The UConn Huskies face a tall task Thursday night when they travel to Greenville, N.C. to take on the 18th-ranked East Carolina Pirates.
Mired in a four-game losing streak, the Huskies will be facing a team determined to continue its hot start and maintain its outside shot at a spot in the first College Football Playoff.
At the very least, the Pirates are on their way to the American Athletic Conference title and if they win out they will play in a big-time bowl game against a Power Five conference opponent.
What does all this mean for UConn? It means that coach Bob Diaco and company are looking at another game where they will have to take from the game whatever small wins they can find because they almost surely won’t take one on the scoreboard.
“I’ve said this ad nauseam, we are focused on ourselves and the things that we need to do in getting better, each player and each coach getting better every day,” Diaco said. “It doesn’t necessarily fit into the opponent but if it needs to be done and coached and taught right now, then we are doing it.”
The struggles of the UConn offense have been well documented. The Huskies rank 127th out of 128 FBS teams scoring 12.8 points per game. The Pirates rank 12th at 41 points per game.
East Carolina QB Shane Carden has been playing about as well as any quarterback in the country and comes into Thursday’s game ranked fifth in the country at 354.8 passing yards per game. Carden has thrown for 16 TDs with four interceptions.
“They have a great quarterback, he is outstanding. He is one of the best, most productive players in the country,” Diaco said. “One of the most productive players in their history and he has some very talented players to get the ball to.”
Carden is not the only weapon the Pirates have either. Wide receivers Justin Hardy and Isaiah Jones have combined for 89 receptions for 1,071 yards and nine TDs. Running back Breon Allen rushed for 124 yards and a TD last week against South Florida and the Pirates rushed for 231 as a team.
The UConn defense ranks 17th in the nation in total defense at 325.0 yards per game and its battle with Carden and the Pirates offense will be the most interesting thing to watch in this match-up. The UConn offense figures to have another tough time putting up points, but if the defense continues to play well, they may be able to keep the Huskies in this one for a while.
Despite playing the best offense it has seen this season and perhaps the best one on its schedule, Diaco is looking only for improvement and won’t make many changes just because of the opponents big-play potential.
“We are always looking for more negative plays and turnovers but we are not a feast or famine outfit,” Diaco said. “You see a lot of teams play like that and you may see a lot of sacks, TFL’s and maybe a pick or a ball disruption here or there but also see a lot of points. So our objective, and we are built, because we want to keep the points down. So nothing is going to compromise that charge.”
Edited By: Ali Balchunas
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