Mora’s Decision Costs Huskies

The Story: In yet another game UConn could have won, the Huskies fell short Saturday against Boston College, 24-17, to officially eliminate themselves from postseason bowl consideration.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: To qualify for its second straight bowl game, UConn (1-7) needed to finish with a near-impossible five-game winning streak, starting with Boston College (5-3) in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

• The Huskies, who were 14.5-point underdogs, played the Eagles tough and had a chance in the fourth quarter to ruin BC’s homecoming weekend, with famous alums like Doug Flutie and Luke Kuechly on hand. Yet a questionable decision by Jim Mora contributed to UConn losing for the fourth time this season by seven or fewer points.

A COSTLY CHOICE: Down by 14 early in the fourth quarter, UConn was gaining momentum. Cam Edwards (16 carries, 89 yards) scored on a 30-yard touchdown run to cap a seven-play, 78-yard drive and pull the Huskies with seven points. Then a rare defensive stop got UConn the ball back with 10:26 to go.

• Starting on its 25, the Huskies drove to the BC 36-yard line in eight plays and faced fourth-and-7 with 6:33 left. Instead of trying to extend the drive, Mora opted to send kicker Noe Ruelas out for a 54-yard field goal attempt.

• Ruelas’ attempt was well off the mark, short and to the right, and UConn never got the ball back. BC, which outgained the Huskies 433-222, methodically drove down the field on 12 straight running plays, getting five first downs before kneeling to run out the clock.

TO KICK OR NOT TO KICK: Mora’s choice to kick a field goal deserves scrutiny because it was UConn’s last scoring opportunity. And every shred of evidence suggests how flawed the decision was, even before Ruelas stepped on the field.

• This was Ruelas’ first field goal attempt — not of the game, but of the season. Ruelas was replacing Joe McFadden, the kicker for the previous seven games who’d made four of eight attempts. Ruelas, UConn’s primary kicker last season, had a long of 54 in the season opener at Utah State.

• Still, asking Ruelas to do it again in a high-pressure situation at BC is a low-percentage option. Only 23 FBS kickers have made a FG of 54 yards or longer this season.

• Even if Ruelas had made the field goal, that would have only cut the deficit to 21-17. UConn would still need to get the ball back and score a touchdown to win the game.

• UConn’s offense was finally moving the ball. On its final drive, Ta’Quan Roberson (11-of-24 passing for 130 yards) completed three passes for 53 yards, including a 13-yarder to Brett Buckman on third-and-20 — the final play before Ruelas’ miss. Why not let Roberson make a play with his arm or feet, or see if Edwards could find some running room?

• BC owned the time-of-possession battle all day with its ground attack. UConn had contained dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos (151 yards passing, 45 rushing, two turnovers) and stopped the Eagles on their previous drive, thanks to a sakc by Pryce Yates.

• Otherwise, the Eagles’ clock-eating drive to end the game was merely a continuation of what they had done all afternoon. In the end, BC rushed for 249 yards (behind 112 yards and two touchdowns from Kye Robichaux) and had the ball for nearly 41 of the game’s 60 minutes.

WHAT MORA SAID: Mora’s postgame comments on his decision make little sense:

• “My thought was if we can get within four — we had three timeouts with six minutes and 44 seconds on the clock and we had been playing really good defense in the second half and we had the wind — you get a stop and a touchdown wins it.”

• What? BC’s previous drive ended with its only punt of the game, but its other two second-half drives covered more than 59 yards each, resulting in a touchdown and a missed field goal, and the Eagles held the ball for more than 15 of the half’s 23 minutes to that point. It’s not “really good defense” if the other team is keeping your offense standing on the sidelines.

• Mora: “It felt like Noe could kick it through, but I put him in a tough spot by asking him to do that. That was the thought process and I’d do it the same again. I wasn’t gonna go for it on (fourth-and-7) — you don’t get that and the game is essentially over.”

• Huh? So, the game is over if the offense doesn’t convert on fourth-and-7, but the game somehow isn’t over if Ruelas misses a long FG try? Either way, BC gets the ball back at the same spot. The last comment also suggests he believes the defense won’t get a stop because the game would be over without an opportunity for UConn to score again. Which one is it?

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER: Give credit to Mora for at least trying to be accountable. Coaches should own their decisions and do so with conviction. In Mora’s case, however, his justification is as convoluted as the decision itself.

• Aside from the irrational response, Mora showed more faith in his kicker making a 54-yarder on his first attempt, and in his tired defense stopping one of the nation’s best rushing attacks, than he did in his offense gaining seven yards.

NOT THE FIRST TIME: Mora’s experience as an NFL head coach doesn’t exempt him from scrutiny, and this is the second clear example of his surprising lack of aggression costing the Huskies.

• The first time, he played for overtime instead of the win against Utah State. Instead of going for the two-point conversion after his then-thriving offense scored to pull within one, he took the conservative approach, and it backfired in embarrassing fashion when McFadden’s extra-point attempt was blocked.

BE BOLD: Going for it on fourth down against BC would have been a bold move that took advantage of the moment — with the offense within striking range — exuded confidence, and showed the players he was coaching to win, not for another scoring opportunity that eventually never happened.

• It’s no wonder UConn is losing close games. The Huskies might be a better team than their 1-7 record suggests, but the players aren’t the only ones failing to execute.

UP NEXT: UConn travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to play No. 19 Tennessee, which is coming off a 33-27 win over Kentucky.

— David Kull

Morning Reads

• The West Virginia men’s basketball team — and all of college basketball — got a scare when Akok Akok, a beloved former UConn forward who played at Putnam Science Academy, was hospitalized after collapsing during an exhibition game on Friday night. Akok was released over the weekend and is recovering at home.

• Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards figure to be top 5 picks in the WNBA Draft next spring.

• Cioma Okafor delivered the women’s soccer team into the Big East semifinals with a late goal as it beat Butler 3-2 yesterday.

• The men’s golf team closed out its fall season with a 15th-place finish in Lahania, Hawaii.

• The men’s soccer team was soundly defeated by Xavier, 4-0, on Saturday in Storrs. The Huskies completed the season as the No. 5 seed in the Big East and will play at No. 4 seed St. John’s in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Top photo: Jim Mora takes notes during UConn’s win over Central Connecticut State on Saturday. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)