UMass Post Game Thread

[ZooCougar]

It is, but Coach Prime and Colorado went 4-8, and they had a shat ton of hype!

People said they would make the playoffs!

 

[FfldCntyFan]

One (kind of wishful) thought: Mora spent a lot of time speaking with Brown at the coaches handshake. Hopefully JM said "if you're interested, we're adding a defensive coordinator and we should be able to match your current salary".

As far as "winnable games", if Mora can stabilize the program, the teams we field against a schedule similar to this season's should have one game that a win would be viewed as out of reach.

 

[uconnfan68]

“Very Slight Celebration” …come on it was a terrible penalty and doomed the momentum we had, very big deal.

Plus, Houston & Brewton transferred because Rosa was given the lion’s share of touches early. Houston has a legit gripe as he was our best RB in 2022.

If they transferred for that reason, who would want them?

 

[KryHavok]

Went with the family to get a Christmas tree, so couldn't listen to the game but avidly kept checking ESPN's gamecast. The early lead surprised me, but it seemed the D held UMass in check for the first half. Still gave up the late scores, but getting a TD right after UMass showed they were not gonna let this game get away. Very happy to end the season with a win...now let's get a real offense and special teams coaching staff for Christmas!

 

[Duncan Idaho]

We are 2-19 vs P4 teams since the end of the BIG East. John is absolutely right. We can’t expect to have lots Of success when we only play 7 winnable games. Even NC State and BC we we dominated in every statistical category. The scores were close but the games weren’t that close.

How do you expect to have any success when the program has trouble beating FCS schools on the schedule during this time?

 

[UCan3]

“Very Slight Celebration” …come on it was a terrible penalty and doomed the momentum we had, very big deal.

Plus, Houston & Brewton transferred because Rosa was given the lion’s share of touches early. Houston has a legit gripe as he was our best RB in 2022.

OMG with all due respect, this was a very slight celebration and I’ve seen so much worse not be called. Tennessee practically broke out fireworks after every TD in Knoxville and celebration call? Nah,,,



And also in that game after Rosa’s penalty we folded up like a cheap lawn chair on Defense. None of that had anything to do with Rosa. One call even I might point to that was a terrible cheap shot by our defender that sent an NC State to the tent - that was a terrible penalty and a bit embarrassed as a UConn fan at that moment - not a good look.

Some look to pin reason why we lost key game on one play but don’t look at the 10 plays after it.

 

[Bubba1957]

If they transferred for that reason, who would want them?

Carter was a bigger loss. Would have liked to see him behind this good o-line. Personally, I like the running styles of both Edwards and Rosa better than the other two who left. They both remind me of Rodney Hampton types. Some speed, some shiftiness and a whole lot of toughness that wears defenses down. IMO, love that from a RB, need speed at receiver. Nice to see Hanson with a catch and run. Watch him a lot. He seems like he’s all in and a good teammate.

 

[Palatine]

We had a a Grade A punter who put a punt on the one yard line, we blocked a punt and special teams were still terrible.

A botched extra point, a dropped pass on a two point point conversion, a missed FG, and numerous penalties that took the distance of great punts or put us in bad field position. Special teams was the worst unit on the field in virtually every game. UMess was no exception.

 

[businesslawyer]

I would, I’d bet anything it was PT.

I don’t think either of those guys is at the level to be poached

Brewton was easier to understand. He went in the doghouse when he crashed into the ball carrier on the end around, and with Rosa and Houston there wasn’t likely to get out of it. And, while Mora liked him, he hadn’t proven anything yet.

Houston was harder to understand. He had proven himself and was playing. Was it that he wanted to be the feature back instead of part of a rotation? Had his head turned by other suitors? Something else? My instinct is we’ll find out soon enough.

 

[businesslawyer]

We had a a Grade A punter who put a punt on the one yard line, we blocked a punt and special teams were still terrible.

A botched extra point, a dropped pass on a two point point conversion, a missed FG, and numerous penalties that took the distance of great punts or put us in bad field position. Special teams was the worst unit on the field in virtually every game. UMess was no exception.

Seriously? A player has a 48 yard FG fall short in literally freezing temperature and that’s viewed as part of being terrible? You can’t even try to make a point without hyperbole?

 

[uconnyankee]

Bingo! More G5 games please. Tulane will probably be playing in a major bowl two years in a row, they played one P5 game this year and lost it.

It’s just not that easy. I think there is a balance and maybe it’s a bit fluid.
Getting wins and just getting some forward traction is critical right now. But fans won’t be juiced to see a slate of lower tier FBS schools in perpetuity. And you’re scheduling 5 years out which makes it tough.

I like the scheduling right now. Tennessee is a tall order regardless. But BC, Syr, and other mid tier ACC teams are fair. We just need to get better.

I think this team is better than the record reflects. Hopefully with Moras guys coming in, we start to see a bump.

 

[uconnyankee]

Sorry but these helmets are very boring.

Agree. We should put some pizzazz on them! I’m thinking bedazzled elements with maybe some flashy lights too.
‍♂️

 

[Palatine]

Seriously? A player has a 48 yard FG fall short in literally freezing temperature and that’s viewed as part of being terrible? You can’t even try to make a point without hyperbole?

Excellent nit picking.

 

[businesslawyer]

Excellent nit picking.

Difference between you and me in a nutshell. When I make a mistake I type “my bad” and move on. You, on the other hand, think that you are beyond being corrected.

 

[businesslawyer]

Carter was a bigger loss. Would have liked to see him behind this good o-line. Personally, I like the running styles of both Edwards and Rosa better than the other two who left. They both remind me of Rodney Hampton types. Some speed, some shiftiness and a whole lot of toughness that wears defenses down. IMO, love that from a RB, need speed at receiver. Nice to see Hanson with a catch and run. Watch him a lot. He seems like he’s all in and a good teammate.

Carter was our best back by a significant margin. But he played in 0 of our FBS wins last year. So yes, we would have been better if he stayed, but you can’t explain our getting worse by his leaving since he didn’t contribute to any wins while he was here.

 

[noeynox]

Carter was our best back by a significant margin. But he played in 0 of our FBS wins last year. So yes, we would have been better if he stayed, but you can’t explain our getting worse by his leaving since he didn’t contribute to any wins while he was here.

Biggest loss was RB coach EJ Barthell.

 

[UConnJim]

Carter was our best back by a significant margin. But he played in 0 of our FBS wins last year. So yes, we would have been better if he stayed, but you can’t explain our getting worse by his leaving since he didn’t contribute to any wins while he was here.

I think you have to look at wear and tear on the RBs. Carter got heavy use in the first 3 games (hurt in game 4) which meant the rest of the RBs were "fresh" for the rest of the season.

 

[Buffett10]

I also saw some things I didn’t like with Rosa. The kid is a stud with all kinds of potentiaL He underperformed this year - for him - and I blame coaches for this. Over-reacting to his very slight celebration on the NC State game, Mora making comments he was a 3rd stringer when his name was added to a national watch for running excellence. Nice motivator, Jim. And you wonder what you lost key players this season?

Biggest issue was watching some very talented players seemingly unprepared to step up at game defining moments. We didn’t run to the action but away from it.

Even Today before the first half and we’re in UMass territory with a minute to go. What do we do? We run down the clock like it’s the end of a game.…

I am all for setting high expectations but maybe Mora needs to simply play game by game and stop speculating mid-season on what things might make us better. Just play each game like it’s our last. That’s all I want to see next year is our team bringing it week in and week out. No plays off.

You realize he was basically playing hurt the entire yr right? That might have something to do with him him "underperforming"

 

[RSTuthill]

This year's record was supposed to happen last year and last year's record was supposed to happen this year. So while the total wins for the two year period was acceptable, the trajectory was all wrong. The influence of the B12 thing cannot be overstated I think. It likely soured and destroyed the locker room chemistry. And the importance of re-recruiting the players you want to keep on the team at the end of the year is something the coaching staff has learned by now I would guess. If they didn't already know but was powerless to stop last year, that is.

I would think there would likely be some coaching changes soon as well as some players incoming and departing. As far as we know, Cole Welliver is still coming, right? So as of now, there will be TR, JF, ZT, CW, and TM in the QB room barring further changes. I won't speculate who in that group might leave, but it does seem unlikely that retention would be 100%. Not in today's world.

To me, however, it appears that QB might be the least of UConn's problems. Guessing that HCJM and assistants will shortly be on a wholesale shopping spree.

 

[storrsroars]

We love to talk about weaknesses at the skill positions, which are obvious, but winning starts in the trenches. Yesterday's game along with the Rice game (and at long periods in some others) showed UConn's O & D lines are quite competent against low and middle-tier FBS programs . Replacing Haynes is gonna be tough. Need a bigger body than Walker at C. As much crap as Watts has gotten here, I think we'll miss him unless HCJM gets a bruiser for an upgrade.

The clock-killing 8:12 drive in 4th was a thing of beauty. Too bad the good guys hardly ever played from ahead late in games in order to use those skills. The drive where Roberson hit on 3 consecutive mid-range passes then overthrew Ross in end zone by a yard was also good to see. Granted UMass' defense wasn't all that, but it was the kind of drive that was totally unexpected in the Charlton era.

Personally, I don't think we're gonna be all that much better next year unless HCJM works some portal miracles. I think it'll be tough to equal some of the guys we're losing, and I think many of the guys who are staying just aren't all that good. I hope Joly stays. I don't know what to think of the new kid Clark at RB, but was impressed at his efforts in last minute and a half. Crazy as it sounds. I think Bin-Wahib is going have a special year in 2024.

 

[Patman]

We love to talk about weaknesses at the skill positions, which are obvious, but winning starts in the trenches. Yesterday's game along with the Rice game (and at long periods in some others) showed UConn's O & D lines are quite competent against low and middle-tier FBS programs . Replacing Haynes is gonna be tough. Need a bigger body than Walker at C. As much crap as Watts has gotten here, I think we'll miss him unless HCJM gets a bruiser for an upgrade.

The clock-killing 8:12 drive in 4th was a thing of beauty. Too bad the good guys hardly ever played from ahead late in games in order to use those skills. The drive where Roberson hit on 3 consecutive mid-range passes then overthrew Ross in end zone by a yard was also good to see. Granted UMass' defense wasn't all that, but it was the kind of drive that was totally unexpected in the Charlton era.

Personally, I don't think we're gonna be all that much better next year unless HCJM works some portal miracles. I think it'll be tough to equal some of the guys we're losing, and I think many of the guys who are staying just aren't all that good. I hope Joly stays. I don't know what to think of the new kid Clark at RB, but was impressed at his efforts in last minute and a half. Crazy as it sounds. I think Bin-Wahib is going have a special year in 2024.

sadly i think this is probably correct. I would hope that the offense will be better with the assumed changed in coordinators but the players we have are the ones we have. ok, maybe a new QB but a true freshman is still going to have some issues with our assets. WR separation seems to be the most concerning thing I have as a person who isnt great on nuts and bolts.

 

[SubbaBub]

You need to look beyond the number of wins which was terrible. I fail to understand how anyone can excuse a 3-win season short of a plague of locusts being involved.

We underperformed, period. We stepped backwards in many areas, some of this was due to preseason and in-season portal transfers but that is CFB in 2023.

It's going to happen, so we better get used to it. Sign every upgrade at every position that you can, HS or portal. You simply can't count on developing players for 4 years. Find a system that you can execute regardless of personnel changes and start recruiting interchangeable parts for that system.

I am confident that Mora knows what he is doing better than anyone else the AD could convince to come here. And for all the deserved Charlton hate, it's the players that came up short this season. We've seen enough bad coaching over the years to know that.

 

[ZooCougar]

You need to look beyond the number of wins which was terrible. I fail to understand how anyone can excuse a 3-win season short of a plague of locusts being involved.

We underperformed, period. We stepped backwards in many areas, some of this was due to preseason and in-season portal transfers but that is CFB in 2023.

It's going to happen, so we better get used to it. Sign every upgrade at every position that you can, HS or portal. You simply can't count on developing players for 4 years. Find a system that you can execute regardless of personnel changes and start recruiting interchangeable parts for that system.

I am confident that Mora knows what he is doing better than anyone else the AD could convince to come here. And for all the deserved Charlton hate, it's the players that came up short this season. We've seen enough bad coaching over the years to know that.

Charlton’s play calling and the vanilla routes don’t exactly help our athletes compete at an elite level.

3rd and Long? How about we run from the shotgun!

The guy is a loser.

It’s amazing that anyone here still excuses this.

 

[UCan3]

You realize he was basically playing hurt the entire yr right? That might have something to do with him him "underperforming"

I did not know that and I follow it pretty closely. I know he was hurt for periods of time like most of our running backs.

I know he wasn’t hurt when he was on the watch list only to be called out by Mora as a 3rd String RB at that point in time.

I think Rosa is the best player we’ve seen in a long time - just hope he can turn the corner while wearing a Husky uniform!

 

[huskymedic]

Biggest loss was RB coach EJ Barthell.

Followed by losing GM Preston Pehrson to Stanford and Director of Player Personnel Beau Davidson to Georgia Tech. Portal farming yield took a hit.