Three Thoughts on UConn Football's win over Buffalo
The UConn football team improved to 3-2 following a 20-17 win away from home over the Buffalo Bulls that challenged the team.
UConn averaged 198.2 rushing yards per game through the first four games of the season coming into the contest against Buffalo. Against the Bulls, UConn only secured 165 yards despite five different players carrying the ball 31 times.
Quarterback Joe Fagnano led the Huskies with 64 rushing yards, 155 passing yards, and one touchdown pass. The quarterback was unable to generate much of anything down field with his longest completion being a 25-yard touchdown reception from Skyler Bell. The talented receiver has been a bright spot on the offense and someone Fagnano can consistently find open.
Moving forward, the UConn football team certainly has plenty to focus on with four-quarter play still holding the team back. Here are three thoughts from the win that the staff may consider moving forward:
Can the Offensive Line Bounce Back Following a Difficult Run Blocking Performance?
Against the Bulls, there is no doubt that the Huskies’ offensive line had arguably the worst run blocking performance as a unit this season. Star UConn running back Cam Edwards averaged 3.8 yards per carry, which is the second-lowest average he has recorded this season. Edwards averaged 3.6 yards per carry against Syracuse, but finished the game with more carries and yards.
Edwards did not have his best performance, but without the necessary running lanes and blocks, having a great game would have been difficult. Along the offensive line, the Huskies recorded a high of 70.8 as a run blocking grade from Kyle Juergens. UConn had three linemen play 64 snaps, and the other two recorded grades of 54.6 and 54.3.
Buffalo notably had some run stoppers to watch out for entering the game such as Red Murdock and Miles Greer, who both had stellar performances. UConn could not adapt, however, and not having an effective ground game proved to be an issue for the offense as a whole.
Moving forward, the Huskies will need to continue to create wider running lanes in order to prop up the offense. FIU, the next opponent UConn will face, have allowed 147.2 rushing yards per game this season along with four touchdowns on the ground. The FIU defense has given up big plays through the air all season and with focus placed on limiting the aerial attacks, UConn should have open running lanes and a chance to bounce back.
UConn Needs QB Joe Fagnano to Step-up on Offense Moving Forward
As a whole the quarterback play this season for UConn has not necessarily lost games, but the play also has not been winning them. With zero interceptions and just two turnover worthy plays through four games, Fagnano has been one of the more intelligent quarterbacks when it comes to weighing risk over reward. However, Fagnano has also struggled with his accuracy at times and has been his own worst enemy on the field at times.
Currently, the UConn quarterback averages 8.6 pressures per game which factors in any sort of pressure created by the defense. Fagnano has had to fire off plenty of passes in the face of defenders this season, but much of that has also been a product of holding onto the football for too long.
The quarterback was sacked once and forced to scramble four times while recording a time to pass of 2.71 seconds. Fagnano often has a clean pocket and has grown used to having a certain amount of time to work. Having time to work is great, but given how long the quarterback has, Fagnano needs to yield better results when dropping back.
Fagnano also consistently misses over the middle of the field and could create serious danger for himself and his receivers moving forward by doing so. The quarterback missed eight of his 11 incompletions between the numbers against Buffalo.
The offense of the UConn football team relies heavily upon the play of Fagnano. The quarterback is able to add layers of depth and versatility to the offense. If Fagnano can step-up moving forward, the Huskies should be able to close out games more effectively.
UConn Huskies Need a Solution to Chunk Plays on Defense After Tough Four Game Stretch
Through five games, the Huskies’ defense has allowed 25.2 points per game while also giving up major chunk plays to the last four opponents. Since defeating Central Connecticut, the UConn defense has allowed a gain or score of more than 50 yards to be recorded each game. UConn is struggling to limit missed tackles and avoid over-committing to plays on defense.
Against Delaware, UConn gave up what would be a pivotal 70-yard rushing touchdown which was due to the team over-committing to the run. The Huskies sent pressure on the play and pulled themselves down and out of position. Jo’Nathan Silver is a smart running back and the athlete bounced to the outside, where nobody was left to make the tackle.
UConn can certainly solve the defensive issues, however, through discipline and advanced coaching in the secondary in particular. UConn consistently receives physical play out of the secondary, but now needs the unit to prevent disaster plays from occurring.
Moving forward, the Huskies’ secondary needs to act as more of a brick wall to prevent such costly gains from occurring. Even when opposing teams do not score directly off of the gains, giving up major plays consistently is draining for a defense.
