UConn postgame | Page 15 | Syracusefan.com
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UConn postgame

As a West Genny alum, I like the Mike Messere reference. I didn't play lacrosse but I had him for gym class, he was no nonsense.
Hey, nice, me too. Coach liked the way I played sports in gym class, found out I played lax in middle school and wanted me to try out for the team, but I just chuckled because I wasn't anywhere close to good enough and also wasn't hard core enough for his program. He did give me an extra T-shirt though.

When did you graduate? I was 2000.
 
That's fine if you're resigned to running only two plays. But what if there's a penalty (or consecutive penalties) that result in you needing more plays to get it in?

I'd rather just get it done and rely on the momentum shift to energize the defense to close it out (which obviously didn't happen, but still).
The likelihood of repeat penalties is very low, and a penalty stops the clock. You can still get 4 plays in in 30 seconds with a timeout if you're a well coached team. Even with one or two being runs.
 
It's harder to get blitz calls in when the offense goes no huddle, you tend to get more generic defensive play calling. Definitely something we should consider trying to take advantage of if the offense is struggling. That, and pounding it with Willis.

So like… Orange is the new fast?
 
So like… Orange is the new fast?
Lol no, but as a change of pace when struggling? Sure. Or, my personal favorite... Catch the opponent in a personnel package you like and trap them on the field, and go no huddle if you like the defense you're seeing (man vs zone, etc) because they're more likely to stay in the same coverage shell.
 
I'll take the win. Nobody (other than some of us) will remember how we got a dub when it's all said and done. Mentally, I went into the game thinking it was going to be a fight. UConn isn't a bad team and we just don't have any great players. We have a lot of good players, but no game changers other than possibly Willis if he's used correctly. Angeli is good, not great. Definitely someone you can win with, just unfortunate he had to follow McCord with a whole stash of offensive weapons like OG, Meeks, LGA, Pena. Those were very great players. I think Nixon is a great OC, but it's tough to operate consistently at a high level when you don't have the dudes. Also, props to Villari. I was tough on him last year. I didn't think he had it in him, but he looks like a natural TE that has played the position his entire life. He and Willis are probably are best offensive players. I feel Ferguson has been the only OL that has been above average.

Defensively, it's the same thing. Duce is solid, but our highest floor players are true freshman that are only going to give you so much this year. Entire DL is the definition of mediocre. Linebacker play has been atrocious outside of Antoine's last 2 plays. I can't believe how far McDonald has regressed. By far the easiest position to recruit, it's pretty amazing we have to depend on a true freshman. Samuels will get better and better, but there is only so much of an effect you can have at corner. The biggest problem is unfortunately our DC. Unlike Nixon on offense, he only makes a mediocre defense worse with his passive game calling. We don't have the dudes to win on the DL, and he doesn't do anything to help.

We needed to win this game and we did. I don't have a good feeling with this schedule, but losing to UConn would have been disastrous. I think culture can help overcome talent deficiencies. I lived it, so I know it's possible. I believe in Fran and what he is building. He just has to eek out as many W's as we can get this year until he gets the roster right.

Sprints, who gives a '
 
I'll take the win. Nobody (other than some of us) will remember how we got a dub when it's all said and done. Mentally, I went into the game thinking it was going to be a fight. UConn isn't a bad team and we just don't have any great players. We have a lot of good players, but no game changers other than possibly Willis if he's used correctly. Angeli is good, not great. Definitely someone you can win with, just unfortunate he had to follow McCord with a whole stash of offensive weapons like OG, Meeks, LGA, Pena. Those were very great players. I think Nixon is a great OC, but it's tough to operate consistently at a high level when you don't have the dudes. Also, props to Villari. I was tough on him last year. I didn't think he had it in him, but he looks like a natural TE that has played the position his entire life. He and Willis are probably are best offensive players. I feel Ferguson has been the only OL that has been above average.

Defensively, it's the same thing. Duce is solid, but our highest floor players are true freshman that are only going to give you so much this year. Entire DL is the definition of mediocre. Linebacker play has been atrocious outside of Antoine's last 2 plays. I can't believe how far McDonald has regressed. By far the easiest position to recruit, it's pretty amazing we have to depend on a true freshman. Samuels will get better and better, but there is only so much of an effect you can have at corner. The biggest problem is unfortunately our DC. Unlike Nixon on offense, he only makes a mediocre defense worse with his passive game calling. We don't have the dudes to win on the DL, and he doesn't do anything to help.

We needed to win this game and we did. I don't have a good feeling with this schedule, but losing to UConn would have been disastrous. I think culture can help overcome talent deficiencies. I lived it, so I know it's possible. I believe in Fran and what he is building. He just has to eek out as many W's as we can get this year until he gets the roster right.

Sprints, who gives a '

Agree with most of that. I do think we have the "dudes" on O to be much much better than we should yesterday. Nixon has been great and we are lucky to have him. But given the talent we have this year, he needs to call a more balanced game.

IMO Willis is our best player. Yet Nixon called a game like he had McCord and last year's WRs. Watching all these other teams play, Angeli is an above avg QB. There is a lot of bad QB play out there. But he isn't a guy who should be throwing it 44+ times a game.

I think the same can be said about our WRs. They are above avg. That said we haven't done a good job these two games getting them the ball. There is too much talent there to have such little impact thus far.


Generally speaking, our 2nd half D when we haven't had a big lead (GA Tech for example) has been much better in these past 15 games. But the 1st half D has been awful. You cannot keep waiting until halftime to see what the other team is doing to have a plan. You need to attack from the start and dictate the game. We do not have the O this year to make up for our poor 1st half D. This passive BS almost cost us this game, and will prevent us from making a Bowl this year if we do not change.


Edit

Outside of GA Tech, it seems like our D gameplan is to see what the other team is doing and then take it away. Which of course isn't really a gameplan. I am starting to wonder if that GA Tech gameplan was Fran and not ERob. Fran saw GA Tech the two years prior and was very familiar with them. That game has been an outlier in what have have seen thus far from ERob.
 
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But no one but SU fans know that context. Most people just see the game and the sprints.

But anyway I don’t disagree. If UConn doesn’t like it, they should have won. God knows they had opportunities to do so.
There still would have been sprints
 

“We said, ‘Coaches. Exit,’ ” said starting right tackle Da’Metrius Weatherspoon. ”And then we all had a heart-to-heart with each other as a team. It was just play for each other and everything is going to work in the end.

“We had to look in the mirror.”

Weatherspoon, quarterback Steve Angeli and defensive lineman Tank Wilson asked for the room and spoke to their teammates.

“It was calm,” Weatherspoon said. “It was like, ‘Bro, what’s wrong with you? We practice harder than we’re playing right now. If you don’t lock in, you’re not going to get the results you want. So you make the decision. Right now.’ ”

Syracuse decided to respond.
 
That's fine if you're resigned to running only two plays. But what if there's a penalty (or consecutive penalties) that result in you needing more plays to get it in?

I'd rather just get it done and rely on the momentum shift to energize the defense to close it out (which obviously didn't happen, but still).
And you have already turned it over on downs twice in the red zone.
 
Two problems on the offensive line today.

1. The offensive line does a nice job on one on one pass blocking. The problem is we are too quick to double, which is why the delayed blitzes are getting home.

2. Angeli is not managing the game based on defensive formation. He is not moving his running back toward the overloaded defensive side or checking out of the play called.

He should get more comfortable doing that going forward.

The other thing Nixon did was the leak out the back as a safety valve in a 2x2 so Angeli could check down. Nixon was wide open on that last drive and got 6-8 yards a couple of times
 
Think it would have been a better statement to have the sprints run after they had showered and everyone but them had left the dome.

Winners shower, but put your cleats back on. No pads and see you on the 50 at 6pm sharp.

Just the emergency lights. No cameras. Just the team and coaches.
 
Think it would have been a better statement to have the sprints run after they had showered and everyone but them had left the dome.

Winners shower, but put your cleats back on. No pads and see you on the 50 at 6pm sharp.

Just the emergency lights. No cameras. Just the team and coaches.
We are not a secretive program. Also, why would we have the guys sprint after they showered. They would just need to shower again.
 

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