Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)
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.
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.
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.
Nice win. That shot of the 6'7 end knocking down TDL's pass looks so awesome and real.
Sent from my SM-G386W using Operation Sports mobile app
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.
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.
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 |
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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.
Sent from my SM-G386W using Operation Sports mobile app
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Hahah..
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