U Conn Huskies 2018 Football Preview

U Conn Huskies 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: Every since Randy Edsell left U conn the first time to head off to Maryland with no team meeting after a loss to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, nothing has seemingly gone right for the Huskies or their football program. Of course, the team that lost to the Sooners was hardly a great football team, with just 8 wins that season, but they were good enough to represent the conference then known as the Big East in a BCS bowl game. It's not a far slip from 8 wins to total irrelevance, especially in the modern era, with a system that makes the BCS look inclusive. Randy Edsell returned to U Conn, but what he found was a broken down car parked in a ditch. U Conn football is, in short, a disaster these days, and finding a footing to recruit in a region of the country that does not value college football at all, is, put simply, a massive challenge, like getting an elephant to fly. Can Edsell 2.0 find a way to lift this program anywhere, or is this a doomed venture?

Breakdown Offense: There was a scoring increase last fall, as the Huskies climbed for just over 14 points per game in 2016, to just over 23 points per game in 2017. That is an encouraging number and increase, but it still needs work to compete in today's game. The Huskies passed for 269.2 yards per game, while they rushed for just 146. It's better than it was, but still miles from good overall.

Don't expect a repeat in the passing game this fall. The Huskies are thin as can be at the QB position, and have virtually no real experience returning outside of David Pindall, and that is not great news. Pindall passed for 937 yards in 9 games last fall, but passed for just 4 TDs and tossed 6 INTs. He also has some severe accuracy issues, as he completed just 52.8% of his passes. Short of a major makeover, if Pindall is the guy, this position could be a problem. Brandon Bisack is the only other upperclassman on the roster at QB, and has not thrown a pass. There are a pair of RS freshmen coming aboard this fall in Jordan McAfee and Marvin Washington, but that's the lot.

The Huskies were devoid of any real stars at RB last fall, and it showed in the final result. Kevin Mensah and Nate Hopkins shared the load and carries, but neither blew anyone away. Mensah averaged just 51 yards rushing per game, and Hopkins averaged just 31.18. With only 4 total RBs on the spring roster, this position could be more concerning that the QB spot.

Hergy Mayala is back at WR after leading the Huskies with a line of 43-615-7, and he may be the best returning player the Huskies have on offense. He averaged 14.3 yards per catch last fall, but finding someone to actually get the football to him will be a huge task in fall camp. Keyion Dixon and Quayvon Skanes both return as well, and combined for 68 catches last fall. Whomever ends up at QB will have a decent receiving corps, but again, who is that guy going to be? Tyraiq Beals also returns to provide some depth, and has 30 receptions last year. Mason Donaldson is back as a sophomore, as is Kyle Buss, who is the last returnee in the group to have caught at least one pass last season.

Tyler Davis has moved to TE, and caught 11 passes last fall. He is the only listed TE on the spring roster to have caught a pass last season.

The line is full of holes once again, and only 3 players had jobs even remotely locked up heading out of the spring. Ryan Van Demark (LT), Cam DeGeorge (RG), and Matthew Peart (RT) had spots as we headed into the summer. Nino Leone could be in play at LG in the fall, but everything else is mayhem.

Breakdown Defense: Neither DE spot has been locked up heading into fall camp on a defense that allowed a whopping 37.9 points per game last fall. Teams passed for 333.9 yards per game on the Huskies, while they rushed for another 185.

IN order to get anything fixed, those DEs need to be found and coached up, as U Conn has virtually zero edge rush coming back this season. Not only are the starters not identified, the backups are still in play as well. Kevin Murphy has locked down the NT spot, but provided nothing of note last fall. Four Huskies who got game experience on the line last year all moved on, and depth is terrible as we head into fall camp.

The LB corps is in a similar boat this fall, as the top 3 producers are all gone, including Junior Joseph and Vontae Diggs, the two top tacklers from a year ago. Darrian Beavers and Ryan Gilmartin, both RS sophomores, figure into starting roles, but the 3rd spot is wide open, with nothing but inexperienced players vying for the spot.

Tyler Coyle starts at one CB spot, and finished with 5 PBUs as a freshman, but there is no word on who is partner at the CB position will be just yet. Tahj Herring-Wilson is the FS, but again, did not do much last fall. Again, there is no real indication, reliable or otherwise, to suggest who starts at SS. Marshe Terry could end up at CB, or could role into the SS job, but he is the only experienced guy left to really move into either role.

Breakdown Special Teams: Michael Tarbutt largely struggled last season at PK, hitting just 12/18 FG attempts, but at least he returns to shore up a spot that would have otherwise just been another major void. He also missed 2 PATs.

Brett Graham also, surprising as it is, struggled at Punter. He averaged just 38.76 yards per punt last fall, which a struggling defense does not need.

Skanes will handle both KR and PR duties, and without going into it, his numbers were nothing if not pedestrian, at best.

Final Analysis: If the Huskies win 4 or more games, I will wear a Husky hat for a month. I actually see U Conn as ending the 2018 season as one of the worst teams in college football once again, and there is little end in sight. Edsell is hitting the JUCO ranks for support, but when you look at programs who go that route, few of them actually ever succeed on any sustainable level. He is also looking at redshirting freshmen and building a 5 year program, but again, that worked in the 1980s, and kids don't buy into that today. Also, when you are one of the worst programs in America, you need help now, not tomorrow, and kids don't normally stay in programs 5 years anymore, and you still lose them early, if they are any good. I don't like the planning, and I don't like the direction, and Edsell 2.0 is looking more and more like his disastrous Maryland tenure coming back to life.