Spring Break
Not ready for prime time
A bad loss on every front
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Sports
If Frazer wants to have the same success Lorenzen did last year, he needs to treat the ball with more care - a lot more care, in fact. When UConn loses the turnover and field position battles, it loses the game. The Huskies just don't have the playmakers - particularly at wide receiver - to overcome turnovers.
They also don't have the playmakers to overcome the 11 penalties - for 97 yards - that they were flagged for on Saturday.
Donald Brown becomes a non-factor when UConn is constantly faced with second-and-20 situations. Mental errors put Frazer - and the entire offense - in an uncomfortable position.
Moore should not be the team's go-to playmaker. Neither should D.J. Hernandez. But given the immense amount of yardage the Huskies needed on third down throughout the game, it's hard to fault Frazer for forcing passes down the field to a receiving corps whose best player didn't come to college as a wide receiver.
Then, of course, there was Desi Cullen. I'm not going to pretend that I know exactly why Cullen's first three punt attempts were blocked. It could have been because he was looking directly at the ball until he kicked it. Or it could have been because his blockers decided to take an early Spring Break.
Either way, UConn's special teams were far from special. Last season, a sound kicking game and great kick coverage played a big role in the Huskies' success.
Cullen had one bad game, but his coverage units have been abysmal the whole season.
The miscues don't end with the special teams, however. Offensively, there were some personnel decisions that certainly didn't help the cause.
First of all, Andre Dixon must still have a bad ankle, because there is no reason why Jordan Todman should ever be the No. 2 back ahead of Dixon. Yes, Todman is fast, but he has about as good a chance at breaking a tackle as Tony Ciaravino does.
In case anyone forgot, Dixon was the team's best player last season. He's also a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield (note: Brown had five catches for four yards Saturday).
If UConn wants to expand its offense, it should stop throwing wide-receiver screens to Moore and start using Brown and Dixon in more creative ways.
With that being said, everyone needs to keep the 38-12 defeat in perspective. These mistakes are easy to fix. UConn is still 5-1 and while the loss was ugly, it was still a non-conference game. The Huskies have just as good a chance as anyone to win the wide-open Big East and earn a berth in a BCS bowl game.
If UConn can get back to playing disciplined, focused football, there's no reason for fans to start camping out for the basketball opener.
UConn can still be a football school.
They also don't have the playmakers to overcome the 11 penalties - for 97 yards - that they were flagged for on Saturday.
Donald Brown becomes a non-factor when UConn is constantly faced with second-and-20 situations. Mental errors put Frazer - and the entire offense - in an uncomfortable position.
Moore should not be the team's go-to playmaker. Neither should D.J. Hernandez. But given the immense amount of yardage the Huskies needed on third down throughout the game, it's hard to fault Frazer for forcing passes down the field to a receiving corps whose best player didn't come to college as a wide receiver.
Then, of course, there was Desi Cullen. I'm not going to pretend that I know exactly why Cullen's first three punt attempts were blocked. It could have been because he was looking directly at the ball until he kicked it. Or it could have been because his blockers decided to take an early Spring Break.
Either way, UConn's special teams were far from special. Last season, a sound kicking game and great kick coverage played a big role in the Huskies' success.
Cullen had one bad game, but his coverage units have been abysmal the whole season.
The miscues don't end with the special teams, however. Offensively, there were some personnel decisions that certainly didn't help the cause.
First of all, Andre Dixon must still have a bad ankle, because there is no reason why Jordan Todman should ever be the No. 2 back ahead of Dixon. Yes, Todman is fast, but he has about as good a chance at breaking a tackle as Tony Ciaravino does.
In case anyone forgot, Dixon was the team's best player last season. He's also a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield (note: Brown had five catches for four yards Saturday).
If UConn wants to expand its offense, it should stop throwing wide-receiver screens to Moore and start using Brown and Dixon in more creative ways.
With that being said, everyone needs to keep the 38-12 defeat in perspective. These mistakes are easy to fix. UConn is still 5-1 and while the loss was ugly, it was still a non-conference game. The Huskies have just as good a chance as anyone to win the wide-open Big East and earn a berth in a BCS bowl game.
If UConn can get back to playing disciplined, focused football, there's no reason for fans to start camping out for the basketball opener.
UConn can still be a football school.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Josh
posted 10/07/08 @ 10:02 AM EST
Marvin Austin, not Mario.
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