UConn football: Five takeaways from road loss to Air Force

Air Force stuck to what it knows best. The Falcons ran their option offense, piled up over 350 rushing yards and let the Huskies wear themselves out chasing it in a 35-26 win at Falcon Stadium. UConn’s defense had no easy answer for one of the nation’s most unique offenses, but the Huskies also hurt themselves. A missed extra point, untimely penalties and a fake punt that set up a touchdown turned a possible comeback into a stinging loss. “We have to understand just how valuable the margins in college athletics are,” UConn coach Jason Candle said on the Fox Sports Radio Postgame show. "When you play a team that's wholeheartedly committed to one style and one way of football, they don't know any other way. It's really hard to get them off the field as is. “When the other team can pressure you and put heat on you, and you only have eight or nine possessions, you have to be critically dialed in. We folded today, and we didn't do it.” Here are the biggest takeaways from UConn’s loss: Defense got carved up The numbers don’t lie. UConn gave up 366 rushing yards and allowed Air Force to control the ball for 26 minutes in the second half. The Falcons averaged just under five yards per rush and were 7-of-16 on third down attempts. So, was this a case of struggling against a unique offense or just a dud of a performance on defense? Well, it was a little of both. Air Force was going to have success on the ground. The Falcons are too experienced in this system, which makes it especially hard for a team that doesn’t have a history playing them to stop. But what UConn needed was to get stops when it mattered, and too many times that didn’t happen. Air Force imposed its identity early and often, getting into the third- and fourth-and short downs that it prides itself on converting. The backbreaker came when Air Force strung together a 19-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter that lasted nearly 12 minutes. “You have to find a way to create a couple of turnovers, which we didn't,” Candle said. “Then you have to get them into some third and longs, which we did at times. And when we got into some third and longs, we got the ball back. The problem is when we got the ball back we weren't able to produce any points the next drive. So, when you don't do that, it just resets, and the clock just keeps ticking.” Special teams let down UConn’s special teams unit has been solid this season. They haven’t won games but haven’t lost them either. But on Saturday, special teams will have a large cut of the blame pie. Freshman kicker Jack O’Connor’s missed extra point attempt in the third quarter proved to be crucial, ultimately making what was a one-possession game into a two-scoring one. Punter Tommy Warner has been excellent all season, but two botched punts in the first half gave Air Force a short field that led to scores. And perhaps the biggest play of the afternoon came when Air Force pulled off a fake punt late in the third quarter that led to a touchdown that put the Falcons up by 14. “We were sloppy in the kicking game. We gave up a fake punt and missed an extra point,” Candle said. “Just when it could go wrong, it went wrong. It's sad that's the case because it masks a lot of really good plays as well.” What about penalties? UConn did a good job limiting the number of penalties it usually has. The Huskies had just five infractions that led to 46 penalty yards. But the timing of their infractions came at bad times. “If you look at the board today, we didn't have many penalties. Okay, well, the times that we did have them; they were in costly situations,” Candle said. "The goal is to play clean football in all three phases, right? And we weren't able to do that.” Big plays While the offense struggled to find a consistent rhythm, UConn proved it can dial up explosive plays. The Huskies had six pass plays of 15 or more yards and three rushes that went for 10 or more yards. The longest play of the day came when quarterback Kalieb Osborne found tight end Alex Godavitarne for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Kenji Christian’s 46-yard touchdown rush was the longest play on the ground. Highlights: UConn football vs Air Force | Huskies can’t stop Falcons’ rushing attackUConn vs Air Force grades: Grading UConn football's performance in loss to Air ForceOn to North Carolina The Huskies will have to turn the page on Saturday’s game and refocus their attention on a big matchup against North Carolina. It will be former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick return to the region, and he has the Tar Heels playing respectable football. Next Saturday’s game will be vitally important to getting to the six-win bowl eligibility threshold for UConn. The rest of the schedule will be a battle against James Madison and Wyoming at the back end of the season. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: UConn football: Five takeaways from road loss to Air Force