How UConn football stacks up in national rankings through five weeks

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Through five weeks, the UConn football team has started to figure things out.

Expectations were set high for the start of the Jason Candle era after the Huskies set a new program record with 671 yards of offense in their opener against Lafayette. But they were quickly brought back to earth as the pass defense was exposed in a 38-14 home loss to a Maryland team that has struggled since.

Candle’s team looked like it figured something out in a convincing road win at Southern Miss in Week 3, but then surrendered a 14-point lead to lose at Miami, Ohio, and saw its own comeback from 20 points down come up short in overtime against Syracuse last weekend.

So the Huskies are 2-3 as they go on the road to Lincoln Financial Field, where they’ll meet Temple (2-3) on Saturday.

Here is how they stack up nationally:

Kalieb Osborne puts on ‘warrior’ performance as UConn football comes up just short against Syracuse

Offense

Quarterback Kalieb Osborne started to find his groove in the second half against Syracuse and now finds himself 41st nationally in passing yards with 1,164 and No. 20 in QB rushing yards with 243 on 53 attempts.

Running back Cyncir Bowers, coming off of his 163-yard effort against Syracuse, has the 55th-most rushing yards in the country with 349 on the season. And, with 14 different receivers who have at least 30 yards, five over 100, the Huskies don’t have anyone in the top 200 for receiving yards as they approach the midway point of the season. Javon Brown, the team’s leading receiver with 202 yards on 14 catches, is No. 208 nationally, though he will miss some time after suffering a concussion on Saturday.

Nonetheless, the trio has helped UConn to the No. 38 scoring offense in the country at 36 points per game.

The Huskies are No. 43 in total offense (438 yards per game), No. 46 in rushing (181.6) and No. 47 in passing (256.4). They rank No. 56 in red zone scoring percentage at 88.24%, No. 66 in 3rd down conversion percentage (41.94%) and No. 95 on 4th down (45.45%).

While Bowers’ 71-yard rushing touchdown tied Saturday’s game in the fourth quarter, it was only UConn’s 22nd run of the season that’s gone for at least 10 yards – a category in which the Huskies rank 74th nationally. They’ve had 51 passes for at least 10 yards, good for 28th in the nation.

The offense has contributed to UConn’s 44 penalties on the year. Only seven teams have been flagged more.

Defense

Unlike on the offensive side of the ball, where there is a clear balance in passing and rushing success, the defense has had a clear issue with the ball in the air and the numbers back it up.

The Huskies have the third-worst passing defense in the country, allowing 290.8 yards per game (No. 136 of 138), including 50 passes of 10 yards or more, which ranks 121st. They’ve been much better against the run, limiting opponents to 110.8 rushing yards per game, which is good for No. 35 nationally, and only 11 runs of 10 yards or more (No. 10).

All in all, the defense has allowed 26.2 points per game (No. 97) and 401.6 total yards of offense per game (No. 112). It’s seen opponents convert on 43.59% of their 3rd down opportunities (No. 111), 50% on 4th down (No. 61) and score on 84.21% of their trips into the red zone.

Hayden Pegg, the walk-on turned starting linebacker, leads the team with 35 total tackles, which puts him at No. 99 nationally. He is the 20th-highest rated linebacker by Pro Football Focus and the only UConn linebacker in the top 400. UConn’s sack leader, K’Von Sherman, is No. 49 nationally with 3.0 on the season, and he’s also been credited for three forced fumbles, which is second in the nation.

Special teams

UConn’s special teams units, led by freshman placekicker Jack O’Connor and punter Tommy Warner, have been exceptional at limiting return opportunities. Opponents have only attempted to return one punt, which went for 3.0 yards (No. 27), and three kickoffs for an average of 11.67 yards (No. 5).

In the placekicking game, O’Connor’s career has gotten off to a 2-for-4 start with both misses coming from 40-plus yards, one in each of the last two weeks after making his first two kicks at Southern Miss. He missed his first extra point attempt of the season on Saturday to get to 23 of 24 on the season.

Julian Allen has been a quality punt returner with 75 yards on six opportunities (No. 51) and had his first breakaway on a kickoff return for 48 yards against Syracuse, which brought him to 73 yards on three returns (No. 99).

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