Game Week - UConn @ Vanderbilt (10/2/21 @ 7:30p (ET) on ESPNU)

[RSTuthill]

UConn is at a juncture now. There are two possible scenarios. The one I like is the first victory of the year. We have seen this plot twist in UConn's history before, so we know it is possible. But we have also have to admit that we have seen the less attractive scenario too. That's the one where we are all revealed to be dreamers, that last weekend was full of lucky breaks, and that reality is that UConn is still terrible as revealed by its regression back into old habits and a huge margin against.

So ... which scenario of the two will it be? The Huskies themselve have to decide.

 

[Slasher]

I see a close back and forth game, but not quite enough horses to get it done. 28-24.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Couple of observations:

TE: Jayce Medlock was out of uniform last week and we don't see Chris Johnson listed. SO we have 1st string and originally 4th string TE.
OL: Dylan Niederowski moved to back up RG and Valentin Senn now on the chart. He has checked in against Wyoming on the 4th and 3 but the false start moved us back and him out of the game.
DL: Nick Harris has gone from playing to not on the 2 deep.
LB: Jordan Morrison lost his spot to Fogle.
DB: We are young back there. Lucien has the most snaps and Wortham is a juco. I feel like we have always been young back there for years.

Think Morrison was backing up Swenson, HC. Now Tui-Brown. Everyone bumped up behind Forte.

 

[huskymedic]

Alternate access link here <<

-> Spanos offered little in the way of updates on injuries. Defensive back Myles Bell (leg injury) is out. Fortt, defensive lineman Travis Jones (both with foot injuries) and long snapper Brian Keating (wrist) are all day-to-day. <-

 

[huskymedic]

 

[CTMike]

The growing pains will continue until they get older.

 

[RSTuthill]

The issue is retention once they get older and better. Which is why I suggested player representation on the search committee a sew weeks ago. The next coach will NOT have a free year or two to construct a team to his own liking if he is gonna save the program. He is gonna have to start winning immediately with the team he has, not the one that he would like to have.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[TheDoggPound]

Not really sure what the thinking is to bench Johnson and Hairston. Hairston is the most sure-handed WR we have on the roster with good frame and FBS althetisicm. Johnson clearly has the most upside at the TE position out of anybody on the roster and is physically ready to play now (Niemenski was a downgrade).. I hope Spanos isnt just benching them because he feels they're 'Edsall guys' and wants to send a message or whatever. Those 2 guys seeing the field give us the best chance of winning, so things like this give me pause in what would otherwise be an optimistic next 2 months ahead.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Btw nobody mentioned Devontae Houston, he's another one that's gone MIA

 

[HuskyGooner124]

Not really sure what the thinking is to bench Johnson and Hairston. Hairston is the most sure-handed WR we have on the roster with good frame and FBS althetisicm. Johnson clearly has the most upside at the TE position out of anybody on the roster and is physically ready to play now (Niemenski was a downgrade).. I hope Spanos isnt just benching them because he feels they're 'Edsall guys' and wants to send a message or whatever. Those 2 guys seeing the field give us the best chance of winning, so things like this give me pause in what would otherwise be an optimistic next 2 months ahead.

They are all Edsall's guys? So that doesn't make sense. With all the changes Spanos has made (starting phommachanh, bringing in mazzone, etc.) I doubt he is making 2 deep changes to "send a message" except that he thinks the other players can help us implement the game plan and win. Or maybe they simply picked up a knock and these are the next guys up? I don't really watch the media stuff so not sure if these 2 changes were discussed in more detail but from the tweets I assume not.

Spanos has only been interim coach for a little but I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt with these changes based on his (albeit small) body of work so far.

 

[TheDoggPound]

They are all Edsall's guys? So that doesn't make sense. With all the changes Spanos has made (starting phommachanh, bringing in mazzone, etc.) I doubt he is making 2 deep changes to "send a message" except that he thinks the other players can help us implement the game plan and win. Or maybe they simply picked up a knock and these are the next guys up? I don't really watch the media stuff so not sure if these 2 changes were discussed in more detail but from the tweets I assume not.

Spanos has only been interim coach for a little but I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt with these changes based on his (albeit small) body of work so far.

I'm just tired of in-house politics and want the best players on the field. Hairston and Johnson playing give us the best chance to win. They're not even on the 2-deep so something is up (and it doesn't appear to be injury related).. my interpretation might be incorrect as to the reasons why, but I'm certain they're better than Niemenski and Clercius. Those guys are both serviceable but seem more suited to be role players at this juncture.

 

[Nostical]

Saturday night is the watershed moment of our season. It’s the game that will measure our true level of improvement. At Army we showed a spark on offense with Tyler Phommachanh newly at the helm and Brewton excelling on special teams. As for our defense, the triple option blurred any rational evaluation. We saw glimpses of our defensive improvement vs Wyoming until wearing down in Q4. We displayed some Mazzone imagination on offense but were also aided by some questionable "home cooking" penalty calls. So where exactly are we in our slow progression from the depths?
This Saturday we’re playing a nighttime away game in an atmosphere where the refs will more than likely reverse the penalty advantage that aided us against Wyoming. And for some added intrigue, we're rolling into Nashville to face some (nominal) SEC athletes who were just humiliated by Georgia 62-0. Whatever self-respect the Commodores hope to reclaim will come at our expense.
So anything is possible (isn’t that why we watch) and nothing would surprise me. Conflicted, I’ll either be taking UConn on the money line at (+450) to validate our growing ascension and Vandy’s utter capitulation—or— Vandy (-14.5) for all the reasons you can imagine. So I’ll wait for an epiphany right before kickoff and if none appears, I just may keep my powder dry. Go Huskies!

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[giddyup]

By all accounts Coach Spanos is putting players on the field that he thinks gives the team the best competitive chance. I would think effort, attitude and intensity are high on his list. Paper talent doesn’t win games. Let’s see what happens at Vandy. I think we might be very happy at the end of the day.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[hardcorehusky]

Not really sure what the thinking is to bench Johnson and Hairston. Hairston is the most sure-handed WR we have on the roster with good frame and FBS althetisicm. Johnson clearly has the most upside at the TE position out of anybody on the roster and is physically ready to play now (Niemenski was a downgrade).. I hope Spanos isnt just benching them because he feels they're 'Edsall guys' and wants to send a message or whatever. Those 2 guys seeing the field give us the best chance of winning, so things like this give me pause in what would otherwise be an optimistic next 2 months ahead.

Where did you see Johnson and Hairston benched? Hairston did play against Wyo, just that he and Morrisseau had reduced snaps.

 

[pepband99]

We saw glimpses of our defensive improvement vs Wyoming until wearing down in Q4. We displayed some Mazzone imagination on offense but were also aided by some questionable "home cooking" penalty calls.

Err - name them? I'll be the first to snicker at one, and i watched them all on replay - looked legit to me.

 

[Huskygrad88]

Err - name them? I'll be the first to snicker at one, and i watched them all on replay - looked legit to me.

Interestingly the only one I saw was a non-call. Tyler Phommachanh was under pressure and threw the ball right into the back of an offensive lineman with no eligible receiver in sight. Assumed a penalty was coming.

 

[pepband99]

Interestingly the only one I saw was a non-call. Tyler Phommachanh was under pressure and threw the ball right into the back of an offensive lineman with no eligible receiver in sight. Assumed a penalty was coming.

Agreed. We had some "illegal touching" jokes going around my friends for that one.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Err - name them? I'll be the first to snicker at one, and i watched them all on replay - looked legit to me.

Unclear which specific Wyoming calls anyone perceived were aided by home cooking. I'm no refereeing guru, but I didn't see any explicit home cooking.

Granted UConn pays refs for our one-game home game contracts, but aren't they typically ACC refs? If so, shouldn't they screw the Huskies from every possible angle? Multiple times on Saturdays.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[RSTuthill]

Saturday night is the watershed moment of our season. It’s the game that will measure our true level of improvement. At Army we showed a spark on offense with Tyler Phommachanh newly at the helm and Brewton excelling on special teams. As for our defense, the triple option blurred any rational evaluation. We saw glimpses of our defensive improvement vs Wyoming until wearing down in Q4. We displayed some Mazzone imagination on offense but were also aided by some questionable "home cooking" penalty calls. So where exactly are we in our slow progression from the depths?
This Saturday we’re playing a nighttime away game in an atmosphere where the refs will more than likely reverse the penalty advantage that aided us against Wyoming. And for some added intrigue, we're rolling into Nashville to face some (nominal) SEC athletes who were just humiliated by Georgia 62-0. Whatever self-respect the Commodores hope to reclaim will come at our expense.
So anything is possible (isn’t that why we watch) and nothing would surprise me. Conflicted, I’ll either be taking UConn on the money line at (+450) to validate our growing ascension and Vandy’s utter capitulation—or— Vandy (-14.5) for all the reasons you can imagine. So I’ll wait for an epiphany right before kickoff and if none appears, I just may keep my powder dry. Go Huskies!

Small point, but normally when teams from two conferences play the refs come from a third conference. Since UConn is no longer in a conference, where will the refs come from for this game -- the SEC? And what conference's refs were used last week against WYO?

 

[RSTuthill]

Paper talent doesn’t win games. Let’s see what happens at Vandy. I think we might be very happy at the end of the day.

Very unlikely. But perhaps by the end of the evening.