Perfection? No. Satisfying? Yes
EAST HARTFORD — A hilarious three and a half hour block of what sometimes resembled flag football Saturday at Rentschler Field closed with UConn’s Eli Thomas coming off the end for a ferocious sack of Rhode Island quarterback JaJuan Lawson.
The clock expired and Thomas, having preserved his team’s first victory, stomped demonstratively off the field, yelling, arms to his side, muscles flexed.
“It felt amazing,” Thomas said. “After all the work we put in, to finally be rewarded ... it wasn’t the prettiest game, but it doesn’t matter. Mission accomplished.”
The young Huskies, overmatched by the impossible situation of
opening with games against Central Florida and Boise State, found themselves Saturday with attainable goals against the Rams, a solid FCS team that proved to be UConn's equal in many regards. With only a few turnovers disrupting the flow, the teams essentially traded touchdowns until the Huskies took hold for a 56-49 victory.
Kevin Mensah's 22-yard touchdown run provided the margin with 57 seconds remaining and the UConn defense, picked apart most of the afternoon, found itself as URI advanced to within 16 yards of the tying score with 11 seconds left. Thomas pressured Lawson into an incomplete pass. Then he flattened him on the next play, the final one — the first true feel-good moment for one of the worst, and most inexperienced, defenses in America.
“I'm really happy for our kids to get a win,” coach Randy Edsall said. “It doesn't matter how we got it. The bottom line is, we won. They played for 60 minutes. It was good to see that when we had to make some plays at the end, on both sides of the ball, we did that.”
It's not time to get picky. UConn scored more points than its opponent and that is to be celebrated. But, oh, what a journey this game was. What a strange, though encouraging, sight to see the pocket collapse around Lawson with the game in the balance after he had his way with the UConn secondary for so long.
The Huskies have never allowed so many points in a victory. They didn't force the Rams into a single third-down play for the entire first half. More players were lost to injury, calling for the need to ask even more of kids who, at this point, barely know their way around campus. Other players have been shuffled all over the field, changing positions as Edsall tries to compile enough speed at certain spots – like moving Thomas from linebacker to defensive end for specific pass-rush capabilities.
It was a game Edsall thought would require the Huskies to score on every possession and that was nearly the case. He went for it on fourth down four times (converting all four) because in a wild back-and-forth shootout in which his own defensive backs were sometimes spun around in circles, what the heck would field goals mean?
UConn had a starting defensive lineup of eight freshmen and three sophomores, a unit that is allowing averages of more points (55.7) and yards (673.3) than any team in the nation. Having seen three games, we can be certain that the defense will be a problem all year.
But it's too early to throw too much criticism at coordinator Billy Crocker or the players, who are so green and can be expected only to improve incrementally as they go. Last week after a 62-7 loss at Boise State, Edsall challenged the team to play with abandon. Too many guys looked tentative.
Did they look overmatched at times Saturday? Of course. But at least they played like bad asses when it mattered. UConn got its first interception of the season (by Oneil Robinson, a true freshman from Hartford) and first sack of the season (by Kevon Jones, a true freshman from East Hartford). Ultimately, after Thomas sealed it, the effort was enough support for David Pindell, who was spectacular with 308 yards passing, 137 rushing.
“The young dudes,” Pindell said, “made
“It doesn’t matter how we got it. The bottom line is, we won. They played for 60 minutes.”
UConn coach Randy Edsall
plays when they had to.”
One play was particularly symbolic: Sophomore defensive back Tyler Coyle was juked out of his uniform by Lawson, who went for a 37-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. But Coyle gave chase, catching Lawson at the goal line and punching the ball free. It was unclear whether Lawson had possession while entering the end zone, certainly not enough evidence to overturn the call, and the touchdown stood.
But it was a good look — a player beaten and then a player back in the fight.
“Even though it was a touchdown, I think that tells you something about these kids,” Edsall said. “They're going to lay it on the line. Do they got to get better? Do we got to get better as coaches? Yes. But if you're getting that kind of effort and have that kind of attitude, you've got a chance. That's why I like these guys, because they're doing the things we're asking them to do. Is it always perfect? No. But the bottom line is we won the game and that's all I care about.”
There is so much to work on. The team is banged up, painfully inexperienced, probably headed for a difficult afternoon next Saturday at Syracuse. Edsall talked about eye discipline and gap integrity, all the nuances and fundamentals and techniques where the team is lacking. The Huskies have allowed 23 touchdowns in three games.
But they won Saturday. They won because the offense flew up and down the field. They won because the defense, when truly called upon to make a difference, earned the celebration that Thomas started after his clinching sack.
“At least we got one under our belt,” Edsall said. “The kids have been working. It's not like they haven't been trying. I hope now, and this is what I told them afterward, they just go out and play and have fun. That's the thing they need to do, especially defensively. Why go and play tentative? Just let it fly.”