We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

[thesportsguru11]

[thesportsguru11]

The Man of the Hour

TDL has record setting day as UConn routs Hoosiers 55-18

Tanner Dean-Lowry now sits high on the UConn single-game records list after his 459 yard, 4 TD performance this evening.

Looking to gain some extra home field edge, seventh-year UConn headman Bob Diaco put together a playlist filled with UConn fight music and some pop hits to be blared from the PA system every time UConn scored, got first downs, forced turnovers, and so on during UConn's home opener against Indiana. The PA man was very busy on Saturday night, a night dedicated to the retiring of Josh Marriner's #26 into the rafters. A festive night it was.

Sam Hunt's "House Party" played seven times on Saturday night, as the Huskies scored seven touchdowns and torched visiting Indiana 55-18 at the impenetrable fortress otherwise known as The Property.

The leader of the charge was junior QB Tanner Dean-Lowry, newly anointed as the fulltime starting QB. Dean-Lowry had a career night, completing 25 of his 30 passes (including 13 in a row at one point) for 459 yards and 4 touchdowns. TDL also added 43 more yards on the ground for a grand total of 502 yards of offense (a new UConn single-game record).

Which leads me to believe.. was Diaco lying about TDL's struggles in spring practice? No matter, but TDL certainly looked like a potential All-Conference and Heisman candidate against a veteran-laced Indiana defense.

Right off the bat, UConn seemed to be in for a fight. The Hoosiers marched all the way down the field with QB Joey Kennlane looking sharp early on and completing three straight passes of 10+ yards. However, instead of feeding star tailback Kaivonte O'Neill in the red zone, Kennlane threw toward the end zone for Tyler Merrick. UConn countered with the double team, and 6'5 senior safety Ross Sinclair leapt and snagged the INT one-handed. UConn never looked back.

Ross Sinclair records a phenomenal one-handed INT to prevent an Indiana touchdown. That INT would shift the momentum completely to UConn's direction and allowed the Huskies to jump out to a 21-0 lead.

TDL found Rashad Harris for a 10 yard score. IU missed a field goal. Jeff McNeal ran in a score. Despite Jeff Grigsby picking off TDL in the end zone, the UConn QB responded with a 60 yard strike to McNeal in the second quarter for his second passing TD. Just like that, UConn was up 21-0 and would go into halftime with a 24-7 advantage.

And UConn would extend their lead out of the halftime break. Duke grad transfer and new wideout Derrick Ferwerda validated Diaco's high praise and used his 94 speed rating to break free from a Hoosier defender on a short catch over the top. He outran everyone else for a 78 yard score of his own. Luke Williamson (who had 120 yards of his own) got into the action with a five yard TD punch. Then TDL's final strike was to tight end Royce Archie from eight yards out. TDL and the rest of the starters were taken out early in the fourth quarter, but the fun didn't stop there.

Mike Hill, a sophomore linebacker starting the season on the bench, made his case to possibly take Tim Duchane's starting spot, recording two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble that set up Isaac Jackson's 37 yard TD run off the read option.

While it certainly wasn't a perfect performance (200+ passing yards from Kennlane and 100+ yards from O'Neill to lead the Indiana offense), the UConn offense did a lot to inspire hope by racking up 709 yards of total offense through the air and the ground. After the 49-point showing in the season-ending Cactus Bowl last year, UConn certainly built upon the momentum that day.

TDL is the guy. Annnnnnnnnnd we're off. Tennessee next. See ya then for more UCahhhhhnnn football!

Derrick Ferwerda and Rashad Harris each had TD grabs on the evening.

Indiana Hoosiers at Connecticut Huskies
Aug 22, 2020	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Indiana Hoosiers (0-1)	0	8	3	7	18
Connecticut Huskies (1-0)	14	10	21	10	55

Team Stats Comparison
	IND	CONN
Total Offense	434	708
Rushing Yards	168	249
Passing Yards	266	459
First Downs	22	27
Punt Return Yards	0	56
Kick Return Yards	0	97
Total Yards	434	861
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Conversion	2-11 (18%)	3-5 (60%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	1-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-2-1 (60%)	7-4-1 (71%)
Penalties	1-10	1-5
Possession Time	15:04	16:56

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		IND	CONN
4:41	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 10 pass Harris (Miller kick)	0	7
0:48	(CONN) McNeal 2 run (Miller kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		IND	CONN
5:42	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 60 pass McNeal (Miller kick)	0	21
1:55	(CONN) Miller 34 FG	0	24
0:52	(IND) Kennlane 6 pass O'Neill (Conversion Good)	8	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		IND	CONN
7:26	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 78 pass Ferwerda (Miller kick)	8	31
4:58	(IND) Kennan 24 FG	11	31
3:21	(CONN) Williamson 5 run (Miller kick)	11	38
:49	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 8 pass Archie (Miller kick)	11	45
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		IND	CONN
7:00	(IND) Kennlane 17 pass Travasse (Kennan kick)	18	45
4:44	(CONN) Miller 42 FG	18	48
3:17	(CONN) Jackson 37 run (Miller kick)	18	55

Indiana Hoosiers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Joey Kennlane 21-36 266 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Kaivonte O'Neill 13 125 9.6 0 Joey Kennlane 11 43 3.9 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD James Travasse 6 76 12.6 1 Justin King 4 72 18.0 0 Tony Leak 4 44 11.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Alex McTaggart 8 0 0 0 Greg Robinson 6 (TFL) 0 0 0 Jeff Grigsby 2 0 1 0

Connecticut Huskies PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tanner Dean-Lowry 25-30 459 4 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Luke Williamson 22 135 6.1 1 J.P. Byers 6 34 5.6 0 Tanner Dean-Lowry 4 41 10.2 0 Isaac Jackson 1 37 37.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Derrick Ferwerda 6 120 20.0 1 Kevin Lacey 6 91 15.1 0 Rashad Harris 5 79 15.8 1 Luke Williamson 3 61 20.3 0 Royce Archie 3 39 13.0 1 Jeff McNeal 1 60 60.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Tim Duchane 7 (2 TFL) 0 0 0 Ross Sinclair 3 0 1 0 Mike Hill 2 (2 TFL) 1 0 0

[thesportsguru11]

Other CAC Games

Brett Favre (OC, South Alabama, hudso3)
L, 30-42 vs. #11 Nebraska

Ryan Malloy (OC, Bowling Green, FootballFanatik)
L, 16-35, vs. Maryland

Bob Trebell (HC, Hawai'i, DrGravyBoat)
L, 25-28 vs. Arizona

*Everyone else had a bye*

NCAA Players of the Week

[thesportsguru11]

[whughes]

TDL made quick work of that quarterback battle, great start to the season. Now let's keep it rolling against a much better opponent in Tennessee

[thesportsguru11]

Rocky Toppers

UConn D stuffs Motley within inches of winning score; TDL formally enters Heisman race with 380 pass yards, 5 TD’s as Diaco avenges loss to former assistant English in 45-41 instant classic win



The man, the myth, the legend, TDL (center, #19) sneaks in what turned out to be the game winning touchdown. It almost wasn't. TDL had another stellar day, accounting for another 400 yards of total offense and 5 TD's in all to leap into the Heisman picture early on.

Last week, I questioned Coach Bob Diaco’s claims about Tanner Dean-Lowry’s accuracy struggles in camp after throwing 25-30 in the opener. One week later, TDL did it again. Which leads me to guess… are we sure the defensive specialist Bob Diaco is still the one coaching this team?

We all know about how much Diaco loves the defense and the big game spotlight and his uncanny ability to win every big game he has ever coached (or so it seems). UConn has put up 55 and 45 points in their first two games. Fortunately, Diaco’s Huskies needed all 45 in order to squeak past 8th-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville. Plus two inches.

Let’s face facts. UConn should not have won this game. The pride that Coach Diaco puts into his defense -- let him down tremendously. Tennessee QB Darius Britt --- in his first career start -- posted 463 yards on 33-42 passing and threw for 3 TD’s as Tennessee’s speedy receiving corps torched the UConn secondary all day. Running back Nathan Sharp was .. well.. sharp all game long (23, 153 and a score). Diminutive speedster J.D. Motley had 11 grabs for over 200 yards and a pair of scores. Only a 21 point second quarter engineered by the Husky offense and their new star QB allowed UConn to take a 24-20 lead into the half. And as we fans of modern day college football know, the last team to score in shootouts always wins.

J.D. Motley and his 99 speed rating made #1 Husky corner Jake Crowder look silly all day long.

The game went back and forth from there. Dustin Amos kicked the Vols to within one point after a short field goal. TDL then hit Royce Archie on an out route to push the lead to eight until Tennessee closed the gap again with a nine yard TD pass from Britt to Synquez Martindale. With a successful 2-point conversion, the game was tied after three quarters.

However, trading scores again, TDL made his only mistake of the day. Truthfully, it wasn’t even really a mistake. Looking for Rashad Harris to the right side nearing the end zone, Vols corner James McNair, arguably the best corner in the nation, showed fantastic awareness and stuck his hands right in front of Harris. McNair snagged the ball away for a crucial INT despite being in poor position.

James McNair's phenomenal INT late in the fourth quarter almost made the difference in the result.

Tennessee would tack on a field goal on the ensuing drive, putting the pressure on UConn with just under two minutes remaining. While last year it was Isaac Jackson who showed the penchant for clutch play, this time TDL didn’t flinch. Helped enormously by a spectacular return by leading receiver Jeff McNeal into Tennessee territory, TDL hit Harris twice to move the sticks and then Archie to pull within the one yard line. TDL punched it in for six two plays later for a 45-41 edge.

All of a sudden, Tennessee’s momentum was gone. Britt had 45 seconds to pick apart UConn’s defense. UConn needed a stop in the worst way to preserve a win. Surely they would hold the Vols at least once, right? Well…….

Motley torched Jake Crowder for a 44 yard gain for what felt like the sixth time in the game. Probably because it was. Nevertheless, Tennessee was in business just like that. After gains of nine and seven through the air to Tanner Doss and Greg Ray, Motley was left wide open streaking toward the end zone on the third straight pass play.

And with three seconds left, and UConn star corner Jake Crowder on the bench, Motley dropped the potential winning touchdown.

I almost threw my controller in defeat.

Whew.

One more play left.

Despite his superb day, Motley had the winning touchdown in his hands. He'd be denied again on the next and final play, costing his Vols the victory.

Britt shook off pressure from Altarri Gardner and saw Motley breaking open on an in route over the middle. Britt threw on target in that direction. Motley made the catch. From my eye, it looked like he was in for the winning score. It was all over.

Crowder dragged him down, but someone smiled down on Diaco and the Huskies. Motley was about two inches short of the end zone, a la Kevin Dyson v. Mike Jones in the Super Bowl. Instead of a deafening roar of a Neyland Stadium crowd, you could hear a pin drop in the entire state of Tennessee. UConn flooded onto the field to celebrate their improbable win, which moved them to 2-0 and almost certainly a top 25 position in Sunday's forthcoming AP poll.

Diaco spoke to ESPN on-field after the win.

Quote: Originally Posted by UConn coach Bob Diaco

I don’t know how we do this. I just know that we have the best football team in America and that’s that. We can beat anybody and that’s that. We have a lot to straighten up on defense, but we’ve got time. We’re going to be just fine. Bleed Blue!

I think we’ve been just fine so far.

We’ll need to keep being fine as we trek into the Big House next weekend. See ya there.

Rashad Harris had a tough day against one of the nation's top corners in James McNair, but did manage a nice TD grab before the half.



Nathan Sharp had another good game against UConn, tallying 150 yards on the afternoon.



Fantastic shot here as 6-foot-7 Wesley Walton knocks down a pass from TDL, who stands at a mere 6 feet tall.

Connecticut Huskies at Tennessee Volunteers
Aug 29, 2020	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Connecticut Huskies (2-0)	3	21	7	14	45
#8 Tennessee Volunteers (0-1)	7	13	11	10	41

Team Stats Comparison
	CONN	TENN
Total Offense	521	674
Rushing Yards	141	211
Passing Yards	380	463
First Downs	26	29
Punt Return Yards	0	22
Kick Return Yards	114	75
Total Yards	635	771
Turnovers	1	0
3rd Down Conversion	5-7 (71%)	8-12 (66%0
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-5-0	9-4-3
Penalties	0-0	1-5
Possession Time	12:58	19:02

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CONN	TENN
6:07	(CONN) Miller 38 FG	3	0
1:54	(TENN) Britt 23 pass Motley (Amos kick)	3	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CONN	TENN
6:40	(TENN) Amos 34 FG	3	10
5:06	(CONN) Williamson 12 run (Miller kick)	10	10
3:17	(TENN) Amos 28 FG	10	13
1:31	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 5 run (Miller kick)	17	13
1:00	(TENN) Sharp 10 run (Amos kick)	17	20
:15	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 46 pass Harris (Miller kick)	24	20
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CONN	TENN
5:13	(TENN) Amos 24 FG	24	23
3:12	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 17 pass Archie (Miller kick)	31	23
1:45	(TENN) Britt 9 pass Martindale (Conversion good)	31	31
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CONN	TENN
7:57	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 3 pass Parks (Miller kick)	38	31
5:32	(TENN) Britt 2 pass Motley (Amos kick)	38	38
1:45	(TENN) Amos 46 FG	38	41
:41	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 1 run (Miller kick)	45	41

Connecticut Huskies PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tanner Dean-Lowry 25-34 380 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Luke Williamson 16 86 5.3 1 Tanner Dean-Lowry 6 43 7.1 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jeff McNeal 8 98 12.2 0 Kevin Lacey 5 111 22.2 0 Royce Archie 5 71 14.2 1 Rashad Harris 3 69 23.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Marcus Bradford 12 (2 TFL) 0 0 0 Ross Sinclair 8 0 0 0 Sammie Leonard 7 0 0 0

Tennessee Volunteers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Darius Britt 33-42 463 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Nathan Sharp 23 153 6.6 1 Darius Britt 4 41 10.2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J.D. Motley 11 202 18.3 2 Synquez Martindale 6 55 9.1 1 Greg Ray 5 57 11.4 0 Shevlin Newby 3 113 37.6 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD James McNair 9 0 1 0 Christianos Palazza 5 (TFL) 0 0 0 Joey Wilson 4 (2 TFL) 0 0 0

Quote: Originally Posted by whughes

TDL made quick work of that quarterback battle, great start to the season. Now let's keep it rolling against a much better opponent in Tennessee

He did indeed! It is so relieving to finally have a starting QB decided after two years of a turnstyle at that spot. Fingers crossed he can stay there without dealing with injury or suspension!

'Twas a great game.. If only you all could've seen my reactions toward the end. TDL was clutch when we needed him. I truly think we can beat anyone after beating that Tennessee team with TDL as our guy. This isn't like when we beat #12 Illinois last year and they finished 3-9. This Tennessee team nearly got to the Playoff last year and is really, really good. Just a matter of navigating our really tough schedule to actually beat everyone, but we'll see.

[Yankeesfan224]

great to see this back to bad real-life Bob Diaco wasn't this good with his team but hopefully this season(Real Life) is better with Edsall back hope to see you repeat to a Big 12 Championship

[slicknick3822]

If i may make a CAC for the next season a bit early

Name: Ricky Jacobsen
Age: 36
Skin Color: (Light, Medium, Dark) Light
Body Size: (Small, Medium, Large) Medium
Head: (Describe facial features you’d like or give me a number) 4
Apparel: T-Shirt
Hat/Glasses (Optional): Hat
Alma Mater: Iowa
Offensive Philosophy/Playbook: (You can describe your style or give a playbook) Pro Style
Offensive Run/Pass Ratio: (EX: 65-35 in favor of running) 65-35 Run
Defensive Philosophy/Playbook: (Same as above) Multiple D
Defensive Run/Pass Ratio: (EX: 65-35 in favor of stopping the run) 40-60 Pass
Specialty: (Offense or Defense) Offense