Quarterback health is a key story line as both starter Greg Ward Jr. and backup Kyle Postma are recovering from injuries. | File photo/The Cougar
In this week’s round table, The Cougar sports staff discusses the football team’s first loss of the season and the impact on post-season implications.
Are you surprised the Cougars lost on Saturday?
Staff writer Dezmond Ewell: I am not surprised the Cougars lost Saturday. Yes, on paper they were supposed to easily win, but in the game, they did not play well at all. On offense, there were dropped passes and bad turnovers. On defense, they gave up way too much in the air, as well as on the ground.
Senior staff writer Michael Calderon: I am not that shocked, considering the whirlwind atmosphere of the Memphis game. With the team pouring all of their emotions into the Cougars’ biggest win of the season, the chances of a letdown were much greater. Not to mention the University of Connecticut is a much better team than their 6-5 record would lead you to believe.
How confident are you now of the Cougars chances to beat The United States Naval Academy?
Staff writer Dezmond Ewell: Right now, I’m not very confident. I’m not sure how healthy either of the starting quarterbacks are and the defense really showed some problems. Navy is not a team you can allow to break tackles and pick apart your defense. UH will have to come back with a chip on their shoulders, if they want to win.
Sports editor Bryce Dodds: I’d put the Cougars’ chances at about 25 percent. On one hand, the strong play of Navy and the weak play of UH in the past weeks certainly makes it seem like the Midshipmen will roll the Cougars. But the Cougars could come into this game angry and looking for revenge. It all hinges on the health of the Cougars’ quarterbacks though.
Do you think UH has a realistic shot at the New Year’s 6 bowl still?
MC: The Cougars are long removed from the dominance they displayed to start the season. Once the competition got tougher, offense got sluggish and defense was leaky at times. Two close wins and a loss to a .500 team doesn’t bode well for their chances of getting any higher-level bowl game.
BD: There’s definitely a shot. The Cougars have to win out, and a NY6 bowl is probably theirs. That being said, I’m not sure what their chances of actually winning the game would be. If UH stumbles into a loss against Navy, their bowl matchup would be paltry in comparison to the possibilities of a Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl berth.
Predict the outcome of the Navy game.
DE: This game is up in the air because it truly depends on which Cougar team we see: the good or the bad. Assuming the competitive and play-making Cougars show up, I predict a fourth-quarter-comeback win against the Midshipmen, 37-34.
MC: I see the Cougars dropping two in a row here. Navy has a stellar ground game, led by the all-time NCAA leader in rushing touchdowns, senior QB Keenan Reynolds and will be more than the UH defense can handle. Offensively, UH will struggle behind their banged up quarterbacks, leading to Cougars falling by double digits and limping into the bowl season.
it’s gonna be a tough game…navy has two huge running backs that could demolish our defense…and Coach Herman needs to get straight with the team on his coaching situation….I predict Ward comes out firing on all guns and will make a game of it…
–posting on the Coog-It UH football forum, far from the evil eye of puritanical moderators and their screeching cliques