The View From Section 241 -- Tulane

[businesslawyer]

The last time a seemingly inept offense (Seriously, you can't come to any conclusions based on the Tulane game) came out of a bye week to face a high scoring ranked opponent, UConn went to Louisville and sealed the Cardinals' fate outside the BCS. That was 3 year ago to the week from 11/21.

This time the high scoring ranked opponent comes to Connecticut, the team is more talented, better conditioned and is picking up what the coaching staff is putting down.

The phrase of the week is film study, film study, film study.

That defense at least had more talent than this one does. Smallwood, Moore, 'Trevardo, Blidi, Dwayne ....

 

[Carl Spackler]

Normally, I would be worried about handling an off week. This team, however, was incredibly young to play ten straight weeks including five road games all of which were plane trips and 3 of which were in different time zones. I think they (meaning the starters) will very much benefit from a light workout week, no matter how well or poorly the staff handles the mental aspect of it.

I'm actually of the opinion, that you load up the work week more than usual - and definitely engage in contact. You just got to do it right, so that you've got time to heal. We'll see what happens.

Without a doubt though, the extra sleep and 2 weeks now, followed by a home game, without the need to travel farther than Storrs to East Hartford - the sleep is probably the most valueable thing for the players.

I'd put a curfew on all of em for the next 2 weeks and a roll call for bed time. LOL.

 

[IMind]

LOL. I said it was unwatchable. That didn't mean that I wasn't fully riveted the entire way.

There were a few times this year that I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. For the big home run play that loses the game... and for the most part it hasn't happened. Edsall teams were exceptional at this. I still get sick thinking about 2009 and Tim Brown and Noel Devine. They've held on and won games.. and for a team this young... that seems to bode well for the future.

 

[Carl Spackler]

That defense at least had more talent than this one does. Smallwood, Moore, 'Trevardo, Blidi, Dwayne ....

Bite your tongue counselor. We have some players on this team, right now. You just might have made the bulletin board.

 

[outlaw]

Unwatchable? Try unlistenable! I helped my brother move all day yesterday and the only thing we had was a very faint and choppy TIC 1080 signal. Listening to Joe D bumble his way through a football game is downright painful. Listening to him bumble through a game of nonstop 3 and outs and punts is motivation for one to help out with all of the heavy lifting.

but how amazing was the pick 6 call?

 

[RedStickHusky]

LOL. I said it was unwatchable. That didn't mean that I wasn't fully riveted the entire way.

The UConn football experience in a nutshell and it almost fits into a haiku.

 

[gioff23]

The write up was a better read than the game was to watch, so thanks for that!

Worst game ever? I have to be honest, I don't think it was the worst game we have watched this team play this decade. It was painful, no doubt. But the D was really good and the specials, absent the FG, were good. It has been said enough - IF 86 watches the ball in and doesn't start running before the catch or if 2 simply falls on the ball, it's a very different score. While Tulane's O makes our O look pretty good, our D was in complete control. I have watched teams simply manhandle our O over the past few years, and it was nice to see it not matter, for once. I'd much rather watch this game, then another repeat of Cincy from last year - where we had no shot - or USF where we effectively surrendered in Q1. And it's not just because it was a win - I'll take yesterday over Stony Brook 2013. In other words, not a good game, but nice to see our D recognize the O was struggling and simply dominate the opponent. Nice to be .500 in November, both overall and in conference. Nice to get 2 conf road wins. Nice to win a game that was ugly, no doubt; but not as ugly IMO as some others we have witnessed recently.

 

[minidarren]

I think that the bye week will afford a well deserved opportunity for the team to rest up after the last 10 weeks. I am confident that Diaco will win this week against "Bye."

Im positive that Pasqualoni was 0-2 or 0-3 against "Bye" so we've got that going for us.

 

[nUConn Fan]

It's still a "W" and the sign of an improving team is the ability to win ugly. No question, this was ugly.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

It's not because the OL can't function in the rain. It's because all 11 defenders were playing against the run and not worrying about the pass. On both teams,

Exactly! I just checked the game stats. They showed a Woody Hays-like 146 yards @ 3.5per. 146 ain't bad. In better conditions, most coaches (not named Woody) would want better than 3.5 per. But in sideways rain, with the entire defense primed to stop any run, 3.5 is probably okay. Especially if playing with the lead.

BTW, Tulane averaged 1.4 per carry.

I've heard more than one coach say that the combination of rain and high wind turns a game into a crap shoot. Moreover, at this point, I'd welcome the same (or worse) weather, plus mud between the 40's, for either or both of the remaining games.

Anyone else miss mud? Mud was fun.

 

[businesslawyer]

Exactly! I just checked the game stats. They showed a Woody Hays-like 146 yards @ 3.5per. 146 ain't bad. In better conditions, most coaches (not named Woody) would want better than 3.5 per. But in sideways rain, with the entire defense primed to stop any run, 3.5 is probably okay. Especially if playing with the lead.

BTW, Tulane averaged 1.4 per carry.

I've heard more than one coach say that the combination of rain and high wind turns a game into a crap shoot. Moreover, at this point, I'd welcome the same (or worse) weather, plus mud between the 40's, for either or both of the remaining games.

Anyone else miss mud? Mud was fun.

I would absolutely take a mudfest when Houston comes in. Or for everything to be frozen like a rock. But we could absolutely use weather being an equalizer.

 

[RedStickHusky]

As a guy that was kind of a mudder in my own limited playing days, I wholeheartedly concur.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I would absolutely take a mudfest when Houston comes in. Or for everything to be frozen like a rock. But we could absolutely use weather being an equalizer.

A cold blustery day is just fine for Houston game. At night to boot? perfect.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Exactly! I just checked the game stats. They showed a Woody Hays-like 146 yards @ 3.5per. 146 ain't bad. In better conditions, most coaches (not named Woody) would want better than 3.5 per. But in sideways rain, with the entire defense primed to stop any run, 3.5 is probably okay. Especially if playing with the lead.

BTW, Tulane averaged 1.4 per carry.

I've heard more than one coach say that the combination of rain and high wind turns a game into a crap shoot. Moreover, at this point, I'd welcome the same (or worse) weather, plus mud between the 40's, for either or both of the remaining games.

Anyone else miss mud? Mud was fun.

Not me. In Torrington, CT on a half baseball field when the puddles in the mud in November were frozen shards of ice. I have the scars on the arms to wear from it. LIke tackling on broken glass. Why the heck didn't I wear sleeves? Dumb kid.

I'll be happy with any late November weather condition that our northeast USA football gods can deliver us, for the Texans. If I had to pick, it would be a mix of sleet and rain with the wind off the runway.

 

[huskypantz]

Not me. In Torrington, CT on a half baseball field when the puddles in the mud in November were frozen shards of ice. I have the scars on the arms to wear from it. LIke tackling on broken glass. Why the heck didn't I wear sleeves? Dumb kid.

I'll be happy with any late November weather condition that our northeast USA football gods can deliver us, for the Texans. If I had to pick, it would be a mix of sleet and rain with the wind off the runway.

November was the best. I'd be freezing for the first 20 minutes of practice and then fine the rest of the way. Getting your hand crunched between two helmets would hurt like a b1tch until it went numb in a couple of minutes, and then you'd be fine. And end it off by heading into the locker room after practice where the temperature change made your skin itch like poison ivy. And we loved every minute of it.