Army Runs Over UConn: 5 Fenway Bowl Takeaways

5. The Wasabi Fenway Bowl went exactly like it was supposed to

UConn was missing just about everyone, including its head coach, Army had everything in place - because it's Army, and there are no opt-outs - and absolutely every box was checked.

Was the UConn quarterback situation an issue? Ksaan Farrar gave it a run, but yeah.

Did Army control the clock against a team that was awful all year in the time of possession battle? It had the ball for over 36 minutes.

Was UConn a shadow of its regular season self? Absolutely. And, of course ...

4. Army's running attack was perfect for this game

Army ran for 387 yards on North Texas, over 300 yards against Charlotte, and as good as it was all year on the ground, it picked a great time to pull off one of its best performances of the season.

The first Army score was a 40-yard touchdown pass, but helped by a few massive dashes, the offense tore off 368 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and took over the game with Godspower Nwawuihe scoring runs from 70 and 43 yards.

UConn would've had problems with Army no matter what, but ...

3. This doesn't sour anything about UConn's season

UConn was missing everyone.

It started with no Jim Mora around - he's at Colorado State - and just about everyone of not hit the portal or was out. This was a team of Huskies starting backups all over the place, and they still managed to hang around for a while and fought the good fight.

This wasn't as 41-16 bad as the final score might have indicated.

And that's the problem sometimes in these bowls - this is the final game and, for a team like UConn, the one most people will see.

It was a nine-win season with three overtime losses - UConn was this close to being 12-0, with wins over Duke and Boston College. It was a fun season, the program showed it could win, and now ...

2. What's next for UConn going into the offseason?

The bar is set high for new head coach Jason Candle coming in from Toledo.

Mora showed that it's possible to win big in Storrs, and on the positive side to this blowout, plenty of players got practice and playing time, and there are plenty of openings to load up through the portal.

Candle and the staff will have to piece this together fast. 

It might look like a whole new team in a variety of ways, but there's a good enough base to build on. It'll help to get a home game against Lafayette first before dealing with Maryland.

1. What's next for Army going into the offseason?

As always, it's Next Man Up for the Black Knights, but they have a slew of key parts returning. 

Quarterback Cale Hellums is back, along with most of the offensive line, a slew of backs, and Godspower Nwawuihe - the start of the Fenway - no matter where he plays. 

The defense is a different story, losing most of the secondary and top linebackers, but again, Army always has the replacements ready to fill in.

Basically, it'll be more of the same. Army will still be good.