OT UCONN football loss to Towson harms AAC :-(

[jplotinus]

OK, I will come right and say it, no beating around the bush, no cutesy or artful dodge.

UCONN's loss to Towson in football last Thursday is a blow to the claim the AAC is not a proper conference for UCONN to be in.

The loss to Towson has not gone unnoticed:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...becomes-seasons-first-fcs-victim-sorry-lville

After this season the AAC will not be a part of the BCS automatic berth process for getting into the big $ bowls. The AAC is in that mix this year. UCONN has fallen out of that mix before September began and that is not a good thing for those who desire a different conference.

It is to be hoped, of course, that in basketball, women's in particular, UCONN can bolster the AAC. Unfortunately, it looks like Cincinnati and, say, SMU (!?) will have to carry the torch in football.

I suspect the best way for UCONN to get better in football is to do so in the AAC.

 

[Wonkster]

.
Gloom and Doom. Right on schedule.

 

[ctchamps]

OK, I will come right and say it, no beating around the bush, no cutesy or artful dodge.

UCONN's loss to Towson in football last Thursday is a blow to the claim the AAC is not a proper conference for UCONN to be in.

The loss to Towson has not gone unnoticed:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...becomes-seasons-first-fcs-victim-sorry-lville

After this season the AAC will not be a part of the BCS automatic berth process for getting into the big $ bowls. The AAC is in that mix this year. UCONN has fallen out of that mix before September began and that is not a good thing for those who desire a different conference.

It is to be hoped, of course, that in basketball, women's in particular, UCONN can bolster the AAC. Unfortunately, it looks like Cincinnati and, say, SMU (!?) will have to carry the torch in football.

I suspect the best way for UCONN to get better in football is to do so in the AAC.

UConn made a case with this loss that it belongs in the Big 12. Check out the losses that conference suffered this week.
UConn men's bb has a great chance for making a statement this season and going forward.
IMO UConn will be making a change with the HC in football. It is 50/50 whether it will be during or at the end of the season imo.
And there is no way of knowing which situation (staying in the AAC or getting into a P5 conference) would benefit UConn's football development.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Does CBS sport ever have anything positive to say about us?
Aren't they they same group who wrote an article about the men's BB team panning their record and saying we didn't have the numbers for the NCAA tourny. Never mentioned that we were banned. Well informed journalist.

 

[uconnfan68]

Does CBS sport ever have anything positive to say about us?
Aren't they they same group who wrote an article about the men's BB team panning their record and saying we didn't have the numbers for the NCAA tourny. Never mentioned that we were banned. Well informed journalist.

You could only hope that Aresco was well-liked at CBS and that they would not try to destroy his conference at every turn... but you'd probably be wrong.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Your loss says little about the AAC, a lot about UConn. Sympathies.

Rutgers lost as well, when the team went for a 2 point conversion in OT and didn't make it. Coach would do it again, team was 10 point underdog on the road. Still hurt.

OTH, indeed, a struggling UConn football program will (in the short run) hurt chances to escape the AAC and in the long run hurt the AAC's credibility. But you guys will get better (I too smell a coaching change) I expect.

Completely OT, in the game I attended in person, UofA delivered a classic Rich Rod beat-down of our non-BCS, mandatory 3rd state school opponent - NAU, which we play every other year (in our off year they play ASU).

 

[Icebear]

Mostly, it has a lot to say about Coach P who has completely undermined the progress the program was making. He was a terrible hire right from the start and proves it weekly.

 

[jplotinus]

Thank goodness for CINCY win over Purdue. AAC was 3-5 overall in football week 1.

I wonder if UCONN is in a "must win" situation versus Maryland?

I can't imagine they'd fire P before Michigan game. But if it's. 0-3 with lopsided scores, I'd say all bets are off. And, if P is fired, it likely only makes a bad situation worse. All in all, the AAC is the right place for UCONN to suffer through its initiation into top level college football. This will take 20 years. The only good news is that UCONN is about halfway through its introduction to the big boys' league.

There are no shortcuts.

 

[UConnChapette]

As a football season ticket holder, I have lost all enthusiasm for going to the games. I still go, hoping against hope that I will see some improvements in the play calling, and some sort of creativity in the personnel usage - but I am a dreamer. Lyle McCombs is not the answer at running back. He just doesn't have the strength or quickness to elude defenders and fight through tackles to gain yardage. As soon as contact is made, he is down. Since UConn seems to want to live and die by the running game, the Oline needs to get better at opening holes - big, wide gaping holes - if the coaches insist on using McCombs as the primary RB. And, protect the quarterback better. The number of sacks is ridiculous.

There is so much wrong with this team and the coaches approach. I have seen enough of Coach P and want him gone ASAP. Tomorrow would not be soon enough. And his buddly DeLeone has to go right along with him. The two of them have destroyed the prior progress. Yes, UConn progressed much faster under Edsall than anyone thought they could. Maybe that is part of the problem. Success came too quickly and a bad coaching hire didn't allow that success to be sustained. Makes the fans grumpy.

Did Hathaway make the Pasqualoni hire in the sincere belief he could and would sustain the success under Edsall, or was it an "in your face" gesture knowing he was probably on his way out. Sometimes I wonder.

I am usually a positive "give them time to turn it around" person, but each game seems to show regression instead of progression. I hope Warde and Susan have the guts to pull the plug during the season. We can't do any worse with another coach. Of that I AM positive!

 

[huskeynut]

Mostly, it has a lot to say about Coach P who has completely undermined the progress the program was making. He was a terrible hire right from the start and proves it weekly.

Ice - you are spot on. PP has been a disaster from the start.

Contrary to some, the cupboard was not bare. There was talent that was poorly coached. PP did not evaluate his talent and adapt the offense and defense to it. He installed his own and then said he needed different type of players. Baloney!

He has his recruiting classes now and nothing has changed. O line is pathetic, no power running back, same predictable play calling on offense despite a new OC.

He brings in big QB's as freshman and they don't play or are red shirted. Gee, programs do fine starting freshman QB's!

He is doing the same thing to Uconn he did to the Cuse program. Killing it with outdated coaching philosophies.

 

[HuskyNan]

Your loss says little about the AAC, a lot about UConn. Sympathies.

Rutgers lost as well, when the team went for a 2 point conversion in OT and didn't make it. Coach would do it again, team was 10 point underdog on the road. Still hurt.

OTH, indeed, a struggling UConn football program will (in the short run) hurt chances to escape the AAC and in the long run hurt the AAC's credibility. But you guys will get better (I too smell a coaching change) I expect.

Completely OT, in the game I attended in person, UofA delivered a classic Rich Rod beat-down of our non-BCS, mandatory 3rd state school opponent - NAU, which we play every other year (in our off year they play ASU).

At least the RU game was entertaining. UConn's game made root canal look like fun.

 

[HuskyNan]

Thank goodness for CINCY win over Purdue. AAC was 3-5 overall in football week 1.

I wonder if UCONN is in a "must win" situation versus Maryland?

I can't imagine they'd fire P before Michigan game. But if it's. 0-3 with lopsided scores, I'd say all bets are off. And, if P is fired, it likely only makes a bad situation worse. All in all, the AAC is the right place for UCONN to suffer through its initiation into top level college football. This will take 20 years. The only good news is that UCONN is about halfway through its introduction to the big boys' league.

There are no shortcuts.

Initiation? UConn has already been through the initiation and was on its way to becoming a respected BCS-level program after going to the Fiesta Bowl as the Big East champion in 2011. That was big time football - I know because I was there. Literally hours after the end of that game, Coach Randy Edsall bolted to Maryland, without telling the team face-to-face I might add. From there, the entire football team

. So, after 5 bowls in 7 seasons under Edsall, including an impressive beatdown of South Carolina in 2010, UConn has slogged to two consecutive 5-7 season. The team isn't struggling up the hill towards success; it's rolling down the cliff face towards the rock pit at the bottom unless it gets rid of Pasqualoni.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Mostly, it has a lot to say about Coach P who has completely undermined the progress the program was making. He was a terrible hire right from the start and proves it weekly.

Probably proves it daily but we're not privy to those demonstrations.

 

[jplotinus]

The UCONN football and the UCONN basketball programs are polar opposites. In women's bb, we are in the midst of a dynasty, in football, more like in the midst of a disaster. I'm not much of a football fan, and becoming less of one as a result of the inability to get rid of the bowl system. The lack of a valid, straight forward championship format is beyond disgusting. Add to that the arbitrary conference alignments and you have a complete mess IMO.

I hope UCONN football gets better sooner, rather than later. I doubt its current ineptness is the result of a coaching choice, alone. The bigger issue consists in assessing, accurately, the amount of TIME it takes to build a top program in football.

I don't think that can be done in 10 years. That is not PPs fault.

In contrast, women's bb is a "new" sport. It was elevated in the 1980s and its tradition base is barely 30 years old. Tenn and UCONN its first dynasties.

 

[Goodgood]

"I don't think that can be done in 10 years. That is not PPs fault."

It has been done. UConn was becoming a "football power" and went to several bowls. PP is obsolete. Should watch some of the play calling on the field. It was so predictable and the defense is a disaster. From winning a bowl game to losing to Towson State, PP is in between. Can't watch football anymore.

 

[Goodgood]

"I don't think that can be done in 10 years. That is not PPs fault."

It has been done. UConn was becoming a "football power" and went to several bowls. PP is obsolete. Should watch some of the play calling on the field. It was so predictable and the defense is a disaster. From winning a bowl game to losing to Towson State, PP is in between. Can't watch football anymore.

OK. Not "Football power" but respectable.

 

[RadyLady]

and I thought that I clicked into the women's basketball forum....

 

[Fightin Choke]

and I thought that I clicked into the women's basketball forum....

I understand your point, but this topic is relevant because it's UConn's football team that has relegated its excellent basketball programs to the AAC.

 

[Wbbfan1]

If UConn is to get into another conference, the Football team has to improve and become relevant. Can't see this UConn team beating any of the Texas schools that are currently in the AAC. If the ACC were in the market for another school today, I suspect they would take Cincinnati because of their football team.

 

[Icebear]

If UConn is to get into another conference, the Football team has to improve and become relevant. Can't see this UConn team beating any of the Texas schools that are currently in the AAC. If the ACC were in the market for another school today, I suspect they would take Cincinnati because of their football team.

Football is quickly becoming irrelevant as a team at UCONN. Action needs to be taken immediately to send a message to the conferences, the fans, the team and the staff. Doors are closing quickly.

 

[jplotinus]

Football is quickly becoming irrelevant as a team at UCONN. Action needs to be taken immediately to send a message to the conferences, the fans, the team and the staff. Doors are closing quickly.

Respectfully, I say:

The Uconn football program is too new for the extra heavy dose of expectation pressure being put on it.

The point that appears painful and off-putting to many is that UCONN lacks football experience, tradition and foundation. Football is not a religion in Nutmeg. There is no local feeder system that would help UCONN elevate its recruiting.

Unlike WCBB, UCONN is not in the mix for the 5-star recruits. It is lucky if it gets some top recruits from its own backyard. When there is an occasional phenom from somewhere in ct, that recruit is far more likely to go elsewhere to play football where football matters.

And, this is why the AAC is a good fit for us.

UCONN cannot realistically gain access to a top football program in the time period demanded by some fans. Hating on PP, without taking into consideration uconn's lack of football experience at the top level is not a hallmark of a supportive fan base IMO. If it were that easy to develop a top 25 football program, all teams would be top 25. Oh, wait, only 25 of <120 can achieve that status.

True fans of UCONN football, and of conference alignment reality, are those who are willing to engage in realistic assessment. To wit: 1-UCONN will need time measured in years or decades to develop a top football program. 2-AAC is a good fit for UCONN.

 

[HuskyNan]

Respectfully, I say:

The Uconn football program is too new for the extra heavy dose of expectation pressure being put on it.

UConn football has been around since 1896. As a Division IAA team, it was a member of the Yankee League and won 15 league championships. In 1998, UConn went 10-3 under Skip Holtz and won the A10 championship. UConn became a Division IA (FBS) team in 2000, 13 years ago. It joined the Big East as a full member in 2004.

The Huskies have been in 5 bowls (seasons 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) and have shared the Big East title twice, in 2007 and 2010. This is not a new football team and your repeating that bit of fiction time and again will not change that.

 

[Icebear]

Respectfully, I say:

View attachment 3624

The Uconn football program is too new for the extra heavy dose of expectation pressure being put on it.

The point that appears painful and off-putting to many is that UCONN lacks football experience, tradition and foundation. Football is not a religion in Nutmeg. There is no local feeder system that would help UCONN elevate its recruiting.

Unlike WCBB, UCONN is not in the mix for the 5-star recruits. It is lucky if it gets some top recruits from its own backyard. When there is an occasional phenom from somewhere in ct, that recruit is far more likely to go elsewhere to play football where football matters.

And, this is why the AAC is a good fit for us.

UCONN cannot realistically gain access to a top football program in the time period demanded by some fans. Hating on PP, without taking into consideration uconn's lack of football experience at the top level is not a hallmark of a supportive fan base IMO. If it were that easy to develop a top 25 football program, all teams would be top 25. Oh, wait, only 25 of <120 can achieve that status.

True fans of UCONN football, and of conference alignment reality, are those who are willing to engage in realistic assessment. To wit: 1-UCONN will need time measured in years or decades to develop a top football program. 2-AAC is a good fit for UCONN.

I understand that, jplot, but now is when the doors on the league reconfiguration has been open and because of the present issues in Storrs I think its is quickly closing on UCONN's opportunity. Once realignment is stabilized another opportunity may not happen for decades. How long it has had to get where it is is less relevant than how long any opportunities may remain. Quite honestly you continue to have no clue that the AAC is going nowhere and will be little more than the Mountain West if that.

 

[HuskyNan]

I understand that, Nan, but now is when the doors on the league reconfiguration has been open and because of the present issues in Storrs I think its is quickly closing on UCONN's opportunity. Once realignment is stabilized another opportunity may not happen for decades. How long it has had to get where it is is less relevant than how long any opportunities may remain.

It wasn't me that came up with that stuff. I think the AAC is the key to a slow, or maybe not so slow, death for UConn. Cause: Income Malnutrition. No network is going to pay $$$$$$$$ to watch Tulsa play Tulane or Eastern Carolina play Memphis - in any sport.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Just reading about upsets on ESPN and found this one -McNeese State routed South Florida 53-21.

Interestingly, they were talking about payouts - USF paid McNeese State $400,000 for the experience. UConn only forked over $225,000 to their opponent.