Jim Mora’s second season began last night with a 24-14 loss to N.C. State. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
Optimism Abounds in Season Opener
THE STORY: UConn opened its second season under Jim Mora with a 24-14 loss to N.C. State at Pratt & Whitney Stadium last night, but there’s reason to believe the Huskies may actually be on the upswing.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies looked confident when they opened the game with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown run by sophomore Victor Rosa. The rest of the game, as you’d expect, was a mixed bag.
• Rosa ran for two touchdowns, the second coming on a 71-yard run late in the third quarter to help cut the deficit to 17-14. But his boneheaded somersault into the end zone drew a penalty flag, and N.C. State used the short field to quickly restore the lead to 10 points.
FAGNANO STEPS IN: Mora turned to Joe Fagnano, the redshirt senior transfer from Maine, as the starting quarterback. He finished 14-for-26 for 113 yards, but while his numbers weren’t spectacular, he was serviceable.
• Fagnano clearly needs a bit of time to adjust to the uptick in competition. He was successful on short throws, but he lacked touch on screen passes and threw one 10-yard pass off wide receiver Geordon Porter‘s shoulder that appeared to travel at the speed of sound.
• The final drive, when the Huskies got the ball back down 10 with 3:14 left, wasn’t Fagnano’s best work. Facing soft zone coverage, he had one poor throw that was almost picked off and another that Brett Buckman somehow caught far behind him. Fagnano then threw an interception in the final minute to effectively end the game.
• Offensive coordinator Nick Charlton, Fagnano’s former coach at Maine, clearly knows what the quarterback can do. He had Fagnano throwing short and long, running play action, and even running the option. The talent is there, but Fagnano needs reps with his receivers. There’s plenty of time.
• By comparison, last year’s starter, Zion Turner, only threw more than 26 passes in a game twice — in the season opener, when he replaced the injured Ta’Quan Roberson, and in the bowl game.
JUST KEEP RUNNING: UConn has always been a ground-and-pound team, regardless of its coach, and it seems that might be the case again this season.
• Rosa ran for 99 yards on nine carries in addition to his touchdowns, Devontae Houston had 24 yards on seven carries, and Brian Brewton had 19 yards on three attempts.
A STOUT DEFENSE: Though the Huskies only sacked quarterback Brennan Armstrong once, they held him to 155 yards on 17-of-26 passing and, in total, allowed 364 yards on the night.
• Armstrong, a redshirt senior transfer from Virginia, did most of his damage on the ground. He ran 19 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns, though none of his runs were for more than 11 yards.
• Mora rarely dialed up the blitz, and he preferred to try to contain N.C. State with an umbrella coverage designed to keep the ball in front of the secondary. It worked, meaning the only thing that cracked last night was commentator Ed Cohen‘s voice.
SCARY MOMENT: N.C. State safety Rakeim Ashford was injured while the Wolfpack were returning a kickoff late in the third quarter. After more than 10 minutes, he was taken off the field on a stretcher to a local hospital. CBS Sports reported he had feeling in all extremities.
OUR TAKE: There’s a reason why 36,526 people were at The Rent last night — the most for a home opener since 2010. Mora, fresh off an unlikely bowl appearance, has the Huskies headed in the right direction. N.C. State will be one of UConn’s more difficult opponents this season, so last night’s performance, despite the outcome, is another good sign.
UP NEXT: UConn will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia State, which struggled to put away Rhode Island 42-35 last night, next Saturday at 7 p.m.
— Zac Boyer
📰 MORNING READS
• It’s a jam-packed weekend in Storrs. The men’s soccer team (1-0) will host LIU tonight at Morrone Stadium and Siena on Monday night.
• Additionally, the No. 15-ranked field hockey team (1-1) will host a pair of ranked opponents: No. 16 Rutgers this afternoon and No. 13 Harvard on Sunday afternoon.
• And the volleyball team (1-2) will christen its new home, the former Freitas Ice Forum, by hosting Hofstra, Lehigh and Merrimack in the UConn Invitational today and tomorrow.
• The women’s soccer team (1-1-1) had to settle for a goalless draw against Army at Morrone Stadium last night.
