A ‘moral victory’? Three takeaways from UConn football’s 26-21 loss at Duke

After erasing a 17-point deficit and taking a third-quarter lead at Duke on Saturday, the UConn football team managed only three first downs for the rest of the game. Two of them came on what ended up being the Huskies’ final possession.
Down five after the Blue Devils capitalized on a takeaway, UConn drove into Duke territory and got to the 30-yard line with a short first-down rush from quarterback Nick Evers. Evers threw on the next two plays, both incomplete, and third-year head coach Jim Mora decided to attempt a 48-yard field goal on fourth-and-seven, which would’ve put UConn down two with just under six minutes remaining. But the kick from Indiana transfer Chris Freeman was wide right and Duke advanced the ball enough to run out the rest of the clock.
It was an ending fans got used to seeing last season, only then these endings came against non-power conference teams.
Saturday’s performance was progress; It wasn’t the 41-7 loss at home, albeit against a better Duke team last year, and it definitely wasn’t the 50-7 disappointment at Maryland that started this season two weeks ago.
UConn finished with 314 total yards to Duke’s 409 and produced more “big plays,” which are defined as passes for 15 yards or more and runs for 10 yards or more. The Huskies had four big passing plays and eight big rushing plays. Duke’s big plays were bigger, but the Blue Devils had just eight total.
The same mistakes, while less frequent, still came back to bite UConn.
Here are three takeaways from the 26-21 loss:
Decision-making
The aforementioned choice to kick a field goal with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter looks much worse in hindsight, given the fact that UConn never got the ball back.
In that spot, the best case scenario for the Huskies would’ve been to make the kick, go down two, and hope with all three timeouts and the two-minute warning that they could get the ball back with enough time to drive down the field and kick a winning field goal. If UConn had gone for it and gotten the first down, the best case scenario would’ve been to score a touchdown, add a two-point conversion to go up three, and rely on the defense for one more stop with a few minutes left, depending on how quickly the Huskies scored. .
Other areas that stood out: Third downs… UConn was just 3-for-10 in the first half converting on third down, and finished the game 6-for-17. Trickery… UConn brought in backup QB Joe Fagnano twice and the play, risking an interception, failed both times.
Turnovers
UConn turned the ball over twice, and Duke capitalized each time.
After the first giveaway, a fumble from Evers on an option play in the second quarter, the Huskies’ defense held its own but Duke’s field position was good enough for a 53-yard field goal. UConn’s offense went three-and-out on its next drive and Duke tacked on a touchdown to go up 17-0.
The second turnover, an interception at the start of the fourth quarter, led to Duke’s eventual game-winning touchdown. After a punt on the next drive, it also contributed to the decision to attempt a field goal late.
However, UConn certainly benefited from takeaways as well.
When linebacker Tui Faumina-Brown flew in to knock the ball out of the hand of Duke QB Maalik Murphy and into the arms of Langston Hardy for a pick-six at the end of the third quarter, all the momentum came with it. Duke punted on its next four drives, UConn scored a pair of touchdowns and the game was flipped on its head.
Plenty of positives
No fan wants to hear about moral victories. A loss is a loss, but Saturday’s was a productive one. The Huskies showed progress, were competitive against a power conference team on the road and left relatively healthy with a strong idea of what still needs to be worked on.
Mora has spoken with urgency since the Week 1 loss and continued to do so when speaking with Fox Sports 97-9 post-game.
Defensively, UConn held Duke to just 3.6 yards per carry and forced four three-and-outs, seven punts.
Mora pointed out progress in the passing game – Evers improved from 8-for-16, 41 yards in the first half to 7-for-13, 94 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the second. And he highlighted running back Cam Edwards, who shouldered a heavy load with 21 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. Edwards also caught a pass down the sideline for 26 yards which held set up the Huskies’ go-ahead touchdown.
“He’s overcome things his whole life and he continues to,” Mora said of the Norwalk native. “He runs hard, he’s positive, I can’t say enough good things about the kid. The maturity that he’s shown in a little over two years is pretty incredible. Because when he was a freshman there were some concerns. And he just decided to flip the switch and, not only is he a really good football player, but he’s become a really positive influence in our locker room and a leader. You love when your leaders are your best players and they practice like he does, and they talk like he does, and they perform like he does.”

Buy cryptocurrency

Source link

Refer And Earn Demat Account – Get ₹300 | Referral Program

Open Demat Account In Angel One For FREE