Final: USF beats UConn, 17-14

That was terrible. Don't let the score fool you, this game wasn't close at all. South Florida quickly built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and would have been leading by that margin at the half if it wasn't for a Byron Jones interception return for a touchdown towards the end of it. The Bulls held on across a hideous second half to win, 17-14.

The second half started with both teams exchanging punts in a furious battle for field position, one that UConn lost. Time after time they were running on third and long because it doesn't appear they trust Chandler Whitmer to throw deep in his own territory. The punting continued through the fourth quarter until a USF field goal with 6:38 left gave them an insurmountable 17-7 lead.

UConn's discovery of the forward passing play late in the fourth quarter led to their first plays in USF territory, and a 32-yard Geremy Davis touchdown with 1:19 left. This was too little, too late, though as the Huskies were unable to recover the onside kick. Game over.

Maybe we can write off some of the poor play to the heavy rain but overall UConn looked awful today. A defensive touchdown and a last-ditch touchdown drive made the final score look much less lopsided than it actually was.

UConn's offense was anemic- 132 yards of total offense, 44 rushing yards. Our running backs actually look decent when they can get some running lanes, but those were few and far between tonight.

After a 17-yard run on the first drive, the Huskies didn't get another first down until midway through the third quarter. The offensive line looked awful. They couldn't create space for runners and Whitmer rarely had adequate time to throw. It is becoming exceedingly clear that this offensive line can't hang against solid competition. It's going to be a major problem going forward and unsafe for Chandler Whitmer.

There are going to be bumps in the road when rebuilding, but this was an ugly and painful one. Hopefully the Huskies can turn it around next weekend when they host Temple.