Some observations from Day 1 of practice with the Huskies, who were just in helmets. Pads will debut Sunday.
Defensive end Kendall Reyes looked good. He frequently beat his man to apply pressure on the quarterback. If the redshirt freshman develops nicely this year, the Huskies will have serious depth at the position with Cody Brown, Lindsey Witten and Julius Williams.
Watching the quarterbacks, the amount each has had in the system was evident. Tyler Lorenzen is heads above the field. He has greater poise and showed considerable leadership. He communicated with the coaches and his unit between snaps. He did throw a pick on a pass intended for Kashif Moore. Good throw, but Darius Butler was in position early and got underneath Moore. Butler ran teh ball back 35 yards.
Cody Endres was the next best. Sure, it's just one day, but how these guys build on Friday over the next month will determine a lot of what the Huskies can and cant's do. Endres found Alex Molina, of Waterford, for a nice pass down the right sideline for about 35 yards.
Zach Frazer looked so-so, at best. He doesn't have great touch and it looked like he was squeezing the ball a bit too much. Maybe he's rusty, which is bad since most guys worked hard over the summer. It got me thinking why a Notre Dame-caliber QB transfers and decides between UConn and Cincy? Where was Penn State in the discussion?
Brandon Dillon and Keith Gray had a little smack talking. That was about the extent of the rough stuff from the players, who angered coach Randy Edsall with lackluster effort. At one juncture, Edsall yelled, "This is our tempo; not your tempo from the summer. Get into it."
Tony Ciaravino nailed a 50-yard field goal. Dave Teggert tried to match him, but was wide left.
Robbie Frey had a nice 35-yard run up the middle into the end zone.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I just thought I'd send this interesting, although useless, item your way. The folks at www.NFLdraftsite.com have made mock drafts for the next two seasons with the NFL teams drafting where they are in next month's draft.
Worth noting for 2009:
UConn QB Tyler Lorenzen going to Buffalo in the 3rd round of next year's draft, 73rd overall.
DE Cody Brown going 123rd to Jacksonville (4th round).
CB Darius Butler (226) and DE Julius Williams (242)as compensatory draft picks.
2010:
S Robert Vaughn goes 102 overall (4th round) to Kansas City.
OT Mike Hicks heads to Seattle with the 184th pick in round 6.
Donald Brown is a compensatory pick at 236.
As for this season, the site predicts CB Tyvon Branch as a fourth-round comp pick to Atlanta, 98th overall.
Worth noting for 2009:
UConn QB Tyler Lorenzen going to Buffalo in the 3rd round of next year's draft, 73rd overall.
DE Cody Brown going 123rd to Jacksonville (4th round).
CB Darius Butler (226) and DE Julius Williams (242)as compensatory draft picks.
2010:
S Robert Vaughn goes 102 overall (4th round) to Kansas City.
OT Mike Hicks heads to Seattle with the 184th pick in round 6.
Donald Brown is a compensatory pick at 236.
As for this season, the site predicts CB Tyvon Branch as a fourth-round comp pick to Atlanta, 98th overall.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
More on Jeffers, as promised.
This is a stupid move. Let's say he wants the ball thrown to him more considering the Huskies ran about 60 percent of the time. That's a fair enough request on the surface, but he was the team's leading receiver in both receptions and yards. He also dropped a lot of passes. In my estimation, had he caught half of the passes he dropped, he might have approached 800 yards -- not a bad total.
So he has two years left, decides that the two quarterbacks who will likely be throwing to him, Tyler Lorenzen and Zach Fraser, aren't going to do the trick so he should leave. He wants to play at Vandy. Right.
I get it, play at another BCS school where you'll win less but get thrown to more. That also means he'll drop more passes.
He says he's underutilized. Why doesn't Jeffers have this talk with his hands. Maybe 'ol righty and lefty need to transfer instead.
This is no less than one of two things: Jeffers being selfish and/or Jeffers thinking playing elsewhere will help his NFL aspirations. I hate to be the one to break it to the kid -- he's a nice one at that -- this is selfish and he isn't going to the NFL.
This is a stupid move. Let's say he wants the ball thrown to him more considering the Huskies ran about 60 percent of the time. That's a fair enough request on the surface, but he was the team's leading receiver in both receptions and yards. He also dropped a lot of passes. In my estimation, had he caught half of the passes he dropped, he might have approached 800 yards -- not a bad total.
So he has two years left, decides that the two quarterbacks who will likely be throwing to him, Tyler Lorenzen and Zach Fraser, aren't going to do the trick so he should leave. He wants to play at Vandy. Right.
I get it, play at another BCS school where you'll win less but get thrown to more. That also means he'll drop more passes.
He says he's underutilized. Why doesn't Jeffers have this talk with his hands. Maybe 'ol righty and lefty need to transfer instead.
This is no less than one of two things: Jeffers being selfish and/or Jeffers thinking playing elsewhere will help his NFL aspirations. I hate to be the one to break it to the kid -- he's a nice one at that -- this is selfish and he isn't going to the NFL.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
The Huskies picked up a verbal committment from Casey Turner , a quarterback from Virginia. He told me tonight that the facilities, the chance to start soon and the team's success this season were major factors in his decision.
Apparently, after Dennis Brown decided to leave, the Huskies gave Turner a call and made him a scholarship offer. How high are they on him, I'm not certain because this developed pretty suddenly. Where does he fit in? I have to think Tyler Lorenzen has the starting job and Zach Fraser is the primary backup.
Turner has the option of arriving for spring semester, but the wise move would be to sit out next year. He would play in his redshirt freshman year , Lorenzen would be gone and Fraser and Cody Endres would both be juniors. Meaning he would project to two years as the starter.
If he arrives this year and doesn't redshirt, he likely won't start next year and then as a sophomore would have to beat out two other quarterbacks for the next three years.
Apparently, after Dennis Brown decided to leave, the Huskies gave Turner a call and made him a scholarship offer. How high are they on him, I'm not certain because this developed pretty suddenly. Where does he fit in? I have to think Tyler Lorenzen has the starting job and Zach Fraser is the primary backup.
Turner has the option of arriving for spring semester, but the wise move would be to sit out next year. He would play in his redshirt freshman year , Lorenzen would be gone and Fraser and Cody Endres would both be juniors. Meaning he would project to two years as the starter.
If he arrives this year and doesn't redshirt, he likely won't start next year and then as a sophomore would have to beat out two other quarterbacks for the next three years.
Monday, December 31, 2007
I'm awake and at the UConn women's basketball game versus Army at the, uh, XL Center. Really, I'd like to protest, but that's neither here nor there.
From all accounts, the Charlotte experience was one that everyone liked. The bowl committee, the city, the teams, the media. On my end, I'd like to thank my old friend Frank Kay and his assistant Mary-Kate for their hospitality at the Hilton and throughout the week. Kay went the extra mile to make the media's job as stress free as possible.
I'd also like to thank the folks at Tweed Airport for the luggage counter expereince. It's a series of steel gates with heavy plastic in front of them. The baggage handler cranks open the gates and the baggage area looks like a makeshift elementary school puppet show stage. The hillarity of the moment was priceless.
Oh, and the lady who traveled with her hamster in the cooler. That was great.
Getting back to the football end, Randy Edsall will have his final teleconference with reporters shortly. You have to imagine that the theme will be positive considering all things. Sure the game was rough and the playcalling was questionable at best. But when you look at where this team was supposed to have been, this last month shouldn't have happened and the previous three would have been depressing.
Who's going to forget what happened? The highs, lows and the incredible.
I caution UConn fans from saying their school is a top 25 team. Not yet. Don't talk about how a share of the conference title proves the Huskies can compete with West Virginia. We saw in these last few games that there is a big gap between the Huskies and the Mountaineers, Bearcats and Demon Deacons.
Now the hope is taking the experience of this season and using towards next season and making 2008 better than 2007.
From all accounts, the Charlotte experience was one that everyone liked. The bowl committee, the city, the teams, the media. On my end, I'd like to thank my old friend Frank Kay and his assistant Mary-Kate for their hospitality at the Hilton and throughout the week. Kay went the extra mile to make the media's job as stress free as possible.
I'd also like to thank the folks at Tweed Airport for the luggage counter expereince. It's a series of steel gates with heavy plastic in front of them. The baggage handler cranks open the gates and the baggage area looks like a makeshift elementary school puppet show stage. The hillarity of the moment was priceless.
Oh, and the lady who traveled with her hamster in the cooler. That was great.
Getting back to the football end, Randy Edsall will have his final teleconference with reporters shortly. You have to imagine that the theme will be positive considering all things. Sure the game was rough and the playcalling was questionable at best. But when you look at where this team was supposed to have been, this last month shouldn't have happened and the previous three would have been depressing.
Who's going to forget what happened? The highs, lows and the incredible.
I caution UConn fans from saying their school is a top 25 team. Not yet. Don't talk about how a share of the conference title proves the Huskies can compete with West Virginia. We saw in these last few games that there is a big gap between the Huskies and the Mountaineers, Bearcats and Demon Deacons.
Now the hope is taking the experience of this season and using towards next season and making 2008 better than 2007.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
With three minutes, 10 seconds left in the game and the Huskies having a chance to get the ball back, Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner ran for 19 yards on a third-and-eight to all but ice the win.
Micah Andrews then rattled off a 30-yard run two plays later. He then scored from nine yards out to cap the scoring.
Micah Andrews then rattled off a 30-yard run two plays later. He then scored from nine yards out to cap the scoring.
Just as the Huskies were about to lose the lead, senior Danny Lansanah recovers a fumble at the UConn four that was forced by Darius Butler's hit on Josh Adams.
It had appeared the Huskies had lost any edge as the Deacons were having their way with UConn's defense. But thanks to the co-captains, UConn has escaped a tight spot. Now they need to get away from their end zone.
It had appeared the Huskies had lost any edge as the Deacons were having their way with UConn's defense. But thanks to the co-captains, UConn has escaped a tight spot. Now they need to get away from their end zone.
Wake Forest tore apart the UConn defense on the second half's first possession, ending with a 38-yard scoring run for the Demon Deacons.
On the ensuing kickoff, Tyvon Branch took the return 62 yards to put the Huskies into Deacon territory. But Wake's Stanley Arnoux intercepted a Tyler Lorenzen pass after it was tipped to turn over possession.
On the ensuing kickoff, Tyvon Branch took the return 62 yards to put the Huskies into Deacon territory. But Wake's Stanley Arnoux intercepted a Tyler Lorenzen pass after it was tipped to turn over possession.
I had a good laugh at halftime. Wake Forest's band and flag teams came onto the field. Waving banners that read S N O C A E D. You know, on this side of the field that's how it read. On the other, it read D E A C O N S.
It reminded me of the first time I tried ot figure out those funny Chik-fil-A commercials.
By the way, the UConn band was MUCH better than Wake's.
It reminded me of the first time I tried ot figure out those funny Chik-fil-A commercials.
By the way, the UConn band was MUCH better than Wake's.
It's halftime in Charlotte and UConn leads 10-0. But what made zero sense is what transpired in the closing seconds of the half.
Alex Polito sacks Wake QB Riley Skinner for a nine-yard loss. With the clock ticking at 44 seconds, Huskies coach Randy Edsall calls a time out. OK, so he wants to have at least one more shot with the ball. Maybe its just a punt return by Larry Taylor, in hopes that lightning strikes twice. But after Wake runs its next play, a run to the left, UConn doesn't call another timeout.
This makes no sense. Did Edsall just want to call a timeout for the sake of prolonging the half or hearing the official say, "Connecticut calls a timeout"?
If you aren't trying to get the ball back, force Wake to rush its offense against the clock. Don't give them time.
Alex Polito sacks Wake QB Riley Skinner for a nine-yard loss. With the clock ticking at 44 seconds, Huskies coach Randy Edsall calls a time out. OK, so he wants to have at least one more shot with the ball. Maybe its just a punt return by Larry Taylor, in hopes that lightning strikes twice. But after Wake runs its next play, a run to the left, UConn doesn't call another timeout.
This makes no sense. Did Edsall just want to call a timeout for the sake of prolonging the half or hearing the official say, "Connecticut calls a timeout"?
If you aren't trying to get the ball back, force Wake to rush its offense against the clock. Don't give them time.
Wake tried going for some trickeration by running a reverse, but the Huskies snuffed out the play with Cody Brown making teh stop for a 9-yard loss.
On the next play, Robert Vaughn picked off Riley Skinner at the nine yard line, but needed help getting off the field. It appears he was hit in the stomach and may have the wind knocked out of him.
On the next play, Robert Vaughn picked off Riley Skinner at the nine yard line, but needed help getting off the field. It appears he was hit in the stomach and may have the wind knocked out of him.
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