Offense Too Up And Down

OC Dunn Wants To See More Consistency

For a simple, concise summary of UConn's offense so far this season, simply take a look at the number of first downs the Huskies have achieved in each of their three games. vs. UCF — 27 at Boise State — 9 vs. Rhode Island — 32

Two games in which quarterback David Pindell and company persistently pushed the ball downfield, giving themselves ample chances to score. And one game in which the unit failed to find any openings whatsoever, stalling out in their own territory on almost every drive.

With that in mind, it makes sense that offensive coordinator John Dunn would like to see greater consistency from the Huskies' attack.

“I'm not displeased, it's just the execution has to be consistent,” Dunn said. “Great teams are really good consistently. It's not that they do anything special. And that's what we're working on. Consistency, so it's not good game, bad game.”

UConn submitted a strong

offensive performance Saturday against Rhode Island, when Pindell accounted for six touchdowns and the team generated 573 total yards in a 56-49 win. Dunn said he was impressed with the Huskies’ ability to make plays. Yes, UConn scored one touchdown when the Rams defender guarding receiver Heron Maurisseau fell to the ground, but more often the team’s big gains (such as Pindell’s 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron McLean) required some playmaking ability. From their six-touchdown first half to their game-winning drive in the final minutes, the game represented a flash of potential for the Huskies.

And yet after the game, Dunn was more worried about the points UConn didn’t score, thanks to a trio of costly turnovers.

“The sad part is, the first thing I talked to David [Pindell] about after the game is we left three more [touchdowns] on the board,” Dunn said.

Dunn’s nit-picking aside, the UConn offense has offered plenty of positive signs over the first three weeks of the season. Pindell ranks fifth in the American Athletic Conference in passing yards and third in rushing yards, and running back Kevin Mensah broke out for 144 yards on the ground against Rhode Island. Nine different Huskies have caught passes this season, while six have scored touchdowns.

Though no one receiver has emerged as Pindell’s top target, the quarterback said Wednesday that he’s happy to spread his passes around.

“We just try to just get everyone the ball because we know we’ve got a team full of playmakers, and everyone can do something special,” Pindell said.

This coming Saturday in Syracuse, UConn’s offense will try to break its good game-bad game pattern. That will require solving an Orange defense that held Florida State to only seven points last weekend. Syracuse ranks second in FBS in third-down defense, having stopped opponents on 81 percent of those situations.

The trick, Dunn said, will be avoiding third-and-long situations.

“To be good on third down, you’ve got to be good on first and second,” Dunn said. “When you go back and look at the previous games, UCF and Rhode Island, those third downs that we converted, they’re all at that third-and-2 to third-and-6 range. You go back and look at Boise, when we weren’t good on third down … when you’re third-and-nine-plus10 times, that’s hard.”

Dunn acknowledged that the UConn offense remains a work in progress. But even as the results have been unsteady at times, the coordinator has been pleased with his players’ effort.

“I like the path we’re on,” Dunn said. “We’re nowhere near where we need to be, but we’re working that way. It’s trending in the right direction.”