Observations

[superjohn]

All of the running backs looked good and Newsome is already our most dynamic player. Cochran had a rough game but he's still definitely better than Whitmer, the two QB thing has to stop now, it never works. We still seriously lack athleticism/playmakers outside of Newsome and Davis. I was expecting much more but probably shouldn't have, the talent just isn't there. Diaco and the staff still should have had the team better prepared, lots to work on. One positive take away is how much nicer it is watching these running backs instead of McCombs.

 

[uconnbill]

BYU might be the best team UCONN plays all year long and Hill is the best quarterback they will play. So I am not that disappointed overall. There is plenty of work to be done, but there was no quit in the team or coaches tonight.

The question I have for you is. Did the team look better as the game went on? My answer is yes and HCBD said that is what he wanted to see and that is what I wanted to see tonight.

 

[Alum86]

No Bill. We expect to win. No moral victories. What was different in play calling from the past 3 years that can give us hope? And the chinese fire drill at QB.... Jeeezzz

 

[whaler11]

Yeah that's the thing about teams with huge leads they come off the gas. UConn looked better? Seriously?

 

[uconnbill]

No Bill. We expect to win. No moral victories. What was different in play calling from the past 3 years that can give us hope? And the chinese fire drill at QB.... Jeeezzz

I saw improvement from last year's team. Which may mean nothing to you, but it means something to me and my guess the team.

 

[superjohn]

BYU absolutely got too comfortable and took the foot off the gas. We looked a lot like last year except for the for the three backs.

 

[Jay-Bone]

1st and 20 - sixteen yard gain. 2nd and 4th - long pass botched. 3rd and 4th - nother long pass botched. Why? Not verbatim...but saw something like that happen a few times. Didn't understand the play calls and banged my head....after momentum was picking up.

 

[sportsart]

It was a tale of 2 halfs. They improved in the 2nd half. BYU never took their foot off the gas. The defense gets credit for adjusting.

Anyone who thought this was going to be an instant turn around is fooling themselves. Our OL showed a lot of promise as did our RB's.

By the time we get to conference play we'll see a better team for sure. This team did not quit and kept BYU to 7 points in the 2nd half.

It's a process people. BTW....I agree that the 2 headed QB needs to end now.

 

[metsfan2323]

more Newsome please. That is all.

 

[uconnbill]

More Casey would please me

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Here is my summary. I thought BYU was much better than advertised. I was disappointed that UConn didn't handle the up tempo better, but I am not surprised they struggled. BDs bend don't break defensive approach is a bad match with a strong up tempo QB. The db's were way off the line allowing easy 5 to 10 yard pitch and catch played all game.

But....offensive line was much better and running game was much much better. Specials looked better also. He needs to put in Casey and get him as many reps as possible. He was the best game manager and Whitmer still has happy feet.

I am optimistic.

 

[BoatShow]

I haven't been able to put myself through the box score yet but I'm willing bet BYU had close to a 2:1 time of possession advantage outside of that 2 second touchdown play it seemed like they had the ball forever. Need to use our steady running game and control the clock better moving forward.

 

[weyuo]

The Bad:

• The tackles got torched. Whitmer, once again, was running for his life
• Defensive backs played too far off their assignments even though it looked like zone coverage out there. I'm sure it was so that they could help keep Hill from gaining 200 yards on the ground but the underneath passes just kept BYU on the field and pretty much wore down the defensive linemen that were chasing Hill all night long.
• UConn passing was pretty terrible at times. Sure, a lot of that had to do with constant pressure on the QB but some of Cochran's passes just sailed like a kite, one in the first quarter got picked and eventually cost the Huskies 7 points.
• Penalties- just crucified UConn on a night when they needed everything to go their way just to stay with a potential Heisman candidate. I thought the refs got a little carried away with the whistle in the first half and noticed they adjusted in the second but by then the damage was already done. And some really dumb penalties too by the Huskies so you can't really blame the refs for being whistle happy.
• Very first offensive play of the season results in a..... f-u-m-b-l-e!!
• Cochran and the offense start to get a rhythm going and march down the field to inside the opponent's 20. Diaco pulls the QB. It would have made more sense to let each QB start and end an offensive possession.
• The 3 man defensive front did not work at all, just gave Hill way too much time back there to make a decision. In the second half when there were more guys on the line it seemed to put more pressure on BYU's offense and definitely slowed their scoring. The Cougars didn't score at all the third quarter I believe.
• The fans- first game of the season, probably one of the most important games of the season, and once again the fans showed why they don't belong in a power conference. When it's obvious that ESPN was purposely not showing the stadium from a wide angle and just concentrating on close up shots, that's on the fans. Actually heard BYU fans chanting when I eventually got to watch the game from beginning to end. DVR caught the beginning of the Arizona game which came on right after the UConn game was over and just a huge difference in fan attendance and enthusiasm, before the game even started!!
• Coaching- this was supposed to be a step up from the previous regime yet the same mistakes, same ill prepared, physically over matched team as in years past. Not impressed. Diaco's post game comments don't cut it with me either. You had 9 months to figure out who could play and who couldn't. WTF were you doing besides making appearances and bloated speeches?

The Good:

• Diaco's sideline demeanor was a breath of fresh air compared to Pasqualoni's. Much more energy, no head shaking and pouty, disgusted facial expressions even when the wheels were coming off.
• Even though the running game didn't light up BYU for hundreds of yards there were glimpses of some tough running by the 4 backs. They had the one fumble in the beginning of the game but that was the only time I saw them cough up the pill.
• Offensive line- seems to be better at run blocking and at times was able to move the pile forward. They desperately need to work on pass blocking though.
• Geremy Davis, best player on the team.
• Special teams- nice return by Foxx in the first quarter. Too bad it got called back. If they can tighten up their blocking, Foxx and Newsome just might be able to break a few loose this year. Punter needs to get a little more distance out of his kicks but Puyol seemed pretty composed.
• Once the defense put more guys up on the line in the second half they seemed to be able to get more pressure on Hill. I think the linebackers are going to have to step it up more but I doubt the team will see that type of high octane offense again this season so hopefully they can be more effective going forward.
• Even though the team looked like it was running out of gas late in the game they looked to be in better shape than previous years. The problem of not being able to play 4 full quarters isn't solved yet but I do believe the light at the end of that tunnel is quickly approaching.
• Time and potential. It's only the first game so I'm sure by game 8 they will be a much better unit altogether, coaching, offense, defense and specials. Diaco will improve, he's got a good staff and the kids look better than they did in recent years. Recruiting seems to be up so if they can get on a nice winning streak and secure those commits the program has potential.
• The refs- thank God they were calling it both ways but way too ticky tacky on some of the calls in the first half. I think they made a concerted effort to pocket those whistles in the second half. Maybe it's a good thing because now the kids have a better understanding of what's gonna get called this year but it just killed any momentum they tried to muster in the first half.