No more pizza. If I see another Fuel Pizza, Michelob Ultra or some seizure inducing Bud Light can (looks like a cartoon, its the orange special aluminum ones) I am going to get violent.
Saw a host of players at the airport on their way home. Keith Gray, Greg Lloyd and D.J. Hernandez were going other places. Hernandez headed to watch his brother play. Mike Hicks was on my flight, I don't how Hicksy sits in coach. He is going to miss that charter when his career is done.
Some thoughts 24 plus hours after the bowl game:
- Huskies need to find that playmaker. Randy Edsall says repeatedly that the the winning team made more plays. He doesn't say they executed better. The Huskies' margin for error is so slim on offense. there is no bail out player. Tyler Lorenzen is asked to manage the game, move the chains and don't make mistakes. He does that. But asking him to create plays is difficult. He can do it with his feet, but it isn't explosive enough. The receiving corps sorely needs a game breaker. I thought D.J, Hernandez could be it, but he was strangely absent from the field a lot. The "we have 4 starters at wide out" didn't work. After Jeffers no one got much work. Steve Brouse was Lorenzen's favorite target all season. I don't remember a lot of receivers open. I specifically remember one scramble when Terrence Jeffers just stopped moving while Lorenzen was out of the pocket. It's a work of progress in the passing game, but there is blame to go aorund everywhere. Lorenzen didn't look confident, the line didn't block well consistently, and the receivers just don't seem to get any separation.
- Play calling: 30 runs against a stout line like Wake Forest does seems a bit stubborn. I know fans are going to hem and haw, but they aren't going to suddenly turn into the Patriots. The only time the ball was thrown deep was the last play Lorenzen through to Kanuch, a 70 yard bomb that was desperation. It's hard to play football when you can't throw it 20 yards down the field. Those screen passes were predictable, as is the offense. I think they should have went back to a limited short passing game they used with some success early in the season. The no huddle showed some rhythm. It's a very limited playbook, but maybe catching the other defense off guard and getting Lorenzen rolling with 3 or 4 quick hits could have opened things up. I absolutely hate giving the ball to Brown on the fourth and less than 1. Go with the sneak there, it takes the linebacker out of play. You have a 6-5 QB, use him to push the pile. I know he was stuffed in the Temple game, but a quick snap sneak could have done the trick. Still, should have made the first with Brown anyway. Major problems on short yardage all year.
- No trick plays or something exotic whatsoever. There were a couple of new formations and a lot of movement, but I dont' know how different the patterns are. I know fans hate this, but individual play calling is the most overrated aspect of coaching. It's more about a theme and scheme and a series of play calls. Maybe the play calling is a reflection of the talent at the skill positions. Can sorely use speed, quickness and game breaking ability. at WR. Jeffers has some ability, Kanuch is still a project. I like D.J., but he has a long way to go. Ellis Gaulden actually caught two passes. This is by far the thing UConn is dying to get on the recruiting trail. Very little depth at wide out, and not much production. Very difficult to play.
- Didn't hear Lansanah's name a lot on defense. He looked exhausted in the second half. They are set at th outside backers, but this is a gaping hole. Maybe Jarrell Miller, C.J. Marck or Greg Lloyd can fit the bill. LBs are talented, but very raw. They are going to be ok at the defensive line. Love the ends, Alex Polito looked good Saturday and there is depth. Rob Lunn anchors the unit and has a career as a comedy writer (check out his blog) in his future. He is a funny cat. Branch will be missed, but Butler is an excellent corner and I like McClain. And, there are a lot of corners in the pipeline. O-Line has a big hole in Donald Thomas. Stunning how good he became. How many athletes like him are at guard? He is going to get drafted along with Branch (special teams an can play corner and tackle). The line is big, Edsall likes that, but they have to be more athletic. the big guys, Hicks and Ryan, really struggled with speed and quickness.
- More to come as I wrap up the season, but Happy New Year to all.
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