At long last, it was time to shut up and play.
It was an offseason filled with speculation, reeling disappointment and off-the-field giggles, so it felt good to see the 2015 UConn Huskies suit up for the first time against outside competition.
Regardless of the opponent, regardless of how it happened, UConn needed a win, and that’s what the Huskies got. They held off FCS power Villanova, 20-15, to win their season opener and earn a winning record for the first time since before Kevin Ollie coached his first basketball game.
“All credit to those young men who have worked so hard,” head coach Bob Diaco said after the game. “For them to get a win against a formidable opponent like Villanova, who is going to win a lot of games, is exactly the kind of contest we needed to play in preparation for the rest of the season.”
Bryant Shirreffs completed 12 of 20 passes for a total of 202 yards and two touchdowns in his UConn quarterback debut. A 69-yard pass to Tommy Myers at the start of the second half highlighted his day. That pass put the Huskies on Villanova’s 2-yard line and set up Ron Johnson for an eventual 1-yard touchdown run.
“He’s a weapon in the passing game,” Diaco said of Myers. “And he bleeds blue. So it’s infectious to everyone on the team. He’s a great teammate.”
That may sound like typical Diaco speak, but even if it is, all that matters is that his players buy into it.
“Everything he speaks on, it’s a process,” senior safety Andrew Adams said. “Tonight it showed up on the scoreboard, and if we follow coach’s plan, we will be OK.”
The Shirreffs-to-Myers connection was exactly the response UConn needed coming out of the locker room. The Huskies led 6-0 after putting together a touchdown on their opening drive of the game, but reverted to 2014 form, yielding a safety early in the second quarter, followed by a Villanova touchdown and an interception on a pass intended for Myers.
The Huskies trailed 9-6 at halftime in a score that only UConn could give you.
But that’s all forgotten now. After UConn took the lead at the start of the second half, they never trailed again. The Huskies held the Wildcats off the scoreboard for the first 28 minutes of the second half, and tacked on another touchdown in the meantime on a 27-yard pass from Shirreffs to Arkeel Newsome on their final full drive of the game.
The good:
- The opening drive of each half. In the first half, UConn used just over seven minutes to methodically advance across the field, culminating in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Shirreffs to Myers. In the second half, it was more of the same.
- Johnson looked great at times. His final line gave him 23 carries for 69 (nice) yards, but that included six runs of eight or more yards and does not include a 24-yard rush that was negated by a UConn penalty.
- Myers. His final line gave him only two receptions, but both were the keys to UConn touchdowns. There was, however, a pass in the second quarter that he could not handle and resulted in Shirreffs’ only interception.
- One could not have realistically expected more from Shirreffs’ first real game in over a year. The transfer from NC State appeared to have confidence and a strong rapport with the UConn offense. He’ll continue to shake off the rust over the next few weeks.
- Sophomore linebacker Luke Carrezola was the defensive star of the game. He had six total tackles, including a sack of Villanova quarterback John Robertson.
- For much of the game, UConn wasn’t hampered by penalties. The Huskies were penalized four times for a total of 30 yards.
The bad:
- The entire second quarter. UConn had two drives in the period, and they ended in a safety and an interception. Meanwhile, they allowed Villanova to control the ball nearly the entire way.
- The Huskies allowed Villanova to convert on third down nine times, including four in third-and-long situations.
- Foley Fatukaski was tossed from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct during Villanova’s final drive of the game. That extended the possession and resulted in a touchdown. Per NCAA rules, Fatukaski will also have to sit for the first half of next week’s game against Army. Despite some bright spots on Thursday, UConn is still not a good team and can’t gift advantages to other teams like that.
- Villanova often shot itself in the foot, and UConn was unable to take advantage. That included the interception near the end of the first half. The Huskies were having a disastrous quarter and could have wiped that from their minds with a strong drive to close. Shirreffs completed a pass to Max DeLorenzo for 11 yards to the UConn 43, then a Villanova personal foul moved the ball all the way up to the Wildcats’ 28. It was a golden opportunity, squandered in painful fashion.
- While the night ended in a UConn win, it was overall a rough night for the American. Duke clobbered Tulane, 37-7 and Florida International upset UCF 15-14 in Orlando.
Bob Diaco Undefeated Watch:
9/3 vs. Villanova WIN! THE DREAM IS STILL ALIVE!
9/12 vs. Army
9/19 at Missouri
9/26 vs. Navy
10/2 at BYU
10/10 at UCF (Civil ConFLiCT)
10/17 vs. USF (Homecoming)
10/24 at Cincinnati
10/30 vs. East Carolina (non-conference)
11/7 at Tulane
11/21 vs. Houston
11/28 at Temple
#DiacoDinnerUpdate:
After every game last season, Bob Diaco was sure to tell reporters how dinner would taste, based on the result.
Bob Diaco on dinner time @Russ_Steinberg pic.twitter.com/u5BqS1HGcs
— Matt Zampini (@Matt_Zamp) September 4, 2015
See you next week, guys!
