Heading into today’s road opener in Bloomington, there was a lot of optimism, particularly after UConn’s performance against Illinois in week two. The defense had shown signs and offensively, under true freshman QB Jack Zergiotis, steps forward were seen. Then things got underway at Memorial Stadium and things went south. Here’s a breakdown of what was seen from afar during today’s game.

ROUGH DAY FOR ZERGIOTIS:

His first experience of college football on the road saw the Huskies gunslinger complete just 14-of-28 passing for 90-yards and one interception, which really highlighted his inexperience. As Zergiotis was in the grasp of a defender for a sack, he tried to flip the ball with his left hand to RB Art Thompkins. The ball was picked and returned for a touchdown that was really the back-breaker on the first drive of the second half, making it 24-3. Whether it was putting too much pressure on himself in his first time on the road, or not trusting his pocket, Zergiotis was uneasy beginning with the second drive of the game. The Huskies will need to instill confidence in the first-year player as the schedule does not get any easier, with UCF coming up on the road, who are coming off their first regular season loss since 2016.

MENSAH ABSENT IN 1ST QUARTER?:

RB Kevin Mensah didn’t play a snap in the first quarter against Indiana. That could have been just a matter of trying to spread the Hoosiers defense out early on, but it certainly was unusual for Mensah to not get a carry until the 2nd quarter. In fact, of the Huskies ten-plays in the 1st quarter, only one was a run, a handoff to Thompkins that went for just 2-yards.

UCONN LOST THE TIME OF POSSESSION BATTLE:

Coinciding with the decision to throw throughout the 1st quarter and only having 10 total plays, that left the defense in a difficult situation, as UConn’s three drives in the quarter totaled 2:11, 1:27 and 0:58 respectively, leading to the defense being on the field for extended stretches. At the half, Indiana had controlled the ball for nearly twice as much as the Huskies; 19:02 to 10:58, not a recipe for success for a young UConn defense. Did see an obvious missed hold on DT Travis Jones on a long pass play that kick-started one of the three scoring drives for IU in the first half.

INJURIES CAUSED SOME DEFENSIVE LAPSES:

Having not been in Bloomington, it was a little hard to track all of the injuries defensively, but Tyler Coyle, Tahj Herring-Wilson and D.J. Morgan all missed significant time during the game. I don’t believe Herring returned to the field after the Hoosiers first touchdown of the game. When Morgan went down the second time with a shoulder injury, his absence caused some holes in the defense, as Terrence Ganyi showed some hesitation in moments during the first real playing time of his career. Coyle seemed to hurt his lower leg, closer to the ankle and his loss did expose the secondary, as it seemed Diamond Harrell was also off the field at times Saturday. Having not had injuries throughout camp and been healthy through two weeks, the injury bug unfortunately hit in this one, which impacted the productivity on Saturday.

Offensively, Donovan Williams missed the game with an undisclosed injury and Robert Holmes replaced Cam DeGeorge at left guard. WR Ardell Brown again looked hobbled, as he was held to just 1-catch for 4-yards.

MYLES BELL’S 1ST SIGNIFICANT PLAYING TIME:

The true freshman cornerback was seen on the field after the first touchdown surrendered by the Huskies in the first quarter, filling in for Herring-Wilson. Bell looked like he belonged.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO FORCE TURNOVERS:

The Huskies recorded two takeaways today, including a forced fumble by Keyshawn Paul and Kevon Jones on the Hoosiers opening drive, recovered by Omar Fortt. The turnover led to the lone score for the Huskies on the day. Dillon Harris made an impressive one-handed interception from his defensive end spot in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.

HUSKIES INEFFECTIVE ON MONEY DOWNS:

The Huskies did not come through on both sides of the ball on third down. Offensively, UConn converted on just 3-of-14 attempts, while the defense surrendered a first down on 8-of-10.

UP NEXT:

UConn travels to Orlando to face UCF in the final AAC opener for the Huskies. The Knights are coming off their first regular season loss since 2016, as they fell at Pitt 35-34 in a wild finish. The game is sold out in Orlando and will be seen on ESPN2 at 7PM.