What The Heck Was UConn Football Doing in 2023?

If you want to know about the weight of expectations, look no further than UConn’s 2023 football team.

The UConn football program had been in a tailspin for a decade before Jim Mora returned to the sidelines from the commentary booth and led UConn to its first bowl game in years. The 2022 UConn football season was one of the most rewarding as a fan because the season started with no expectations and ended with nothing but positive vibes for the future.

The summer of 2023 might, unfortunately, have been the peak of UConn football since Randy Edsall deserted the program in January 2011. Not only was UConn coming off a successful season, but rumors abounded that UConn’s new football success made the possibility of a Power Five invite – either from the Big 12 or ACC – seem reasonable.

The fun wouldn’t last through August. Early that month, the Pac-12 imploded and the Big 12 added four schools, essentially ending any hope UConn would be extended an invite. The ACC closed ranks, for now, and UConn’s season started with the realization that a Power Five – err Power Four – invite wasn’t coming any time soon.

“That doesn’t matter!” I said to no one in particular. “We’re going to win our way in!” That one I said to my Dad, a long-time UConn football season ticket holder.

Then the season started.

It began with an admirable, but ultimately futile, effort against North Carolina State, a team that would finish 9-3 and in the Top 25. Despite some very questionable play calls and a head-scratching decision at starting QB, UConn remained in the game against a top opponent until the fourth quarter.

“We can build on this!” No, we could not.

The following week, the wheels fell off during a disastrous trip to Atlanta. UConn got blown out by Georgia State, which ended up going 6-6 in the Sun Belt. Not exactly a topflight opponent to get whipped by.  

It would only get worse from there. UConn looked disinterested during a blowout loss to FIU. A ranked Duke team came to East Hartford and blew the doors of the Huskies. A pathetic, embarrassing defensive meltdown in the 2nd half punctuated by a missed extra point in the final point caused a 1-point loss to Utah State.

The season was over before the calendar turned to October.

UConn ended the season with two wins over crappy teams, after being flat out embarrassed by Tennessee and James Madison in back-to-back road games. It wasn’t so much that UConn lost – it was watching the team again get completely outclassed by opponents who appeared to be playing a different sport.

It’s not yet December, but the flaming wreckage of the 2023 UConn football season is still smoldering as UConn fans gladly turn the page to basketball season. Anyone up for a repeat national championship?

The football program, for the 13th year in a row, must figure out what comes next. Ever since Randy Edsall’s first stint ended, UConn football has been searching the wilderness for an identity. In that time, UConn had two bowl seasons – both 6-7 seasons that included a flukey home win over a ranked opponent and a bad bowl loss. And both bowl seasons led to absolutely crippling disappointment the year after.

Yes, 2010 was the last time UConn football ended with a winning record. That seems bad.

What’s to be done about UConn football? Is Jim Mora the answer? Can UConn compete without being in a conference? How does NIL and the 12-team playoff factor into this?

The answer to everything is simple because winning cures all. We saw in 2022 that it only took a couple wins to turn the momentum around and provide UConn fans with some legitimate hope. Just as we saw in 2023 that it only took a couple losses to completely wipe out that momentum and get UConn fans thinking hoops before summer ends.

The most important question is whether Jim Mora is the guy who can build UConn into a consistent winner. Unfortunately, the answer is he must be. There’s not a better option out there. Top assistants and coaching prospects aren’t lining up around the block to coach a team with no recruiting base, no conference, and no fan support.

Whether UConn can compete without a conference is irrelevant because there is no conference calling for UConn football. Not until the team wins a lot more games.

The NIL factor received a lot of publicity when Mora blamed the lack of funding for his lack of winning games. That comment went over like a fart in church, and Mora quickly walked it back. He’s probably right, but he wasn’t crying about a lack of NIL dollars in August when he was publicly campaigning for an ACC invite.

The bottom line is that UConn football is strictly a results-based business right now. Whether the goal is to sell more tickets, get more people to watch, or to entice an invite from a power conference, UConn must win games. That’s it. It doesn’t have to be pretty or fancy. It doesn’t matter what’s on the helmets or what the uniforms look like.

Fans aren’t going to show up to Rentschler Field because of marketing campaigns or ticket giveaways. The UConn fanbase is essentially the same as a pro sports franchise – they’ll show up in droves, but only to see a winning product.

It’s silly to say 2024 will be the most important UConn football season ever. However, it might be the most consequential.

Either Jim Mora proves he’s the right guy for the job and turns UConn around, or he proves he’s another NFL retread and the program returns to square one looking for a football savior.

The 2024 season starts with a road game vs Maryland. UConn doesn’t need to win that game. But it needs to be able to win that game. Is that too much to ask?

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