AAC Preview: UConn
After a miserable 2014 campaign in which they finished below one-win SMU in the American Athletic Conference standings, the Connecticut Huskies took sizeable strides towards respectability last year.
The Huskies advanced to a bowl game for the first time in five seasons and upset conference champion Houston in a late November game in Hartford. The season ended with a disappointing St. Petersburg Bowl loss to Marshall, leaving UConn with a 6-7 record.
Third-year coach Bob Diaco has established a good young base in Connecticut and in 2016 the Huskies will return a very high amount of starters. Ten offensive starters return and it will be hard not to improve on last years offensive output. The Huskies could not move the ball in any of their losses, and finished seventh from the bottom of the country with just 17.2 points-per-game. Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs returns under center but the jury is still out on the passer who threw just nine touchdowns against eight interceptions last season. The continuity on offense is still a bright spot for UConn this year, who also might not need to light up scoreboards to post wins.
The Huskies defense will be a force to reckon with in 2016, as it was when it led the conference in points against in 2015. Connecitcut ranked 17th in the nation with 19.8 points allowed per-game and the unit returns a number of starters for 2016. The defense is anchored by shutdown cornerback Jamar Summers but has depth across the board particularly on the line where Foley Fatukazi and Mikal Myers line up.
UConn has a chance to turn heads this year if the defense remains at its high level and the offense rises to just a mediocre one. The schedule is by no means a murderers row, but there are some challenges including Virginia, Syracuse and Boston College in out of conference play. Road games at Houston and Navy will also prove to be tough tests and establish the AAC pecking order this fall. SMU fans will have to get their UConn fix on television this year, as the two teams do not meet for a rematch of 2014’s battle for the basement.
An increased offensive output is key to the 2016 Huskies, and it would not be surprising to see considering the amount of returners. The defense will most likely not disappoint but UConn does not make a huge jump this year unless the stress is taken off them. Regardless, UConn continues to rise, but only marginally.
Prediction: 7-5, Bowl game