This Isn't Working

[UConnJim]

The main disappointment for me is his seeming inability to use his feet to avoid a single rusher.

Syracuse had 2 sacks in the game, so Zion was doing something right. I would agree that UConn needs to throw the ball downfield more, but with the WRs hurt and it appears the backup QBs are not 100%, I think the offensive game plan is conservative and they don't want Zion to be running around. Look at his HS tapes. He shows really good escapability and the ability to throw on the run and he was playing agains top competition in Florida.

 

[Banta55]

UCONN is a brand. Jim Mora is an excellent coach. UCONN is not the NFL, it is not Alabama, it is not Pittsburgh, it is not Marshall, it is not Northern Illinois, it is not freaking Coastal Carolina. Every program has challenges. We've gone over the pros and cons of being indie vs a member of a conference. Whether we get guys moving up from lower level programs or moving down from P5, the coaches have to go out and get guys who can play.

Exactly well said

 

[Palatine]

Syracuse had 2 sacks in the game, so Zion was doing something right. I would agree that UConn needs to throw the ball downfield more, but with the WRs hurt and it appears the backup QBs are not 100%, I think the offensive game plan is conservative and they don't want Zion to be running around. Look at his HS tapes. He shows really good escapability and the ability to throw on the run and he was playing agains top competition in Florida.

Zion was playing on a high school team that was superior to the teams he was facing. Of course, he looked good in high school. It's not relevant.

 

[giddyup]

Syracuse had 2 sacks in the game, so Zion was doing something right. I would agree that UConn needs to throw the ball downfield more, but with the WRs hurt and it appears the backup QBs are not 100%, I think the offensive game plan is conservative and they don't want Zion to be running around. Look at his HS tapes. He shows really good escapability and the ability to throw on the run and he was playing agains top competition in Florida.

The play calling is pathetically conservative and tells the team that the coaches don’t have confidence in the QB, the line or the receivers they do have. Players can’t grow with training wheels on. Put Zion under pressure to perform. If he’s truly talented, he will get better. Throwing bubble screens all day doesn’t do crap.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Perhaps it will take more than three games for someone to take this program from the flaming turd it has been (since the bowl game loss to Marshall) to something that resembles a legitimate FBS program.

Why are you using logic and reason ????? I am NOT down on the program. If they had a top 10 class of 25 players, the turnaround would be quick. But remember this team was losing by 30 to 40 points to sub 500 lower level teams.

 

[UConnJim]

Zion was playing on a high school team that was superior to the teams he was facing. Of course, he looked good in high school. It's not relevant.

What are you talking about? Zion's team defeated St. Frances Academy of Baltimore 38-23 and St. Frances had more talent than St. Thomas Aquinas and ended up ranked #4 by USA Today last year. And, the teams they played in Florida were talented teams with many FBS recruits.

 

[CL82]

This. Even if we end the year 2-10, it's not showing that Mora can't do the job. Just that you will have to give him time. (It would be saying that many on here who thought that changing coaches would makes us tons better immediately because our biggest problew was the x's and the o's and not the jimmies and the joes were dead wrong, but that has nothing to do with Mora.)

I guess, but since the prior coach was the guy who is picking the Jimmy’s and Joe’s…maybe both things are true?

 

[DCT]

I've seen zero progress in our program so far with Mora. I take that back we have gained in PR... but with actual football play none. Especially after seeing CCSU lose to Scared Heart and Utah State absolutely destroyed by an FCS team. Mora outside of PR has shown absolutely nothing any anyone who says otherwise is looking at things through rose-colored glasses. The QB position is just as crappy as under HCRE 2.0 .... the defense is just as inept ... the OC play calling is the same .. the defense looks no different vs. a competent team... the results are the same.

Give it a break, JM hasn't had a chance to recruit players from their freshman/sophomore high school seasons. When he was able to start recruiting half the high school seniors had already committed else where. Losing our #1 qb in the first game was a blow that is harder to overcome without some experienced Qbs on the roster. The coaches see all of the players every week in practice. Maybe they don't think the other QBs can do any better so throwing Zion into the fire gets him experience faster. I also think it is very likely zion will be hurt in the next 2 games. So we will be seeing a different QB soon.

 

[hank970]

UCONN is a brand. Jim Mora is an excellent coach. UCONN is not the NFL, it is not Alabama, it is not Pittsburgh, it is not Marshall, it is not Northern Illinois, it is not freaking Coastal Carolina. Every program has challenges. We've gone over the pros and cons of being indie vs a member of a conference. Whether we get guys moving up from lower level programs or moving down from P5, the coaches have to go out and get guys who can play.

That's fanboy talk.

Sears was a brand -- the Amazon of its day. So were Pontiac and Oldsmobile. And Packard, Plymouth, and Mercury, etc. UConn may be a brand in basketball, but in football? Not anyplace west of the Hudson River. Not in any talent-rich part of the country.

Given UConn's football history, reputation, and geography, the coaching staff is going to have a difficult time attracting guys who can play at a higher level. Kids like that crave exposure, and they have options.

 

[businesslawyer]

I guess, but since the prior coach was the guy who is picking the Jimmy’s and Joe’s…maybe both things are true

Edsall failed in his second stint here. Completely. The roster is largely his players, and not Mora’s. My point is many here thought the players were much better than their performance, and the coaching staff was holding them back. So far, we’re not seeing that.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

I'll go for the common denominators....can we all agree that:
1. We came into the season looking for 3-5 wins and to show consistent effort across both wins and losses.
2. We looked at the schedule and saw that we'd likely be 1-2 after 3 games.
3. Weeks 4-6 would be three L's given the competition.
4. Weeks 7-12 would present the possibility of another 3 or so wins.
5. Injuries happen and they bit our offense early and often to this point.
6. Our two-deeps on both sides of the ball were laden with underclassmen (even before the injuries).
7. Just shy of half our roster was brought in new to the program.

Are we all still there with this?

If so, we're tracking about where we thought we'd be.

Keep the faith and support our program through the process. No one said it'd be easy and it won't be.

 

[CL82]

Edsall failed in his second stint here. Completely. The roster is largely his players, and not Mora’s. My point is many here thought the players were much better than their performance, and the coaching staff was holding them back. So far, we’re not seeing that.

Agree somewhat. I think we are seeing the team as a whole perform better. But I agree that size and speed matter in football and can’t be coached up.

 

[Viet Vet]

The next three games are problematic, so why not let Millen and Puma continue to heal, hoping they become available once the schedule eases?

 

[Kolumbo]

That's fanboy talk.

Sears was a brand -- the Amazon of its day. So were Pontiac and Oldsmobile. And Packard, Plymouth, and Mercury, etc. UConn may be a brand in basketball, but in football? Not anyplace west of the Hudson River. Not in any talent-rich part of the country.

Given UConn's football history, reputation, and geography, the coaching staff is going to have a difficult time attracting guys who can play at a higher level. Kids like that crave exposure, and they have options.

OK. Pontiac made some sweet rides though, including this 1968 convertible. Not to mention the iconic trans am. UCONN is very well known throughout the entire Northeast including New York and New Jersey which is why so many students from those states attend UCONN. It wasn't too long ago UCONN Hockey couldn't compete with the Hockey East crowd.

 

[cohenzone]

Syracuse had 2 sacks in the game, so Zion was doing something right. I would agree that UConn needs to throw the ball downfield more, but with the WRs hurt and it appears the backup QBs are not 100%, I think the offensive game plan is conservative and they don't want Zion to be running around. Look at his HS tapes. He shows really good escapability and the ability to throw on the run and he was playing agains top competition in Florida.

As i said in an earlier comment, you aren't going to be sacked often throwing quick passes to the flat of 1-4 yards. I’m only saying he so far doesn’t show a lot of dual threat traits, but he’s young and is also thrust into a starters role with a tough early schedule.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Agree somewhat. I think we are seeing the team as a whole perform better. But I agree that size and speed matter in football and can’t be coached up.

This in a nutshell.

 

[Dizzy21]

Syracuse had 2 sacks in the game, so Zion was doing something right. I would agree that UConn needs to throw the ball downfield more, but with the WRs hurt and it appears the backup QBs are not 100%, I think the offensive game plan is conservative and they don't want Zion to be running around. Look at his HS tapes. He shows really good escapability and the ability to throw on the run and he was playing agains top competition in Florida.

For what it's worth, Mora told Charlton not to go hurry up and to act like it was 0-0 when Syracuse started to score a bunch. Mora was definitely holding the offense back in some ways.

 

[Dizzy21]

This. Even if we end the year 2-10, it's not showing that Mora can't do the job. Just that you will have to give him time. (It would be saying that many on here who thought that changing coaches would makes us tons better immediately because our biggest problew was the x's and the o's and not the jimmies and the joes were dead wrong, but that has nothing to do with Mora.)

Mora set the expectation that this was not a rebuild but a win now thing and that has been repeated by Charlton and the other coaches. I get that it's probably for motivation of the team, but it's two sided, setting those expectations for the fans will leave them disappointed if you don't do what you repeatedly said.

 

[businesslawyer]

Mora set the expectation that this was not a rebuild but a win now thing and that has been repeated by Charlton and the other coaches. I get that it's probably for motivation of the team, but it's two sided, setting those expectations for the fans will leave them disappointed if you don't do what you repeatedly said.

Which is why it isn't worth listening to anything a coach says.

 

[Hoophound]

For what it's worth, Mora told Charlton not to go hurry up and to act like it was 0-0 when Syracuse started to score a bunch. Mora was definitely holding the offense back in some ways.

I love the hurry up offense. In my experience it is a lot like the 3 pointer was in the early 90's. It is a great equalizer if you do it well. It allows a team that can't hold off the other team's defensive line to have a functioning offense. I realize there are drawbacks, but I feel like we'd be better for now if we used it. Many of the coaches that turned programs around overnight have used it. Coaches like O'Leary, Frost and Leach come to mind.

 

[ZooCougar]

Trying to win now and rebuilding aren’t mutually exclusive.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Edsall failed in his second stint here. Completely. The roster is largely his players, and not Mora’s. My point is many here thought the players were much better than their performance, and the coaching staff was holding them back. So far, we’re not seeing that.

I think the fact that we beat an FCS team by more than 7 for the first time in 10ish years is an indication that maybe we are seeing that. JM isn't only playing transfers and freshmen (his guys), and I think the results are pretty different. Not great, of course, but we kept it respectable with a lousy USU team, beat a lousy CCSU team, and got spanked by a (I think) very good cuse team. I submit that the teams of the last few years would have been destroyed twice, and barely beat CCSU (if at all). A quick comparison of records, and opponents, bears that out. It's impossible to know for sure, but I see actual progress with largely the same players...even despite being down the top QB, and 2 top WR's.

 

[businesslawyer]

I think the fact that we beat an FCS team by more than 7 for the first time in 10ish years is an indication that maybe we are seeing that. JM isn't only playing transfers and freshmen (his guys), and I think the results are pretty different. Not great, of course, but we kept it respectable with a lousy USU team, beat a lousy CCSU team, and got spanked by a (I think) very good cuse team. I submit that the teams of the last few years would have been destroyed twice, and barely beat CCSU (if at all). A quick comparison of records, and opponents, bears that out. It's impossible to know for sure, but I see actual progress with largely the same players...even despite being down the top QB, and 2 top WR's.

Time will tell. I hope so. But with the USU competitiveness not looking nearly as impressive as we thought at the time, jury is out. But rest assured -- if we get blown out the next three weeks, I won't be the one saying we're no better. I'll be waiting for the winnable games to come up on our schedule.

 

[Bongo Fury]

Agree somewhat. I think we are seeing the team as a whole perform better. But I agree that size and speed matter in football and can’t be coached up.

And experience. Even though they are getting trashed during this part of the season, hopefully they will be stronger towards the end.

 

[UConnJim]

I love the hurry up offense. In my experience it is a lot like the 3 pointer was in the early 90's. It is a great equalizer if you do it well. It allows a team that can't hold off the other team's defensive line to have a functioning offense. I realize there are drawbacks, but I feel like we'd be better for now if we used it. Many of the coaches that turned programs around overnight have used it. Coaches like O'Leary, Frost and Leach come to mind.

I don't think your listed coaches turned programs around overnight as the first year records are mixed.

O'Leary
GT: Year before O'Leary 1-10. O'Leary's first year 6-5.
UCF: Year before O'Leary 3-9. O'Leary's first year 0-11.

Mike Leach
Texas Tech: Year before Leach 6-5. Leach's first year 7-5.
Washington St.: Year before Leach 4-8. Leach's first year 3-9.
Miss. St.: Year before Leach 6-7. Leach's first year 4-7.

Scott Frost
UCF: Year before Frost 0-12. Frost's first year 6-7.
Nebraska: Year before Frost 4-8. Frost's first year 4-8.

So the results are 2 better first year results, 2 about the same, and 3 worse.

Before the season started, it looked like they could have run a fast pace offense, but then injuries decimated the depth at QB and WR. If Roberson was still healthy, I would think the offense would look much different as Turner would have been your healthy backup with Millen and TP still recovering from injury available in an emergency. And, the WRs that appeared to be able to create separation, Ross, Marion, and Drayton, aren't available, so the vertical pass offense is stagnant.

 

[Tdaley]

Agree somewhat. I think we are seeing the team as a whole perform better. But I agree that size and speed matter in football and can’t be coached up.

I'll go for the common denominators....can we all agree that:
1. We came into the season looking for 3-5 wins and to show consistent effort across both wins and losses.
2. We looked at the schedule and saw that we'd likely be 1-2 after 3 games.
3. Weeks 4-6 would be three L's given the competition.
4. Weeks 7-12 would present the possibility of another 3 or so wins.
5. Injuries happen and they bit our offense early and often to this point.
6. Our two-deeps on both sides of the ball were laden with underclassmen (even before the injuries).
7. Just shy of half our roster was brought in new to the program.

Are we all still there with this?

If so, we're tracking about where we thought we'd be.

Keep the faith and support our program through the process. No one said it'd be easy and it won't be.

Well stated! Let’s get through the next 3 games before we start comparing this year’s team with last year’s team. The beginning part of our schedule is brutal. Michigan may be playing in the final college game of this season.

 

[ktuck911]

And experience. Even though they are getting trashed during this part of the season, hopefully they will be stronger towards the end.

We make it through these next 5 weeks without losing any key players, and gaining some (frosh opportunities aplenty coming), that Army game won't be a cake walk like last year for them... that may very well be the game that determines whether we have an opportunity for a bowl game or not...

 

[Jimdish255]

As i said in an earlier comment, you aren't going to be sacked often throwing quick passes to the flat of 1-4 yards. I’m only saying he so far doesn’t show a lot of dual threat traits, but he’s young and is also thrust into a starters role with a tough early schedule.

My OP was never meant to be a final judgement on ZT. And to me we look like a better team overall while still being very young. Again we've been snake bit by critical injuries which muddies the waters as to whether a freshman QB has the tools or it's just catching up mentally to the playbook, the college game and the personnel. If the other QB's aren't healthy enough to play I might consider having Rosa take a few snaps in running situations which would at least give the Defense some coverage issues. The coaches are in a tough situation and no one can definitively say they're righ or wrong this early unless they pull a red zone Disco like the Navy game But my philosophy in general is not to shut the door on personnel adjustments if you are seeing the same issues repeat themselves. I've been out of town I'll try to catch up on thread.

 

[Palatine]

The next three games are problematic, so why not let Millen and Puma continue to heal, hoping they become available once the schedule eases?

While this is a reasonable strategy, both Millen and Puma should get some live game snaps when possible. Fourth quarter snaps will be available when a game is no longer in doubt. Those snaps are much more valuable than practice snaps. Both need experience and taking live reps will build some familarity and chemistry with the current offensive players.

 

[CL82]

And experience. Even though they are getting trashed during this part of the season, hopefully they will be stronger towards the end.

For some, undoubtedly, for some, maybe not. Everyone has a ceiling.