The Post-Game Spread: BC was better
UConn had a chance to tie the game late but came up short.
Welcome to the Post-Game Spread, our take on the recap. Sorry for being late, blame the Halloween parties.
UConn football falls to 1-7 after losing to Boston College, and the early-season inclination toward criticism is giving way to respect for the team’s perseverance.
“I really appreciate the way these guys fight. It’d be really easy for them to give in, and they won’t,” head coach Jim Mora said after the game.
In most ways, the Huskies were outplayed on Saturday. The hosts nearly doubled UConn’s yardage, 433-222, as they gained 273 sack-adjusted rushing yards and dominated time of possession, 36:53 to 14:07.
“They’re a different looking team than they were last year when we played them,” Mora said of BC, which has five wins this season after winning three all of last year.
BC would have scored a lot more if it didn’t throw a red-zone pick or miss a field goal from the UConn 26. The Eagles gave the ball up twice without taking any turnovers and, at the end of the game, head coach Jeff Hafley choose to run out the clock deep inside Husky territory instead of adding to the margin.
Somehow, UConn found a way to make it a game in the fourth quarter. The Huskies responded to a BC touchdown that made the score 21-7 with a touchdown of their own, then forced a stop and got the ball back with 10:26 left, down just seven.
After a UConn holding penalty led to 3rd & 20, Ta’Quan Roberson hit Brett Buckman for 13 yards, getting to the BC 49.
On the ensuing 4th & 7 play, Jim Mora sent out field goal kicker Noe Ruelas for a 54-yard attempt. It missed. BC dinked and dunked downfield and held on for the final 6:44.
“My thought was, if we get within four, we’d have had three time-outs with 6:44 on the clock, we’ve been playing really good defense in the second half, and we had the wind. You need a stop and a touchdown wins it,” Mora explained.
“I wasn’t going to go for it on 4th & 9,” he said, adding that he would make the same decision again, even though he did say it was his hardest call of the game and acknowledged that he did put Ruelas in a tough spot.
Coming into the game as double-digit underdogs, Mora’s squad deserves some credit for playing hard and staying in it late. But he could have allowed his team compete a little bit more by letting the offense try to make a play on that 4th down.
A 54-yard field goal is a low percentage shot that also does not do much damage on the scoreboard and gives the other team the ball back. It’s not the reason UConn lost, but it leaves a sour taste and seems like a move from someone trying to make the final score as respectable as possible.
Also, some of the logic is flawed, as the defense was not making stops.
BC’s first third-quarter drive went for 14 plays and 56 yards, ending with a missed field goal; its next drive went for 70 yards and a touchdown. BC’s first punt of the game came in the fourth quarter to set up this potential game-tying drive.
Mora seems intent on counting on his defense in the clutch. He’s punted in enemy territory late in close games against FIU and USF. He wanted to go for an extra point to force overtime after scoring an end-of-game touchdown against Utah State, rather than going for two and the win.
Even though the defense has struggled, these late-game calls have hinged on a stout defensive response. Again, these decisions are not the reason UConn is 1-7, but they might not be helping and might also affect the mindset of the offensive players, who are being sidelined in crunch-time situations.
Up next, the Huskies visit 19th-ranked Tennessee before meeting No. 23 James Madison for their third road game in a row the following week. After that they host Sacred Heart and then visit UMass for their finale.
Mora’s squad needs to maintain its composure over the next two weeks and then take care of business in the two weeks after that. At this point, the season is about proving that progress has occurred even though the win-loss record isn’t moving forward from 2022.
Photo Credit: Twitter - @BCFootball
Win Probability
via ESPN
Stats & Facts
Victor Rosa did not play in this game and his absence was felt. Cam Edwards had a nice day, with 16 carries for 89 yards and a TD, but UConn was missing its primary offensive weapon. The offense went three-and-out three times and had two other drives where it did nothing.
Roberson finished 11-of-24 on his passing attempts for 130 yards.
Geordon Porter had his best game of the season: 3 receptions for 47 yards. He had two receptions in four other games and only crossed the 30-yard plateau one other time previously.
BC had 30 first downs, converting 10-of-16 third downs and 3-of-4 fourth downs, while UConn managed just 10 first downs, converting 4-of-11 on third down.
For the first time all season, Justin Joly did not record a reception in the game. He falls to third on the team in receptions and receiving yards behind Brett Buckman and Cam Ross, though all three have very similar numbers and one touchdown each.
Jelani Stafford scored UConn’s first touchdown, giving him six on the season to add to his team lead.
