2008 Connecticut Huskies Preview

Randy Edsall has never proclaimed that Connecticut has a better football program than West Virginia. Edsall’s Huskies have never beaten the Mountaineers since joining the Big East Conference in 2004 and were beaten up in Morgantown, 66–21, in their final regular-season game last Nov. 24. But over seven Big East games last season, UConn proved to be West Virginia’s equal, and for that Edsall offers no apologies and says his Huskies deserve to take a bow for finishing 5–2 and sharing the conference title with the Mountaineers.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Huskies

Expectations haven’t changed at Connecticut — the goal every season is to win a Big East Conference championship — but the perception sure has. The Huskies, a team picked to finish near the bottom of the conference in 2007, wound up sharing the title with West Virginia and went to a bowl game for the second time. The trick now is to contend on a regular basis, and with 16 starters returning, UConn has the pieces in place to do just that. In a conference that lost plenty of star power, the Huskies return their biggest stars — quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, tailbacks Donald Brown and Andre Dixon, linebackers Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson, and cornerback Darius Butler. UConn also has more talent and depth than at any time since making the jump to Division I-A, especially on the interior, but there are two particular areas of concern — wide receiver and the secondary. The Huskies still need a consistent playmaker at receiver, plus someone with the ability to stretch a defense. Defensively, Butler and free safety Robert Vaughn are proven commodities, but UConn is relatively untested at the other corner and strong safety. If the Huskies can develop players in both of those areas, they should be factor in the Big East and put themselves in position for a second straight bowl bid.

“That’s the bottom line … to win your conference,” says Edsall. “I thought we were a very efficient football team in all three phases, didn’t turn the ball over a lot, forced turnovers, played real good field-position football and had great chemistry. We did what we needed to do. We weren’t a sexy team. We weren’t a flashy team. But we were an opportunistic team.”

And Edsall is hoping for more of the same in 2008, although he hopes to add a little more flash along the way.

UConn must replace four key graduation losses — return specialists Tyvon Branch and Larry Taylor, and All-Big East performers Danny Lansanah (middle linebacker) and Donald Thomas (right guard) — but returns a veteran cast that became one of college football’s biggest surprises a year ago.

Offensively, the Huskies now have a proven leader in senior quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, one of eight returning starters. Eight starters are also back on defense, led by a pair of linebackers who were freshman All-Americans — Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson. The Huskies are living proof that the gap between the top and bottom teams in the conference has narrowed. UConn, don’t forget, was projected to finish no higher than seventh by most experts a year ago, but then gave itself the opportunity to go down to West Virginia with a chance to win the Big East title outright and earn the conference’s BCS bid. That didn’t happen, but 2007 was still a success.

The Huskies are still FBS toddlers, so winning another Big East title might be a bit of a stretch. But earning a second consecutive bowl berth for the first time in program history is a realistic goal for a team that expects to become a consistent winner.

Quarterbacks

In addition to his leadership and talent, Lorenzen brought the Huskies something they severely lacked the previous two seasons — stability — and was a major reason for UConn’s quick turnaround. The lefty had solid numbers, completing 197-of-347 passes (57 percent) for 2,367 yards and 13 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The former junior college All-American also rushed for 328 yards, but his productivity tailed off in the final month when he battled nagging thumb and knee injuries. With one season under his belt, expect more open and creative playcalling in Lorenzen’s final year. The 2007 back-up, Dennis Brown, transferred to Norfolk State, but UConn has another quality No. 2 quarterback in Notre Dame transfer Zach Frazer, who did not play in 2007.

Running backs

The Huskies are solid here, particularly at tailback with the return of Donald Brown and Andre Dixon. Brown was a second-team All-Big East selection as a freshman in 2006, while Dixon emerged last season and rushed for 828 yards in 11 games, earning All-Big East second-team honors. They have the ability to run with power inside yet possess the outside speed to run away from defenders. Redshirt freshmen Robbie Frey and Kelmetrus “Meme” Wylie were impressive this spring and will provide great depth. Also, don’t be surprised to see true freshman Jordan Todman, who rushed for 5,083 career yards at Dartmouth (Mass.), the second-most in Massachusetts history. Anthony Sherman moved into the starting lineup at fullback — when the Huskies started a fullback — as a true freshman late in the season and will begin the 2008 season ahead of sophomore Anthony Davis.

Receivers

This is an area of concern for UConn, at least at the wideout positions, where the Huskies lost leading receiver Terence Jeffers (transferred to Vanderbilt), and two returners — Brad Kanuch and D.J. Hernandez — missed virtually the entire spring with injuries. UConn hopes Ellis Gaulden, a two-time Big East high jump champion, can finally stay healthy and have a big senior season, but don’t be surprised to see two redshirt freshmen (Kashif Moore and Isiah Moore) and three true freshmen (Brian Parker, Gerrard Sheppard and Michael Smith) work their way into the rotation. Edsall also plans to use the talents of senior cornerback Darius Butler on this side of the football, too. Steve Brouse, meanwhile, quietly goes about his business and remains a solid receiving and run-blocking tight end.

Offensive linemen

Another deep position for the Huskies, where two players who combined for 20 starts in 2007 — guard Alex LaMagdelaine and tackle Mike Hicks — could begin the 2008 season as reserves. Tackles Will Beatty and Dan Ryan return along with center Keith Gray, but UConn will start two untested players at guard — sophomore Zach Hurd (a converted tackle) and redshirt freshman Muhammad “Moe” Petrus (a former center). Hurd replaces Thomas, a 2007 first-team All-Big East guard. This unit was efficient in the run game, so expect that to continue, but the linemen must do a better job protecting Lorenzen, who was sacked 30 times and would have gone down more if not for his mobility.

Defensive linemen

Three starters return up front — ends Cody Brown (7.5 sacks) and Julius Williams (8.5 sacks), along with tackle Rob Lunn. The Huskies were able to stay fresh up front by using an eight-man rotation, so the other starting right tackle (sophomore Alex Polito) and reserve ends Lindsey Witten and Mike Cox gained invaluable experience last season. Look for redshirt freshman Kendall Reyes (three sacks in the spring game) to emerge at end, and Edsall likes his three redshirt freshman tackles — Jarrell Miller, Scott Schultz and Twyon Martin.

Linebackers

Although two starters (sophomores Lutrus and Wilson) return off productive rookie seasons, there will be a period of adjustment here, because Lutrus is moving inside to replace Lansanah, a first-team All-Big East middle linebacker, and senior Dahna Deleston, last year’s starting strong safety, moves closer to the line of scrimmage to start at outside linebacker. Deleston had 103 tackles (47 solo) in 2007. Both moves were made to give the Huskies an upgrade in speed. Redshirt freshman Greg Lloyd and sophomore Greg Robinson Jr. have experience on the outside, while redshirt freshman C.J. Marck will be the understudy to Lutrus.

Defensive backs

UConn has speed and athleticism, but with the exception of Butler and free safety Robert Vaughn, this is a relatively untested group. Kijuan Dabney replaces Deleston at strong safety, while junior Robert McClain and sophomore Jasper Howard are battling for the other starting cornerback spot vacated by three-year starter Branch. Junior Terry Baltimore, who excelled on special teams a year ago, can back up at either corner, and a pair of redshirt freshmen — Aaron Bagsby and Jonathan Jean-Louis — are the reserve safeties.

Specialists

The Huskies are solid in the kicking game with the return of placekicker Tony Ciaravino and punter Desi Cullen. Ciaravino had a breakthrough 2007, setting a UConn single-season record with 22 field goals, while Cullen averaged 40.7 yards per punt and downed 21 inside the opponent’s 20. The return game is in transition. Taylor, the most dynamic punt returner in UConn history, graduated along with Branch, who led the Big East in kickoff return yardage (28.9 yards per). Butler will replace Branch on kickoffs, and Todman is expected to return punts.

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