Flashback: end of 1st half v. Rutgers, 2012

[psilotic]

sort of apples and oranges comparing that scenario to today's. same level of coaching malpractice.

From Uconnblog, 10/6/2012

There is talent on this roster and I have no doubt that the players want to win but they are being let down time and again by the coaching staff.

There are plenty of bizarre and frustrating coaching decisions to go around (like George DeLeone's continued refusal to do anything but run on first down), but the end of the first half should provide enough of an example: Down six to three the Huskies completed a pass to move to Rutgers' 34 yard line with 21 seconds remaining. UConn, which had three timeouts, ran one play, gained zero yards and then elected to kick a fifty-one yard field goal, which naturally missed. The Huskies used none of their timeouts. I have no clue what Pasqualoni or DeLeone were thinking during that sequence, and I suspect they don't either, because there is no justifiable football reason for it to play out like it did.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Without watching the game yet, hard for me to believe that today matched that level of incompetence. That was a dark day in Piscataway was a dark day.

 

[Nostical]

I was at that game. That was coaching malfeasance at its worst but I never counted that game as a win for us. We were simply too bad a bad football team. I never felt that team had a good chance to win. This team can win every game it plays if the staff and some bonehead moves don't get in their way. This is a much --much --more promising edition of the Huskies. Not even close.

 

[psilotic]

Without watching the game yet, hard for me to believe that today matched that level of incompetence. That was a dark day in Piscataway was a dark day.

Will be interested to hear your take. At least you've been warned.

 

[noeynox]

The end of the 1st half today would have been handled better by a pop warner coach. It was that bad.

 

[Dooley]

Part of the blame goes to Newsome. Instead of dancing around trying to gain an extra yard (with no shot at getting in the end zone), he needs to know that it's a quick play. He has to get down so we can call the TO or get out of bounds. He tried to make a dazzling play against half of the USF defense and crushed the clock.

 

[businesslawyer]

Part of the blame goes to Newsome. Instead of dancing around trying to gain an extra yard (with no shot at getting in the end zone), he needs to know that it's a quick play. He has to get down so we can call the TO or get out of bounds. He tried to make a dazzling play against half of the USF defense and crushed the clock.

Of all the people you can blame , you can't blame Newsome. There was nothing Newsome could do with the ball productive that would have left time. Thus, why throw it to him. Sheriffs was great today, but you look at the post or corner and if it isn't there overthrow it. And the staff should have just taken the 3 in the first place.

 

[Dooley]

And the staff should have just taken the 3 in the first place.

Agree here. After the fumble recovery, we let too much time tick off the clock. Better clock management would have been call TO after the fumble recovery, run one play to the end zone with 15 seconds left. If it's not there, throw in the 1st row and take the 3.

Shoulda woulda coulda. Lots of blame to go around. A few plays earlier, we couldn't get a play in until 10 seconds left on the play clock (again). Sheriffs had no time to read the defense, identity blitz pressure and was forced to scramble and ultimately throw it in the stands. Wasted play when you're at an end of a half.

 

[psilotic]

The play should have been a quickie to a tight end in one of the corners to the end zone. I really don't understand why the TEs are being ignored when they both have proven they can catch the ball. . Sherriffs fell on his sword and said it was his fault for not just getting rid of it, but I still blame the coaches/call

 

[JMick]

The play should have been a quickie to a tight end in one of the corners to the end zone. I really don't understand why the TEs are being ignored when they both have proven they can catch the ball. . Sherriffs fell on his sword and said it was his fault for not just getting rid of it, but I still blame the coaches/call

TE's are being "ignored" because they have to stay in to block. We're going max protect, which I don't necessarily disagree with, but it limits our options.

 

[huskymedic]

Part of the blame goes to Newsome. Instead of dancing around trying to gain an extra yard (with no shot at getting in the end zone), he needs to know that it's a quick play. He has to get down so we can call the TO or get out of bounds. He tried to make a dazzling play against half of the USF defense and crushed the clock.

Of all the people you can blame , you can't blame Newsome. There was nothing Newsome could do with the ball productive that would have left time. Thus, why throw it to him. Sheriffs was great today, but you look at the post or corner and if it isn't there overthrow it. And the staff should have just taken the 3 in the first place.

Watch the game clock (I'm also not convinced Newsome was the intended primary target).

 

[psilotic]

TE's are being "ignored" because they have to stay in to block. We're going max protect, which I don't necessarily disagree with, but it limits our options.

On video looks like Tommy Myers is flexed out (right side) and in pattern running straight down middle of field. A play they've had success with but in a short field situation like that send him to a pylon.

 

[businesslawyer]

No one from the sideline told Sheriffs to throw to Newsome. They called a pattern looking for the primary receiver for 6. When the QB decided it wasn't there, he swung it to a check down receiver when he should have thrown it away. I thought the safe play was to kick the 3 with 8 seconds left, but the QB needs to know on that call it's the primary receiver or get rid of it. The coaches had nothing to do with what happened beyond the decision to go for it. (Unless, like Palatine, you believe the coaches are directly responsible for every mental mistake that their players make.)

 

[Dooley]

Watch the game clock (I'm also not convinced Newsome was the intended primary target).

Thanks for this, medic. After seeing the replay, I will now shift my "Blame Game" to Shireffs from Newsome (although if Newsome had just gone down with 3 or 4 seconds left, they could have still called TO). It's a bad decision from Sheriffs to throw him the ball. Diaco looked upset with him too.

 

[Dooley]

No one from the sideline told Sheriffs to throw to Newsome. They called a pattern looking for the primary receiver for 6. When the QB decided it wasn't there, he swung it to a check down receiver when he should have thrown it away. I thought the safe play was to kick the 3 with 8 seconds left, but the QB needs to know on that call it's the primary receiver or get rid of it. The coaches had nothing to do with what happened beyond the decision to go for it. (Unless, like Palatine, you believe the coaches are directly responsible for every mental mistake that their players make.)

Yeah, after seeing the replay (thanks again medic!), I think Sheriffs deserves the majority of blame. Bad decision to check it down to a receiver who had no chance at 6. Newsome did have time to get down and call the TO, but watching it live, I thought there was more time of the clock when he caught than there actually was. Sheriffs needs to throw it in the end zone, out of the end zone, or away there.

But I'm with you - I would have rather seen a FG attempt at that point after they didn't use their TO on 2nd down and preserve another 7 or so seconds.