That was a good and much-needed win for the Huskies at No.19 Louisville. UConn improves to 5-6, 2-4 in the Big East.
Let’s get to the report card….
Offense:
Well 241 yards are hardly what you would call ideal when the offense on the other side averages 33 points and 400 yards a game but the great neutralizer is when 133 yards go to the opposing running back – that’s big -was big Saturday for Lyle McCombs.
Quarterback
Chandler Whitmer (7 of 21, 72 yards, one pick) and Johnny McEntee (2 of 27 20 yards and a TD) did what they could against a front that brought pressure quite a bit in the passing game. Whitmer was fortunate not to get picked off a couple times. McEntee, too. His TD pass to Shakim Phillips in the second OT was a big play in the game obviously but 9 for 28 for 92 yards for the two of them? The numbers suggest a lower grade but it’s hard to go lower with the crucial McEntee TD pass C
Running back
McCombs got his 133 on 29 carries. That’s 4.6 yards per carry. That’s pretty good. The sophomore ran well but he also ran hard looking to turn nothing into something and there were more than a few times where he did that. This makes two 100-yard games in a row for McCombs and three on the season. He ran like the McCombs we saw a lot of – last year…B plus
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Nick Williams’ end around touchdown in the second quarter was needed but so were some of the balls he dropped early on. He’ll rebound from that. Shak Phillips got his first TD at UConn in an OT game against a ranked team on the road. It wasn’t wide out type of day though overall. The passing game wasn’t happenin’. Tight end John Delahunt was the top receiver with 2×36. After that it was McCombs (2×32). C
Line
For the second consecutive game the Huskies have shown they may be figuring things out in terms of what teams are doing to do them and what they need to do. It’s been a struggle and like the last game they didn’t maintain consistency coming out of the lockerroom in the second half, only in pockets, during the OTs, too, they got back on track. C plus
Special Teams
Williams got smothered whenever he touched the ball here. By contrast, the Cardinals almost broke a couple punts. The UConn coverage units need to shore up. But there was that Chad Christen fella. B
DEFENSE
It gave up 401 yards but held Louisville to three less points than the Huskies had – that’s what mattered
Secondary
Lots of picks left on that field Saturday. The coverage for the most part was good. Dwayne Gratz (11 tackles) was solid early. Blidi Wreh-Wilson was solid all the way and most especially late with the interception that set up Christen’s game-winning kick. B
Linebackers
Boy did Sio Moore (five tackles, 1 ½ for loss and a pass breakup), Yawin Smallwood )11 tackles, two for loss)and Jory Johnson (11 tackles) do work. B plus
Line
How good were Trevardo Williams (three sacks), Julian Campenni (one) and Ryan Wirth (six tackles and a sack)? This unit as a whole was good in shutting down the run and once the run was shut down, and Louisville abandoned it like it pretty much did, it was focus on Teddy Bridgewater time which the Huskies spent a lot of time doing. B
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22 Responses to Report Card: UConn Vs. Louisville
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Great Win Huskies!
Defense played a great game even though they were on the field a majority of the 2nd half, gotta give them a ton of credit.
But…
The Offense is not only horrible in the 2nd half but is 117th of 120 FBS Schools in total Scoring Offense.
Its clear DeLeone needs to just focus on the Offensive Line and we need to bring in an O Coordinator.
Nobody needs to be fired at this point but changes need to be made.
just like the Pitt game, take the win. Tough D and a running game usually wins games.
still have to wonder why our coaches and players cannot play offense in the second half. The OL lack of experience excuse is over, enough games have been played. The OC must be changed, plain and simple.
If PP has managed to keep the D from hating on the O then he’s done a good job.
and even if FB prowess won’t be the reason for ACC choice of Lville or UConn, it still felt good to see our kids take that bs out of the blogging equation.
How about the chuckle the announcers had when we brought in McCummings for The Wildcat during a tv time out?
You can’t make up this element of surprise.
Kudos to the team for working so hard…
+2
can DJ Joey get fired up for next week. Whatever he takes to fire himself up. Just get fired up.
Great win the defense showed great resolve and put the offense in a position to win..we have to thank the football gods here and relish the moment the team fought hard and the kids should be proud of themselves.. But!! Let’s not the victory cloud the glarring problem that still exsists…same second half woes that are crystal clear the product of the play calling of the dinosaur Deleone. He is delusioned and again almost cost the Huskies the game..If I was the defensive coordinator I would be in his face with his biggest fan HCPP standing next to him..these two are in the college football textbook of “what not to do”…DEFENSE WAS WHAT WON THIS GAME..
Secondary: FWIW, Gratz got burned late on corner routes really badly for TD’s, not once but twice. Pretty glaring.
Hard to believe Griff with out a touch. They went to him twice when triple covered. A shame they have to waste his talent, size and ability to be a blocker most plays…
You are right to bring it up. If you all remember Johnny Mac was on his back most of last year with no protection. You have to wonder how he would of done with this years improved protection by the offensive line.
AD has a big decision to make. Let coach stay only if the hires a new offensive coordinator
Improved offensive line Ray? Did you watch McEntee in the pocket yesterday? Two steps slower than Whitmer was.
Not suggesting a change by choice. I think Whitmer will have to be a medical scratch against Cinci. Getting a concussion forces a player to sit out at least one week minimum.
It was a big win, so as much as I would like I am not going to criticize.
Question though: Since the post concussion standard is to hold a player out for two weeks after the symptoms have disappeared, does this mean the Huskie QB will be JMac next week?
GREAT WIN BY UCONNS DEFENSE.ITS INCREDIBLE TO ME HOW HUSKIES CAN WIN A GAME WHEN THE WRS CANT CATCH,,THE 3 QBS SUCK AND AN O-LINE THAT CANT BLOCK.GREAT JOB BY COACH BROWN.REST OF STAFF GOTTA GO.
GD needs to go.
GREAT WIN BECAUSE
1. Makes the Cincinnati game fun. The Rent will be rocking next week.
2. Shuts up all those Lousiville writers claiming that Lousville is a better choice than Uconn for the ACC because of its superior football program. Better maybe but superior? I wonder how they are liking our SUPERIOR defense today.
3. Rewards our players for all their hard work.
The negative is that it probably keeps Deleone around another year with his pro style offense that can’t score any points in the second half of any game.
Great day to be a UConn fan. Very excited about the win. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when we establish the run early and limit their running game. Most games are won and lost in the trenches. Second half play continues to be dismal. I could rant and rave about how this reflects poorly on the coaching staff, but probably not the right time for that.
Nice win and that is what it comes down to. That being said this could have been a HUGE choke job by the Connecticut offense.
The first half the offense looked good and crisp. Nice drives and two of them for points. Now once the 3rd quarter started they FROZE. Simple FROZE. Play calling was bad, execution was bad and the defense couldn’t get off the field. The D was beat at the end of the game and it showed. If I was Don Brown I would walk up to George DeLeone and punch him in the face ala Buddy Ryan. The defense is playing so well and for the offense not to get a first down (in the 2nd half) until 5 minutes to go in the game is pathetic. They froze.
Now with just over 3 minutes to go (after the fake punt by Louisville) on a 3rd and 10 at the Louisville 40, why would DeLeone have Johnny McEntee drop back to pass? It was incomplete and the clock stopped. Smash the pile here and take 40 more seconds off the clock…let’s remember, up to this point in the 2nd half you have had 1 first down. Drove me nuts.
It was great to watch…yesterday was the first time I was excited to watch a Connecticut game this year. Gutsy in OT.
Desmond, thanks for your great reporting. If UC was 7-2 Monday morning QB’s would be complaining. Coach P doing a good job with few fans understanding the issues that he and his staff have to deal with. When he has his recruits in place, that will be the time to judge his coaching performance. Will he be given that chance? Not if fans expect W’s every game. We Shall See.
thing is, UConn isn’t 7-2 w/ a schedule that easily allowed that kind of record.
if its “unknown issues” how about you enlighten all of us stupid fans who don’t know football nearly so well as you apparently do?
pretty sure PP expects to win every game.
Desmond for putting up with us. A+
D.J. Joey. Incomplete. He did not make the trip.
Getting our last game on national TV. Great chance most teams regular seasons are over.
If we get to 6-6, BEWARE the Duke Blue Devils who will be going to a bowl at 6-6.
Really enjoyed watching that game…first time in a long time . Great win against a good team. One of the best defensive performances all year. Total yards don’t matter on offense or defense. It is what you do inside the twenties. Imagine if we had any type of offense to go with this defense. Right on with grades with one exception. Passing attack is terrible. This is not a D1 passing game in any form. F+. Looking forward to next week and a win.
I feel good for the players, but zero points in the second half indicates to me that the problem remains with this coaching staff. Its still time for change.