Ugly Wins Vs Not Winning

[freescooter]

Yep.

But no one remembers the miss. They remember the win. Its why this season Is frustrating. All anyone would remember if they finished 8-4 was kiss to to all four P4 teams.

They need that win over Cuse
To get legitimacy.

I don’t think that’s true. After a decade of losing, 8-4 looks like a huge turn around, and it would be. 7-5 would be for that matter. Plus, if we can consistently win 7-8 games we will eventually knock off somebody.

 

[cohenzone]

Not really.

I think how you win college football matters for cfp and bowl purposes. But, with UConn in this current state, there really is no reason to care how they win.

It is so infrequent, and expectations so low, that Huskies just getting to a bowl game and a winning recirdnis critical.

We aren't really fighting for anything other than pride and an open bowl slot.

I want to win against syracuse. I'd trade 1-2 if the one win is cuse.

That’s why i started this thread. Win any way you get them for now. We have 3 losses. We would not have beaten MD the way we defended with Tom Brady at QB. We gave a really solid Duke team a game where at the end they were too much for our D to hold off. Wake is the most disappointing loss, but they are not so different talent wise from us, maybe even slightly better overall. Even with spotty play from Evers, he made a really good clutch pass that resulted in the famous non call at a spot on the field that was in fg range to tie and with enough time to even score a winning TD.

Of our 6 wins, 3 were total domination. Yes i know Merrimack was one of them, and i think at their level they have been scoring pretty well. The other 3 were Temple, Rice and Ga State. I can’t see why anyone has trouble with 34 vs GState. Our D had a little to do witn the final score and time of possession. Temple and Rice are not good. but Temple had played overall tougher teams and Rice was also not so bad as their record, and beat good Navy a week after we beat them. Could a QB other than Evers have led us to the beautiful and dominating victory margin some crave, who knows.

I think some are overestimating our talent, which is undoubtedly much better than it’s been in a long while, And it seems whether any of us like it ir not, it looks like Evers is Mora’s guy and if we win but win ugly with him, so what. As far as Fagnano goes, 90% of this board didn’t want him back this year. McDonald is done and Wellever is this year’s edition of the unseen UConn QB who is assumed better than all the others.

As far as Cuse goes, beating them would be great even though close family live very near Syracuse, are Cuse fans but not rabid. and one of them works at the SUNY school that is basically on the SU campus. His office is a literal stone’s throw from the Dome which is across a narrow drive from the SUNY school.

Frankly, I have zero expectations for our team this year and so don’t get too bothered if a win is not beautiful. I’m having fun with wins.

 

[metsfan2323]

t. As far as Fagnano goes, 90% of this board didn’t want him back this year.

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play. I wonder what the outcome would be if the WR's were polled?

 

[cohenzone]

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play.

You might be on to something about this board. But seriously, Mora obviously thinks Evers is better. I have a basic belief that coaches aren’t suicidal when they make player usage decisions. Of course they can be wrong, but they make choices that seem right to them.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play. I wonder what the outcome would be if the WR's were polled?

I always want more Players in the mix. QB play is a weakness if team, but as long as winning I am willing to give Evers theexperince. Will help down road.

 

[JohnFSilver]

so frustrating. I guarantee the talking heads will harp on and on about the 4 P4 losses if we end up going 2-1 over the last 3 games here. We'll even win our bowl game against that meh G5 school. a 9 win team is "TRASH, BRO".

I am so sick of uconn being pooped on.

Talking heads. Every anti-football fan out there. Lol.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

You know that two things can be true at the same time, right? You can be happy we're winning and also be disappointed that one of the most talented teams we've had in the last decade is being held back because we don't have average production from the most important position on the field

That seems so obvious, and yet here with are with a thread that seems to believe it's one or the other.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Mora obviously thinks Evers is better. I have a basic belief that coaches aren’t suicidal when they make player usage decisions. Of course they can be wrong, but they make choices that seem right to them.

This is what most of the complainers, myself included, were complaining about. I believe that we are winning in spite of the QB choice and that Fagnano earned the right to get more PT with his play. I'm thrilled we are winning and going bowling, but that does not prevent me from believing that with a change at QB we could be even better. I want what's best for the team.

 

[Waquoit]

So "you are what your record says you are" doesn't count all of a sudden?

 

[noeynox]

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play. I wonder what the outcome would be if the WR's were polled?

I dont know how 90 percent of the board could feel that way after 6 quarters of play. This was still the same guy that beat out Roberson for the job.

 

[businesslawyer]

So "you are what your record says you are" doesn't count all of a sudden?

That's an NFL quote, where teams don't make their own schedules and the variance between an easy schedule and a tough schedule isn't night and day. It has little applicability to college sports if you don't consider the schedule. Yes, 8-4 in any case means you won two thirds of your games, but if you think it doesn't matter in terms of how good you are whether you went 8-4 playing a SEC schedule and reasonable conference games versus going 8-4 in the MAC with one P-4 game OOC, I don't know what to tell you.

 

[Patman]

You might be on to something about this board. But seriously, Mora obviously thinks Evers is better. I have a basic belief that coaches aren’t suicidal when they make player usage decisions. Of course they can be wrong, but they make choices that seem right to them.

i'm not convinced mora believes that. i think mora is playing the long-term game and he also has to not lose the locker room by being indecisive. He has to deal with the personalities and can't just swap quarterbacks depending on what he thinks might be better in the moment.

 

[Patman]

That's an NFL quote, where teams don't make their own schedules and the variance between an easy schedule and a tough schedule isn't night and day. It has little applicability to college sports if you don't consider the schedule. Yes, 8-4 in any case means you won two thirds of your games, but if you think it doesn't matter in terms of how good you are whether you went 8-4 playing a SEC schedule and reasonable conference games versus going 8-4 in the MAC with one P-4 game OOC, I don't know what to tell you.

there's a reason computers are putting us in the mid-80s. Beat Wake and bomb out your schedule and maybe we look better but we didn't do either.

 

[cohenzone]

This is what most of the complainers, myself included, were complaining about. I believe that we are winning in spite of the QB choice and that Fagnano earned the right to get more PT with his play. I'm thrilled we are winning and going bowling, but that does not prevent me from believing that with a change at QB we could be even better. I want what's best for the team.

Yeah, I get it. But it is also a fact that this board wanted no part of Fagnano. I guess Mora got convinced. Fagnano was the QB in the Buffalo game if I recall and that was an unexpected rout done with very little passing.

 

[REB1094]

UConn football was squashed into the dirt and spit on for pretty much the last decade. Miserable season after miserable season with the two brightest spots being the years that we lost bowl games and went 6-7

Of course I want to play high quality football and put up 5 scores weekly against P5 competition, but that's a pretty steep hill to climb 1 year after last season and without a conference

So for now, I'll take 7-8 wins even if every win is a close win where the score ends up being 10-7. Then next season, the expectations will get higher

Win games = get better recruits = win more games = get more respect as a program

 

[cohenzone]

That's an NFL quote, where teams don't make their own schedules and the variance between an easy schedule and a tough schedule isn't night and day. It has little applicability to college sports if you don't consider the schedule. Yes, 8-4 in any case means you won two thirds of your games, but if you think it doesn't matter in terms of how good you are whether you went 8-4 playing a SEC schedule and reasonable conference games versus going 8-4 in the MAC with one P-4 game OOC, I don't know what to tell you.

What if the take on some of the teams you think should be walkovers but weren’t was not accurate? What if our own capability is being overestimated? Even a little bit of that might produce unrealistic expectations. I’m certainly not saying Evers has been the answer to any prayers, in fact I’ve said the opposite. But at the moment in this season and many doubts about the program’s ability to become a winner, we are giving a pretty affirmative showing so far. For aii I know this might be the last season that modest success means anything acceptable.

And I don’t buy that Mora would not play the QB he thinks gives them the best shot to win out of fear of “losing the locker room”. We don’t win he is more likely to be back in Big Sky country sooner than he wants. I think he would lose the confidence of the team much faster by using a QB who presents a greater risk of losing. Just my opinion.

 

[noeynox]

Yeah, I get it. But it is also a fact that this board wanted no part of Fagnano. I guess Mora got convinced. Fagnano was the QB in the Buffalo game if I recall and that was an unexpected rout done with very little passing.

Bell caught 3tds. Fagnano threw for like 227 in 2.5 quarters. But yeah good point.

 

[JMick]

i'm not convinced mora believes that. i think mora is playing the long-term game and he also has to not lose the locker room by being indecisive. He has to deal with the personalities and can't just swap quarterbacks depending on what he thinks might be better in the moment.

I do wonder what part of playing Evers has to do with recruiting/NIL. Not in the sense that Evers was paid to come here, but as something to point to for future transfers and HS players. He can say he brought a guy in and gave them every opportunity he could to play and let him try to develop

 

[Chin Diesel]

Keep in mind with the ground and pound and winning ugly...........

UConn was down two starters on the line- Murawski and Hoeh. Both the replacement and the back ups were relatively green. If you are having success running the ball, you don't goober it up and make green linemen figure out blitz packages and pass protection unless you have to do so. Especially after a QB prone to head injuries already took a stiff hit earlier in the game.
Even with UConn's zone read run game, run blocking assignments are usually less risky than pass blocking assignments for newer linemen.

 

[cohenzone]

I do wonder what part of playing Evers has to do with recruiting/NIL. Not in the sense that Evers was paid to come here, but as something to point to for future transfers and HS players. He can say he brought a guy in and gave them every opportunity he could to play and let him try to develop

That’s certainly possible. I still think a coach is depending on winning by playing the players he thinks will keep him employed. At what point during a game does he decide to switch QBs if he thinks Evers isn’t producing enough offense? UAB has had some high scoring games. If they cause our D a problem and if Evers can’t keep pace a lot of us including me would want him to make a change. We shall see.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Style points matter for teams in the 10-20 ranked range hustling for the at-large bids in the playoffs. For the remaining 100 teams, few outside of each team's fandom and professional better care how you got your record. All they have time to do is scan W's and L's.

Exactly, and if they recognize the name
Of the team you beat. .

 

[JohnFSilver]

I would have taken ugly wins against Duke or Wake

I'd take 4 more ugly wins. An ugly 10-3 record would be terrific going into next season.

 

[AllHusky]

so frustrating. I guarantee the talking heads will harp on and on about the 4 P4 losses if we end up going 2-1 over the last 3 games here. We'll even win our bowl game against that meh G5 school. a 9 win team is "TRASH, BRO".

I am so sick of uconn being pooped on.

Winning cures everything

 

[cohenzone]

Bell caught 3tds. Fagnano threw for like 227 in 2.5 quarters. But yeah good point.

All I know is my grandson is a Jr at Buffalo and I don’t let him forget about that game.

But thinking back, it was actually vs. FAU that we mostly ran, although we did run a lot vs. Buffalo.

 

[JMick]

That’s certainly possible. I still think a coach is depending on winning by playing the players he thinks will keep him employed. At what point during a game does he decide to switch QBs if he thinks Evers isn’t producing enough offense? UAB has had some high scoring games. If they cause our D a problem and if Evers can’t keep pace a lot of us including me would want him to make a change. We shall see.

I think if it is a factor then it's probably weighted more heavily than how much of a dropoff he sees between Evers and Fagnano. I don't think Fagnano is worlds better than Evers. I do think he's slightly better, but slightly better right now with no eligibility left might make the decision easier.