Utah State vs. UConn: Get To Know The Huskies
Can the Aggies get a road win?
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Utah State has a chance to show off.
Utah State is going on the road to face a winless and hapless UConn team. The Huskies went to a bowl game last year but don’t seem to be on track this year under Jim Mora, Jr.
This makes the 2023 UConn team a mystery of sorts, so to get to know them better we reached out to Aman Kidwai of The UConn Blog for a closer look.
1. What has changed from last year to this year so far? The Huskies went to a bowl game but are not 0-4 to start the year?
Hard to know, but we have many working theories.
Savvy UConn fans knew that a fair amount of luck contributed to them winning six games. Still, for a program that had struggled so mightily in years past, even if two of three of those 2022 wins were thisclose to being losses, the team appeared to have a competence, especially defensively, that is now missing, even though most key starters returned. Even if they didn’t win as many games in 2023, we expected that overall competence to continue. That has not been the case.
The offense was not good last year, but a true freshman QB was thrown into the fire after Ta’Quan Roberson went down at Utah State in last year’s season opener. We thought the offense would improve this year, but it has stayed the same or maybe is worse. They haven’t scored a touchdown in the first half since the first drive of the season opener against NC State.
Maine transfer Joseph Fagnano started the season under center but was ineffective and then lost for the year due to an injury. Roberson assumed the starting duties but has not fared better. His completion percentage has been under 50% in most games, with his overall stats boosted by late-game drives in blowouts.
Defensively, the Huskies are committing silly penalties and allowing a lot of big plays. Georgia State and FIU gashed them on multiple occasions. Last week Duke didn’t really need to as it got multiple short fields and was quickly getting the ball back after short UConn drives.
I also think that many teams across the board improved via the portal, so whatever potential improvement we may have ascribed to UConn based on improved depth from experienced additions may be a wash at best.
2. The offense is struggling to score points this year, what has been the concerns with that?
The concerns are many, but either that the receivers are not getting separation or the quarterback is not finding them in time. Drops have been an issue as well. The UConn offensive line is solid, with one NFL prospect and multiple players graded well by PFF, and the backfield has some talented options in Devontae Houston and Victor Rosa. But they haven’t really been able to put it together to form a cohesive, balanced attack.
BREAKING: Per source, RB Devontae Houston will be redshirting and entering the transfer portal. Houston is the second RB to transfer this season after Brian Brewton, leaving Victor Rosa, Jalen Mitchell, and Cam Edwards in the backfield.@UConnRivals
— Graham Chamberlain (@Pawsarfblog) September 27, 2023
3. Who are the key players on offense and defense that Utah State should focus on?
Houston and Rosa are the top names. They’re the only ones who have had good individual performances when the games were still in question. Rosa ripped a 72-yard TD run against NC State and was UConn’s leading rusher against a tough Duke defense with nearly five yards per carry. Houston averaged nearly 7 yards per carry last year and had a good game against FIU, but has otherwise been quiet and missed most of last week’s game due to illness. Rosa has been a little banged up as well.
I would also add Justin Joly, a talented receiver from the tight end position. UConn has been trying to get him the ball more but he’s had some drops and the passing game, as previously mentioned, has been struggling.
4. What is the best thing UConn does that could get them their first win of the year?
The offensive line is fairly solid compared to all of the other position groups on the team. If the Huskies can leverage a solid rushing performance into anything for the passing game, that will be the ticket. The defense can hold up if it gets a little bit more time and isn’t put into tough field-position situations frequently.
5. How do you see this game playing out?
I’m optimistic that UConn can show more fight in this game than it has in any other game thus far. However, unless the Huskies can magically coordinate a competent passing game while preventing big plays, two things they have largely failed to do all year, I think Utah State is winning this one.
The Aggies seem to have found their guy at QB and even if their defense is not great UConn has not proven itself as able to take advantage of that. I even like them to cover the spread. It could be a low-scoring affair, so maybe USU doesn’t cover as road favorites, but I think they’re still a tougher team than their record and even advanced metrics might suggest.
