The next matchup for the Illinois football team is the UConn Huskies on Saturday afternoon.
UConn wasn’t a good program last season and that is carrying over to 2019 as well. Their offense threw for 166.2 yards per game in 2018, which ranked No. 112 in the nation. The Huskies running attack was a little better as they rushed for 193.9 yards per game, which ranked No. 40 in the nation.
Here is a breakdown of the UConn Huskies offense.
Quarterback
The UConn Huskies had a really bad team in 2018 with a record of 1-11, and that was with a quarterback in David Pindell who had a good year. Pindell threw for 1,962 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season. Well, he has departed the program and now Mike Beaudry is taking over the quarterback duties.
UConn didn’t exactly face a juggernaut the first game of the season. They went up against Wagner and struggled mightily. While the Huskies did come away with a win and tie their win-total from 2018, they only beat Wagner by three points. Beaudry didn’t have a very good game either. He threw for 158 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Running Back
UConn’s rushing attack suffered a major hit in 2019 when Pindell left the program. While he was the quarterback, he was also the leading rusher on the team going for 1,142 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. The Huskies leading running back from last season returned, though.
Kevin Mensah was able to produce 1,045 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2018. His numbers are looking solid again as he put up 144 yards and 1 touchdown against Wagner. Something to point out is his yards per carry average. He only averaged 4 YPC against Wagner. That is bad considering the team they are facing.
Art Thompson might be the most impactful running back UConn has on the team. He only stands at 5-foot-8, 185-pounds, but he put up 91 yards and 1 touchdown against Wagner while also having a 5.4 YPC average. I would say the running game is the strong point of this offense.
Wide Receivers/ Tight End
The wide receivers and tight ends took a hit for the UConn Huskies heading into this season. Three of the top four wide receivers departed the program only leaving Zavier Scott to man the ship. He had 33 catches for 228 yards and 1 touchdown in 2018.
UConn also lost their top two tight ends in Aaron McLean and Tyler Davis. They accounted for 633 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Huskies in 2018. Honestly, the attrition at wide receiver and tight end probably hurt this offense tremendously. Matt Drayton led the way week one with 5 catches for 51 yards. The passing game was spread out, but there wasn’t one player who stood out.
Offensive Line
The most impressive thing about the UConn football team is their offensive line. Without a good offensive line, nothing else can work. The Huskies have built themselves a solid bunch of hogs up front.
Four out of the five starting offensive linemen for UConn have a great deal of experience. Left tackle Ryan Van Demark has 22 starts, left guard Cam DeGeorge has 24 starters, center Nino Leone has 12 starts and right tackle Matt Peart has 37 starts.
Right guard Christian Haynes is the only one with inexperience and he is a redshirt freshman starting at right guard. But I am impressed with the experience of the Huskies’ offensive line.
Overall
This shouldn’t be a tough offense to figure out quickly. They can’t pass the ball well. Their strength is their running game which is aided by a solid offensive line.
Illinois’ defensive line is going to be challenged at times. UConn will probably have a few solid runs during the game. But I don’t expect the Huskies to put up many points, if any. Illinois should be able to force multiple turnovers as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a shutout with at least one defensive touchdown.