An 1:30 drive and a half hour stop at a Waffle House got me thinking about the 66-21 debacle and it gets uglier and uglier the longer you get away from it.
It was as bad a beating as I have seen. I didn't expect UConn to win, but the Huskies got thrashed. there are factors for this, and I am not going to nitpick on coaching (third and 1 play action? Jasper Howard? Not going for it at near midfield and punting at 31-17?), as Edsall was quick to point out in his postgame, it had nothing to do with the final result. That's true, I think the gameplan and execution were pretty good and what UConn has done all season. They outgained WVU in the first half if you can believe it.
UConn has a young team, but I am not sure they can win this type of game by just getting older. UConn can be a top 35 team, but, to get to top 15 (and be a legit top 15) they need more talent. I am not sure you can coach and develop the Huskies up. It was just a physical talent problem today.
I don't see how you get to the next level without recruiting superior athletes. They have good athletes, and great developmental players, but there isn't anyone on the roster close to Pat White, Noel Devine, Steve Slaton or Darius Reynard.
UConn has some good power backs and I think Brown should be the feature guy with Dixon there in the future to spell him. But, look at what Pat White can do.
How do you get that kind of player?
It makes for an interesting discussion. This comes down to coaching philosophy and there is really no right or wrong way, just a preference, but the Huskies are never going to play anything like West Virginia anyway. With the pro style offense, the Huskies need a pocket passer. they got a pair in Zach Frazer (who from those who have seen have said he looks really good) and Cody Endres, but those guys are stationary passers. There won't be any gamebreaking runs by those quarterbacks.
So, if the QB isnt going to be the game breaker, where does it come from? The running back is a start, and they have some big time productive backs right now, but it's the wide receiver position that needs a lot of work. They have been adequate this year, but the only player who showed any type of gamebreaking ability consistently is Terrence Jeffers. And Jeffers still drops too many passes.
I will be interested to see if Kashif Moore's speed translates next year. That's asking an awful lot though.
The WR corps is the one that needs an upgrade.
The offensive line looks like it is going to be very good next year and in future years. The Huskies top prospects are on the offensive line. Mike Ryan, Barzdak and Petrs along with guys like Jimmy Bennett and Erik Kukucza coming in. That's very important with a guy like Frazer the heir apparent when Lorenzen has moved on.
But, he needs someone to throw too. Brown and Dixon are still around for a couple of years (hopefully), so there is time to find a replacement running back. QB should be set as is the offensive line. I like Sherman a lot at fullback. They need receivers, that's the last upgrade for this team.
Defensively?
Huskies arnen't equipped yet to do it. You can't match quickness with a West Virginia. You have to overpower them on the line and blow up their blocking. Once they get downhill, it's over. UConn doesn't have 300 pound tackles however. Those are even harder to find than a Pat White.
More girth on the line should help.
I love the linebacking corps with Jarrell Miller and CJ Marck getting time. Miller has been two years out of high school, he should be able to step right in physically next year in the middle if you can believe the hype. It's going to be a major job whomever replaces Lansanah. Remember, with Miller he will be the same age as Lindsey Witten, Robert Vauhgn etc. He will have 4 years to play.
Lutrus and Wilson are players, and there will be guys there to take their jobs if they slip up. Corner they will be ok, though safety is a concern. They need much more depth here.
The D-Line? It wasn't bad, but it needs to get more penetration on run plays and a more consistent pass rush would help.
It was bend but don't break this year. Next year, it has to be Don't bend, Don't break.
The way UConn plays on offense (ball control, power running, short passes), they need a defense that can shut other teams down.
7 comments:
So where does that leave uconn in the bowl picture? papajohns?
I still think Charlotte. USF or Cincinnati will be the one getting screwed.
If UConn, or USF, or Cincy ends up at Papajohn's.com it will be an embarrassment to the big east.
I think the Big East needs to switch out of that bowl. If UConn, as the second place team in the Big East (regardless of how they got beat up Saturday) slips to Papajohn's.com I have to wonder about the viability of the league. The season will mena nothing then.
I would answer that indicates a giant gap between WVU and the rest of the league. The Big East without WVU wouldn't justify a BCS spot.
Big East still suffers from a lack of respect.
WVU is probably the best team in the country anyway.
Big East doesn't fly without the guys in Morgantown, no question. It's going to take time to build USF up (likely to be the next perennial team).
Rutgers, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, Cuse and Cincinnati are a step behind those two programs.
I think there isn't a bad program in the Big East where you can't win (Duke, Baylor).
It's interesting. The ACC made the raid, and it looks like it is the pilfered teams that are rising to the top. BC, Va Tech are the class of the league.
FSU? Haven't done much in three years.
I don't think the ACC is playing as well as it thought it was going to. I would take WVU over nearly any team in the country.
I think they will crush Ohio State. 45-31, or something like that.
OK, so to give the Big East more credibility, do you see the league adding any additional teams?
e.g. with the well documented 2-10 notre dame season, is there a scenario whereby ND joins the football big east? ND likes the flexibility of being independent, but has the time come where they need to join a league, and the big east would be the obvious candidate.
Well, there may be a "giant gap" between WVU and the rest of the BE, but the remaining top teams of the BE can still go toe-to toe with the top teams of the nACC, Big10. Let's not forget that the top nACC team got their lunch pails handed to them by LSU, a team that won't be heard in any discussions of BCS championship games any longer.
Notre Dame to the Big East is a pipe dream in the immediate future. Maybe 5 years from now it may be different.
I think as a member of the Big East, ND would lose some of its cache, but I think they would really become a linchpin of the conference and eventually dominate it.
I don't think Big East FB adds until they break away from hoops, which is something that is going to happen eventually. That hoops league is too big and powerful. It's going to hurt the teams in the league in the long run to all be in it.
When/if the FB schools breakaway, they will add more members.
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