Gordon Sammis Named OC

[rich1122]

My guess is EO Smith

Or O.C Smith. Little Green Apples

 

[hardcorehusky]

I think Sammis has the right philosophy. Sounds like he will adjust if teams load up the box. That surely beats running 2 plays straight into 9 in the box and then having a 3rd and long.

 

[freescooter]

I think Sammis has the right philosophy. Sounds like he will adjust if teams load up the box. That surely beats running 2 plays straight into 9 in the box and then having a 3rd and long.

That’s my reading. Every coach in America say we want to run even if he doesn’t want to run.

 

[Platt81]

Every coach that has come to UConn has said this. What they are implying is the run game will empower the passing game. I wonder why it never occurs to them that the opposite is true?

Regarding taking what the defense will give them, we all know what that is right now. Expect a continued emphasis on east/west passing.

Bc the opposite isn’t true. If you run successfully it causes the defense to stack the box more to stop the run, creating more one on one coverages and better chances at plays through the air. If you go pass first a defense will just drop into zone coverage and still have their front who’s stopping the run and/or rushing the passer.

 

[freescooter]

I will also say I probably have a slightly different view than many here. We win 45-44 or 2-0, I don’t really care. Just as long as we score 1 point more than the other guy. I found our 10-7 win over BC in 2022 to be as exciting a game as I’ve watched. Every play was critical, especially in the 4th quarter.

 

[ZooCougar]

I will also say I probably have a slightly different view than many here. We win 45-44 or 2-0, I don’t really care. Just as long as we score 1 point more than the other guy. I found our 10-7 win over BC in 2022 to be as exciting a game as I’ve watched. Every play was critical, especially in the 4th quarter.

Nope.

In the modern game you better score lots of points.

Iowa is not the model.

 

[Patman]

Every coach that has come to UConn has said this. What they are implying is the run game will empower the passing game. I wonder why it never occurs to them that the opposite is true?

Regarding taking what the defense will give them, we all know what that is right now. Expect a continued emphasis on east/west passing.

Because we don't have a passing game that will enable the run

 

[RSTuthill]

Bc the opposite isn’t true. If you run successfully it causes the defense to stack the box more to stop the run, creating more one on one coverages and better chances at plays through the air. If you go pass first a defense will just drop into zone coverage and still have their front who’s stopping the run and/or rushing the passer.

And dropping into the zone doesn't help the run? I think you just answered the question.

 

[gioff2323]

While some pine for a big 12 - last one with ball wins - approach, you have to manage a game. When your D needs help, you need to be run heavy. This is accentuated when you’ve got limited skill sets. HCJM has tried to manage games so we have a chance at the end. It worked in 22 and failed in 23. We will see what 24 will bring us, but having a returning starter at qb, some options to create space outside and a now proven rb, we need to see more than just managing.

 

[Platt81]

And dropping into the zone doesn't help the run? I think you just answered the question.

The success of the run dictates the passing game, not the other way around. It’s literally the most basic principle of the game of football. If you think you’ve cracked some code and are saying something no one else has said before, let me fill you in, you’re not. The defense is in zone coverage when you are trying to establish the run game, but yet you’re thinking that’s the answer. It’s opposite in the point that once you’ve established the run the guys who are holding the holes in the short field now have to come up aggressively to stop the run which now makes the secondary have to play essentially man defense and it allows you to expose those weaknesses. All the coaches have said it in the past bc it’s quite literally how the game is played.

 

[hardcorehusky]

While some pine for a big 12 - last one with ball wins - approach, you have to manage a game. When your D needs help, you need to be run heavy. This is accentuated when you’ve got limited skill sets. HCJM has tried to manage games so we have a chance at the end. It worked in 22 and failed in 23. We will see what 24 will bring us, but having a returning starter at qb, some options to create space outside and a now proven rb, we need to see more than just managing.

I disagree regarding Mora's approach. The D was better in 22, but Turner was so limited we couldn't do much on offense. Last yr, we couldn't run as effectively AND the defense was worse, Roberson was just getting the rust off, so it was a cocktail of bad.
We have no idea about our D, we need a significant improvement in all facets of special teams, and whomever is the QB must be able to string together a drive. Whatever Sammis wants to do will be predicated on if we are winning or losing at that point of the game.

 

[KryHavok]

I disagree regarding Mora's approach. The D was better in 22, but Turner was so limited we couldn't do much on offense. Last yr, we couldn't run as effectively AND the defense was worse, Roberson was just getting the rust off, so it was a cocktail of bad.
We have no idea about our D, we need a significant improvement in all facets of special teams, and whomever is the QB must be able to string together a drive. Whatever Sammis wants to do will be predicated on if we are winning or losing at that point of the game.

If special teams continues to fair catch the ball inside the 20, Sammis better have some answers, otherwise gonna be a looong day for the defense.

 

[freescooter]

Nope.

In the modern game you better score lots of points.

Iowa is not the model.

Not if you keep the other guy from scoring. You need to score 1 more than they do. If they score 50 you need to score 51. If you hold them to 6 you only need 7. I just want to win.

 

[Hoophound]

Winning isn’t good enough. I remember watching an offensively inept UConn team duel an equally bad Missouri team and lose in the final minutes during the Diaco years. The announcer was literally laughing at us. Seriously, laughing at us. It was so bad that my wife, who was in the kitchen doing other things said, “He’s laughing at your team babe, he’s laughing at you.”

I don’t want to win or lose that way. We need to play real football. There’s no excuse for playing some sort of freak ball with no passing, no punt returns etc. Enough is enough.

 

[Bongo Fury]

Winning isn’t good enough. I remember watching an offensively inept UConn team duel an equally bad Missouri team and lose in the final minutes during the Diaco years. The announcer was literally laughing at us. Seriously, laughing at us. It was so bad that my wife, who was in the kitchen doing other things said, “He’s laughing at your team babe, he’s laughing at you.”

I don’t want to win or lose that way. We need to play real football. There’s no excuse for playing some sort of freak ball with no passing, no punt returns etc. Enough is enough.

Was the announcer Jim Mora?

 

[ZooCougar]

Not if you keep the other guy from scoring. You need to score 1 more than they do. If they score 50 you need to score 51. If you hold them to 6 you only need 7. I just want to win.

That’s what the game has become. You might be Randy Edsall’s burner. I bet you want to run the I formation.

We need to put up tons of points. Make first downs and keep the defense offf the field. Our D does the job. They just get worn down as the game progresses.

It’s like you guys get amnesia every offseason.

 

[ZooCougar]

Was the announcer Jim Mora?

He did laugh at us. Deservedly so.

This is not a serious team with our offense.

 

[giddyup]

This team is very fixable with the right OC. We have TEs we routinely under utilize. We don’t run enough play action. We don’t throw vertically. We don’t run assignment blocking. We don’t run counters and unbalanced. Instead, We ask our players to do everything our players can’t do.. zone running, wide out screens… all requiring speed instead of creating design based opportunities. OC after OC does the same crap with no effect. You. could literally fix this team in 4 weeks and produce more points per game just using common sense.

 

[ktuck911]

Winning isn’t good enough. I remember watching an offensively inept UConn team duel an equally bad Missouri team and lose in the final minutes during the Diaco years. The announcer was literally laughing at us. Seriously, laughing at us. It was so bad that my wife, who was in the kitchen doing other things said, “He’s laughing at your team babe, he’s laughing at you.”

I don’t want to win or lose that way. We need to play real football. There’s no excuse for playing some sort of freak ball with no passing, no punt returns etc. Enough is enough.

I think using any game if that ilk in the Disco Era is a bad option to your point... but I get what you mean.

 

[rich1122]

Still not sure who will be calling the plays.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I disagree regarding Mora's approach. The D was better in 22, but Turner was so limited we couldn't do much on offense. Last yr, we couldn't run as effectively AND the defense was worse, Roberson was just getting the rust off, so it was a cocktail of bad.
We have no idea about our D, we need a significant improvement in all facets of special teams, and whomever is the QB must be able to string together a drive. Whatever Sammis wants to do will be predicated on if we are winning or losing at that point of the game.

I think teams last year used more 4-5 wide sets. Left Mitchell covering a lot of area in the middle of the field. He got bigger and as his pro day numbers looked, he was on the slow side of his position peers. Losing Randle and Swenson was huge. Swenson was a very versatile player. Don't know what happened to Shearin. Probably the lack of quality LB depth led Mora to seek out a different defensive style.

 

[Bongo Fury]

Seems like Mitchell doesn’t test well which could explain UConn being only FBS offer and they were trying to get him to walk on if they could.

 

[AllHusky]

We ask our players to do everything our players can’t do.. zone running, wide out screens… all requiring speed instead of creating design based opportunities

Much of Hurleys offense is based on athletes executing skills that "anybody" should be able to do: setting screens, constant motion, knowing your assignments, analyzing options. These produce scoring opportunities that are not talent intensive. Scoring on a back door layup rather than a 1:1 dribble drive. I'm not a FB offensive savant, but isn't Giddyup describing/prescribing the same philosophy for Sammis/Mora? Rather than expecting a slow player to outrun anyone, design an offense that is the FB equivalent of backdoor cuts, read and react, deception and all those other things that make Hoops Offense go?

 

[AllHusky]

Because we don't have a passing game that will enable the run

Yet

 

[RSTuthill]

The success of the run dictates the passing game, not the other way around. It’s literally the most basic principle of the game of football. If you think you’ve cracked some code and are saying something no one else has said before, let me fill you in, you’re not. The defense is in zone coverage when you are trying to establish the run game, but yet you’re thinking that’s the answer. It’s opposite in the point that once you’ve established the run the guys who are holding the holes in the short field now have to come up aggressively to stop the run which now makes the secondary have to play essentially man defense and it allows you to expose those weaknesses. All the coaches have said it in the past bc it’s quite literally how the game is played.

I would suggest retaking Logic 101 which should also give you a better grounding in discerning between cause and effect.