Joe Harasymiak was pretty clear about the challenges UConn will present when he met with reporters on Monday.
“This is the most explosive offense by far we will probably face all year,” Harasymiak said.
Harasymiak clearly has a ton of respect for first-year UConn head coach Jason Candle, who had a ton of success in the MAC at Toledo before taking over the Huskies.
“It starts with obviously Coach Candle,” Harasymiak said. “Was a power in this league for a very, very long time, has won a lot more games than I have, done a great job. And you can see that he’s in his first year there and he’s building what he wants to build.”
What he has built is a big-play machine. UConn is 13th in the country in 20-yard-plus plays, with 58 through six games.
“They are going to heavily, heavily challenge us,” Harasymiak said. “They’ve got skill on the outside. I think they’re the best group of backs we’re going to see up until this point, backs that can get a lane and get a crease and go for the entire length of the field. They’ve shown it, they’ve proven it.”
UConn quarterback Kalieb Osborne is the triggerman. Harasymiak sees a young quarterback on the rise, the kind whose weekly growth is part of the problem of playing him in October.
“Quarterback’s playing very, very well,” Harasymiak said. “He’s getting better every game. A young quarterback, there’s that growth process. There’s nothing you can do to speed that up, and I think he’s just playing better every game. He’s putting the ball where it needs to be. He’s great with his legs.”
The defense presents a different kind of problem. UConn defensive coordinator Ryan Manalac came from Pitt, and the Huskies play like it, with pressure and man coverage in the Minutemen’s face.
“Defensively, they’re going to get after us,” Harasymiak said. “They’re going to pressure you. They’re going to get in your face. We have to play violent. We’ve got to play with our eyes up and pick up stuff, and then ultimately, when the play presents itself, whatever that is, we’ve got to make it.”
Even the special teams got a warning label from Harasymiak.
“Special teams also, they’re just sound,” Harasymiak said. “They do a good job. They create a lot of plays. The returners are dynamic.”
Add it up, on the road, on six days against a team coming off its bye, and Harasymiak’s summary of the assignment seemed pretty honest.
“A very talented team, very explosive on both sides of the ball. It can get ugly quickly if we don’t play the way we need to play.”
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