Who should lose their job because of today?

[ctchamps]

What you call "passion" I call severe selfishness and an extreme lack of judgement. You don't make a gesture like that for any reason other than "look at me, look what I did." It hurts your team on the field and it's bad for your locker room/team culture. If we're still using this season as a stepping stone for the future, Diaco should sit Clax for the rest of the year to make it known that selfishness will not be tolerated.

It lacked judgement. And that type of behavior obviously is a sore point for many of us. Certainly it is for you. I don't think any of us sideline coaches can make the call that this one play will have the type of impact in the locker room you describe. My guess is that the coaches, who have dismissed players, have a better handle on the situation than you and if Clax is on a short leash they'll take the appropriate action.

My observation is that there are a lot of fans who struggle to handle adversity and need to take it out on players and coaches when outcomes make the fan miserable. That seems to be a pretty selfish way to go through life and I'm trying my best to work on it. I thought it was silly for the Queen of Hearts and I think it's silly for fans to go through life shouting "Off with their heads"!

 

[cohenzone]

I agree that Newsome should have gone down as soon as he caught the ball at the end of the first half, or even knocked the ball down for an incomplete pass to stop the clock. Catching it and trying to turn it in to six was all balls, no brain. But the staff screwed the pooch letting 23 seconds go off the clock two plays earlier.

I agree with the FG on the first drive. Points matter here going forward. Keep putting points on the board every time. I disagree about Puyol's FG in to the wind. I liked the call and he missed it by 3 inches on the bar with plenty of leg. Staff knows going forward he has a game leg out to 50 yards, which is 5-7 yards longer than they thought earlier in the year.

Defense didn't adjust to the full back field, but USF going to the full backfield was a result of UConn's defense playing great against the run and the pass. The DB's picked off two passes and the DLine was getting pressure with rushers. Both INT's were a result of a QB getting happy feet.

My main problem with the long FG attempt was that I thought the wind was too much. Puyols showed me something. But I think two shots at 18 inches would have been okay and I'd hope doable. The and of the half, yeah, that's why I said iffy but not the worst. The blew too much time but still had the chance. Still, as you said, Newsome didn't use his head but ya hate to fault a kid for trying to make a play. If he'd had sneaked in, it's a different game, too.

The pass rush, I don't know. A few times we got near him, but mostly, as compared to what Sherriff faced. their guy had a load of time. Funny game, though. The one INT our guy threw was on a tipped ball. It was the play right after Thomas's miracle grab that was probably a worse decision to throw than the one that was intercepted. Then in the 3rd quarter, he hit their D back in the hands but the kid dropped it.

Still more fun to watch. I'm willing not to get too up or down this year. At least I feel entertained for a change.

 

[cohenzone]

By the way, for TV watchers, how was their back not out of bounds on the review of that long run.? The stadium replay sure looked like he stepped on white at least once, if not twice.

 

[ctchamps]

By the way, for TV watchers, how was their back not out of bounds on the review of that long run.? The stadium replay sure looked like he stepped on white at least once, if not twice.

Second step looked like he touched the line but it wasn't indisputable.

 

[BlueDogs]

Stewart continues to miss plays. He needs to sit. Adams is a real weak link.

Verducci refuses to use TEs and middle of the field and insists on running RJ to the outside. Verducci is not getting it done.

 

[freescooter]

End of the 1st half with about 10 seconds to go and the call a swing pass? You have time for at least 2 plays and have a to left and the run a play that will run out the clock even if it works? Whoever called that ought not be allowed near the offense again ever. There is an old Irish saying that someone is too cute by half. That fits Diaco and company to a tee I think.

 

[hardcorehusky]

The bigger problem with the play calling is the fact the OL can't generate enough push to get a 4th and 1. If the OL was good enough to generate the push - a simple dive play gets us two first downs and 2 drives where the staff doesn't have to try and come up with something.

 

[huskymedic]

Verducci refuses to use TEs.

Tight Ends had 8 catches today [plus a few more targets?? (Bloom caught 5 for 97 and Myers had 3 for 33).

 

[kemba]

End of the 1st half with about 10 seconds to go and the call a swing pass? You have time for at least 2 plays and have a to left and the run a play that will run out the clock even if it works? Whoever called that ought not be allowed near the offense again ever. There is an old Irish saying that someone is too cute by half. That fits Diaco and company to a tee I think.

The QB checking it down to a running back does not mean the playcall was a swing pass to the running back.

 

[Stainmaster]

Tight Ends had 8 catches today [plus a few more targets?? (Bloom caught 5 for 97 and Myers had 3 for 33).

It was nice that they were included when they were, but they should've been featured even more.

 

[BlueDogs]

Tight Ends had 8 catches today [plus a few more targets?? (Bloom caught 5 for 97 and Myers had 3 for 33).

4 targets in last drive. Most of the game they were under utilized. That stupid quick pass to the flat is being jumped on by D.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Nobody should lose their job!!!! It's college football not life or death.

 

[uconnphil2016]

4 targets in last drive. Most of the game they were under utilized. That stupid quick pass to the flat is being jumped on by D.

Agreed. Worked the first couple of times, but Newsome was getting smoked by D backs and we just kept going back to it

 

[huskymedic]

4 targets in last drive. Most of the game they were under utilized

Don't forget they are being utilized in pass protection as well...

 

[Chin Diesel]

I would have liked to see the wheel route to Newsome. Much more effective than the quick flare in the flat.

And oh yeah, someone tell the offense that teams LOVE to run delayed blitzes to the right side of UConn's OLine. The let Knappe and Samra engage their men and then bring a third defender from that side. Works. Every. Time.

 

[junglehusky]

Diaco presser quotes via the Runway blog

"I take full responsibility, I take full accountability," Diaco said. "It is a sad, hard loss. I saw that student section packed, they all came out. I just feel terrible that I let them down, I really do.

"I take fully responsibility and accountability for what you saw today for four quarters. Guys were focused and locked in, a strong week, healthy, disciplined, intense, good functional meetings in practice, not really any distractions. I felt really good going into the game, confident."

"We will peel it apart and get it fixed. We didn't spend a whole lot of time punting from deep in our territory, we had a tough time finishing today."

 

[MilliniumPrince]

We should have put up 17-24 points in the first half. That QB sneak set the tone for the rest of the game. How may times can one team get in or near the redzone and come away with nothing?

If we ever run anothe QB sneak, the O-Coordinator should be beaten at midfield with glow-in-the-drk lead pipes.

And anyone who thinks Stewart played an excellent game must be new to this coumtry...so allow me to welcome you to the United States. Ot is far from perfect, but it is a great place to live. No, it wasn't his fault we lost. I just can't believe someone thinks he played an excellent game.

 

[bmayuc]

A Spy at OLB? Have to disagree with that one. That's pretty useless spy

Rolling my eyes so freaking hard. he WAS spying the QB all first half. If you didn't notice it, you just aren't good at watching football. Sorry.

In the second half, when USF basically went to full backfield triple option(with variations) obviously Stewart struggled as per normal when he is forced to read/react. I was really bad.

But he was definitely on spy assignment in first half.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Nobody should lose their job!!!! It's college football not life or death.

And because it's not life or death, no one should be guaranteed a $150K-$700K job.

 

[Storrsbred]

Nobody should lose their job!!!! It's college football not life or death.

Agree it's not life or death, however, it's also big business, which to me means compentency in exchange for the big money. So far, UCONN has the short end of the stick.

 

[freescooter]

This team is dumb and gets more unsportsmanlike penalties than I have ever seen. By my count 6 this year. Most teams go all season and get 1-2. That is just a lack of discipline and self control. It would be one thing if they were dirty but they are just undisciplined. Awful.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Diaco has the program trending in the right direction. The team improves each week. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk and then learn how to walk before you can run. We are only in year 2 of a 5 year project and only in the crawl stage. UConn just needs to stay the course and continue to get better. By year 4 UConn will be competing for 1st place in the American East division.

 

[joey3$trike$]

Steward played an excellent game. His job was to spy the QB. He did it exceptionally well. It made USF change offenses. That because useless after USF went to the full backfield. Then Diaco had no answers.

Didn't set the edge in 2nd half

 

[huskyinfl]

As I said above, half serious. Sloppiest one-possession loss I've seen in my lifetime.

Wow you are lucky you didn't seelast years usf game

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I just finished the first quarter. How did we lose this game?

I don't mind the call to go for it but the sneak was a bad call. They didn't learn from last week. The biggest play was Lemelle not catching the dadgum punt and letting it roll 30 yards. Onto the 2nd quarter.