Realistic Season Expectations? What Metrics Define Success | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Realistic Season Expectations? What Metrics Define Success

I just want them to be noticeably better, and hopefully competitive. I want to see a real team, with a solid coaching staff. I want us to look and act like we belong.
 
Tdaley said:
Army was 9-4 with a bowl win over Missouri last year. I would not consider them a must win game. Maybe a might win game.
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Who thinks Army had better overall talent?
 
Chin Diesel said:
Everyone who watched the game.

But only if you define talent as speed, strength and having football knowledge to play your position well .

Army skill position players were light years better than UConn
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Had 15 different ball carriers. They were using kids off their intramural flag football teams in the second half.
 
SubbaBub said:
I must confess I'd be disappointed with 3 wins or less. Not sure how I'd feel about 4. I'd be very happy with 5 or more.
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Years of optimism followed by poor play has me tempering expectactions. I believe Mora gets us to 7-8 wins eventually, but it may take a few more recruiting classes.
 
People are really underestimating how much firepower Utah St lost on the offensive side of the ball. They won’t be close to the team they were last yr
 
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gtcam said:
Visible improvement on both sides of the ball and something UConn football fans haven't seen in many years - a competent game day coaching staff
Win one game they aren't supposed to and win the low hanging fruit
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I’d love to see more sacks, QB pressures, TFL, and interceptions. Will that happen? I have no clue, but those are metrics where we desperately need improvement.
 
SubbaBub said:
There are 5 "must wins"- games that a competent FBS team with full scholarships should win.
CCSU, FIU, Ball State, UMass, Army.

Then there are 4 "might wins" games this team could steal if everything goes right.
Utah State, Cuse, BC, Liberty

Then there are 3 no chance beatdowns, Michigan, Fresno State and NC State.

Success is measured by how many we win from Group 1 and if we can steal one win from Group 2.

Your opinion of the relative opponent strength is not the point so don't bother.
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You underestimate Army. They should be in your "might win" category.
 
NYtoCT said:
I’d love to see more sacks, QB pressures, TFL, and interceptions. Will that happen? I have no clue, but those are metrics where we desperately need improvement.
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Looking forward in seeing how the 3-4 defense plays out with the new linebackers being brought in along with Hardy and possibly the freshman Branch.
 
kemba said:
I’m hoping for a fairly big jump offensively. We got good wr’s, and some definite promise at rb. And all the qbs we brought in plus what we have coming back if healthy have athleticism and talent. The line is nowhere near where it needs to be but hopefully the qb play can cover up some of that. We’re going to be playing an inexperienced qb and probably have to deal with a lot of mistakes too but I want to see a big jump in moving the ball and by the end of the year feeling like we’re some help on the o-line and another year of development by the qbs away from having an offense that can win a lot of games.

Defense I’d expect improvement to be more incremental and be a little further away from a big jump unfortunately. Just want us to be better than we’ve been and get some good news recruiting
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Adding Stewart to the Oline can only help, maybe a lot.
 
CONN78SEJ said:
Adding Stewart to the Oline can only help, maybe a lot.
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I’m not sure by a lot, especially with not having any game experience and wasn’t on the two deep at his former school. I necessarily don’t think our O-line is as bad as most people think with the exception of having probably the worst center I’ve seen last year that you could clearly tell could not hold a block for more than a second and was a liability. He was a “transfer” who was brought to plug a hole but had no experience in the D1 level so it was a hit or miss and our freshmen center wasn’t ready but at least played better. At least this year we have three guys on the line who at least have started and played significant snaps in their college careers and are the most experienced and oldest on the line. Our offense is having a different look all around in scheme and play calling. We should wait till the first half of the season to give a proper assessment of the team.
 
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The Huskies teams of the last few years were FBS teams in name only. I want to see improvement to the point where they actually look like they belong playing that caliber of football. I will say this: Coach Mora has been a breath of fresh air in his attention to detail, use of the transfer portal, & ability to keep the recruiting class almost intact as well as add a few surprise additions. W-L record? That's anyone's guess. I just want to see competence on the playing field with a chance to win late into the fourth quarter.
Am looking forward to hearing Coach Mora at Kinsman next Monday evening. His public persona is telling the truth, not smoke & mirrors.
 
I'm trying to look beyond wins and loss totals... If I am looking at any "over-achieving" wins it would be wins over any of BC, Syracuse or Fresno State (they lost a ton and also were not the same team the end of the year - Utah State is a far-less winnable game). I don't expect wins over any of those teams and I don't expect them to beat Army either.. Realistically, CCSU and UMass are games they need to win "or else we are in trouble", FIU is a "should win" and Ball State and Liberty are winnable but splitting those two is not awful...

Here's the metrics I'm looking at:

1. Same starting quarter back final 6 games - someone takes job.
2. 10 points more per game on offense than last year. Offense was second to last in FBS last year at 15 points per game. 25 is realistic.
3. Rush defense gives up 20 or fewer rushing TDs (gave up 25 last year). While I think the defense will be better just from not being on the field all game, they lost a ton on the defensive line. That first half vs. Clemson gave me goosebumps of what could be at UConn defensively in the front (until they were on the field too much and gassed).
4. The final four games - 3 at home, 1 bus-ride away... UMass should be a win but Army will be a horrible matchup for UConn's defense, and BC and Liberty should be fighting for bowl games in "must-wins" for both schools. If all four of these games are competitive and winnable, I'm saying this is a success.
 
Guru13 said:
I’m not sure by a lot, especially with not having any game experience and wasn’t on the two deep at his former school. I necessarily don’t think our O-line is as bad as most people think with the exception of having probably the worst center I’ve seen last year that you could clearly tell could not hold a block for more than a second and was a liability. He was a “transfer” who was brought to plug a hole but had no experience in the D1 level so it was a hit or miss and our freshmen center wasn’t ready but at least played better. At least this year we have three guys on the line who at least have started and played significant snaps in their college careers and are the most experienced and oldest on the line. Our offense is having a different look all around in scheme and play calling. We should wait till the first half of the season to give a proper assessment of the team.
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Do you have anything better to do than start a pis Sing contest over one of the best pickups Coach Mora has had here? BTW, I said “maybe” and you said “I don’t know”. CA. I saw the kid play in HS at New Canaan, he’s a terrific OL.
 
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SubbaBub said:
There are 5 "must wins"- games that a competent FBS team with full scholarships should win.
CCSU, FIU, Ball State, UMass, Army.

Then there are 4 "might wins" games this team could steal if everything goes right.
Utah State, Cuse, BC, Liberty

Then there are 3 no chance beatdowns, Michigan, Fresno State and NC State.

Success is measured by how many we win from Group 1 and if we can steal one win from Group 2.

Your opinion of the relative opponent strength is not the point so don't bother.
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Lol. A competent FBS team we are not..yet at least.

Could read hundreds of posts since 2010 that read exactly the same.
 
Blades said:
Yeah, I hope the first half doesn't scare away new fans or those who might make the jump back, if the L's start pilling up. The new energy around the program/ Mora seems good but it's still a real tough 1st half schedule. 1-5 is completely realistic based on opponents and last years records. I'd just like to see a competent looking offense who can extend drives with more 3 and outs on D.

Aug 27, at Utah St................(11-3)
Sept 3, CCSU.........................(4-7)
Sept 10, Syracuse.................(5-7)
Sept 17, at Michigan ...........(12-2)
Sept 24, at NC St...................(9-3)
Oct 1, Fresno St......................(10-3)
Oct 8, at FIU..........................(1-11)
Oct 15, at Ball St.....................(6-7)
Oct 29, Boston College............(6-6)
Nov 5, UMASS.......................(1-11)
Nov 12th, Liberty....................(8-5)
Nov 19, at Army.....................(9-4)
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We should beat CCSU. I think our other best chance at a win in the first half of the season is Syracuse. We absolutely have to beat FIU and Ball State. It doesn't matter how bad the program gets, we should not be losing to C-USA, MAC, or Sun Belt schools. UMass is a must win. 4 wins IMO would be a success. Beat who you are supposed to beat: CCSU, Ball State, FIU, and UMass. Anything on top of that is gravy.
 
CONN78SEJ said:
Do you have anything better to do than start a pis Sing contest over one of the best pickups Coach Mora has had here? BTW, I said “maybe” and you said “I don’t know”. CA. I saw the kid play in HS at New Canaan, he’s a terrific OL.
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Didn’t sound like he was starting an argument, just stating his opinion. The fact that Stewart didn’t make the two deep does bring up some questions. Doesn’t mean he won’t be a significant contributor, but it is more than reasonable to have reservations about his impact.
 
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CCSU should be a victory but I don’t see any definites on the schedule.

I am looking for improved play and by improved play I mean keeping games close. Will also be watching Coach Moras recruits and who he brought over in the portal.
 
We absolutely have play makers on offense to keep this team in most games this year. The defense lost several key starters, but we have Mitchell who I think will step up his game this year, Durante Jones who is by far and away out best DB and is going to be a star for us, we have a couple LB's that transferred in that make the LB's a strong group and the DL should still be relative stout even with out Travis this year. We absolutely had a 7-5 teams last year had our star 2 receivers not got hurt, had Tyler started from the get go and didn't get hurt and we had an OC like Mazzone the whole year.

13-0 and snubbed for the playoffs.
 
ConnHuskBask said:
Lol. A competent FBS team we are not..yet at least.

Could read hundreds of posts since 2010 that read exactly the same.
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I'm pretty sure I've posted something similar every year since 2012.

Hoping for 3 wins, means I'm wasting my time following this team. Given the turnover in CFB and the narrow gaps between teams 60 and 130, I don't think it's too much to expect that with a little smarts and the right attitude, a big jump from 1-2 wins is possible regardless of whether or not we have a massive talent upgrade.

I won't be happy with 3 wins. I feel sorry for those with such low expectations or fear of failure.
 
Jaundiced eye view. One win in the first half. Two wins in the second half. Could go to four W's total, even 5, but I will stick with 3 as most likely. This could also change if other players come on board that show they are game changfers. Freshmen or transfers who have not yet arrived.

I have no fear of failure. If they fail it won't be because I screwed up.
 
CONN78SEJ said:
Do you have anything better to do than start a pis Sing contest over one of the best pickups Coach Mora has had here? BTW, I said “maybe” and you said “I don’t know”. CA. I saw the kid play in HS at New Canaan, he’s a terrific OL.
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I’m not trying to start an argument, I just have my reservations. We can all agree all of the recruits we have had that have come through UConn have played well in high school or else we wouldn’t have recruited them. When it comes to recruiting it’s a hit or miss just because a kid played well in x place in high school does not mean he will do well in college. These kids aren’t competing against kids from their high school anymore but with stellar athletes from different high schools from different states. And sorry to say but there are some kids on the team that played in higher level of competition in high school than some others on our team from powerhouse states who have the advantage coming in because of development and skill. The expectation is for those kids to develop well and see the field early on but that’s not always the case because a kid from a small town with no offers can be better than a kid who had impressive D1 offers from high school. Offer list are impressive but does not always mean that kid will be a definite contributor right away.
 
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SubbaBub said:
I'm pretty sure I've posted something similar every year since 2012.

Hoping for 3 wins, means I'm wasting my time following this team. Given the turnover in CFB and the narrow gaps between teams 60 and 130, I don't think it's too much to expect that with a little smarts and the right attitude, a big jump from 1-2 wins is possible regardless of whether or not we have a massive talent upgrade.

I won't be happy with 3 wins. I feel sorry for those with such low expectations or fear of failure.
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You basically made a list of "wins" based on teams that we would have beaten in 2007 and aren't being that realistic. If the gap between 60 and 130 is so close then why the hell have we won 2 or 3 games every season for the last decade?
 
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Guru13 said:
I’m not trying to start an argument, I just have my reservations. We can all agree all of the recruits we have had that have come through UConn have played well in high school or else we wouldn’t have recruited them. When it comes to recruiting it’s a hit or miss just because a kid played well in x place in high school does not mean he will do well in college. These kids aren’t competing against kids from their high school anymore but with stellar athletes from different high schools from different states. And sorry to say but there are some kids on the team that played in higher level of competition in high school than some others on our team from powerhouse states who have the advantage coming in because of development and skill. The expectation is for those kids to develop well and see the field early on but that’s not always the case because a kid from a small town with no offers can be better than a kid who had impressive D1 offers from high school. Offer list are impressive but does not always mean that kid will be a definite contributor right away.
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I had my reservations too, when I said “maybe”, but you jumped all over me anyway.
 
huskysupporter said:
Didn’t sound like he was starting an argument, just stating his opinion. The fact that Stewart didn’t make the two deep does bring up some questions. Doesn’t mean he won’t be a significant contributor, but it is more than reasonable to have reservations about his impact.
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Yes it does. He said “I don’t know about by a lot” and I said “maybe by a lot”. Meaning we both had some reservations and I don’t see the difference.
 
Schedule is murderous. Must beat CCSU and Utah State to get out of the box with some confidence, otherwise it’s going to be another slow slide into depression ending in helpless resignation like every other season before.
 
giddyup said:
Schedule is murderous. Must beat CCSU and Utah State to get out of the box with some confidence, otherwise it’s going to be another slow slide into depression ending in helpless resignation like every other season before.
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I am surprised people think UConn will win it's first game under a new head coach with mostly new players including a new quarterback...on the road... against last year's Mountain West champion who went 10-3.

Yes they lost some players...but they have continuity with the same head coach and they are playing at home. If UConn wins that game it will be a big upset.

I am not saying they can't win, I am just saying it's unlikely. And I really hope people aren't disappointed if UConn starts the season out with a loss.
 
ShakyTheMohel said:
I am surprised people think UConn will win it's first game under a new head coach with mostly new players including a new quarterback...on the road... against last year's Mountain West champion who went 10-3.

Yes they lost some players...but they have continuity with the same head coach and they are playing at home. If UConn wins that game it will be a big upset.

I am not saying they can't win, I am just saying it's unlikely. And I really hope people aren't disappointed if UConn starts the season out with a loss.
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I agree. This is a very tough opening game. I am guessing we will be a 17 point dog.
 
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