Honey Moon is Over

[beasteast]

Unlike Houston or UCF - where a quick structural turn and one & 1/2 recruiting seasons can change a Program - UConn will need consistent focused day-to-day influx of good talented players and development over a handful of years.

The mix is not changed from 10 years ago. But I think HCRE and his Director of Program Operations have markedly done a finer job recruiting Feb to present than any other period. CT/NE + PA + NJ + MD + GA + FL + OH/TX. And Canadian. Don't look at ratings - they're meaningless. Get excited when we get a kid who had a slew of offers. But also expect the unknowns off the radar to produce. Particularly Line guys. It's gonna take time.

This year's product? You can't whine after a whipping ... particularly when you lose a piece like Newsome.

The best you can hope for?

We are gonna steam past Temple. And maybe a few others in this conference. However I expect steady consistent winning over time. The Florida and Texas Public programs CAN outgun us. But they're gonna have wide variations because they hire young upcoming coaches. Who will leave.

I am concerned about the Fanbase, Support and Connecticut. But this was a solid decisive choice on path by Benedict. I don't have any easier answer.

I am concerned about the Fanbase, Support and Connecticut.---- this is a big concern... nobody shows up to an SEC opponent . stadium after 2 wins, and the best looking gal on the schedule comes to town, and its a ghost town

 

[UConnNick]

They'd have slaughtered us anyway. At least we are walking away with $1M.

For those who say REv2 isn't the answer, who knows you may be right but it is way to soon to know. At least he appears to be in control and making intelligent decisions. Regardless, we all ought to rooting for him to be successful. I don't know if the program can survive another failed coaching regime.

For those who say we are hampered by the lack of P5 status, ya think? @ASweet3781, first, I hate your freaking avatar every time I see it. Second, the notion that UConn's recruiting pitch in all sports was solely, hey, come to our school and play against teams you've seen on TV is right out of Calhoun's playbook in his first few years here. We can sell the university, don't underestimate the value a degree from a top 20 public, and we can sell "our brand." We are a know entity with good TV coverage and a tradition of success in multiple sports. So, while recruiting would certainly be easier in the P5, it's not impossible here in the 'P6 purgatory.

Now, I agree that it is very tough to recruit for football both because we have recruit out of region and by the lack of recent success. We are banking on REv1's ability to find diamonds in the rough and polish them in pro players. That takes time. So we need to tough it out, hang on and hope for the best. It isn't going to be fun in the near term but there isn't any easier path forward.

I wasn't suggesting the venue was going to be the reason they win the game. My post was in response to one suggesting we still have a reasonable chance to win it. You're right, the game could be played on Mars and we are still going to lose it. The home crowd advantage might turn it into a 40+ point blowout instead of a 20+ one if it had been played in E. Hartford, but it's a payday game so that really doesn't matter. It's what we've become relegated to have to do.

 

[CL82]

It's what we've become relegated to have to do.

Meh. It's year one of a massive rebuild effort. We all could of wished for instant success, but really none of us should have expected it. Remembering this year is going to make the winning seasons all the sweeter.

 

[Pudge]

You can't whine how about how aberrant and awful Diaco was ... and then expect instant fix. That defies logic and most any reasonable perspective of how screwed up the Program was. It's a Fix ... and it's going to take time.

As for Missouri. They aren't in their first year of their SEC level Fix.

 

[Excalibur]

Why beat ourselves up on Wins?

We may get one more this year. But ... I think Edsall was just the right medicine for what we have; his staff was thoughtfully put together; and he is progressing in managing a mismatched roster. He's here for awhile. And he knows the territory and knows the way forward.

We ain't getting 4 stars stolen from a P5. We can get speed and less recruited high end talent. The fact that we have a 6-7 265 FR playing is the Beacon to what this about. Coach Em up.

My point is that the previous two games shouldn't have adjusted short term expectations, or given us any delusions about the task ahead.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You can't whine how about how aberrant and awful Diaco was ... and then expect instant fix. That defies logic and most any reasonable perspective of how screwed up the Program was. It's a Fix ... and it's going to take time.

As for Missouri. They aren't in their first year of their SEC level Fix.

I hated Diaco earlier and more aggressively than almost anyone on the board, and I still think we will challenge for a bowl game next season. The competition isn't great, and simple competence goes a long way.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

My gosh...typical Connecticut fans..we like winners and that is why Hartford lost the Whalers. We are fair weather fans. Amazing, if you don't like what Randy's doing let's demand UConn to fire him. Really, if that happens, I doubt a high school coach in Vermont would accept to coach us...

 

[BlueDogs]

I don't see anybody even remotely Randy should be fired. He's the best last chance we have to get this program back on track. If anyone thinks differently, they need to check into the nearest mental health clinic.

What I do see is the same old arguments being pulled out to justify major failure on one side of the ball. Our O has been hopelessly pathetic for 6 years and occasioned by the exact same arguments being made for the D. In one year a coach comes in and radically improves an offense most said would take years to even become competitive. With success, the line is suddenly "well, we have a lot of talent on offense" (which magically appeared) and "offense is easier to fix" (which is patently false). This was part of the mantra about BS not being an IA level QB and probably a mediocre fullback. He now sits in the top 25 of college QBs by most reasonable measures. We have watched the D implode with a core of seniors. Roughly the same group that gave up a lot less last year and kept us in some games. Yet, the old justifications are rolled back out and just modified to defend the indefensible on the other side of the ball. Coaching matters immensely. We have seen it firsthand in many different ways. This team can be fairly competitive and successful with any semblance of a credible D. Crocker is failing miserably and that needs to be fixed ASAP after this season. If that is done and we get a well connected and respected DC in house, we will be solid and in a lot of games.

 

[Waquoit]

Last game showed it's a talent problem. The coaches put the players in positions to succeed, the game plan was working. The players laid the collective egg.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Last game showed it's a talent problem. The coaches put the players in positions to succeed, the game plan was working. The players laid the collective egg.

It is not just a talent problem. These players have gotten 3 years of terrible coaching, and that is not going to be corrected overnight.

 

[Alum86]

When #22 for Mizzou trucked Brayden Brown like a grown man besting down a boy tells all we need to know. We're so young and inexperienced on the back end of pur D it's not even funny.
We gotta bring in a few JUCOs sprinkled in with a few GSs to help out next season.

Yep. We need gangsta Toraino Walker equivalents.