got overly stressed watching this game today.

I know we all love Fagnano, but, he's got to execute short passes in BIG spots. His ball placement on that 4th & 2 prior to regulation ending was on him. That shoulda been a simple pitch and catch throw. Then again in OT the placement of the pass to the TE.
And don't let me start on our D. Wow. They crushed us on big running plays by the RB and, worse, the QB. We should've had a spy on the QB the entire 2nd half. All of his running plays were between the Tackles. Our LB play looked more like a deer in headlights. You add the Homer referees calls and you get a recipe for disaster.

Right now we're a tough watch, because we can look great one moment offensively, then, at the same time, we find a way to give the game away.

We play like those New York Football Jets teams that always seemed to find a way to lose.

Not good.

 

[Scrutineer]

If he doesn't throw the ball behind his shoulder, Hansen is literally walking in to the endzone. 120 other college teams can make that play.

You absolutely can't blame Sammis on a call that allows your player to walk in...

Amen. Good quarterbacks today are much more accurate with their throws, just like kickers today make a much higher percentage of field goals.

We've got the kicking part covered but if you watch other games you won't see the number of bad throws we're seeing now from our QB. Long, behind the receiver, short, etc.

We either didn't have the money to buy a better QB off the bench at a school loaded with talent (like Lonergan from Alabama now at BCU) or we overvalued Joe based on his better than average year (at least for UConn) in 2024.

To this point, the uNC and G5 wins last year are increasingly looking like fool's gold. We had a better running back corps and a very good and experienced line to protect Joe last year and uNC's roster was depleted.

Look back a couple games to the perfect throw Nieder made for a 15 yard TD to the tight end. Perfectly placed by a guy who hadn't thrown a pass in a game in three years. Maybe it was luck, but it ought to be the standard we expect to meet, especially from a seventh year guy.

Joe needs to throw like that all the time or we're going nowhere.

 

[JcHusky95]

I think we will have to accept FBS independence and 5 more men's and women's basketball championships, I'm ok with that

You don’t think not being P4 is gonna eventually negatively affect our basketball programs? $$$ and NIL etc. Isn’t the athletic program running a massive deficit? Not trying to be negative. Just asking for opinions. Maybe it won’t matter.

I still think our football needs to win

 

[Kolumbo]

Virginia Tech just lost to Old Dominion and UCLA to New Mexico. Having money doesn’t exclusively mean you win but it does usually help. It’s more of a coaching/program issue at that point. It’s been very up and down coaching wise for us with Mora; great last year but this is easily the worst lost of his tenure.

Power programs with money and historical success can suck. UConn is still in independent no man's land fighting an uphill battle with fewer resources and less commitment. The odds of climbing out of this hole and succeeding seem to get slimmer each season. It already looks like we are underachieving this year based on what our winning percentage could have been. The only chance for UConn football is if something really crazy happens and an invitation materializes for some crazy reason. UConn is not getting invited because of sudden football success. The odds are not very good at all.

 

[gsmooth]

Yes, Sammis can, because he has chosen the starting QB, and has further chosen to stay with him. His choices, his responsibility.

Sammis can be blamed for a lot of things, but his job as a coordinator is put the players in good positions to make winning plays. Scheming an open TE for a short 2 yard gain (7 air yards on the throw) is all he can do-he can't throw the ball for Fagnano, Joe has to do that and he failed twice to do that. There are FCS QBs that can execute those plays with regularity.

Having said all of that, the defense was the main reason UConn lost. This defense was reminiscent of the Edsall 2.0's defenses that were the worst in college football history.

 

[gsmooth]

Had a convo with a kid from our incoming class today about this exact thing. He’s gonna be solid, will take care of the football but he’s never gonna make the “oh my god” throw. Needless to say, he wasn’t upset a different guy is gonna be throwing him the ball next yr.

That is true, Fagnano is not going to make the big time plays, but he doesn't need to make the "oh my God" throw. Fagnano needs to make the simple throws like the 4th and 2 in regulation, the pass to Honig in OT, and going back to last week on the first drive of the game, the TE for the 25 yard gain (at least) with the nearest defender about 10 yards away.

 

[Jetskies]

Amen. Good quarterbacks today are much more accurate with their throws, just like kickers today make a much higher percentage of field goals.

We've got the kicking part covered but if you watch other games you won't see the number of bad throws we're seeing now from our QB. Long, behind the receiver, short, etc.

We either didn't have the money to buy a better QB off the bench at a school loaded with talent (like Lonergan from Alabama now at BCU) or we overvalued Joe based on his better than average year (at least for UConn) in 2024.

To this point, the uNC and G5 wins last year are increasingly looking like fool's gold. We had a better running back corps and a very good and experienced line to protect Joe last year and uNC's roster was depleted.

Look back a couple games to the perfect throw Nieder made for a 15 yard TD to the tight end. Perfectly placed by a guy who hadn't thrown a pass in a game in three years. Maybe it was luck, but it ought to be the standard we expect to meet, especially from a seventh year guy.

Joe needs to throw like that all the time or we're going nowhere.

anyone who put any stock at all in that UNC bowl win was lying to themselves. I'm happy we won, but not once did I ever think we faced THE university of North Carolina, during that game.

 

[Jetskies]

Is this what it feels like to be a JETS fan? I don’t like it.

yes. yes it is.

 

[AllHusky]

Remember when we thought this team could go 12-0

They should be 3-0 right now

 

[BlueandOG]

Remember when we thought this team could go 12-0

I maintain that we have the talent to win every game on the schedule. Coaches blew it against Cuse (with help from some poor execution) and the players, mostly the D, blew it against Delaware.

 

[RSTuthill]

Correct me if I am wrong please. Last year the DL was primarily 4.down linemen, occasionally 3, right? Have I got that right? I don't recall the DL ever being an issue so I did not pay attention. So I may be wrong.

And this year UConn has a new DC and play exclusively a 3 down linemen front. The CCSU game seemed that was the case.

I think the last time UConn tried that was in 2018 with disastrous results. I remember that URI game in particular. 56-49 a highly entertaining win but just barely. And the rest of the year forgettable. Doesn't seem like this year will be any different from 2018.

 

[huskymedic]

Correct me if I am wrong please. Last year the DL was primarily 4.down linemen, occasionally 3, right? Have I got that right? I don't recall the DL ever being an issue so I did not pay attention. So I may be wrong.

And this year UConn has a new DC and play exclusively a 3 down linemen front. The CCSU game seemed that was the case.

This is DC Matt Brock’s second year in Storrs.

DL depth is definitely a problem - Smiley was in concussion protocol and unavailable yesterday contributing to debacle.

 

[Hamms30]

Correct me if I am wrong please. Last year the DL was primarily 4.down linemen, occasionally 3, right? Have I got that right? I don't recall the DL ever being an issue so I did not pay attention. So I may be wrong.

And this year UConn has a new DC and play exclusively a 3 down linemen front. The CCSU game seemed that was the case.

I think the last time UConn tried that was in 2018 with disastrous results. I remember that URI game in particular. 56-49 a highly entertaining win but just barely. And the rest of the year forgettable. Doesn't seem like this year will be any different from 2018.

Brock was our DC last year as well and we ran the 3 3 5 last year too. 3 down linemen and then bringing a 4th up to the line or dropping back into coverage depending on the call. We lost a lot of talent up front form last year. New crop needs to sort it out and dig in.

 

[RSTuthill]

Brock was our DC last year as well and we ran the 3 3 5 last year too. 3 down linemen and then bringing a 4th up to the line or dropping back into coverage depending on the call. We lost a lot of talent up front form last year. New crop needs to sort it out and dig in.

I had heard a lot about them 3 3 5 when he came but my memory of the games I saw was they changed up quite a bit. Maybe I am think of the year before.

 

[giddyup]

Brock was our DC last year as well and we ran the 3 3 5 last year too. 3 down linemen and then bringing a 4th up to the line or dropping back into coverage depending on the call. We lost a lot of talent up front form last year. New crop needs to sort it out and dig in.

Yeah, after CCSU it was clear we have a very weak D line. But then comes Cuse, and I’m thinking, ok, we’ve got a D line that can get after it. Then, Delaware makes it plain that we are small, slow and can be easily exploited.

 

[Kolumbo]

I maintain that we have the talent to win every game on the schedule. Coaches blew it against Cuse (with help from some poor execution) and the players, mostly the D, blew it against Delaware.

I didn't see the game but as you said, the defensive players blew it against Delaware. Gave up 44 points to a first year FBS program getting its first FBS win. So perhaps UConn does not have the talent to win every game. Delaware on the other hand could be poised to win out.