The View From Section 241 -- Maine

[Nostical]

Show me a team not named Alabama, Ohio St. and Louisville that didn't finish their games with areas of concern to work on. UConnJim's accurate comments need to be mixed into the fruit salad of analysis. For sure there were lemons vs Maine but I also saw lots of lemonade. I'll predict right now we head to Houston at 4-0 and play to a much wider and more attentive audience. Beating them down there will make a more important statement than anything else. I've got my flight booked. Let's head down there and show lots of blue in their stadium.

 

[rich1122]

Somebody just tell me why we ran it 70 times? Everything will be in perspective after that is answered.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Yes, to ice the kicker. BD called one first.

Regardless, how could they have run down the clock?
It seems that was an issue for some in that bd left 16 seconds on the clock.

 

[Pudge]

What can't be true ...

There is no way that Diaco and Verducci tell Bryant Shirreffs to target Noel Thomas 14 times ... and not look nor throw to Beals, Mayala, Bloom or Myers. If you have the ball and have any kind of peripheral vision, you see that there are opportunities. Love Noel; but, this is getting crazy. Having said that ... the PR is the same. It's like that kid has been told: SECURE the Ball; Do not run upfield. The Wacky of the UConn FB.

Shirreffs? It is OK to knock the guy on some really solid points he need to improve. But ... I think I am one who thinks that he will find a way to get winning points. That's not something we have seen from other QBs nor what you see across the landscape. He has that moxey.

I don't have much to say about the OLine. Merely that they will look a whole lot better if you don't invite 9 Defenders on top of them.

We do have solid Defenders rising. Fatukasi and Myers are really good. The triparty ILB of Walsh, Joseph, Levenberry are good for us. I thought both Jhavon and Summers gave Maine WR far too much cushion. Watkins was notably missing assignments and taking bad angles; McAllister was showing solid contributions - is there something I am missing here?

I expect more from our RBs; maybe, this was a boost to Ron Johnson going forward. And maybe Newsome needs to be specialized and not run on certain types of plays.

I give Maine credit. We have seen FCS teams not play very well. The Kid Coach done good.

 

[jrazz12]

Somebody just tell me why we ran it 70 times? Everything will be in perspective after that is answered.

Not sure where you're getting your numbers from, but you can step off the ledge.

Matt Schonvisky ‏@MattSchonvisky 30m 30 minutes ago
On #UConn play calling last night. Final stats show 50 run/23 pass. Sacks=2. Shirreffs said out of his 20 runs, only 5 had run options

Matt Schonvisky ‏@MattSchonvisky 29m 29 minutes ago
So taking Shirreffs at his word, play calling was actually 33 run/40 pass. He knows he needs to make better decisions & talked after game

 

[rich1122]

Not sure where you're getting your numbers from, but you can step off the ledge.

Matt Schonvisky ‏@MattSchonvisky 30m 30 minutes ago
On #UConn play calling last night. Final stats show 50 run/23 pass. Sacks=2. Shirreffs said out of his 20 runs, only 5 had run options

Matt Schonvisky ‏@MattSchonvisky 29m 29 minutes ago
So taking Shirreffs at his word, play calling was actually 33 run/40 pass. He knows he needs to make better decisions & talked after game

Heard it on Joe D after the fame. I am sure that he said 70. Maybe he meant 70 total and I misunderstood Sorry, should have looked it up. Still 2/1 ratio is a little nuts.

 

[jrazz12]

Heard it on Joe D after the fame. I am sure that he said 70. Should have looked it up. Still 2/1 ratio is a little nuts.

It's the second numbers that's a lot more indicative. If that's the case, we actually were calling in a way that was more pass-heavy. It's on BS to allow the plays to develop and the OL to protect him enough to feel comfortable back there without scrambling forward. Based on that, I feel very confident about where our offense can go with more work and game development. Another reason everyone freaking out about the Maine game is silly. Yes we can be A LOT better in some areas and my God was that boring and needlessly close. But I'm still saying we're 4-0 heading to Houston in a month and nothing I saw Thursday shows me otherwise.

Great write up BL

 

[kris1]

Watching the Texas game do they win without taking the deep shots? Can we do this or does everything have to be slow and methodical? Do we have the personel?

Yes, we have the personnel to do it....Even if we don't hit the deep ball, show we're willing to take he shot. Just don't throw an INT. BS has to read the coverage, look the safety off, and take the shot. Worst case scenario over-throw it so no one can get it to keep the secondary from creeping into the box or under throw it and maybe get a PI call.

 

[CL82]

Somebody just tell me why we ran it 70 times? Everything will be in perspective after that is answered.

Because Diaco feels that we have a talent deficit and so he is going to try to burn as much clock as possible as conservatively as possible to limit the oppositions time of possession.

 

[bmayuc]

One Comment: No, Shirreffs did not have a great game. He missed wide open receivers all over the field, all day from my view in 229.

When you turn 15 pass plays into de-facto running plays, you hurt the team. He needs to learn QUICKLY that sometimes you need to trust your guy to make a play.

Maine played single-high man 90% of the snaps. When you see a blitz, you see man-man, and you see Hergy Mayala @ 6'3, Alec Bloom @ 6'7, and a stud like Noel Thomas, LET THE BALL FLY.

Some will be catches, some will be incompletions. But it scares the hell out of a DB and a DCoordinator knowing you are the type of team that will make that throw.

Rant over. Shirreffs needs to play much, much better.

 

[cttxus]

Show me a team not named Alabama, Ohio St. and Louisville that didn't finish their games with areas of concern to work on. UConnJim's accurate comments need to be mixed into the fruit salad of analysis. For sure there were lemons vs Maine but I also saw lots of lemonade. I'll predict right now we head to Houston at 4-0 and play to a much wider and more attentive audience. Beating them down there will make a more important statement than anything else. I've got my flight booked. Let's head down there and show lots of blue in their stadium.

Nos-For sure you're coming down for the Houston game? I was planning to wait until after Navy to start a thread on this but we should hook up. I think Dooley had plans to come down as well. Pretty easy 4 hr drive from DFW for me. We should try to coordinate seating at least.

 

[Nostical]

Nos-For sure you're coming down for the Houston game?

Definitely and Defiantly!

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Somebody just tell me why we ran it 70 times? Everything will be in perspective after that is answered.

We didn't run "70 times." The real number, per the official stats, was 50 for 200 yards, or 4.0 yards per.

 

[rich1122]

We didn't run "70 times." The real number, per the official stats, was 50 for 200 yards, or 4.0 yards per.

Yes I already took a knee on that.

 

[uconnell]

There is room for criticism on both side for sure. I got to the stadium at 6:45 and ran through blue lot to get to my seat. The entire place was still tailgating. I wrote an email to the "fan experience" people asking if we can get a auditory signal played over the PA to remind everyone to get in their seats. Could be something cool like a husky howling to assemble the pack or something less abstract like, "It is 15 minutes to kickoff - Let's go Huskies!"

I believe I heard a husky howl.

 

[huskymedic]

I believe I heard a husky howl.

They said they were going to do something like that:

6:30 PM -- 30 Minutes to Kickoff
Pay attention Husky fans - a familiar siren in the lots means it's time to pack up and get inside!

 

[CTMike]

There is room for criticism on both side for sure. I got to the stadium at 6:45 and ran through blue lot to get to my seat. The entire place was still tailgating. I wrote an email to the "fan experience" people asking if we can get a auditory signal played over the PA to remind everyone to get in their seats. Could be something cool like a husky howling to assemble the pack or something less abstract like, "It is 15 minutes to kickoff - Let's go Huskies!"

I could have sworn I heard the air raid siren 30 min before kickoff.

 

[whaler11]

This is a program that built their marketing around tailgating recently. Shocking that people don't make the game the number one priority.

 

[History Geek]

Tailgating has been part of UConn football for a long time. While it was not that present outside Memorial Stadium in the I-AA games, the best parties I went to as a UConn student were in D lot of Yale Bowl in 1983 and 1984.

 

[Uconnalliance]

No O-line no offense plain and simple , can't protect the QB he can't throw, can't make holes can't run, it goes on and on and on, RE always had a line, no real QBs that threw but man we could run, BD needs to fix the line either they weren't good or Maine was a great team

 

[whaler11]

Tailgating has been part of UConn football for a long time. While it was not that present outside Memorial Stadium in the I-AA games, the best parties I went to as a UConn student were in D lot of Yale Bowl in 1983 and 1984.

No kidding. But when the school itself builds it's football marketing around tailgating why would anyone be surprised people tailgate through the start of the game?

The program itself chose to sell the tailgating experience over the game experience.

 

[CTMike]

No kidding. But when the school itself builds it's football marketing around tailgating why would anyone be surprised people tailgate through the start of the game?

The program itself chose to sell the tailgating experience over the game experience.

Point taken but the on field product (perhaps Houston aside) hasn't done their part to change people's minds.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I heard the siren way over in Silva's. It's always annoying walking past people in Blue lot who have no intentions of packing up their extravagant tailgate as I pass 10 minutes to kick off. It's obviously their choice but the priorities are clear.

 

[Chin Diesel]

While I agree line was poor, UConn did rush for 200 yards and get 3rushing TD's.

That is a much higher starting point to improve upon compared to the past five seasons.

 

[sportsart]

Yes our marketing department is so good that they were able to sell people on how much fun it is to eat and drink to excess.

Then when they try to get them to games or get them in early, they fail. Um, ok.