It's over

Unofficially, that is.

Endres overthrows D.J. Hernandez and is intercepted, leading to a Jock Sanders' four-yard score. 21-13 WVU and the UConn offense is in a shell again.

Making the Huskies pay

After Moore's failed catch on the long pass from Endres, UConn was forced to punt. West Virginia, mixing runs and passes, moved down field and scored on short pass from White to Jock Sanders. Had Moore held on, it's 20-7 UConn. Instead it's 14-13 West Virginia.

Deep thoughts

Everyone's been hankering for more pas attempts down field. Endres had Kashif Moore WIDE open down field on the opening possession of the second half. It should have been a 56-yard touchdown. Moore had the ball, but let it slide between his arms for an incomplete pass.

Pushing the lead

Darius Butler had a nice 37-yard kickoff return aided by a sideline penalty and the Huskies got a 38-yarder from Teggart to lead 13-7 with 6:49 left in the half.

That hurts

The Huskies pushed West Virginia back to a 3rd-and-goal from the 24 and barely missed sacking Pat White. Instead, White escapes, get s a block and scores to bring West Virginia to within three at 10-7.

Impressive

The Huskies drove 80 yards, thanks to three consecutive first down plays, and ended the drive with a Donald Brown 21-yard TD run that saw the back pull, drag and fake out defenders thanks to a stutter step that broke him free of the from the front eight.

Endres has been good, to say the least. He completed 3-of-3 for 24 yards.

Fair start

UConn's defense has come to play. Two West Virginia possessions ended with two West Virginia punts. Noel Devine and Pat White are bound to break for a big play, but right now they've had one god run each (White + 12 and Devine + 11).

The offense, led by Cody Endres looked good on its lone possession. Endres hooked up with D.J. Hernandez on a 17-yarder that would have had the Huskies near the WVU 30. Endres took a licking on the play, but Hernandez ducked after catching the ball and was promptly stripped off the ball costing UConn possession.

Huskies' academic success honored

The UConn football program has been honored by the American Football Coaches Association for its graduation of student-athletes as part of its Academic Achievement Award program. This is the fourth time in six year (2003, 2005, 2007) that the Huskies have received this notation.

“We are happy to be recognized by the AFCA for our graduation rates once again," head coach Randy Edsall said in a release. “This is a great credit to our players and to Ellen Rennie and her staff at CPIA (Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes) which works so diligently to help the student-athletes here at the University of Connecticut.”

Established by the College Football Association in 1981, the Academic Schievment Award program recognized CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institutions with high graduation rates among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA stepped in to present the award and conduct a graduation rate survey that encompassed all members of the FBS.

This year's award marks the first time the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) formula has been used to select the winner. From 1981 to 2007 the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and the AFCA.

O' Canada

The Huskies go back to the land of the Maple Leaf once more in recruiting. Canadian contributors this year have been Mo Petrus and Martin Bedard. This time, defensive end Jesse Joseph out of Vanier College in Quebec, according to Rivals.com.

Joseph is Vanier's defensive captain and leads teh team with four sacks. Vanier is the same school that produced Petrus and former Husky Shawn Mayne.

Here is the article I wrote in August on UConn's forays into Canada.

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/sports/x1822518171/UConn-Football-Huskies-head-north-for-recruiting-edge

Teggart honored

After his four-field goal game against Cincinnati, Dave Teggart was named the Big East's Special Teams Player of the Week. It's a nice start to his career, thanks to the four kicks, one of which was 47 yards into the wind.

Record breaker

Donald Brown is now UConn's single-season rushing yards record holder with 1,324 yards. That's with four more games to play.

Critical call

Call it conservative, but going for 3 on 4th-and-inches from the goal line is the right call especially after taking the delay of game penalty. The field goal makes it a two-possession game for Cincinnati, which is down 26-16. Dave Teggart has four field goals for UConn.

The kick was made necessary after a review negated a Donald Brown 5-yard run on a direct snap. The call was he was down at the half yard line. Another run on third down failed, setting up the field goal.

Dave, Dave he's the man

Dave Teggart's 47-yard field goal into a strong wind was as impressive of a kick as any I've seen in a few years. It reinforces the decision to start him. Three field goals and two PATs on the day make him the offensive star.

Huskies strike back

Jordan Todman helped put the Huskies back on top witha two-yard run to his left.

It was set up by a sweet 34-yard pass to Michael Smith. On 2nd-and-10 from the Cincy 39, Cody Endres checked off his receivers and had plenty of time to find Smith, who ran a great route from the left to make the catch over the middle of the field.

Dave Teggart's PAT has UConn up, 17-13.

New QB

Cincinnati came out of the break with a new QB -- Chazz Anderson, who started when today's starter Tony Pike was out with a broken arm.

Donald the great

A two-yard run, but he ran to the right eluded Deangelo Smith's tackle attempt by hurdling the defender then diving for the end zone. The Huskies are looking good. Zach Frazer may want to transfer again.

Big, bad Cody Brown

Brown sacks Cincinnati QB Tony Pike, then on the next play chases him to the sideline and forces a fumble that goes out of bounds putting the Bearcats in a 3rd-and-28 situation from the Cincy 2.

Making up for lost yardage

An illegal block call wiped out a 25-yard run by Donald Brown (who had one yard against Cincy last year), Endres found Brown on a screen pass that picked up 24 yards.

The drive stalled bringing out Dave Teggart for his first FG attempt. It's a 26-yarder that sailed through the uprights.

A small victory

After the blocked punt gave Cincinnati the ball on UConn's 15, the Huskies held the Bearcats to just three yards and a field goal.

It's something to build upon, but right now the Huskies must show it can move the ball. Try handing Donald Brown the ball. Sure, Cincy is stout against the run but you have to try and se if you can loosen up its defense. My guess is Randy Edsall wants to complete a pass before he runs. If that's the case, it will be a while before there's a run. Between bad throws, bad blocking and good defense, it can get ugly.

Again

Cincinnati blocked UConn's first punt attempt after Cody Endres feebly tried passing on every down. On the blockd punt, punter Desi Cullen had to be helped off the field. Cincy takes over on the UConn 15. I smell a LOOOOOONG day.

And the quarterback is...

Zach Frazer warmed up, but Cody Endres is starting.

Coaching rumors

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Huskies coach Randy Edsall was contacted by a third party, hired by Syracuse, as it begins a coaching search in advance of firing Greg Robinson. Edsall is a logical choice being he played and coached at Syracuse.

Edsall denied the report Wednesday, saying he "doesn't deal in speculation."

"I just want you to know and everybody to know I haven't been contacted by any college, any university, the NFL or any person regarding any job," Edsall said.

The Times' piece said Edsall may be cost prohibitive to Syracuse because he has a $1 million buyout, plus Robinson has a buyout, then add on at least $1.5 million (Edsall's current salary). That's a whole lot of cash.

Outside of that consideration, I don't see him taking the job. Edsall won't say it because he loves Syracuse and it holds a special place in his heart, but he is upset he wasn't offered the job when Robinson was hired.

Tony kicked to the curb

There's a new kicker in town and his name is Dave Teggart. While Teggart isn't new in the truest sense of the word, he is new in the fact he hasn't kicked for the Huskies yet. The decision came down today when coach Randy Edsall announced the move at his weekly presser.

A few thoughts: Congrats to Teggart, he's a good kid. You can tell he was a bit nervous talking to reporters today because he probably never had a 10-15 grown sweaty, overweight men surrounding him like a piece of meat. It sounds worse than it is.

Anyhow, on the flip side, Tony Ciaravino, I think is paying for the sins of the father, or at least the offense. It's really easy to say he cost the team the game against Rutgers with three missed field goals. But is that really why this change is happening? Randy Edsall said, "Those two guys are very, very close. There’s not much difference at all." So why make the change? Change for the sake of change is never good.

I think it's easier to sacrifice one lamb than feed the entire flock to the wolves. That is what's happening. To his credit, Ciaravino is taking the demotion like a champ. If you recall, Ciaravino was Matt Nuzie's backup and when Nuzie struggled his senior year, he wasn't a big fan of talking to the press. He was a little temperamental, which is understandable. Toward the end of that year, he really opened up a bit and showed strong leadership by example. Ciaravino saw that and walked the walk, if you will from Day One. It's one of the reasons he is liked by everyone.

So you don't want to say that Rob Ambrose's play calling stinks? OK. I can respect that Edsall doesn't want to stab his coach in the back. Then take the blame yourself. No, can't do that. Instead, demote the kicker, who won't play a game past December, mess with his head and it looks like the 12-10 loss falls squarely on Ciaravino's right foot.

On the QB front, Edsall said that Zach Frazer has a "head injury," refusing to call it a concussion. You can have a nail stuck in your head, have it removed and possibly still play a few days later. That's a head injury. A concussion is far more serious football-wise because of the long-lasting ramifications. Don't expect to see Frazer Saturday against Cincinnati. Look for Cody Endres, who played a bit against Hofstra, to start Saturday. If he plays well, Frazer may want to look into transferring again. According to Edsall, nothing new will be announced until Thursday.

Control

Randy Edsall is at it again. He has made all of his quarterbacks off-limits at tomorrow's media press conference.

Not that this should be a surprise considering the coach doesn't like hearing anyone second guess him. Right now it's, if you haven't coached who are you to say anything. Of course, if a high school coach or a non BCS college coach questioned his calls, the response would probably be they hadn't coached at his level.

This is all too much. I understand the desire for control as a head coach. but Edsall makes BIG bucks and avoiding the reality of his situation (bad playcalling) isn't going to make the questions stop. All he's doing is putting pressure on himself and his team.

"Fuzzy" Frazer doesn't practice

Randy Edsall said Monday that redshirt sophomore Zach Frazer didn't practice Sunday. He'll know more tomorrow, but in the event that Frazer can't play Saturday, Cody Endres, the third-string QB, will take the snaps against Cincinnati.

Not a happy camper

Randy Edsall is usually a mild-mannered football coach. You know he is passionate and you know he wants to win. But when things go wrong — as they did at Rutgers Saturday — he should have known questions about play calling were bound to pop up.

They did during his day-after conference call. But this time Edsall took exception to the notion of the Huskies' offense being "Conservative."

“You call it conservative, I call it trying to win games,” Edsall said Sunday.
“If you’ve ever coached, the object is to win games,” he continued. “If we need to throw the ball, we’ll throw the ball. If we need to run the ball, we’ll run the ball. We’re going to do the things that we think are important to win the ball game, we’re going to do the things we feel to win the ball game. (Saturday) we did the things to put ourselves to win the ball game; we just happened to not win the ball game.”

He went on to say that he doesn't need to explain the logic, but frankly, after two straight losses that featured special teams mishaps, the passing game is spotty because of inconsistent play by the receivers and the running game has been expected. I wonder if using more two-back formations with Donald Brown and Andre Dixon might help, if for no other reason as creating a guessing game and/or use them as receivers.

Edsall sarcastically said they will throw 50 times against Cincinnati Saturday.

That may be a problem as quarterback Zach Frazer is "fuzzy" after taking a hit or two late in the game. By all accounts, it sounds as if Frazer is concussed, but the coach said he didn't have any more details. That's not true. If your quarterback is "fuzzy" after a game, there's no way you don't know. At any rate, Edsall will give an update Tuesday.

Back in the saddle again

It's been a couple of weeks since my last posting here, and now that the first bye week is over and done with, let's get caught up on the happenings today from the Burton Family Football Complex.

Zach Frazer met with reporters this morning before coach Randy Edsall. Frazer is feeling more confident and comfortable with the offense, saying the playbook is "wide open" to him. Center Keith Gray echoed Frazer's evaluation, noting that his apartment-mate wasn't down more than anyone else after the North Carolina loss, but that Frazer took the defeat as added motivation.

"Things are going good. ... I feel like I'm fitting into the offense more and more each day," Frazer said.

The redshirt sophomore philosophised that feeling good in practice and away from the field translates into how you feel and play during games. There has to be truth to that statement, nothing of an absolute nature, but certainly its encouraging.

Darius Butler, who plays on both sides, said that Frazer has looked good in practice but emphasized it is only practice and that "everyone looks good in practice."

I'll dish Edsall's words on Rutgers until later. He did have some nice tidbits...

Asked about whether Butler's play at corner has led to teams throwing more toward Jasper Howard he said, "I think that some people have a tendency to throw away from where Darius is, which would put a little more pressure on Jas. I think he's responded well to it. He has to understand that when you have a guy like Darius that people might tend to stay away from him and go after the other guy because he's the new guy on the block. I think he's responded well, He;'s got to get better; he's nowhere near where we want him to be or where he wants to be. he's making progress the more he plays, he's just got to get better with fundamentals and doing the technique exactly right. He's not a big guy, so if he can play his technique the right way all the time he has a chance to get better each game and each year."

Asked about former Husky Dan Orlovsky's play in his first career NFL start for Detroit against Minnesota, Edsall sent his former star a text message after the Lions' loss. Orlovsky committed a blunder when he ran out of the end zone for a safety against the Vikings.

"He never did that while he was here. I felt bad for him. ... I told him not to let one play get his confidence down. I'm sure he'll never do that again."

Everyone was asked how they spent the bye week. Rob Lunn went apple picking with his girlfriend, Frazer went to Boston with his girlfriend, who was visiting, Donald Brown went home for a day. Edsall had the chance to see his son, Corey play football Saturday night and checked out the new film, "The Express."

Being a Syracuse graduate, Edsall had a little more perspective on the film than most would have. That wasn't what stood out to him, however.

"I thought it was a good movie. ... To me, it was too long in the making. For kids nowadays, I don;'t think they can relate to the time frame in terms of when that took place. To me, with what Ernie Davis did, that should have been made 20 years ago.
"There probably as much football, but the racial situation he had to confront during those times. It's just interesting to see the way it was."

It doesn't happen too often that something other than football is discussed at these pressers. But that was a nice, brief break. It was followed by a great question asked by Desmond Connor of the Hartford Courant regarding Edsall's stance on his players being outspoken on various issues.

"I think if people have a cause or if they feel strongly about something, I think they should go ahead and pursue or be active in whatever role they want to partake in supporting that cause or bringing attention to that cause but understanding they can't let that affect what their jobs are. That's to be a student and to be an athlete, first and foremost. If they have the time to do those things and not affect those other areas, I'm all for that. If you are going to be involved or champion or be an advocate for certain things, then you need to make sure you are thoroughly prepared to discuss those issues and be able to have your points to get out. I never want to see one of our players do it be the seat of their pants or a fly-by-night thing because then it turns back the other way against them. If you feel strongly about certain things, in this country, you have that right to be able to express yourself. As you express yourself, make sure you have all your ducks in a row and your prepared to discuss it and handle any questions that come back at you. I think that's all part of the growing process, that's all part of the total person philosophy that we have within our program. We want to develop that. When they leave here, the majority of them are not going to the NFL. They're going to go out into all walks of life and you better be ready to communicate, you better be able to stand up for yourself. If you have that forum, if you have that platform while you're in college, just do it the right way and handle it the right way."

That's it for now. In the next post, we'll see what Rutgers coach Greg Schiano had to say, as well as Donald Brown, Darius Butler, Cody Brown and Keith Gray.

Tickets becoming rare

Wanna see the Huskies take on Cincinnati on Oct. 25 at The Rent? Too bad, it's sold out.

What about the early November meeting with West Virginia? Ha! That's sold out, too.

What does that mean? You either have to find a loving friend who has a ticket to spare or buy one for the season finale against Pittsburgh.

Ticket sales such as these are showing an increase in interest in the Huskies. How much that means people will be in their seats for the start or if they ever leave the parking lot, I don't know. However, this is a good step forward. The next is selling out the Pitt game. Then selling out the entire home slate before the season begins next year.

Time is money and money is time and wait...college athletes aren't paid!

Huskies coach Randy Edsall refused to allow new starting QB Zach Frazer to speak to the media Tuesday. He said 10 minutes of Frazer's time would prevent him from preparing for North Carolina. You know how ridiculous that sounds, right?

“The young man is making his first start this week,” Edsall said. “The only thing he needs to focus on is trying to get himself ready for the game and to play the best game that he possible can. It’s my prerogative as the head coach to protect my players and to allow them to prepare the best way that I feel possible for them to be successful.”

Edsall justified the action by saying Frazer was appreciative of the move. Maybe he is. I don't doubt it. Here's the catch: If Frazer stinks Saturday night, this bit of posturing blows up in Edsall's face and takes Frazer down with him. He may believe that the attention and focus has shifted off of Frazer, but it hasn't. All Edsall has done is increase the magnifying glass that his redshirt sophomore will be viewed under.

Furthermore, Frazer has been in the program over a year -- he knows, or should know the playbook. It's a bigger issue if that's why Edsall kept him away from reporters.

Ranked

Husky fans rejoice! The team entered both polls today, No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the coaches poll. Let's see if they can handle that sort of pressure and attention when they face a team on the outside of the polls at North Carolina.

Injury update

Word comes from UConn that the surgeries fro Tyler Lorenzen and Steve Brouse went well. No word on how long they are expected to be out of action. That info should arrive tomorrow when Randy Edsall speaks on the Big East coaches conference call.

The day after

Huskies coach Randy Edsall spoke to reporters today in his weekly day-after teleconference. When asked about the injury report, he said Tyler Lorenzen (right foot) and Steve Brouse (right fibula) will have surgery Sunday.

There's no time table for either player's return. If everything falls favorably, you're looking at mid-November.

Edsall expects Rob Lunn and Alex Polito back for North Carolina next weekend, and will wait to see how Kendall Reyes responds over the next few daysbefore declaring him ready to play. That's three defensive tackles that miss serious time Saturday. It certainly contributed to the ease at which Louisville ran the ball -- not to dimish the talents of their fine backs -- but it takes two to tango.

Edsall tried to downplay the depth concerns, saying fundamentals and technique were to blame for whatever concerns. I tell you this, if that's the case it shouldn't matter who is on the field. It does matter and the Huskies need to get healthy. The bye week after North Carolina can't come soon enough. Neither can the one in early November.

As far as Brouse, this is a loss that maybe doesn't seem severe, but it is. He's been a dependable receiver for the Huskies and a strong blocker. Without him, you'll see Martin Bedard start and possibly see Yianni Apostolakos in certain situations.

With Frazer, who looked better Saturday than he did in the few occassions I saw him in training camp, Cody Endres is the No. 2 again. He was the primary backup until, ironically, this week. Edsall moved Frazer ahead of Endres after Frazer was deemed recovered from a concussion he sustained in August.

The coach is happy, at least publicly, with his signal callers. It's a far cry from past years with Matt Bonislawski and D.J. Hernandez (who has vanished as a WR).

"I think we got our guys," Edsall said. "Zach went in and played, we've seen Cody do things, so I'm comfortable with (the situation). Those ar erge two guys now that we have to go with. I'm confident that Zach will do a good job and hopefully Coduy doesn't have to (play), but if Cody did, I'd be comfortable with him because these are rge guys that we have."

5-0

That's what the Huskies are after an exciting win at Louisville. It came with some casualties. Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen broke his right foot and will undergo surgery Sunday. I should have more on his estimate return later Saturday.

As a result, the Zach Frazer era begins. Frazer looked shaky at first, but settled down. It helps when you hand the ball to Donald Brown.

No. 34 had another big night, 190 yards and a score despite the Cardinals stacking the box every down.

In theory, the win should push UConn into the Top 25. But because the Huskies were grossly outgained in yardage, the game will support the logic that the Huskies are just a lucky team, not a good one. I don't subscribe to that. You have to be good to make luck work to your advantage, and the Huskies have.

Keep in mind that UConn played without Lorenzen for three quarters, without Steve Brouse and without Alex Polito. That's three starters down, yet it comes away with a win.

The way to respond

Nothing fancy -- maybe to predictable (Brown carry after Brown carry), but the Huskies are responding appropriately after a Bears touchdown. Over five minutes have been knocked off the clock and had the choice of going for it on 4th-and-1 (they went with a successful Brown carry). It paid off with a Brown 2-yard scoring run by...Donald Brown.

Out of synch

The game started so well for the Huskies, but they have repeatedly give up first-down plays to Baylor when the Bears would be in third-and-long scenarios. Baylor, despite a couple possessions that have proved fruitless on the scoreboard, is picking apart the UConn defense.

Worried that Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin is going to run all over UConn, the Huskies have allowed two passing touchdowns and are lucky there wasn't a third.

It's only a 14-7 game with 8:38 left in the first half, but the Huskies need to wake up. If they don't, this is a loss they will not recover from, especially since it is at Rentschler Field.

Bowden on Brown

I spoke with Terry Bowden today regarding the start of the season of UConn's Donald Brown. Brown, as you know, is second in the nation in rushing yards and points.

With the kind of numbers the redshirt junior has posted, there is a smattering of talk linking Brown and the Heisman Trophy.

“Based on Donald Brown’s numbers, if he can continue what he has been doing, just looking at the type of recognition (West Virginia’s) Pat White gotten over the years with Brian Brohm in Louisville, Matt Grothe at South Florida, there’s no reason if he continues like this that he won’t be one of the top backs in the country.”

I asked Bowden, an analyst and former coach, is UConn's weak schedule hurts Brown. He noted that his father, Bobby's Florida State team hasn't played a Division-I game yet. All he could tell you for certain is that the 'Noles would be a very good I-AA team. The point is that everyone has light schedules early on, for the most part, so it isn't a knock on anyone player.

In fact, Bowden said should Brown keep his pace and the Huskies struggle, he'll be fine because Brown is on a monsterous tear. If the Huskies keep winning, it provides some room for Brown's numbers to deflate.

“If you put up gaudy numbers — look at Graham Harrell at Texas Tech — he’s closing in on 50 touchdowns and 6,000 yards passing (in a season), then it doesn’t matter what the record is,” Bowden said. “But if you have very good yards; (Brown) needs 2,000 yards, the numbers mean everything.”

Virginia revisited

During today's Big East coaches conference call, UConn coach Randy Edsall said that he would like to play Virginia again. The teams completed a home-and-home series Saturday. According to Edsall, UConn is in talks with Virginia to set up another contract.

What to take from the win

It was a fantastic win with both offense and defense clicking. Tyler Lorenzen played the way he played most of last year: Under control and smart. Donald Browns was, well, Donald Brown. And Darius Butler, contrary to anything UConn says, brings an electric element to the offense.

Defensive end Cody Brown told me after the game he was mad the D allowed its first touchdown of the season and that he would be running a penalty lap today because of it.

What did we learn? UConn is better than what it showed against Hofstra and Temple. We also know the Huskies (Offensive coordinator Rob Ambrose) can make creative play calls, something he might want to try doing more often. Granted, part of that is because of Butler, whose athleticsm allows for so much tinkering that it's exciting. The Huskies need to do a lot of work on special teams. Virginia had 219 yards of total offense and 209 on kickoff returns. Against teams like Cincininatti, South Florida, West Virginia and Pitt where there are good return men, that can kill a game.

What didn't we learn? A fair assessment. How bad is Virginia? It lost 35-3 to Sourthern California, which is understandable. But it also beat Richmond 16-0 at Charlottseville, which tells you nothing good about the Cavaliers.

This is what I don't like: The Huskeis are 3-0, will still be toward the bottom of the "receiving votes" list and the knock on them will be either "they barely beat Temple," a two-week old excuse or that Virginia isn't good. The national taste makers don't want give the Huskies credit. It happened last year and it is going on again this year. If the Huskies were to beat South Florida or West Virgina, we would hear how thiose schools just had a bad day, or in the case of the Mountaineers, that the Huskies couldn't beat them last year. Again, that was last year and doesn;t matter. But coaches and voters on the writer's poll don't like UConn or the Big East. Don't be surprised if the Huskeis are 6-0 entering November and are ranked 25th in both polls.

Third quarter review

Donald Brown finishes his day with 206 rushing yards, three touchdowns and 32 receiving yards. Not. Without Andre Dixon, what happens? Jordan Todman has a touchdown and 78 yards with a score.

It's 42-3 and I suspect a few more scores -- at least two.

Second quarter chatter

More of the same. Darius Butler has gotten involved in the offense, catching a couple passes for 40 yards and has a 13-yard touchdown on a reverse.

Maybe it's too early to say this, but with the season Donald Brown is having, shouldn't he recieve Heisman consideration?

First quarter thoughts

Cody Brown came to play! He has planted two hard hits and a quarterback pressure.

The Virginia defensive line can't stop the run. Be it Todman, Brown or Lorenzen, the Huskies have run at will so far.

Lorenzen has done a fine job managing the offense. And the playcalling has been good. Virginia anticipated run on the Huskies' second possession and the Huskies came out with pass, including an 11-yarder to Darius Butler, his first career catch.

Husky Tidbits

Defensive end Lindsey Witten and tailback Andre Dixon are not playing tonight. Freshman tailback Jordan Todman, however, is playing and a nice gain on his first career carry.

A lot of times UConn claims to have a sellout only to see patches of empty seats. Not tonight. The Rent is PACKED!!!! Nice to see the fans come out in full force for this important game against an ACC team.

Also, lots of recruits present on the sidelines. Most of them were for the class of 2010. While some looked excited and happy to be here, their fathers looked the happiest.

And a friend of the Huskies was at the game: Will Webb, the Executive Director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. You'll remember UConn faced Wake Forest in that game last December. Afterwards, Webb had nothing but glowing praise for UConn and its fans.

Davis returns

Former Husky Dan Davis was in the house Saturday night. Davis was in camp with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts but was cut in the final cuts before the season began.

Davis, as friendly as ever, said he was injured in the Colts' final preseason contest and accepted an injury buyout. Davis is due to have surgery to "shave some cartilage" from a knee. He expects to be back at full strength in seven weeks. According to Davis, the Colts expressed interest in bringing him back when he's healthy, as did the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pictures II pre-Virginia

Lorenzen is ready for the snap

The team lines up

Pictures I pre-Virginia

Donald Brown

Cody Endres passing

Brad Kanuch lining up in drills

Tyler Lorenzen and D.J. Hernandez

The defense huddles

Defensive success

Here are some numbers putting the Huskies' defense into perspective

Statistic National rank
Scoring defense 7th
Rushing defense 32nd
Passing defense 31st
Interceptions 7th (tied)
Pass efficiency defense 16th
Sacks 2nd
First down defense 10th
3rd down defense 27th
4th down defense* 1st (tied)
Red zone defense 21st

*Two attempts made

Virginia's defensive line

Last year in Charlottesville, the Virginia defensive line -- aided by the very loud and raucous crowd -- caused problems for UConn in the fourth quarter. It's a new defensive line and the game is at Storrs. Earlier this week, I asked Virginia coach Al Groh about his new d-line, which lost the likes of Chris Long.


"We certainly made it a lot better, production-wise, than we did last week. We have three or four young players in there that we think are going to be very good players for us. They'll play upwards of 50 games for us while they're here. They've only been in two, so clearly there's a long ways to go. The analogy that we've drawn to the past is when a player such as Chris Long entered the lineup, there wasn't a lot of hype or a lot of oohs and aaahs. 'Oh, isn't this great that Chris Long is going to be playing?' There was a lot of skepticism and doubters toward that sort of thing. Now, after he left, that attitude is, 'Wow, what are you going to do without Chris?'"

" I'm not predicting that we're going to have another best defensive player to ever play at Virginia circumstance, but we have some players that we think have the ability to establish themselves that, by the time they leave, maybe it will be the same response: 'Wow, what a great career they had. It's going to be difficult to replace them.' But they're kids with good talent, very ambitious, they're all competitive and frankly, they're probably a little bit ahead of the curve from where our redshirt freshmen defensive linemen would be after two games. But they're going against a very veteran group. We would suspect that there's a lot of players on that UConn offensive line who have looked across that line of scrimmage the past three years who have seen kids like these guys line up across them and kind of spit them out. We recognize they're going against some guys who know some of the tricks of the trade."

Ben Mauk's setback

This is the AP story regarding former Cincinatti QB Ben Mauk's attempts to play again. Today, he was dealt a severe blow by his hometown court.

By The Associated Press
Former Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk, who sued the NCAA after being denied a sixth season of eligibility, lost another appeal Tuesday when a judge in his hometown ruled against him.
Hardin County Judge William Hart refused to grant a permanent injunction allowing Mauk to rejoin the Bearcats.
Mauk, who says he missed two seasons because of injuries, was turned down by the NCAA five times before he asked the court in Kenton, Ohio, for help.
He testified last week that a foot injury prevented him from playing during his freshman season in 2003 at Wake Forest, where he played before transferring to Cincinnati. He led the Bearcats to 10 wins last season and a No. 17 final ranking.
Mauk didn’t prove that he would lose out on a chance at pro football by not playing another year at Cincinnati, the judge said.
Kevin Murphy, an attorney for Mauk, said he was shocked by the decision. He said he was traveling and had not seen the ruling. He said he hasn't decided whether to appeal.
NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said Tuesday that members of the reinstatement committee had reviewed Mauk’s appeal carefully and determined another year of eligibility was not warranted.
“The NCAA argued strongly at trial that no evidence of irreparable harm to Mr. Mauk had been produced, which is required before issuing an injunction,” he said.
Carol Iwaoka, chair of the committee, said last week that Mauk was turned down primarily because he had been cleared to play during his freshman season and was on the team’s travel squad.
It was unclear whether Mauk would have taken the field even if the judge had sided with him. Cincinnati officials have not allowed Mauk to practice while the case is the courts.
The Bearcats, meanwhile, are thin at quarterback after starter Dustin Grutza broke his right leg in a 52-26 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday. Grutza, who lost his job to Mauk last year, is expected to undergo surgery and miss more than a month.
Murphy argued in court that the NCAA has been unwilling to listen to Mauk’s arguments and treated him differently from other athletes who have been granted another year of eligibility.
NCAA attorney Linda Salfrank has said that athletes have a five-year window to play once they arrive on campus and that Mauk used up his time.
Mauk played two seasons at Wake Forest before he broke his throwing arm and missed the entire 2006 season.
He transferred to Cincinnati because he had lost his starting job and overcame his extensive injuries to become one of college football’s biggest success stories a year ago. He threw for 31 touchdowns and 3,121 yards.

Edsall calls out play calling critics

Don't get Huskies coach Randy Edsall started on criticism of his team's play calling.
Asked what his thoughts were about fan and media disapproval of a generally predictable offense (partly due to Tyler Lorenzen's struggles and last week's rain bowl), Edsall made it known he doesn't care what anyone has to say.

"If you think I'm worrying about people criticizing the plays that we call, that's the furthest thing from my mind," Esall said. "I could care less what anybody thinks what we do from a play calling standpoint becfuse I can tell you this, there's nobody out there that's putting in the time that we're putting into it every single day from six o'clock in the morning to 10 o'clock at night trying to come up with plans with our personnel involved and the people that we are playing, to go out and win football games. But in this society, it's a second-guess society. People are entitled to second guess. I'll even go back after games and say, 'Well, geez, maybe we could have done this or could have done that.' But you go with what you're going with and you use your personnel the way you think you can use it. I just know we're 2-0 and we're going to continue to do the things we have to do to try to get wins.I've stated that one of the things we have to do is we have to be more productive in the passing game. I know that's what we have to do. But are we going to go out and throw the ball 60 time a game? No, we're not going to do that."

He said society is all about looking "flash" and "glitter." Edsall added anyone who thought the Huskies should have thrown the ball more in Philadelphia against Temple in the wind and rain against Temple needed to check themselves into a hospital to get their head examined.

Then when asked whether he sits with Offensive Coordinator Rob Ambrose to discuss the job he's doing, Edsall's ire flared up.

"I didn't have any problem with nay game he's called. We're 2-0. I don't have a problem with anything he’s called, we're 2-0. Everything runs through me, guys. Put the blame on me; It's on me, I'm the head coach. Don't criticize my assistant coaches. The buck stops here. If anybody wants to take the shots, take them at me.”

Edsall gave some updates on injuries Tuesday:
Tailback Jordan Todman is practicing, but Edsall has not decided whether the freshman will play against the Cavaliers. Defensive end Lindsey Witten and tailback Andre Dixon are going to try and practice this week. “It’s all depending upon how they feel and what they can do,” Edsall said. “They’re going to try to go; If they can go, they’ll play.”

Also, former Husky Donald Thomas, who was a sixth-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, was placed on the injured reserve. Thomas, a starting guard for Miami sustained a foot injury in the team’s opening loss to the New York Jets.

Ex-Husky injured

Former Husky Donald Thomas, who was a sixth-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, was placed on the injured reserve. Thomas, a starting guard for Miami sustained a foot injury in the team’s opening loss to the New York Jets.

Huskies and Vols to tangle

This is the UConn release:

The University of Connecticut has agreed to play a two-year football series with the University of Tennessee in 2015 and 2016 with the first game at Rentschler Field and the second contest at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

The contest in East Hartford between the Huskies and Volunteers will take place on Sept. 26, 2015 while the rematch will be in Knoxville on Sept. 3, 2016.

“The UConn-Tennessee football series will provide two outstanding games for both programs and their respective fans,” says UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway. “We are happy to bring this intersectional matchup to our dedicated football fans. The trip to Knoxville the following year will give our UConn supporters another fun opportunity to travel with the Huskies on the road.”

Tennessee won the 1998 National Championship and has 13 Southeastern Conference titles to its credit. The Volunteers have won 25 bowl games in their history. Neyland Stadium has a capacity of 102,038 - the fourth-largest on campus stadium in the country.

“It is very exciting for our football program to have a series with Tennessee,” says UConn head coach Randy Edsall. “We want to challenge our team by playing a strong non-conference schedule in addition to the BIG EAST slate we face every year. Tennessee is a nationally-recognized program and we are happy to have them on our future schedule.”

“The Tennessee game is another premier non-conference match-up that will be played at Rentschler Field,” says Hathaway. “We annually play a demanding BIG EAST slate at home and Tennessee adds to an impressive list of Bowl Championship Series opponents that are on our future schedules at Rentschler Field. The best way for Husky fans to ensure they will be at Rentschler Field for all of these great games is by being a season ticket holder.”

Small world

For as many college football teams as there are, it never ceases to amaze me how well players know each other. When talking to reporters today about his three interception performance against Hofstra, as well as last night's Tennessee-UCLA game, Tyler Lorenzen shared an interesting tidbit.

His coach at Palomar JC was the father of UCLA QB Kevin Craft, who is a good friend of Lorenzen. After last week's win, the friends shared a moment that proved fitting for both players.

"I talked to him before the game and after my game. I told him I threw three [interceptions]. He was like, 'Really?' I was like, 'Yeah, man.' And he goes,'I know, that never happens Whatever. I just have to bounce back and not let it happen again.'

So last night, I was watching the first half and, one, two, I was like, 'What are you doing?' The throws were crazy. I was like, 'Kevin's not in this.' I sent him a text message after the game [that said] 'It's how you respond to the challenges you face that determine what you become. You responded, buddy. Good job' That's how I want to look at it; that'show I want to look at it. I just have to respond."

Lets start the hype

Lansanah cut

Former UConn Husky Danny Lansanah failed to stick with the Green Bay Packers,. The linebacker was waived today as part of the team's final wave of cuts to get its 53-man roster in place for next week's season opener.

Injury or curveball?

I didn't touch on this last night, but the whole Hofstra changing its starting quarterback due to an injury just before kickoff smells funny.

Allegedly, starter Bryan Savage twisted or tweaked something in his back stepping off the team bus when it arrived at Rentschler Field Thursday. Then 16 minutes -- yes, 16 minutes -- before kickoff, Pride coach Dave Cohen is told Savage can't go and Cory Christopher would have to step in.

“Sixteen minutes before kickoff? No – I’ve never had that happen to me before," Cohen said. "Something was bothering him. It was brought to the attention from the trainer to the doctor and it was in his best interest not to play. No [it didn’t change our offense], Cory can throw the ball, he has rifle. The difference is that Bryan took 75% of the reps – that would be the only difference. We did highlight some different quarterback runs that we might not have and I think you saw [Cory’s] ability athletically and physically to make some plays. He showed a lot of courage and a lot of leadership.”

The thing is as much as Cohen says playing Christopher didn't change the offense, which is true, it did change the plays within the offense that would be called. Playing Savage over Christopher would be like playing Ben Roethlisberger over, say, Kordell Stewart. Stewart was more prone to running. As is Christopher.

This is what Christopher had to say:

“To find out 16 minutes before the game [that I was starting QB], of course, I was shocked but I felt that I was prepared and I was ready to take on the challenge. After the first drive, I felt like everything was on for us. After that, when we got it all out, I felt like our timing was back on point. I was pumped and I was ready. I was very frustrated last year [sitting on the bench], so I was ready to prove that I was ready to play this year and be a leader for my team. I hope Bryan is OK, but to have the opportunity to play, I was pumped.”

My feeling is that Hofstra knew it had close to zero chance of winning this one. There had been so much talk of Appalachian State upsetting Michigan last season and if this was a similar game that Cohen wanted to throw the Huskies for a loop. Maybe he thought the Huskies weren't as good as their record showed a year ago. Who knows? But the thinking that the Huskies spent two weeks focused on Savage and then pull the plug at the last minute seems suspicious to me.

Hey, good for Hofstra for trying; even better for them if it worked.

What the Pride found out is Donald Brown is a beast and the Huskies defense is good. Furthermore, when you replace a passing quarterback with a running quarterback, it doesn't take a coaching staff and its defense very long to figure out that 90% of the time you can gamble on run and hit the jackpot.

UConn was afforded the luxury of spreading its secondary while pinching in with the linebackers to help contain Christopher, who carried the ball 21 times for 25 yards.

The only issue here for UConn is it can't use that approach again this year. Even Temple and Baylor will find a way to take advantage of that scheme.

After the fact

No matter how great it is to get a win, it was not one for the memory bank. In fact, Huskies coach Randy Edsall would like to forget much of tonight's 35-3 win over Hofstra. He would like his team to forget a lot of the things they did in the win.

He was none to pleased with the seven penalties for 70 yards. He called many of them undisciplined gaffes and they won't be tolerated. He did say that with a new head of officiating in the Big East that refs will make some calls they hadn't in the past. He wasn't using it as an excuse so much as a lesson for his players: Know what you are supposed to do, know how to play the game.

Edsall did say he doesn't remember seeing as many holding calls in one game. I counted six. I may have missed one or two, though.

“I don’t care if it’s the first game of the year or the tenth game of the year; it shouldn't’t happen,” Edsall said. “If you use proper fundamentals and techniques, you shouldn't’t get called for holding. You should move your feet, if you’re doing things right fundamentally, that won’t happen.”

You simply can't have these mistakes. This was Hofstra, who could barely do anything against UConn. What happens when the Huskies do this against Cincy? Rutgers?

Tyler Lorenzen had possibly his worst game for UConn when you consider three picks and the opposition. He threw six all last year and never more than one in a game.

"I was just being impatient," he said, "but that's unacceptable. I can't let that happen."

Edsall said Lindsey Witten, who registered two of the team's seven sacks, has an undisclosed injury. We'll know more tomorrow.

Also, freshman Mike Smith impressed at WR. He's big and fast made three catches for 32 yards. One catch was a beaut; leaping with his back to a defender and bringing the ball down. You can really see a lot of potential for him. If the Huskies ever learn how to throw the ball with any sort of consistency, he could be a weapon for the next four years.

The announced crowd was 37,583. That's generous. I might lean toward 25-30,000. And if you didn't see it on TV, the Huskies had a real Husky on the sideline before the game. Ferocious, menacing, threatening it is not. It looked more interested in playing and licking people's faces.

Somewhere, someone is asking for a bear or even a lobster.

Freying the competition

Robbie Frey, the de facto back up to Donald Brown Thursday because of injuries, scored his first career touchdown early in the fourth quarter to push the Huskies' lead to 35-3.

Feeling four

Brown has not let up, becoming the first Husky since Cornell Brockington on Nov. 15, 2003, to score four touchdowns. Brockington did his feat at Wake Forest.

Brown has 20 carries for 130 yards in one half.

Three scores

Brown has three TDs and 129 yards with 3:01 left in the first half. UConn leads, 21-0. It is the first three TD game game for a Huskies RB since Cornell Brockingto on Sept. 10, 2005 against Liberty.

What can Brown do for you?

Donald Brown has 10 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns with less than 5 minutes left in the first quarter as UConn leads Hofstra, 14-0.

7-0

After a holding call erased Darius Butler's 85-yard kickoff return, the Huskies forced a fumble on their punt with Robbie Frey recovering at the Hofstra one. Donald Brown punched it in from a yard out to give the Huskies the early lead,

Happenings from Storrs

Randy Edsall held his usually Tuesday presser on Sunday because of the season opener on Thursday against Hofstra. I will add quotes later, but for now this is the quick and dirty recap.

He said that Brad Kanuch and Jordan Todman will not see action against the Pride. He's playing it smart and safe by allowing both players additional rest for nagging injuries. My guess is we won't see either play before the Virginia game in three weeks.

Edsall went on to say, as expected, every game is important but the team is only focused on the game at hand. The coach, as well as several of his players, expressed bitterness over how last year ended with the bowl loss to Wake Forest. Rob Lunn, Tyler Lorenzen and Donald Brown all echoed that sentiment.

Edsall said the loss made him question a lot of things as far as what they could have done differently and whether Wake Forest was simply the better team.

Don't expect to see much of Daruis Butler on offense. Edsall is happy with the progress the receivers have made, even without Kanuch and the loss of Terence Jeffers. The plan is to see what the receivers can do first and then decide how, when and if Butler will join the party.

The positions where there are depth concerns are at safety and linebacker. Injuries have made health a premium at those spots, but the Huskies believe they can win with what they have on the two-deep chart.

Also, unless he is forced into duty Thursday, don't expect Dave Teggart to see the field. Edsall said his second-year kicker simply has lacked the consistency to merit the opportunities. And no, Edsall has not given up on Teggart.

Lorenzen spoke about his excitement for the season and mention freshman wideout Michael Smith. Smith apparently loves contact. So much so that he seeks out defensive backs to hit.

Sorry to everyone who missed me on WXLM 104.7 Saturday. A family emergency arose and I had to miss my air date. I'll be back on Sept. 13.

Radio ga-ga

Check me out tomorrow at 11:40 a.m. on WXLM (104.7 FM) on Sports Talk with Mike and Bill discussing Huskies football. I will be on air before every Saturday home game or the Saturday of a home weekend.

Late night notes

After a double dip of practice and pagination, there are things not featuring in Thursday's Norwich Bulletin.

Randy Edsall discussed starting right guard Zach Hurd. Hurd had been on the coach's bad side lately. Saturday he ran a penalty lap and was told to tell reporters how stupid he is by Edsall after a false start.

Apparently the premature movements have been an issue for the big guy.

"Zach is a very conscientious young man," Edsall said following practice. "he called me (last) Wednesday night after the scrimmage; he had another false start that night. He called me on the phone and said, 'Coach, can I come in a talk to you? What can I do to help myself with that?' I said, ' Lets not talk over the phone; come in tomorrow and let's talk face-to-face.'" So I spent about 20 minutes with him and just told him things I thought he needed to do. He has all the abilities. I told him, No. 1, it's all about preparation: And that's knowing your assignments inside and out, knowing what your supposed to do. The second thing is focus. Once you get out there, just focus on the concept and the play that we have called. Don't be worried about anything else. Thirdly, you have to confidence in your ability. You're a good player."

Practice notes

Freshman tailback Jordan Todman took a nasty hit in Saturday's open practice. Afterwards, coach Randy Edsall said he wasn't sure of the extent of the injury. Todman is a small guy. Avoiding contact is the name of his game. What the Huskies need to worry about is Todman becoming Terry Caulley-like with the injuries.

At one point, Edsall became angered with OL Zach Hurd. Edsall ordered Hurd to run a penalty lap and said, directing the lineman towards a group of reporters, "Go down there and do an interview. Tell them how dumb you are."

OUCH!

Hurd has not been on Edsall's good side since camp began and is in danger of falling out of the rotation.

Edsall wasn't very happy with practice at all, saying the lack of energy was discouraging. He does anticipate a better effort the next time on the field. He joked the team was intimated by the fans, as it was an open practice that drew a few hundred spectators.

Zach Frazer sustained a concussion in Wednesday's scrimmage and was held out of practice.

Lindsey Witten was not present Saturday as he left th team to be with his ailing grandmother.

Jasper Howard has won the other starting cornerback position.

News and notes from camp

Huskies head coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday that the battle for the final corner spot between Jasper Howard and Robert McClain is in Howard's favor as of right now. While a more clear picture should be in place by the weekend, Howard's superior coverage ability outweighs McClain's physical strength.

No matter which way UConn goes at this spot, it appears so even that either man could start on a week-to-week basis.

Brad Kanuch didn't practice again, neither did Lindsey Witten, Greg Lloyd, D.J. Hernandez and Tyler Lorenzen. Lorenzen and Hernandez were held out because Edsall wanted to see what his other wideouts and quarterbacks could do.

I discussed the QB situation in more depth in Wednesday's editions. To add to what is in print, I really like what I saw from Casey Turner. Turner, a freshman from Virginia, had a strong presence at the line and showed some nice touch on passes. If I had to bet, he'll redshirt this year.

Observations as I moved around the field...
Coach Hank Hughes wants to see better effort from Brandon Dillon at defensive end. During one-on-one drills, Hughes also told Alex Polito he needed to keep his hands inside when engaging his opponent. And to prove how much experience, size and strength all matter, Rob Lunn repeatedly dominated freshman A.J. Portee.

There were some really sweet runs from Meme Wylie and Jordan Todman. Todman is going to have a hard time getting carries because Wyle, Andre Dixon and Donald Brown are pretty good backs, but don't be too surprised if Todman starts next season. Yes, he is that good (in camp).

Tight end Martin Bedard had a great catch after the ball, which was intended for newbie Michael Smith, was deflected in the air.

Another TE, John Delahunt was tied up by Jerome Williams about 15 yards out. Delahunt turned in and swung himself outward, freeing his right arm to make a one-handed catch.

Darius Butler made a beautiful catch against Terry Baltimore up the left sideline. Baltimore had great coverage, turned around to play the ball, but had it taken away by Butler in the last second.

News and notes

Unhappy with the work of starting quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, Edsall sent a message to the senior by played back-up Zach Frazer with the first team during Tuesday’s practice.
"It could be a one-day thing, it could be a two-day thing … who knows how long it could be," Edsall said. "It's in terms of what we see here on the field and what people are doing." … Junior wideout Brad Kanuch missed the second half of practice with an apparent left quadriceps injury, the same injury that shelved him for the duration of the spring camp. … New London’s Aaron Bryant blocked a Dave Teggart field goal attempt. … Oliver Bernsen left school and was replaced on the team’s roster by walk-on punter Nick Amarante.

Q & A Chris Lopes

I recently spoke with UConn Class of 2009 recruit Chris Lopes for a Q & A. This is what he had to say. Lopes, a 5-11 safety from the Tilton School in New Hampshire, runs a 4.41 40-yard dash and weighs in at 187 pounds.

Q: What was it that drew you to UConn?

A: "[Coach Randy Edsall] took me one-on-one; he personally took me through all these drills. He told me how he coached in the NFL and how I have the potential to be there. He gave me the pitch that I could play early. ... Plus I have a couple pf buddies who are going to school there; I'm going to have a lot of fun."

Q: Coach Edsall tries to present a family atmosphere, was that something that appealed to you?

A: "I definitely got the same feeling. We just connected. He told me he was having a cookout for his players. ... He stays with his players. I think he's a great person and he's making that program big. I think they can do [win the Big East] again. Hopefully in my time there my impact on the team will help win the Big East."

Q: How would you describe your style of play?

A: "I think the UConn fans who haven't seen me play in New Hampshire will see that I'm a very elusive, hard-hitting, physical and fast player. I have size, I can tackle, I can catch, I can run. My game films say it all.

"Last year I was only about 165. This year, I'm coming in at 187."

Q: Has any of the UConn coaches expressed desire for you to play more than one position?

A: "I'm trying to practice at wide receiver, but I'm 5-11-ish. I don't know. I played wide receiver at a camp, but they mostly want me at safety. They cans ee me doing punt returns and kick returns.

Q: Do you prefer wideout or safety?

A" "I like receiver a lot. But once I'm there I'd like to practice at receiver. We'll see what happens. Right now, I'm focused on defense."

Q: What does Edsall's experience with the NFL and helping produce NFL-caliber players mean to you?

A: "He's sent Tyvon Branch to the NFL, Robert Vaughn had a great year; I heard of him when he played in Massachusetts and Darius Butler. His track record speaks for itself. ... There is a lot of potential. The thing is I have the potential and I'm going to work hard to get better and better and better."

Q: How much pressure do you feel with the recent success of defensive backs at UConn?

A: "Actually that makes me feel real good. I'm going to do well at UConn. I'm not worried. I don't play nervous. I feel like I have confidence in my coaches and hopefully I can go to the next level."

First day of practice

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.

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.

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.

Terence Jeffers plans to transfer -- to Vanderbilt. More later.

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.

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.

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.

This is the game for the Huskies. Trailing by seven and at their own 11 with 7:01 to play. The Huskies need to learn how to use the passing game in a nhurry.

UConn's Tyvon Branch is hurt and has gone to the sidelines for examination.

Tyler Lorenzen was just sacked at the goal line, narrowly missing a saftey. Any momentum in this game is 100 percent with Wake Forest.

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.

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.

Today's first half is the first time since Sept. 9, 2006 that Wake Forest has been shut out in the first half.

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'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.

Tony Ciaravino kicked a 29-yard field goal to push UConn's lead to 10-0 with five minutes left in the half.

Donald Brown broke several tackles and sprinted out to the Wake 33 on a 58-yard run.

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.

Wake's Kenny Moore has 90 receptions this season, breaking the ACC mark for catches in a season held by N.C. State's Tory Holt since 1998.

Pass interference called on Darius Butler on a ball that the Wake reciever had no chance of catching. Good going to the SEC officiating crew.

The Huskies seem to have picked up some momentum thanks to Taylor's return and will need it as they begin this possession at their own 13 yard line.

Larry Taylor returned a punt 68-yards for a touchdown to put UConn ahead 7-0.

On 3rd-and-3, De'Angelo Bryant made a catch and fell short of teh first down marker, forcing Wake to punt from its 15.

UConn actually picked up a first down, but that was about it on its third possession of the game.

Cullen's punt was hauled in at the 12 and Wake picked up a personal foul on John Tereshinski, driving them back to the six yard line.

Right now, the best UConn player has been punter Desi Cullen.

Josh Adams just took a shovel pass from Riley Skinner and slipped for a two-yard loss. Clearly, the field is still a bit damp.

To follow up on the fog, it has withdrawn considerably, so it shouldn't be a factor from here on out.

Two possessions and the Huskies have looked bad both times. No one has gotten open, Tyler Lorenzen is under heavy pressure and there have been two dropped pass (Terence Jeffers and Andre Dixon).

The Huskies dodged a bullet thanks to Cody Brown. Two plays after the Demon Deacons broke a 13-yard run, Brown knocked the ball out of QB Riley Skinner's hand for a fumble. Skinner recovered for a sack, creating a 3rd-and-18 situation. Skinner went long for Kevin Marion at the goal line, but over threw Marion by a foot. Marion dove and had his hands on the ball as he cross the goal line, but he couldn't pull it in.

On its first possession, UConn goes three and out, and Terry Baltimore picks up a 15-yard penalty when he prevented Kenny Moore from catching the punt.

Taking part in the opening coin toss is boxing legend George Foreman.
He's not offering burgers, though, which is good because Charlotte has been a gastronomical event.

There's so much riding on today's game for both teams. For Wake Forest, a bowl win makes the top team football-wise on Tobacco Road. For UConn, a win validates its rise to respectability and will all but lock up a final Top 25 ranking.

So what do these teams do to try and bring home the win today? Well, what I expect to see is a chance at redemption for UConn wide receiver D.J. Hernandez, who as the quarterback, cost the Huskies last season's game against the Demon Deacons at Rentschler Field.

Don't be surprised if you see Hernandez line up next to quarterback Tyler Lorenzen or if he throws a pass.

When I spoke to Hernandez last week and asked him about last season's loss, he said he doesn't remember anything. Spoken like a quarterback. Maybe more like a closer in baseball. Either way, this is his chance to erase the bitter feelings many have about that game last September.

USually, Johnathan the Husky looks pretty dirty and in need of a good bath. But today, the UConn mascot looks like a good supermarket-quality rug cleaner was taken to his, um, fur. I guess he's ready for his close up.

It's time for my prediction on today's game.

(DRUMROLL PLEASE....)

And the winner will be:



Expect a close game with the Huskies winning by no more than five, continuing the run of good, close games this bowl season.