UConn’s tackling, including star linebacker Jackson Mitchell (8), has to be better against run-heavy Georgia State on Saturday in Atlanta. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
Tackling Must Improve Vs. Panthers
The Story: Slowing down Georgia State’s “hyper-speed” offense Saturday night in Atlanta (7 p.m., ESPN+) will depend on how well the UConn defense addressed its most glaring issue: poor tackling.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: During his weekly press conference, UConn coach Jim Mora lauded the Panthers’ offense while simultaneously citing his team’s tackling problems, which he referred to as the “culprit” in last week’s season-opening loss to NC State.
WHO IS GEORGIA STATE? The Panthers, from the Sun Belt Conference, defeated Rhode Island, 42-35, in last week’s season opener, scoring 31 unanswered points in the second half.
THE PANTHERS’ PACE: Georgia State’s high-tempo offense, which snaps the ball quickly and tries to wear teams down, produced 424 total yards, 231 coming on the ground behind senior RB Marcus Carroll (23 carries, 184 yards, 3 TDs).
• The Panthers’ run offense was 13th in the nation a year ago.
THE LONE GRAINGER: QB Darren Grainger (16-of-20 passing, 193 yards, two TDs), a third-year starter, has a strong arm and is adept at reading coverages, but he’s also a threat to run (12 carries, 53 yards).
• Recalling Brennan Armstrong’s elusiveness, Grainger’s scrambling ability concerns Mora, who said “we had some problems with that last week … when the quarterback scrambled. That’s something we’ve been focused on.”
PLACK’S ROLE: For the Huskies to slow Georgia State’s ground attack, they’ll need a better game from Noah Plack, who struggled in his UConn debut as a “rover” (a combination linebacker/safety).
• Mora said the Delaware transfer, who had four tackles and a half-sack, was “just a little bit off” on some plays, but he likes Plack’s athleticism and versatility and believes the senior will continue to improve as he gets more experience playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
INJURY UPDATE: Free safety Malik Dixon-Williams suffered a slight MCL sprain and does not appear on this week’s depth chart at free safety. Stan Cross, a converted cornerback, is expected to start in his place.
WHAT MORA SAID: “On defense, I expect us to tackle better. … You can make the excuse it was the first game … but it’s just an excuse. We can’t accept that. … I’m always very critical of myself. If (the defense) didn’t tackle well, that means I didn’t do a very good job during the week emphasizing it. … Great defenses tackle. They swarm, and they tackle. And we missed way too many tackles.”
FLIPPING SIDES: Georgia State’s defense, ranked 105th in scoring defense a year ago, is less proficient than its fast-paced offense.
• The pass defense gave up 408 yards and four TDs through the air against Rhode Island, yet the Panthers intercepted two passes, one a pick-six that gave them the lead for good late in the third quarter.
• Wednesday’s Daily cited UConn’s issues at wide receiver, and the Huskies will need the revamped receiving unit to find openings in Georgia State’s suspect pass defense and limit the number of drops for Joe Fagnano to have a big game throwing the ball.
• As far as the run game, Mora said the Huskies will use a committee approach and rotate Devontae Houston, Victor Rosa, Brian Brewton and possibly others into the mix and ride the hot hand.
PUNT TEAM! One Georgia State coach was so pumped up about a blocked punt last week that he knocked over his own player.
— David Kull
📰 MORNING READS
• Paige Bueckers has played sparingly the last two years, but she remains one of the more marketable athletes in college sports and signed a deal with Nike. UConn does well in the sneaker place as UConn is also one of the five schools that is a part of the Mamba and Mambacita lines for Nike, which honors the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi.
• Chioma Okafor scored two goals as UConn women’s soccer routed Marist 5-0 on Wednesday night. The Huskies are 3-1 on the season and managed 24 shots, 12 on net.
