Joe Fagnano (2) attempts a pass against NC State last Thursday. The Huskies are on the road against Georgia State on Saturday. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
Huskies Already Better Than Last Year
THE STORY: It’s been four days since UConn’s 24-14 season-opening loss to NC State, plenty of time to assess what happened and what’s possible for the Huskies going into Week 2 and beyond.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: If UConn wanted to find out how good it is right way, NC State proved to be an excellent measuring stick. You can bet the Huskies have already seen the game film and learned a lot about themselves against an opponent that might be the best they face until Tennessee in Week 8.
TUESDAY MORNING QB: The Daily had a great view of the game from inside Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Here are five quick observations about the Huskies, who play at Georgia State on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN+)
The Improvement: A year ago, UConn lost to NC State, 41-10, in a game that was over well before halftime. This time the Huskies were down 10-7 at the half and were very much in the game until the final minutes.
• Overall, just comparing the two games, it’s safe to say Jim Mora’s team is already much improved in Season 2.
The New QB: Based on his passing numbers alone (14-of-26 passing for 113 yards), Joe Fagnano’s UConn debut wasn’t impressive. Yet it was easy to see why the Maine transfer earned the starting nod, especially during a flawless opening drive.
• Despite some misfires after that, including an interception on his final throw, Fagnano showed excellent pocket presence, surprising mobility, and adequate arm strength, but could use some finesse. The Huskies can win with Fagnano behind center.
The Receivers: A big contributor to Fagnano’s mediocre passing stats was the play of his wideouts, who had almost as many dropped passes (at least three) as they had receptions (5 receptions for 45 yards).
• Granted, NC State’s pass coverage might be the best the Huskies see all season, but UConn clearly needs a better performance from its revamped receiving corps.
• Beyond tight end Justin Joly, who led UConn with four receptions, someone else needs to step up as a primary target or else opposing defenses will load up to stop the run.
The Running Game: The Huskies’ ground attack is clearly the strength of the offense, mostly because the offensive line looks stellar. If they can rush for 160 yards against NC State, a team that had the No. 1 scoring defense in the ACC a year ago, then the Huskies should be able to run on just about anyone.
• Victor Rosa accounted for both rushing TDs and, we surmise, pass his team-leading 11 scores from last season.
The Defense: In one sense the Huskies held NC State to only 24 points and limited NC State QB Brennan Armstrong to only 155 passing yards. On the other hand, missed tackles plagued the UConn defense all night.
• The Huskies’ failure to wrap up ball carriers at first contact allowed the Wolfpack, especially Armstrong (96 rushing yards, 2 TDs), to extend plays and keep drives alive.
• Linebacker Jackson Mitchell had a game-high 15 tackles, but overall, finishing tackles needs to be a point of emphasis for the Huskies moving forward.
WHAT ABOUT GEORGIA STATE? The Daily will report more on the Panthers later this week, but they defeated Rhode Island, 42-35, in their opener last Thursday and seem to have a more-than-capable offense behind quarterback Darren Grainger and running back Marcus Carroll.
• Georgia State, 4-8 last season, was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference in the preseason coaches poll.
Nevertheless, the Huskies are 2.5-point underdogs against Georgia State. The line opened up as high as +7 in some places, but is trending down as it looks like Mora’s 10-4 ATS (against the spread) has gotten some notice.
TRICK, NO TREAT: UConn got roasted for this failed trick play in the third quarter that saw Brian Brewton and James Burns collide after a lateral from Fagnano.
— David Kull
📰 MORNING READS
• You want to see what a dominating 2-0 win in soccer looks like? The UConn women beat New Hampshire Sunday and had 25-0 advantage on shots and 10-0 advantage on corners. Brooke Walonis and Lydia Leblanc scored their first career goals for UConn , 2-1-1. The Huskies have not allowed an opposing side to taste the nets in three games in Storrs.
• No. 15 UConn field hockey dropped a last second loss to Harvard, 3-2, on Sunday.
• Men’s soccer dropped a 2-0 loss to LIU on Friday, showcasing how cruel the sport can be. The Huskies outshot LIU 18-7 but there were no breakthroughs for the 1-1 Huskies.
