Jason Candle says UConn football has to stop compounding mistakes after Miami (OH) loss

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The UConn football team’s biggest issue in Saturday’s loss at Miami of Ohio could be summed up by one sequence late in the first half, when Renick Dorilas’ interception along the sideline was called back for a questionable defensive pass interference penalty.

The Huskies let their disapproval linger and, on the very next play, allowed a 57-yard touchdown to a tight end.

“We didn’t recover from mistakes. We let one play carry into two,” coach Jason Candle said Monday. “We’ve got to be able to let go and we’ve got to be able to get rid of it… The response can’t be the very next play give up an explosive touchdown. It just can’t be that. So we’ve got to understand, whether it’s good or it’s the worst day of my life, there’s some learning to be done and we’ve got to stay in the moment and play the next play.”

The theme was similar after Miami converted twice on 4th-and-1. In the second quarter, the RedHawks converted with a 16-yard pass and found the end zone from 10 yards out the very next play. They found themselves in a similar position during the ultimate game-winning drive and converted to get into field goal range.

Negative plays on offense lingered, too, with penalties taking away chunk plays and small mistakes compounding into setbacks. The unit looked far from in sync after the opening quarter.

“It’s tough at times when you’re rolling on offense and then a negative play like a holding happens, or somebody’s not looking in the right direction,” said senior captain and right guard Ty Chan. “I know I had a play where I didn’t have my eyes in my gap and it was a TFL on 3rd-and-1 on a counter play, so just being able to have short-term memory is such a big component, especially being an offensive lineman. But, like I said before, just having a young team and being positive is such a big, big part of our program right now.”

It will take some time for Huskies, still a collection of young players from all over the country, learning under an almost all-new coaching staff, to be a well-oiled machine. But they have an opportunity to respond in a big way as Syracuse comes to Rentschler Field Saturday with its own set of struggles at 1-2 with major questions at quarterback.

“Am I seeing improvement? Absolutely, in a lot of ways,” Candle said. “Let’s be serious here: If you give up 24 points in today’s college football game, you should win the game. We should’ve. We can get upset about our defense, and they gave up some yards, but 24 points is enough. We should win the game. But we didn’t score enough points on offense to do it.”

Rehashing the final minute

UConn had the ball on 1st-and-10 from the Miami 38-yard line, trailing by three with a timeout and 42 seconds left on Saturday, and didn’t pick up another yard. Four straight incompletions ended the game.

“I didn’t really feel confident into the wind with a 56-yard field goal with a freshman kicker after watching the Miami kicker kick a (40-yarder) and it hit the crossbar and bounced up in the air. We were trying to win the game and we had some cracks at it,” Candle said. “We were just off on the play on the sideline where we didn’t get a foot in, the ball was just off to the side a little bit. Ball down the field on the post, I thought the guy grabbed him but it was still catchable. We had opportunities. With all the things that maybe went wrong, we were right there at the end of the game with a chance to win the game and we just didn’t seize it. It just tells you you’re not a finished product, you’re not where you need to be yet and you’ve got to go back to work and fix the mistakes.”

Dom Amore: This UConn football defensive ‘star’ rising from walk-on to key contributor

Pegg earns scholarship

Hayden Pegg joined the UConn football program as a preferred walk-on in 2023. He worked his way onto the field as a special teamer, appearing in nine games and making two tackles last season.

Now he is the Huskies’ leading tackler (29) at linebacker and, just last week, was rewarded for his efforts by being put on scholarship.

“I feel like he truly earned that. I really appreciate him, he’s a guy that’s gonna show up and work no matter what the situation or circumstance is, he’s always gonna have the same attitude and he’s ready to work,” said captain K’Von Sherman. “I was low-key waiting for it to happen. Should have happened after spring (ball), but I’m grateful that he was able to get that.”

Crushing news for former Husky Cam Edwards

Norwalk native Cam Edwards, who ran for over 1,200 yards as a Husky last season before transferring to Michigan State, was carted off the field during the Spartans’ game against Nebraska on Saturday. It was announced Monday that he will be out for the season.

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