After Saturday’s 23-20 loss to Wake Forest, most of the attention was directed at UConn’s final offensive play.
There were no flags thrown after an apparent defensive pass interference penalty which would’ve put the Huskies in plus territory with a timeout and 87 seconds left, only needing a field goal to tie it. The game situation was similar to the ending of the win over Temple two weeks ago, only rather than a fumble at the goal line, UConn’s turnover was on downs before the Huskies could march that far down the field.
Coach Jim Mora came into his postgame press conference hot. He briefly acknowledged that his team never should’ve been in that situation in the first place before shifting his focus, and his fire, back in the direction of the referees and their conference affiliation.
Each one of the players who came into the press room after their coach: quarterback Nick Evers, receiver Jasaiah Gathings, linebacker Jayden McDonald and safety Malik Dixon-Williams, pointed the finger elsewhere.
Takeaways from UConn’s third power conference loss of the season and what led up to that final play, which put the Huskies’ fate in the hands of the referees:
Offensive line, running game sputters for second week in a row
When UConn was blowing teams out at home earlier in the season, its offensive line and running game were more dominant than anything the program has seen during Mora’s tenure. In the last two weeks, however, the Huskies combined for just 139 rushing yards on 66 attempts – a starkly inefficient 2.1 yards per carry.
On Saturday, the Huskies ran the ball five times in the third quarter for 14 yards, and neglected the ground game altogether in the fourth (2 carries, -2 yards) as they desperately mounted a comeback through the air.
The offensive line, which was identified as an issue after the Temple game, lost guards Ben Murawski and Kyle Jeurgens to apparent injuries early on and struggled to get an advantage against the Wake Forest front.
Brady Wayburn, in as a replacement at guard, flinched on the 4th-and-3 play on the final drive, which moved the Huskies back five yards just before the controversial no-call. It was only UConn’s second offensive penalty of the game (the first was on the very first play from scrimmage), but it came at the most critical time.
UConn football notes: Evers takes accountability for slow offensive start in loss to Wake Forest
Defense remains UConn’s calling card
UConn’s defense was forced to play a guessing game against Wake Forest’s unique ‘Slow Mesh’ offense. The scheme includes a delayed run-pass option, calling for QB Hank Bachmeier to pause with the ball in front of his running back’s stomach, freezing the defense as he decided whether to hand it off or keep it for a pass play.
Bachmeier completed six throws for 15 yards or more, but the Huskies’ defense kept the game within reach as they allowed just two touchdowns in five red zone opportunities for the Demon Deacons, who had an average starting field position at their own 36-yard line.
After Mora opted to punt on 4th-and-1 with 10 minutes to go, his defense got the ball back for a touchdown drive and needed a quick stop so Evers and the offense could have one more shot to tie or take the lead. McDonald came up with tackles on the first two run plays, forcing Wake Forest into an incomplete pass on 3rd down, and the defense was off the field with only 25 seconds coming off the game clock.
“The goal is always to get the offense the ball back as fast as possible, and I think we did good on that series. But it’s continuation. We did it at times, and there was times we didn’t. That was the difference in the game so we have to correct that,” McDonald said.
Dom Amore: A ‘no call’ spoils UConn’s day, but shouldn’t flush Huskies season
How do the Huskies respond?
UConn returns to Rentschler Field for its fifth of six consecutive home games on Saturday, when it will likely be favored again to beat a Rice team with a 2-5 record.
So far this year, the Huskies’ experienced roster has been able to rebound from tough losses at Maryland and Duke, beating up on Merrimack and Florida Atlantic in the weeks after. The goal of a perfect home record has been squashed, but the potential to finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 2010 is still very much alive. The Huskies will have at least one more shot at beating a power conference team this season when they travel to Syracuse on Nov. 23.
