Maryland game.....

[delterp]

My friends, hard to believe a year has gone by already since the last time I came here. Thought I would swing by this week and talk a little football as we both prepare for this weeks game. Last year, the better team won and I was very impressed by your fan presence. Hearing the UConn chants as the clock wound down was impressive, yet left a bad taste. That said, I spent some good times in Baltimore with many of your fans after the game and very gracious in your victory.

Quick analysis on MD from a fan:

D - our strength is the scheme, along with our DB/LB. All are experienced and fast. Our DL is subject to the run if you have a big OL. 2nd year under DC and his 3-4 blitz package is a fan favorite. Our D has not really been tested outside of ODU and their pass happy O. Yesterday, we ran a dime all game and simply overwhelmed their wr's.

O - interesting to say the least. Last year, you faced Hills, a true freshmen qb making his 3rd start. This year, Brown is a 5th year grad student who received a medical so will play a 6th year. Our OL is still a work in progress and may be the very reason we struggle against good D1 teams. Obviously, Diggs is the focal point but the one to watch is Long (5* Juco receiver) who joined this year. Really compliments Diggs and CJ's ability to run the zr. So far, we've seen D's try and take away 1 or the other but unable to contain all 3. Yesterday, it seemed the game plan was to stop CJ at all cost and it burned them as Ross ran for 168 yards on the zr option.

Not sure what to expect from UConn, although I would think the home opener at night after a struggle would motivate many. I recognized your qb and rb name.

I did not realize D. Brown had left, does UConn play a different style of D this year?

 

[zls44]

Welcome back. Nice to see someone still talking football. With the start they've had, I don't blame you.

I did not realize D. Brown had left, does UConn play D this year?

Fixed.

Answer is "not really", BTW.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Quick analysis on UConn from a fan:

Our strengths are three and outs on offense, refusing to make adjustments when things aren't working and once the game has ended, the HC throwing some of the players under the bus.

 

[metsfan2323]

I did not realize D. Brown had left, does UConn play a different style of D this year?

180 degrees different. So different that it has ripped the heart out of the fan base.

 

[uconndogs]

Mostly 4-3 defense, but it appears to be a far cry from last season's top 10 defense nationally. Four of that squad are on NFL rosters and two other very productive starters graduated as well. Diggs and Long will be a huge problem. We still have Smallwood as an ILB and AA candidate, but there is nothing to suggest that Sio Moore (now with the Raiders) has been adequately replaced, let alone Gratz and Wilson (both in the NFL) at the corners.

More futility on offense. This coaching staff abandoned the power running game. Now, opposing defenses tee off on the line of scrimmage. We do have two very good receivers in Davis and Philips, but Chandler Whitmer is struggling a bit and given the lack of time to throw (see comment on the running game), it's understandable.

Edsall took a hell of a risk revamping the Terps the was he did. If the AD and fan base can be patient and he puts together an acceptable season this year, he will stick around and win a lot of games at Maryland. Unless something remarkable happens will be in the market for a new coach no later than season's end as these guys have done a hell of a job reversing a pretty good foundation laid by Edsall.

 

[UConnDan97]

I'll try my best to answer the OP.

Offense: On offense, our strength is probably wide receiver, where I think that we have two very exciting and talented ones in Shakim Phillips and Geremy Davis. QB Chandler Whitmer has ability, but the OLine in front of him has been our weakest point by far, and it has led to Chandler having "happy feet" at times in order to get out of the pocket (and avoid concussion #8,000). Kevin Friend, one of our senior leaders on the line, is back from injury for this game and will hopefully help solidify the line a great deal more than what we saw last week. Our RB McCombs is competent and good in spurts, but he's small. He'll need a good game from the OLine to get going.

Defense: On defense, our strength is in our front seven and our weakness is on the corners. On the DLine, we have a great deal of size and strength with players like Stephen, Campenni, Pruitt, Myers, Joseph, and Willman. The linebackers are a solid core again, with Yawin Smallwood leading the charge at middle linebacker. LB Graham Stewart is a young but promising transfer from Florida, and you may remember our other LB Donohue who is a senior transfer from Maryland a couple of years back. In one safety spot is a young but really talented player in Obi Melifonwu. We'll need all the talent to cover for what I believe is the weakest defensive position currently; the cornerbacks. We lost two CB's to the NFL from last year, so they have some big shoes to fill, and I expect Coach Hughes to push a lot of assistance to the side covering Diggs.

Well there you have it; a rookie analysis of what Maryland will be seeing at game time. I'm sure there are others who are more qualified to give more in-depth analysis, but they are still busy drinking whiskey after the Towson loss...

 

[uconndogs]

Dan, were you and I watching the same group of LBs last week? Smallwood aside.....

 

[UConnDan97]

Dan, were you and I watching the same group of LBs last week? Smallwood aside.....

I'm not sure where I was bragging about them. I said the young one had "promise" and the other one was a transfer.

The reality is that I think both Donohue and Stewart are good players. They both missed plays against Towson, and one of the missed tackles by Stewart led to a TD. They are also trying to replace someone who is starting for the Raiders right now, along with replacing Jory Johnson who was a house. However, both Stewart and Donohue are quality players in my opinion. Hopefully, they'll demonstrate that against Maryland...

 

[uconndogs]

Hope you are right. Steward looked lost out there to me.

 

[ZooCougar]

Our offense is designed to get to fourth down.

 

[Dooley]

This year, the game will be different in that Maryland has progressed and UCONN has regressed. We will have a difficult time stopping Diggs. We gave up a TON of yards on the ground to Towson...something that is very alarming. As previously mentioned, our secondary is a weakness/work in progress. Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz are in the NFL now and their replacements both struggled at times against Towson. Our O-Line, once again, is the weakest unit on the team and does not allow any time or space whatsoever to allow our talented group of skill position (namely WRs) players to make plays. I'm not sure if we will see more blocking help from the TEs or backfield this week, but we do get a a Senior back on the Line and we're all hoping he can help stabilize things. If not, you will see alot of our Punter...who is pretty good.

Crowd: it's a late arriving and early departing crowd, for the most part. The second quarter is the fullest and loudest that the stadium will get all game. While our fanbase is still upset with the way Edsall departed here, I think the combination of last year's win and a third year of Pasqualoni will taper some of the vile from the stands. Had the venues been reversed and we hosted last year's game, I think the energy in the stands would have been full throttle. This year, we're just hoping for a W after what we all saw against Towson. If Maryland jumps out to an early lead and we continue to struggle on offense, the crowd will turn against the home team's coach and will probably lead to earlier mass exodus' from thousands of fans.

I think that Maryland will exact revenge from last year and win a close-ish one. Something in the neighborhood of 27-17. I think our guys will be ready at kickoff and motivated to put Towson behind them. But as the game progresses and Maryland starts to make plays, it will be tough for our players to ignore that annoying little pessimist in their heads that will be telling them that Towson was a harbinger of things to come. I hope I'm wrong. Either way, enjoy the game and enjoy Connecticut if you're coming up for it!

 

[Srqhusky]

Bodies will be flying and u will feel the full wrath of the towson lost. If they are smart they woudnt get off the bus

 

[mattp]

I did not realize D. Brown had left, does UConn play a different style of D this year?

The biggest difference is that we're playing a style of defense where we utilize the end zone as our 12th defender. Kind of like a half court trap in bball except without the pressure.

 

[uconnell]

Bodies will be flying and u will feel the full wrath of the towson lost. If they are smart they woudnt get off the bus

UConn or MD?

 

[uconnell]

We will be at the game right after the gates open, get the tailgate set up. I have been cooking food at home to reheat at game.
Always in our seats while the team is warming up( have cleanup and pack the car down to a science). What really burns me up is when I see fans(?) still cooking @ 110r 11;30. I really want to say something but don't.

If they want a cookout why don't they just stay at home?

I will cheer for our boys as always. I don't think that they are without talent just with out good coaching.

Well I got that off my chest. Thanks for listening.