With bowl season in the rearview mirror, the time has come to take a look back at the 2015 UConn football team. It had its ups and downs for sure, but ultimately, we’re left with little doubt that the program is trending in the right direction.
The A Dime Back crew sat down and compiled some of its takeaways from a 6-7 season that ended with plenty of promise.
What surprised you the most
Russ Steinberg: That UConn, led by Tim Boyle (!), ended up clinching bowl eligibility by beating an undefeated team on a trick play.
Peter Bard: A coherent offense. After the last few years, watching a team that could, on occasion, actually move the ball and score some points was very encouraging, and given how much of the offense returns next year, I’m feeling pretty good about our future prospects.
Alex Cohen: Houston win. Not only was it incredibly important in terms of beating an undefeated team to make us bowl-eligible, but it was also the first real sign of life at PAWS-ARF in YEARS. Atmosphere was dreadful for a long time and even though it was far from a sellout, everyone reported that the crowd was excellent. It’s not just winning that the program has to accomplish. They must sell tickets and create atmosphere in order to make us attractive to other conferences.
Meghan Bard: Seeing the offense look like it was an actual offense for a collegiate football team. Having a legit quarterback made all the difference in the world for this team. Second is beating undefeated Houston at the Rent. Makes my Top 10 in sporting events I’ve seen live.
Tyler Wilkinson: I’m going to start with two honorable mentions in the performances by Bryant Shirreffs, who was downright serviceable-to-good all season, and the much-improved offensive line. But what surprised me the most was Bob Diaco’s willingness to take chances. His (sometimes crazy) play-calling, including a bevy of trick plays and fourth down tries showed a lot of confidence in his players — something I thought was missing last season.
What disappointed you the most
Peter: Getting buried by BYU seems the obvious answer, but I’m going with losing the homecoming game to USF. They were never in it against BYU, and no one expected them to be. Against USF, they could – nay, should – have won. Dropping a key game to a beatable opponent at home (on homecoming, no less) because of mental mistakes and poor execution is incredibly frustrating.
Alex: Football being a thing that I have to root for because it’s important for the department and for basketball.
Russ: The USF game. To me, this isn’t even close. This was the one game that I think UConn lost more than the other team won. A quick rundown of things that went wrong against the Bulls: that punt that UConn let drop and roll the wrong way for 30 yards, getting to the USF 2 yard line and settling for a field goal, Shirreffs being sacked five times, clock management mishap in the second quarter, going for a 44-yard field goal on a 4th-and-1 against the wind, running 48 plays in USF territory and scoring only 20 #points.
Meghan: Losing to USF at home on Homecoming. That game should have been a win, and I brought BardMom and BardDad to that one, so it was extra disappointing to leave with the loss. (Also, no throws to Noel Thomas in the bowl game. What was that even?)
Tyler: Losing the Missouri game. The USF loss is the most egregious on the schedule, but the Mizzou game could have accelerated the return of UConn’s reputation, and the game was winnable. Yea, it turned out Mizzou was pretty bad this year, but knocking off a big name SEC opponent would have been a pretty killer way to reintroduce the Huskies to the football world.
Offensive MVP
Peter: It’s Sherrifs, obviously. I can’t believe we’re even talking about this. Newsome had a great year, and Noel Thomas and Tommy Myers are impact players, but Shirrefs is the best QB UConn has had in a long time, and he’s the primary reason that our offense is finally functional.
Alex: Shirrefs. This season would have gone very different if it was Tim Boyle taking snaps. We could have been looking at another 2 win season. Shirrefs didn’t blow the roof off with Orlovskian numbers, but he made good decisions. He was perfectly cromulent, and that is something we haven’t had at UConn in a long, long time.
Russ: Bryant Shirreffs. Duh. He is the reason why, at times, UConn looked like a real football team. Laugh all you want about that, but it’s a gigantic step up from the last few years.
Meghan: I’m going to take this super literally, because the offense couldn’t seem to figure out how to tie its shoes without Shirreffs. The offense looked terrible against Temple when Shirreffs was out with a concussion. Though shout to Arkeel Newsome who did work all season; he just needs a little more help from the offensive line.
Tyler: Arkeel Newsome. History has shown us that UConn can generate some modicum of success with only an average passing game, but is basically sunk if they can’t run the ball. Newsome led the AAC in all purpose yards this season and established himself as the focal point of the Husky offense.
Defensive MVP
Peter: Foley Fatukasi. Bryant Shirrefs made the offense run, and Jamar Summers was first-team all league, but Fatukasi made big plays all year, and was the tip of the spear for the defense. UConn’s defense was their strength this year, and Fatukasi was its most effective player.
Alex: This guy.
Russ: Jamar Summers. Without him, UConn is not bowl eligible. Summers single-handedly beat Tulane with a pick-six in the worst game ever played. That was one of his seven regular season interceptions, which was third-best in the country.
Meghan: I’m going with Jamar Summers. His game is just one long highlight reel. That interception that clinched the Houston win is one of the best plays of the season. And he’s a sophomore. It’s so great.
Tyler: Jamar Summers, who did a great job anchoring a secondary that legit won a few games for the Huskies.
Grade Diaco’s performance
Peter: A-. His playcalling and clock management need work, but the way that Diaco has changed the culture of UConn football, nearly overnight, has been tremendous. Hopefully he sticks around long enough to coach UConn in the Big Ten?
Alex: A. Incredible improvement over a year ago. He proved that he’s not just insanity personified without substance. There’s substance there. Really good looking, attractive, Adonis-like substance. (Shout, Ally) But seriously, I’m really impressed with leaders who can actually change culture. It really is not an easy task. I hope he sticks around, because I think he can do great things here.
Russ: A-. He deserves a spot on the A Dime Back honor roll for this season, without a doubt. In just a year, he changed the culture, and just as importantly, the national perception of UConn football. The program went from a national embarrassment to one that can win the AAC East next season. He’s weird. He’s crazy. We all know that. But there’s a method to his madness and we are starting to see it. Areas for improvement: play calling, clock management, being even more good looking.
Meghan: A- What Diaco has been able to accomplish in just two seasons is almost unbelievable. He has managed to completely change the culture of UConn football. And he’s gotten everyone to buy in, with his goofy table legs and gold footballs. I don’t understand it, and I don’t care because it’s clearly working. The energy from the sidelines after every play was just 180 degrees different from last year. I’ll save the clock management and play calling gripes for later. The defense was very good to great all year. They made a bowl game after winning two games last year. This is more than any of us could reasonably have hoped for. Diaco has done such a great job, and I just hope he continues to do a great job while coaching at UConn.
Tyler: B+. Look, the on-field success (bowl eligibility) is incredible but, arguably, Diaco’s biggest accomplishment is changing the attitude of the program and helping reshape the narrative. I generally think his insanity is a positive, and his players have seemingly responded well. A very young roster showed great improvement this year, and Diaco gets some big time credit for that. However, he still needs to work on his play-calling and his time-management. It’s easy to forget that he just completed only his second season ever as a head coach. Great job, with room for improvement.
Grade Russ’s performance
Peter: Russ gets an F- for taking too long to fill out his fucking roundtable.
Alex: Incomplete — he needs to cover football for a good 10 more seasons before I can come up with a reasonable assessment of his performance.
Russ: F. F is for #FireRuss.
Meghan: #FireRuss (Just kidding, we will never #FireRuss, mostly because none of us want to cover football.)
Tyler: A+. Russ is a tiny god and the Forest Whitaker of the UConn football beat. We will never fire Russ.
Give someone a Diaco-esque made up award
Peter: The No-Bitching Award to Ron Johnson, who went from featured back to lightly used backup without complaint, and kept himself in game shape enough to score a TD in a bowl game.
Alex: I’m giving the Twinkie award to Russ. He gets the Twinkie award for surviving his first season on the football beat for A Dime Back and coming back for what could have been another dour affair this season. But he persevered, like a Twinkie in nuclear fallout, and got his reward; he watched halfway decent football.
Russ: Casey Cochran gets the Golden Microphone. Our formerly mulleted friend’s playing career was cut short, but he has accomplished plenty in his year-plus away from the game. He has a 3.1 GPA, has shared his injury story in support of a bill that would require parents and athletes to be informed about sports-related concussions interned for Channel 30. Cochran also joined the football radio broadcast team this season. He aspires to one day work for ESPN, and it seems he is well on his way.
Meghan: It’s Tricky to Rock A Rhyme Award goes to Garrett Anderson who went from third-string QB to whatever position meant he could get on the field and threw a 45-yard pass to Thomas on a ridiculous and amazing trick play against Houston. I love trick plays. And I love guys who are willing to do whatever they can to help the team win, even if it means switching positions as a junior.
Tyler: I’m giving Russ a shield to symbolize his exemplary performance as the Forest Whitaker of the UConn football beat, reminiscent of Forest Whitaker’s performance as Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh in the television series The Shield.
Way too early prediction for next year
Peter: 10-4, including 3 wins against the ACC (UVA, Syracuse, BC), and a bowl win against a notable east coast program. Nearly everyone is back on offense, and most of the key pieces on defense return as well, so I expect a significant jump next season.
Alex: Shirrefs starts to match Orlovsky’s numbers and leads the team to an American-winning 11-1 (followed by a win in the AAC championship game and a bowl game). I improve my FGW (football games watched) from 2 to 4. I might even attend one!
Russ: The game against Syracuse will be the first home sellout of the Bob Diaco era. Also the team will play in the AAC title game. That’s right. I’m calling it. Come at me.
Meghan: 10-4 including a bowl win that isn’t the day after Christmas. I like to think good thoughts. (Also, beating Cuse and BC is going to be so so so sweet.)
Tyler: The non-conference slate should be easier next year, and the AAC looks rife with opportunity for the Huskies to ascend. I’ll say 8-4 in the regular season.
