UConn losing with panache
EAST HARTFORD — They know how to lose with great panache. They sure don’t know how to win.
When Michael Tarbutt, who had been in the placekicking doghouse, emerged to hit a 41-yard field goal with 12:27 left in the Nor’Easter Bowl on Saturday, UConn had its 17-9 lead.
Agood team knows how to finish off a 2-6 UMass team at home.
Abad team with a senior quarterback knows how to finish a 2-6 UMass team without its starting quarterback in windy, rainy conditions.
Only this isn’t a good team. This isn’t a bad team. This is a terrible football team.
The 2018 UConn Huskies know how to lose. They have no idea how to win against one of the 130 FBS teams in the United States.
In explaining why quarterback David Pindell threw only four passes in the first 45 minutes, coach Randy Edsall said, “The first three quarters, the rain, it was hard to throw. And David doesn’t have big hands. When you don’t have big hands and he doesn’t grip the ball with the laces, so that’s one of things that he was having trouble gripping the ball.”
Big feet that have led Pindell to a record 784 rushing yards in a season.
Small hands.
Small expectations.
Tiny expectations.
That’s the only way for those who love UConn football, who are cheering for its resurrection can maintain their sanity through this season of football hell. If the expec-
Minutemen to leave with a 22-17 victory and the Huskies to lick their wounds after a 12th straight loss to FBS foes.
“Too many missed opportunities we didn’t take advantage of offensively, defensively and special teams, had opportunities there and just couldn’t finish out the game,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said.
UConn scored touchdowns on the opening possessions in both the first and third quarters, but too often it looked as if the Huskies were playing not to lose.
The Huskies tied program records for the fewest number of passes attempted and completed in a game since playing at the FBS level in 2002. The difference is that when UConn had just four completions and six passing attempts in the 2009 International Bowl, it was a result of a dominating running game doing enough scoring to secure the victory. That was not the case on Saturday. No numbers better illustrated the different approaches more than that UMass’ top receiver Andy Isabella being officially targeted seven times while Hergy Mayala, who recently became the 20th UConn player to record 100 career receptions, did not have a ball thrown in his direction.
David Pindell ran for 120 yards including a highlight reel 25-yard scamper to put the Huskies up 14-3 early in the third quarter. However, when put in a position where he had to throw the ball, his underthrown pass intended for running back Zavier Scott was intercepted by Lee Moses. The clock showed that 3:30 remained in the game, but it might be more accurate to say that the clock struck midnight.
UConn (1-7) turned Murphy’s first career interception into a 41-yard field goal by Michael Tarbutt to give UConn a 17-9 lead with 12:27 left to play. On the next play Comis connected with a wide open Zak Simon for a 67-yard scoring pass. Comis was stopped short of the goal line on an attempted two-point conversion run.
UMass methodically marched 81 yards on 11 plays on the next drive. The last three had to be hardest for the Huskies to deal with because tailback Marquis Young seemed to be stopped short of the goal line. Five different UConn players were close enough to make sure he proceeded no further, but none of them made the stop.
The Huskies found out the hard way that two effective offensive drives aren’t enough to win a game. Opportunities, including getting the ball on the UMass 24 after a muffed punt by Isabella, were wasted. Edsall passed on a pair of field goals in the first half including one of only 32 yards which Tarbutt said was about at the edge of his range considering the conditions. Instead, UConn tried and failed to convert twice on fourth down.
“I never expected not to make those two fourth down plays there,” Edsall said.
UConn scored a touchdown on its opening drive for the third time in the last four games. The seven-play, 82-yard drive featured the running of tailbacks Kevin Mensah and Scott with Mensah powering in from 1 yard out to account for the only touchdown in the opening half.
UMass answered with Young’s 30-yard run giving the Minutemen a 1st down at the UConn 3. Travis Jones helped stop Young for no gain on first and third down to force UMass to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Cooper Garcia.
Pindell set UConn’s single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback moving by Pete Petrillo’s mark of 676 set in 1967 with a 12-yard run on the opening drive of the second quarter.
UMass appeared to answer Pindell’s TD almost immediately on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Comis to Isabella, but Travis Jones drew a holding penalty on the play. Later in the drive, the duo combined on a 38-yard touchdown on fourth down, but the extra point was no good to keep the score 14-9.
Marshe’ Terry had 11 tackles to lead UConn while Kevon Jones’ nine tackles gives him 47, the most by a UConn freshman during the FBS era.
UConn, eliminated from bowl eligibility for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, finishes the season with four straight conference games and with plenty of frustration after letting a winnable game slip through its fingers.
“Every loss hurts, every time you play a game of football, you don’t play to lose,” UConn senior linebacker Santana Sterling said.
Tarbutt, who made his first field goal since the season opener against UCF, summed up the team’s mindset.
“It is frustrating,” Tarbutt said. “People are mad at how the season is going because we are better than the way we are playing on the field. We see it in practice, we work hard all week, we work all offseason and the results haven’t been what we’ve want.”