That's the difference between a good team and a mediocre one. Failing to execute ie. botched snaps, turnovers, dumb penalties will make or break a team. The year they went to BCS they win those type of nailbiters. You make the plays and eliminate the bone-headed ones you typically win. My biggest problem is theirs no identity with this team. Who is Uconn now? What philosophy are they? All I see is multiple formations on both sides, which = confusion. They should use K.I.S.S. This is for GDL, Keep It Simple Stupid! Atleast before we had a bend don't break defense, and a smashmouth style running attack. Now we have sometimes Wildcat, some i, some hb draw, some TE Seam, some dropback/shotgun which = nothing. What happened to a good ole toss play?
Dude - you nailed it. That slippery, amorphous, psychology word - IDENTITY. I don't necessarily agree with the KISS principle as you describe it here, my issue is with allowing for and making use of adequate practice time for what we want to do on the field - because based on the results - it does not seem that we are well practiced with many things - like snaps, and handoffs, and such.
Confusion? Chaos? that most certainly can be something to label as an "identity". THe defense, is basically doing it. An offense can do the same thing. But you have to go out on the field....and excuse my while I vomit for a second......EXECUTE. You don't have to be the strict, same formations, same plays over and over team we were in the past, to have an "IDENTITY".
What you need to have an identity, is three things in, leadership, accountability, and results.
Right now, our leadership, accountability and results point to an identity that is a good defense, and a bad offense.
If you want the results to change, if you want the identity to change, the leadership and accountability and results have to change.
Knowing, where and how you tweak, an organization the size of a division 1 football program to make that happen, is why the head coaches make six figure salaries.