Connecticut News, Raphielle Johnson, Uncategorized

UCONN TAKES PAPAJOHN’S.COM BOWL WIN

By Raphielle Johnson

Going into the Papajohns.com Bowl the Connecticut defense was a concern due to their struggles in both tackling and execution. Having failed to hold an FBS opponent to fewer than 21 points since a 12-10 loss to North Carolina, the Huskies ran into the perfect tonic at Legion Field. South Carolina, who had struggled all season on the offensive line, was also dealing with the loss of offensive line coach Eric Wolford (he accepted the Youngstown State head coaching position) and his absence was rather apparent. The Connecticut defense limited the Gamecocks to 205 yards of offense in a 20-7 victory.

“I thought we were ready to play,” said South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier after the game. “I thought we’d practiced pretty well but obviously our offense was very sad and our defense not as good as it’s been most of the time.”

South Carolina, who finished the game with just twelve first downs (3-for-15 on third down), didn’t move the chains for the first time until halfway through the second quarter and managed just 2.9 yards per rush (76 yards). Scott Lutrus led UConn defenders with nine tackles and a sack and as a team the Huskies managed three sacks, eight tackles for loss and interception and a fumble recovery. Offensively the Huskies were led by senior running back Andre Dixon, who rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on thirty-three carries. Dixon, who won the Fred Sington Most Valuable Player award, became the 12th back in UConn history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark.

And with Jordan Todman (9 carries, 36 yards) already passing that mark the Huskies are one of just three teams in college football this season with multiple 1,000-yard rushers (Nevada and Georgia Tech). Zach Frazer wasn’t great in regards to his completion percentage, completing just nine of twenty-one attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown, but he did a good job of avoiding the crucial mistake on a day in which neither offense was poised to explode. And his touchdown pass that kicked off the scoring was arguably the play of the bowl season.

Kashif Moore was able to gain enough separation on the sideline in the first quarter, giving Frazer room to drop the ball in which Moore snagged with one hand. From there it was a race to the end zone, with the 37-yard strike giving UConn early control of the game. And thanks to the defense and South Carolina’s struggles (nine drops) control wasn’t relinquished until the end of the game. David Teggart added a pair of field goals in the first half to send the Huskies into the locker room with a 13-0 lead.

There was no more scoring until early in the fourth quarter when Dixon gamboled into the end zone from ten yards out to give Connecticut a 20-0 lead that for all intents and purposes sealed the game. South Carolina got on the board with 3:24 remaining on a 2-yard touchdown run by Brian Maddox but Alex Molina’s recovery of the onside kick shut the door. From there the Huskies ran out the clock, winning their second consecutive bowl game in as many seasons.

Things that went right:

1. Defense! For a unit that ranked 95th against the pass coming into the game to play as well as they did in all phases was a welcome surprise.

2. Running the football: Connecticut was able to control time of possession (35:28-24:32) and the tempo of the game thanks to a rushing attack that accounted for 146 yards against a stout South Carolina defense.
3. Discipline: The Gamecocks killed themselves with some untimely penalties that kept a UConn drive alive early in the third quarter. Connecticut finished the game without being penalized.

What didn’t go right:

1. Passing game efficiency: It wasn’t a big deal due to South Carolina’s offensive issues but Frazer completed less than half of his passes. They were able to get a few big plays through the air, but there were also a couple of missed opportunities that could have led to even more points.

Unit Grades:

Offense: B (the running game got the job done and to be honest there wasn’t much they had to do besides not turn the ball over)
Defense: A (obviously a shutout would have been even better but this unit executed their assignments and made tackles to eliminate the Gamecocks’ big-play opportunities)
Special Teams: A (this was an area that the Huskies held a clear advantage in going into the game and they made sure not to mess that up)