UConn football wallopped by Purdue, 49-0

The first game after Randy Edsall’s departure from UConn football looked a lot like the other ones. Purdue’s offense strolled down the field with little resistance from the Huskies as the Boilermakers comfortably covered the spread in a 49-0 win.

After punting on the first drive, Jack Plummer (no relation to NFL great Jake Plummer), David Bell and the rest of Purdue’s offense torched UConn in the second quarter. In the second half, backup and third-string players continued their success against the Huskies’ starters.

Plummer completed 19-of-24 attempts for 274 yards and four touchdown passes before being pulled shortly into the second half. Bell had 121 yards rushing on just six carries, scoring three touchdowns before calling it a day. Blown coverages and missed tackles were hallmarks of the UConn defense, leading to many big plays.

Purdue ended the day with a gaudy 562 yards of total offense with 28 first downs, more than double UConn’s corresponding totals, and nearly doubled up the Huskies in yards per play, with 7.2 to UConn’s 3.6.

The Huskies’ new starting quarterback Steven Krajewski showed flashes, but baffling play-calling held him back. Krajewski went 11-for-18 passing for just 91 yards passing, but uncorked some nice-looking deep balls and looked generally competent in the pocket and while scrambling. But the offensive line really struggled to protect him. The line was generally ineffective in the rushing game as well, often failing to make a push on early downs or in short-yardage situations.

The closest UConn got to putting points on the board came with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter, when Krajewski floated a ball that passed through the outstretched hands of Jayce Medlock, giving rise to an anguished groan from the UConn crowd.

UConn is now 0-3 on the year and has been outscored 94-0 by FBS opponents. It gets slightly easier next Saturday at Army, but the triple option is just as likely to suffocate UConn’s defense as anyone in the country. The game will take place at noon in West Point, New York.