UConn vs. Syracuse O-Line Breakdown

Another hard-fought game for the Huskies this week against Syracuse that unfortunately resulted in a loss, dropping UConn to 2-2 (0-1 AAC) on the season.

This game wasn’t much different than any of the games this season, a tale of two-halves, only this time those halves were split into the First/Fourth quarter and the Second/Third quarter.

Let’s take a look at the how the offensive line performed.

Pass Protection:

In the first quarter we saw the O-line struggling to get started out of the gate for the fourth straight week, scoring no points. They continued to struggle with twists and pressures, especially the interior lineman, which caused Bryant Shirreffs to scramble and throw under duress constantly. After a quick start by Syracuse left the Huskies down 14-0, a slow start was the last thing the team needed out of their offense.

The end of the first quarter into the second quarter saw things start to change with the offense as well as the offensive line. Shirreffs was finding himself in a clean pocket with time to throw. The line looked solid up front, winning individual match ups and even picking up pressure.

More impressive play in the third quarter kept the Huskies alive in this one as they were able to put together 3 out of 4 drives for scores and tie the game at 17.

Then in the fourth quarter the Huskies execution up front began to falter again. Lots of interior pressure causing issues in the passing game and overall killing drives. The line was able to provide some protection but was still having issues with penetration even during the obvious passing situations of the final two-minute drill.

Run Game:

Staying true to the trend we’ve seen this season, 2 out of the first 3 drives ended as three-and-outs for our offense during the first quarter. The line showed some issues with passing off twists in the run game as well as the pass game which created plenty of issues trying to move the ball. The interior penetration made it difficult for the offense to get anything going early on in the game.

Moving into the second and third quarter we began to see some consistency with running the ball to the inside, picking up 4-6 yards on almost every hand-off. The Huskies were able to convert on multiple 4th-and-1 situations as well as some 3rd-and-1 situations which shows a positive surge by the offensive line. The combination of the success in the run game and the complimentary success of the protection helped put together the three scoring drives that took place in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

During the 4th quarter UConn was still able to have success running the ball up the middle, until they found themselves with a 1st and goal from eight yards out. The Huskies went with four straight runs but could not get into the end zone, eventually turning the ball over on downs at the 1-yard line. When the Huskies finally regained possession of the ball it was all passing in an obvious catch up situation.

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The offensive line continues to show us glimpses of how well they can play, but inconsistency is holding them back from really putting together a solid game as a unit.