UConn tries freshman QB
Tyler Phommachanh shows promise, but Army routs Huskies.
Well, it wasn’t another shutout. There was even some semblance of hope for UConn’s struggling offense.
But aside from freshman quarterback Tyler Phommachanh’s 38-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter — UConn’s first score against an FBS opponent all season — a kickoff return from freshman Brian Brewton later in the period and another Phommachanh score in the fourth, the team’s performance against Army on Saturday in front of 25,030 fans at Michie Stadium showcased familiar struggles for the winless Huskies in a 52-21 loss.
UConn, now 0-4 for the first time since 2013, was outclassed by Army’s triple-option offense from the jump as it allowed 397 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. The Huskies’ offense went scoreless on their first seven drives of the game — three of which ended via a punt, two by turnover on downs, one on an interception and another as time expired in the first half — and trailed 42-0 at halftime.
Phommachanh, a native of Stratford and an Avon Old Farms
alum, became UConn’s third different starting quarterback in four games. He showed signs of promise in his first collegiate start, especially with his ability to make plays with his legs when the pocket collapsed. But the offense as a whole couldn’t overcome mistakes to establish any consistency in the first half.
“Thank God they gave the opportunity,” Phommachanh said. “Shout out to the coaches for giving me the opportunity.”
Said interim head coach Lou Spanos: “You saw, as a playmaker, you saw, first of all, his vision with his arm ability and he threw some nice deep balls. Then you saw his feet, he kept plays alive ... and what you saw at the end, you saw leadership.
“Do we have a long way to go? Yes. But he did alright for his first game.”
Phommachanh finished with 60 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and passed for 109 yards on a 42.3% completion rate.
Here’s how the game unraveled.
The turning point was ...
Army’s offensive game plan is no secret. The Black Knights (3-0) run the triple-option, and carried the ball more than 60 times in each of their first two games this year.
Saturday was no different and Army executed from the start.
After UConn opened the game with a threeand-out, the Black Knights needed just 1:56 to orchestrate a 4-play, 64-yard drive sparked by a 58-yard run by Brandon Walters and capped off with a 2-yard touchdown from quarterback Christian Anderson. The Huskies responded with an 8-play, 28-yard drive ending in a turnover on downs. Army scored two-and-a-half minutes later on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to a wide-open Isaiah Alston for a 14-0 lead.
Army scored three more times before the half — a 1-yard run from Anderson, a 70-yard run from Tyrell Robinson and a 2-yard run from Jakobi Buchanan — to lead 42-0 at halftime. Wilson Catoe tacked on another score for Army in the third quarter and Quinn Maretzki added a field goal in the fourth.
The Black Knights averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 67 attempts.
“[Army’s speed was] definitely one thing that was an adjustment early on,” junior defensive back Jeremy Lucien said. “Because it’s a little bit hard to replicate the speed that they run their plays at in practice. But, honestly, they didn’t throw a single thing at us that we didn’t see all week. Going forward we just need to get
adjusted to that speed a lot faster.”
The difference
UConn’s offense showed some promise but was too often slowed by mistakes. In UConn’s second offensive drive, on third down, freshman Aaron Turner dropped a would-be first down pass from Phommachanh. The Huskies picked up 55 yards on a double-pass in the second quarter to redshirt sophomore Heron Maurisseau but it was negated due to a penalty. Brewton, one kickoff removed from his touchdown return, appeared to have another but it was called back for holding.
On Army’s four secondhalf drives, UConn forced a turnover on downs and a field goal attempt, shaking up an offense that had scored on each of its possessions in the first half.
“We had missed opportunities,” Spanos said. “We had a couple of missed assignments, the penalty. You saw what our guys did later on [in the game], they did a better job executing, and they did a better job finishing out the second half of the game.”
Army finished 5-for-9 on third down, 2-for-3 on fourth down while totaling 504 yards of offense.
By the time UConn settled in offensively, the game had been decided. Phommachanh’s 38-yard touchdown run up the gut came with 10:07 left in the third quarter, already down by six touchdowns. Brewton’s 96-yard kick return cut the deficit to 36 points, though Army responded with a field goal before Phommachanh added another rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Spanos said Wednesday that the coaching staff sought out a starting quarterback who’d give UConn the best opportunity to score points. Though it came late in the game, Phommachanh proved he could do that.
“Tyler gives us the best opportunity,” Spanos said. “I’m not worried about redshirt. I’m worried about competing and winning. Tyler and I talked, and we’ll have an opportunity to win. We’ll take it each week, and looking forward to seeing him next week.”
Phommachanh’s mobility proved to be his best attribute. In addition to his two rushing touchdowns, he ran for two other first downs. He also flashed a deep ball with a 55-yard pass to freshman Aaron Turner in the fourth quarter, which went on to set up his second rushing score.
He became the first Connecticut native to start behind center for the Huskies since Tim Boyle in 2015. Phommachanh, who’s brother Taisun plays quarterback at Clemson, had ‘203’ written on his arms.
“I’ve always got to rep where I’m from,” he said.
Up next
UConn hosts Wyoming on Saturday at Rentschler Stadium at 3:30 p.m. The two programs have never played.