jbdphi
Aussie Aussie Aussie!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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I think the vast majority on the BY took away some positive signs from the loss to Syracuse, particularly on the defensive side.
This line also gave me some additional hope:
Jim Fuller @NHRJimFuller
By my (very unofficial) count, #UConn missed 7 tackles in 1st quarter but 4 the rest of the way. Randy Edsall said Huskies made adjustment on how they lined up after the 3rd series and that helped cut down on the missed tackles
I think the big question a lot of people have is whether any of this will translate to the game next week against Cincy. I watched most of both the UCLA game and the Ohio U games and I think they're significantly less impressive than UCF, Boise or the fruit. They're 4-0 and I have no expectation for a win but if we are competitive and keep the home crowd into things through 3 quarters (i.e. be down less than two scores), I'd be pretty happy.
So next week I'll be looking for a few things:
- Limit turnovers - our offense has moved the ball but we've had 3, 1, 3 and 3 turnovers in our past four games and rank 112 in the country on giveaways (120 on net turnover margin)
- Get some penetration on pass plays / slower developing runs - will be tough if Thomas is out but we had at least a few of these against Syracuse with Beavers getting one sack and Fortt and K Jones getting TFLs
- Gap integrity, especially on runs up the middle - this has been the most frustrating thing for me - all the RBs going untouched up the middle cannot continue
- Punt coverage / directional punting - if Magliozzi is going to boom them to anyone with ability, he needs to angle to give our coverage team a chance or our gunners need to get faster
- Continued improvement in the running game - I thought Mensah showed some real heart against Syracuse and had some quality runs. If we can put together a decent (i.e. 4.0+ YPC run game), that would help a ton in terms of keeping the ball out of their hands and getting first downs
- Pass protection - I don't know how good Cincy's front four (or three) are (they average 2 sacks / game) but we can't let DE's blow by like what happened to Peart so many times on Saturday. If you give Pindell a bit of time, he can do very well with either his arm or his legs
It's a huge wish list but if we are able to get at least a few of these things against Cincinnati, I'll feel a lot better about the future of the team and their chances in the back half of the schedule. As it is, if we experience another blowout loss, it will be very difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel.
This line also gave me some additional hope:
Jim Fuller @NHRJimFuller
By my (very unofficial) count, #UConn missed 7 tackles in 1st quarter but 4 the rest of the way. Randy Edsall said Huskies made adjustment on how they lined up after the 3rd series and that helped cut down on the missed tackles
I think the big question a lot of people have is whether any of this will translate to the game next week against Cincy. I watched most of both the UCLA game and the Ohio U games and I think they're significantly less impressive than UCF, Boise or the fruit. They're 4-0 and I have no expectation for a win but if we are competitive and keep the home crowd into things through 3 quarters (i.e. be down less than two scores), I'd be pretty happy.
So next week I'll be looking for a few things:
- Limit turnovers - our offense has moved the ball but we've had 3, 1, 3 and 3 turnovers in our past four games and rank 112 in the country on giveaways (120 on net turnover margin)
- Get some penetration on pass plays / slower developing runs - will be tough if Thomas is out but we had at least a few of these against Syracuse with Beavers getting one sack and Fortt and K Jones getting TFLs
- Gap integrity, especially on runs up the middle - this has been the most frustrating thing for me - all the RBs going untouched up the middle cannot continue
- Punt coverage / directional punting - if Magliozzi is going to boom them to anyone with ability, he needs to angle to give our coverage team a chance or our gunners need to get faster
- Continued improvement in the running game - I thought Mensah showed some real heart against Syracuse and had some quality runs. If we can put together a decent (i.e. 4.0+ YPC run game), that would help a ton in terms of keeping the ball out of their hands and getting first downs
- Pass protection - I don't know how good Cincy's front four (or three) are (they average 2 sacks / game) but we can't let DE's blow by like what happened to Peart so many times on Saturday. If you give Pindell a bit of time, he can do very well with either his arm or his legs
It's a huge wish list but if we are able to get at least a few of these things against Cincinnati, I'll feel a lot better about the future of the team and their chances in the back half of the schedule. As it is, if we experience another blowout loss, it will be very difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel.
And a smile...
I have nothing but respect for our PD's and our FD's ...