With early injuries impeding the offense, UConn needs more from their O-Line.
Key injuries, to starting quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson and wide receiver Keelan Marion, have placed an emphasis on the offensive line to remain as stout as they looked in the team’s season-opening loss at Utah State.
Head coach Jim Mora Jr. was impressed with his O-Line’s performance last Saturday. While it didn’t reflect in the final score, the unit shined on the stat sheet.
In pass protection, the Huskies didn’t allow a sack. To add perspective for how impressive this was, last year UConn allowed 40 sacks in 12 games.
“It is a really great group to be around,” Mora said Tuesday, during his Week 1 press conference. “They are just workers. They don’t say much, and they are a very intelligent group. I think coach (Gordon) Sammis has done a great job with those guys, they understand the schemes, they play well together, and I thought they had a good performance on Saturday.”
The pass protection was strong for the O-Line, furthermore, so was their run-blocking.
Against Utah State, the Huskies ran for 245 yards on the ground. Running back Nate Carter ran for 190 of those yards.
Carter, along with true freshman QB Zion Turner, will now project to play integral roles in the UConn game plan. For this to materialize, however, the O-Line must continue to impress.
“I am excited to see where we can go with those guys,” Mora said. “It is so important, especially with a young quarterback, to establish the run. If you establish the run, you can open things up with the pass game. We were able to establish the run and the pass game will come along.”
