HUSKIES STRUGGLE
After two promising games, UConn stumbles against Indiana
UConn’s offense and defense falter in big loss at Indiana.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Good vibes from UConn’s first two games this season dissolved quickly Saturday afternoon, as the Huskies fell 38-3 at Indiana.
UConn (1-2) struggled both offensively and defensively against the Hoosiers (3-1), gaining only 145 yards while giving up 430. After an early field goal, the Huskies were outscored 38-0 over the final 56 minutes.
“That team was better than us, pure and simple,” coach Randy Edsall said. “We’re just not there yet.”
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Saturday, 7 ent step backward
p.m., ESPN2 for a team that had shown promise against Wagner and Illinois, allowing some fans to forget the woes of 2018. Freshman quarterback Jack Zergiotis, who recorded 275 passing yards in his debut against the Illini, looked uncomfortable Saturday, completing only 14 of 28 passes for 90 yards. His thirdquarter interception, returned for an Indiana touchdown, ended any hope of a UConn comeback.
“My performance wasn’t what I needed it to be, and it wasn’t what the team needed from me,” Zergiotis said.
As Zergiotis struggled in his first road start, the Huskies failed to generate much of a rushing attack. Art Thompkins started at running back and rushed seven times for 20 yards, while Kevin Mensah added only 34 yards on 10 carries of his own.
Zergiotis said UConn hoped to establish its passing offense early
to open up the run but couldn’t do so because of the team’s issues through the air. In turn, the Huskies’ lack of success on the ground forced them to pass more often than they might have liked to.
“They’ve got some big guys up front,” Thompkins said of Indiana. “We’ve just got to move some guys up front, and in the backfield we’ve just got to run harder, run through some arms. Myself included, I’ve got to read the holes better.”
UConn also faced problems on defense, ceding four Indiana touchdowns and allowing the Hoosiers to convert on eight of 10 third-down opportunities. Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey, starting in place of a banged up Michael Penix Jr., completed 23 of his 27 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Stevie Scott gained 97 yards on the ground.
The Huskies forced two turnovers on the day, a forced fumble by defensive end Kevon Jones (recovered by linebacker Omar Fortt) and an interception by defensive end Dillon Harris, but otherwise largely failed to halt the Hoosiers.
UConn linebacker D.J. Morgan, safety Tyler Coyle and cornerback Tahj Herring-Wilson all exited with apparent injuries Saturday and did not return, leaving younger players in their place. Left guard Cam DeGeorge was benched late in the loss in favor of sophomore Robert Holmes.
Despite UConn’s issues Saturday, sophomore defensive lineman Lwal Uguak said he expects the team to respond better to this loss than it did to blowout defeats in 2018.
“I feel like we have a different culture this year,” said Uguak, who recorded UConn’s only sack. “We know what’s at stake, and we know how we have to play and how we have to bounce back every single week, no matter how it goes.”
UConn began strong Saturday, turning an Indiana fumble into a 41-yard field goal just under four minutes in. But the Hoosiers scored a touchdown on their next possession, and the Huskies’ offense struggled to move the ball the rest of the half. Two more long Indiana scoring drives left UConn down 17-3 at the break.
On the Huskies’ first drive of the second half, Zergiotis found himself wrapped up by a defender, attempted to flip the ball to Thompkins and instead dumped it into the arms of Indiana linebacker Cam Jones, who returned the interception 44 yards for a touchdown. A UConn punt and Indiana touchdown drive made the score 31-3, and the Hoosiers tacked on one more score, via a 6-yard rush from Scott
Red shirt freshman Steven Krajewski replaced Zergiotis for UConn’s final drive, though Edsall said the substitution was meant merely to give Krajewski reps — not to suggest that Zergiotis’s QB1 status could be in jeopardy. Krajewski completed one of two pass attempts for 4 yards.
UConn will return to the road next weekend, facing No. 15 UCF in Orlando, Fla.