Senior OL Adam Masters (right ankle) is out for the season after an injury he sustained last night in the loss to Syracuse.
UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni said Masters will have surgery soon.
“He was our most versatile guy, a swing guy, not only that he’s probably played the most snaps of football up there, so we’re going to lose with versatility, we’re going to lose a guy with experience.”
Redshirt sophomore Gus Cruz is going to move into that spot. Redshirt freshman tackle Dalton Gifford will start getting reps at tackle and freshman guard Tyler Samara will get more reps.
It sounded like changes were coming up front anyway in terms of philosophy.
“One of the things that we really have to take a very good look at is running the ball,” Pasqualoni said. ‘We have not been able to run the ball, especially in the past two weeks which is frustrating for us. We’ve gotten behind, been in a situation two weeks in a row now where we felt like we had to throw the ball to get back into the game and that puts a lot of pressure on the protection which we have to do a better job with and puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback to make every single play. So the things we’re going to work on and have to improve on as we move forward but we also have to improve on as we move forward but we also have to try to establish some sort of run and the runs that we feel, the run concepts that we feel we would be the best at to try to narrow those down and do a good job with what we decide to do in an effort to take a little pressure off being in protection every single play when people know you have to throw it and they’re coming after you and putting the quarterback in a situation where he’s got to make every single play.”I also asked Pasqualoni if he had deal with switching things midstream and if so, how did it work out?
“It’s very difficult with the offensive line when first of all, we started the season trying to replace a veteran center and are working our way through that, trying to get an injured played in Jimmy Bennett back and Jimmy’s starting to look like the Jimmy of old. I thought Jimmy played with effort [Friday night] in this game which is good to see especially at the end of the game. It’s been difficult in the sense that we tried to use Adam as the swing guy and get Gus Cruz some reps. This is all part of the game and we’re working our way through it but it’s challenging, very, very challenging.”
“In the last two weeks people have really, really have brought multiple pressures and are pressuring against the run as well as the pass, a lot of extra people in there. It makes it hard when there’s slanting and moving up front and linebackers being added into these pressures to get the blocks finished and it’s usually not getting a guy cut of, we’re not staying on a guy quite long enough or getting surprised at the point of attack where there’s some un-scouted looks coming into it which you have to adjust to on the sideline and I understand that’s all a part of it and I think our kids do a good job. I think the staff does a good job of getting them on the sideline and getting a good look and a good understanding of exactly what we are seeing but at the same time it’s a challenge to get all that done under the circumstances.
Pasqualoni’s assessment of the defense?
“The third down plays. We gave up some very, very critical third down and some big plays on third down. They ran the ball some on us and that was frustrating but at the end of the day, the big plays we gave up on the pass and specifically the ones on third down that just let them continue to move the ball and gave them another opportunity. A couple of those third-and-12, third-and-7. We had been very good on third down going into the game. If anybody said to me they’d be 8 of 15, over 50 percent I wouldn’t have suspected that. At times I thought we played well up front against the run. At times I thought we got out of our area of responsibility. It doesn’t take much. The backs were good. They come out of there for a couple of runs. At the end of the day it was the big plays we gave up, specifically the third down plays.”
Pasqualoni said the open week comes at a good time with players banged up and the Huskies starting off playing eight straight weeks.
“I don’t if anybody else has played eight in a row,” Pasqualoni said.
Lastly, what was up the fracas at the end of the game involving Sio Moore in which he appeared to be charging after team doctor Jeff Anderson?
“No big deal, just a little bit of frustration, guys are playing hard, it’s an intense, emotional thing, just a little bit of frustration,” Pasqualoni said. “One minute it appeared to be a little bit of a scuffle and the next minute everything was fine. There was no big deal. ”
Pasqualoni said there will be no disciplinary action to come for Moore.
“Nah just the emotions of the moment, football, especially at that time. He was fine.”
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36 Responses to UConn Head Coach Paul Pasqualoni Post-Syracuse
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Burton must be smiling right now. What did he know about HCPP?
11 out of the top 50 teams have played 8 weeks in a row. including 4 in the top 25
Can we keep politics out of it please (and it was a boneheaded comment to boot!)
BTW, that was directed at dave p
obamaphone!
Dave P, sorry you felt I was “long-winded.” I wrote what I felt like writing. And no, I’m not a definitely not a Democrat. You tell me if I said “anything.”
Artie, I understand, there is nothing personal against HCPP. I feel this team lacks motivation, and I’m saying the motivation has to come from the top down, from head coach, assistants, team captains and so forth. And it’s obviously missing. At the same time I believe HCPP has the ability to coach successfully, but the fact is it’s not happening, and that’s where we are. This teams needs a spark- badly. I hope it can happen with HCPP, but maybe it can’t. I admit it sure looks like lame excuses over the past couple of weeks. We’ll see.
Please diect your comments to Warde Manuel at-
athleticdirector@uconn.edu
From College Football News…on “Who’s Hot and Who’s Not”…under “Who’s Not”, I give you:
“8. Connecticut
Just pull the plug. Yank it hard, yank it fast, but just yank it. Paul Pasqualoni looked like an odd choice when he was hired to replace Randy Edsall, and hasn’t become any more acceptable since. His Huskies, owners of a three-game losing streak, are staring down the barrel of a second straight losing season. Connecticut reached a new low on Friday night, getting blasted by Syracuse, 40-10, in the Carrier Dome. The offense has been necrotic all year, but when the legs go out on the trusted D, Pasqualoni’s kids have exhausted all options in their quest for competitiveness.”
So for those who say here that Pasqualoni should stay for one more year…the reasons why are what now?
Since the inception of the BCS system has there ever been an instance where a BCS Bowl participant has failed so dramatically in the next 2 seasons? I think not.
I think he should go…he won’t. He’ll be back.
I have checked and checked again the BCS standings just released tonight and no luck, no UCONN listed.
Seriously, if there are approx 125 FCS schools where would UCONN be ranked 1 thru 125? Top 100? Serious question.
There is something similar…the CBS sports top 124…UCONN is #98.
So to use round numbers that would be bottom 20% of the group. Which equates to a grade of “F”. FAILURE.
Failure = Time for a Change!
Hmm…last week it was “we will have to go over the film very very closely”..this week…”One of the things we have to donis take a very good look at is running the ball”..Just a plethora of excuses!!!…definitely not a chacteristic of a relevant D1 coach….Nice guys leave it at that..the game has evolved beyond their abilities…so c’mon Warde..we all have “eyes” on you as well….
So there is no chance that we left Pasqualoni and DeLeone behind in Syracuse?
Not a football expert, but when something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, it’s most likely a duck. Uconn football is a duck. And not an Oregon Duck, either.
for michael k..like to hear yourself talk?? long winded?? say anything??..you must be a democrat
We have a new excuse from coach P. No other college team has played 8 consective weeks. It will be interesting to see if this team is any better prepared after a 2 week break before the South Florida game. I’ve given any hope for another Uconn win this season but I hoping for a 400 yard game passing performance by Whitmer before the season ends. The kid is doing all he can do and we actually have wide receivers that catch the ball.( unlike last year)
Blah humbug…
Out to Michael K and those that feel the same. Please understand that many of us feel bad for Paul and his staff and every player on the team.
He has made a few in roads with recruiting but team decisions have been questionable at best. Please read above. Start with “One of the things we have to take a very good look at is running the ball”. HELLO ????
This is just coming to Paul? Please, and I do not want to be cruel, I ask everyone to read above and do it again and explain the sympathy.
Read in the last two weeks! This is something every coach should be prepared for every week.
His entire diatribe is a very sad statement from what is supposed to be a professional D-1 head coach.
I will stop as I love my Huskies but just how long do we keep paying the freight for a clown show before we realize we are the clowns ??????????
What is next? We would have not suffered this loss tonight to USF if it were not for the Jerk and Navin grilling eels and star fish. This from their lofty decks sending the aroma into the southerly winds and disrupting our line backers…….
I think the next tailgate meal might be a sandwich called the “grilled paul pass-the-bologna”
You want mushrooms with that?
With a Steel Reserve please.
It is over.
USF will be favored to beat UCONN and so will Pitt.
Cincy and Louisville are losses.
Warde Manuel is also being judged by this performance and HCPP was not his hire. The team is not mentally prepared to play this game. The o’line has been losing the battle all year and that is something UCONN could formerly count on.
HCPP is a good person and there is no doubt this hurts him more than any of us. However, we deserve better. This franchise has performed much better in the past and frankly it is a pretty easy schedule.
TIme for Warde to go get “his” guy. Maybe not mid-season, but the writing is on the wall.
u called a college football team “franchise”. In the state of CT, UCONN is probably considered just that with no Pro team. very unfortunate, but if u wanna play BCS level football play has to be better (at least more competitive on the scoreboard) than what they’ve done so far this season…
What a shame…..this is not a3-5 team………did I mention Derrick Dooley will be available next year
dooley is not a good coach.
I actually feel a little bad for Coach Pasqualoni. Whatever things are preventing the Huskies from winning and building on the success achieved in the past, I know he didn’t come to Uconn to lose. I remember there was pressure from fans to get rid of Coach Edsall, especially over his last couple of seasons, even though he had achieved an unprecedented level of success at Uconn. And as a fan, I understood and shared the frustration many of us had, and unfortunately, still have. We want to see the Uconn football program excel. We want to see student athletes be the best they can be and develop into young men of great character, both on and off the field.
So, what’s the issue? Could it be that Coach Pasqualoni is not a good motivator? People complain that he’s old-fashioned, but I have to say, I don’t think the game of football has changed that dramatically since he began coaching. Sure, some might say players today are bigger, stronger and faster, but I’m not sure I buy that. Yeah, there are some creative (innovative?) things you can do to as a play caller, but the fundamentals are the same. And quite honestly, it’s the fundamentals that are really lacking here.
The way I see it, a lot more of the game is mental than we often realize. I believe when players are motivated, when they are working together toward common goals and objectives, on any given day anything can happen. At the very least, the fact will be that each and every player and coach gives their all. Granted, sometimes their “all” won’t be good enough, but they could never be criticized for not putting forth a %100 effort.
I can’t imagine that Coach Pasqualoni doesn’t share this philosophy, but there certainly is a disconnect between what’s being taught and practiced and what happens on game day. I wish I knew what it was, but deep down I believe it’s a motivational issue. Maybe the team needs to sit down and watch the movie, Facing The Giants; I don’t know. But I’m not prepared to say Coach Pasqualoni is neither qualified nor capable of leading this team to a successful second half of the season, because I believe he is.
I think we, as Huskies football fans, need to get behind this team and encourage them to improve and give their all. Once we seeing that, regardless of the outcome, all parties involved will know they did their best, win or lose. Time will tell, but this team clearly needs stronger motivation and leadership from the coaches and team captains alike. In my opinion, this is the missing link right now.
like you say, FB is still pretty simple. We play tough against some ACC teams win one, lose one and have been on a downhill slide since. wanna know why? the other teams watch film and now they have the book on UConn. trouble is, either we’re not talented enough to adjust, or just as likely, we’re not coached well enough to change, ie OL coaching.
And I’ll say it again and this is what really irks me. If fans, at the game observers, see what they think is a lack of excitement and emotion, then there are bigger problems than talent level and coaching acumen. and what’s worse, I could see the same thing on TV. Unacceptable. certainly beyond Whitmer there are others giving their best, like Moore and Smallwood, but if those leaders can’t get the others on board, then they are just as much at fault.
FB is a game and hardly the real world, but how you handle yourself during games, esp losses, says a whole lot about who you are.
If you want to know if coaching makes a difference, look at the recent hx at K-State. coach takes them from historical medoricty or worse to prominence, retires, team gets new coach & goes into tank, old coach returns and team is now back on top.
michael k: Our offense is coached by old men. That “motivation” you’re talking about? It’s how old folks are. They are not as enthused. The young coaches you see today will also someday be old. It is no insult to become old. It is no insult not to be great. We have old, not great, coaches. This is what you are seeing.
Michael: There has been no improvement whatsoever from game to game. As a matter of fact, they are getting worse game in and game out. It is hard to get behind a team that has given up. This is a reflection of the coaching staff. I can’t wait for the season to end.
NOTHING gets by Coach P
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Coaches stepped up??? It didn’t take watching film today to know how bad we played AND EVEN WORSE – how predictable we played, again … Every future opponent is salivating knowing our “run right, run left, incomplete pass (or interception) as the quarterback gets creamed, punt away for a fifteen-yard net” offensive gameplay!!!
“We’ve gotten behind, been in a situation two weeks in a row now where we felt like we had to throw the ball to get back into the game and that puts a lot of pressure on the protection which we have to do a better job with and puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback to make every single play.”—Coach P
I guess he thought that they were behind in the Temple game.
+1 on the sarcasm. u gotta admit Coach P talks the talk… but, honestly, so far, his walk doesn’t match it… I like his humble nature, but, bottom line, this team should show better in live game action… win or lose, gotta show better for the ENTIRE game (OL)
I think I wrote to you when Coach P was hired. I am a longtime ‘Cuse fan and have been to the last 16 Syracuse football bowl games in a row.
Coach P. is a great guy. But, this job is too big for him, especially at his age.
Your biggest problem is George DeLeone. A horrible offensive coordinator. No imagination. You always know what is coming, save the one throwback play. No plan to stop the blitz.
I chuckled when UConn had that delay of game penalty last night. We haven’t seen one that bad in the Dome since George Deleone was offensive coordinator for the Orange (then the Orangemen). It used to happen all the time when George was O coordinator. We never get them now.
Coach P had great years when he took over for Coach Mac and had all of that talent. Similar to the limited success Coach P had last year with Randy Edsall’s players. But, things got worse for Coach P at S.U. due to his poor recruiting. Expect the same in Storrs.
The ‘Cuse used to get blown out several times per year toward the end of Coach P’s regime. That doesn’t happen with Coach Marrone. But, I see it is now happening at UConn.
The Syracuse football program has clearly passed UConn’s program since Coach P/George D’s arrival.
It is only a matter of time when the Huskies will have to make a coaching change.