The University of Connecticut home football games against Louisville (Saturday, Oct. 17) and Syracuse (Saturday, Nov. 28) will both kickoff at 12:00 p.m. (noon) and be televised as the BIG EAST Network Game of the Week.

The BIG EAST Conference announced five of the 10 BIG EAST Game of the Week selections on Thursday while the other five selections will be held in a 12-day window. The other games announced were: Fresno State at Cincinnati on Sept. 26, USF at Syracuse on Oct. 3 and Syracuse at Louisville on Nov. 14.

The BIG EAST Network Game of the Week is seen locally in Connecticut on MyTV9/WCTX.

Here’s a summary of the starting times for UConn football games this year:

* With Thursday’s announcement, three of the six starting times for games at Rentschler Field are now known and all of them are at noon. In addition to the Louisville and Syracuse games, the Saturday, Sept. 26 game against Rhode Island will begin at noon.

* Kickoff times for the other three home games are still to be announced – Saturday, Sept 12 vs. North Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 31 vs. Rutgers and Saturday, Dec. 5 vs. South Florida. The South Florida game will be televised on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

* Ohio University recently announced that kickoff for the Saturday, Sept. 5 game between UConn and the Bobcats will be at 7:00 p.m. Eastern in Athens, Ohio.

* Baylor has announced that kickoff for the Saturday, Sept. 19 game between UConn and the Bears will be 4:00 p.m. Central (5:00 p.m. Eastern) in Waco, Texas.

* As previously announced, UConn’s game at Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 21 will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. Eastern and will be nationally televised on NBC.

* Kickoff times for UConn’s away games at Pittsburgh (Saturday, Oct. 10), West Virginia (Saturday, Oct. 24) and Cincinnati (Saturday, Oct. 7) are still to be announced.

Just got off the phone with Mike Osiecki. He said he suffered a torn labrum in a practice just before the start of the high school season, but played through the year anyway. He had shoulder surgery in April.

“I knew something was wrong, but didn’t know it was that bad of an injury and I just wanted to play,” Osiecki said. “I got it fixed, and now I have to rest for three months. I can’t lift or do anything, really. I talked it over with the coaches. Since I wouldn’t be cleared to play until September anyway, it would be pointless to go up and just sit there.”

Kinnard, a quarterback, broke his leg during a game in October and also underwent surgery. He could not be reached Saturday.

The circumstances have at least one benefit for the pair. By delaying enrollment to January, both players essentially gained an extra semester’s worth of football eligibility. They can participate in spring practice next March, then still have a full five years to redshirt (if need be) and play their four seasons of football.

As for Marcus Campbell...he's had issues with grades before, and was academically dismissed by the university and will not be enrolled in school. It is unclear if he can still return, since he was out of school for academic reasons in the spring of 2008.

Parker is on academic probation, and still enrolled in school. He has the fall semester to pull up his grade-point average, but won’t be participating in football.

Also, reserve redshirt freshman tailback Nate Sherr has transferred to Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The move is because Sherr is interested in pursing a maritime career, though he will also play football there.

UConn sent out this press release earlier today. Kinnard broke his leg during the high school season, so this is likely related to that. Working to find out what happened to Osiecki.

Two incoming University of Connecticut football freshmen – linebacker Michael Osiecki (Seymour, Conn.) and quarterback Leon Kinnard (Reistertown, Md.) – will enrolled in school in January of 2010 as they recover from recent surgeries. The rest of the incoming UConn freshmen will report to campus on Sunday for the beginning of a summer school session.

In other UConn football roster news:

* Junior defensive end Marcus Campbell (Bloomfield, Conn.) will not be enrolled at the University for the fall 2009 semester. * Redshirt freshman Brian Parker (Sarasota, Fla.) will be enrolled at the University this fall, but will not be eligible to play football. * Redshirt freshman tailback Nathan Sherr (Lynnfield, Mass.) has indicated that he will transfer to Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Mass.

I'm in New Hampshire with the family for a few days, but wanted to be sure to post about Lutrus being cleared today. Here's the Associated Press report.

VERNON, Conn.—Prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against Connecticut linebacker Scott Lutrus, who was arrested last month during at the start of the school's Spring Weekend festivities.
Lutrus, a team co-captainteam, was charged with interfering with police after a fight at an off-campus apartment complex.
His attorney, Rob Britt, says Lutrus was simply trying to explain to a police officer that his brother had been slashed with a box cutter. He says Lutrus was arrested after failing to comply with an order to back away from the officer.
Britt says the charges were dropped after Lutrus wrote a letter of apology to the officer and made a $100 charitable donation.
Lutrus, a two-year starter for the Huskies, made 107 tackles as a redshirt freshman and a team-high 106 tackles last season.

Here's the official depth chart heading into preseason camp. I think it needs a few more positions listed as "OR". This thing looks like something my wife would put together. She hasn't been able to pick a movie or restaurant in the eight years I've know her. Needless to say, aside from quarterback and tailback, the chart isn't exactly decisive. Looks like a certain head coach wants to see a little more fire from the o-line and pretty much everywhere else.

STORRS, Conn. (April 28, 2009) – University of Connecticut head football coach Randy Edsall has released a depth chart for the Husky team coming out of spring practice.

“This is where we are after spring ball and headed into summer workouts and preseason camp,” says Edsall. “Some positions need to be solidified and there can be changes made to this before we have a gameday depth chart for our opener against Ohio University on September 5.

“Zach Frazer is our number one quarterback coming out of spring practice and he has earned that spot. However, as we continue over the summer and into fall camp, there is still competition at that position, like there is at each spot on the team.”


OFFENSE
TE
89 John Delahunt RFr. 6-3 255 OR
94 Ryan Griffin RFr. 6-6 247 OR
81 Corey Manning RFr. 6-4 245
93 Derek Chard Jr. 6-3 231
84 Yianni Apostolakos RSo. 6-4 255

LT
73 Dan Ryan RSr. 6-8 305 OR
72 Jimmy Bennett RFr. 6-7 300

LG
66 Mathieu Olivier RJr. 6-4 287 OR
74 Alex LaMagdelaine RSr. 6-2 303 OR
92 Scott Schultz RSo. 6-3
67 Clark Maturo RFr. 6-4 309

C
57 Moe Petrus RSo. 6-2 295 OR
70 Gary Bardzak RSo. 6-2 295
62 Ben Chapman RFr. 6-2 274

RG
78 Zach Hurd RJr. 6-7 300 OR
60 Erik Kuraczea RFr. 6-1 318
63 Adam Masters RFr. 6-4 283

RT
79 Mike Hicks RSr. 6-6 325 OR
71 Mike Ryan RSo. 6-5 323
76 Zac Zielinski RFr. 6-7 333

WR
83 Isiah Moore RSo. 6-0 191 OR
29 Marcus Easley RSr. 6-2 210
11 Brian Parker RFr. 6-3 204

WR
82 Kashif Moore RSo. 5-9 178 OR
80 Michael Smith So. 6-0 190
86 Alex Molina RJr. 6-2 200

WR
3 Brad Kanuch Sr. 6-0 193
88 Gerrard Sheppard RFr. 6-1 201
85 Kevin Poles RJr. 6-0 204

QB
10 Zach Frazer RJr. 6-4 225
12 Cody Endres RSo. 6-3 225
18 Johnny McEntee RFr. 6-2 212
16 Casey Turner RFr. 6-4 234

RB
23 Jordan Todman So. 5-9 190
2 Andre Dixon RSr. 6-1 210 OR
22 Meme Wylie RSo. 5-10 214 OR
44 Robbie Frey RSo. 6-0 198
40 Nathan Sherr RSo. 5-10 197

FB
49 Anthony Sherman Jr. 5-10 237
47 Anthony Davis RJr. 5-10 235
39 Bret Manning RJr. 5-11 246
37 Joss Tillard Jr. 5-10 215

DEFENSE
DE
26 Marcus Campbell Jr. 6-2 228
91 Jesse Joseph Fr. 6-4 238 OR
96 A.J. Portee RFr. 6-3 230
48 Trevardo Williams Fr. 6-2 221

DT
99 Kendall Reyes RSo. 6-4 277
54 Alex Polito RJr. 6-5 272
53 Ryan Wirth RFr. 6-2 267

DT
4 Twyon Martin RSo. 6-1 272
52 Brandon Dillon RSr. 6-3 292
75 Beau Brunelli RFr. 6-2 252

DE
9 Lindsey Witten Sr. 6-4 248
56 Mike Cox RJr. 6-2 245
98 Ted Jennings RFr. 6-6 227
97 K.C. Chambers Fr. 6-5 242

SLB
32 Scott Lutrus RJr. 6-2 230
19 Kijuan Dabney Jr. 6-0 215 OR
28 Jory Johnson RFr. 5-11 204

MLB
95 Greg Lloyd Jr. 6-1 241
10 Greg Robinson RJr. 6-1 242
55 Jerome Williams RFr. 6-0 245
41 James Healy RFr. 5-8 212

WLB
8 Lawrence Wilson RJr. 6-1 226
46 Sio Moore RFr. 6-1 221
17 Matt Ashmead RSr. 6-2 230
39 Mark Hinkley RFr. 5-11 218

LCB
42 Robert McClain Sr. 5-9 196
5 Blidi Wreh-Wilson RFr. 6-0 184
21 Gary Wilburn RSo. 5-11 197

FS
33 Robert Vaughn Sr. 6-0 202
25 Harris Agbor RSo. 5-10 185 OR
27 Aaron Bagsby RSo. 6-1 190
30 Matt Edwards RFr. 5-11 187

SS
37 Jonathan Jean-Louis RSo. 5-11 203
15 Jerome Junior RFr. 6-0 212
28 Emmanuel Omokaro RSo. 5-10 208
40 John Yurek Rso. 6-0 198

RCB
6 Jasper Howard Jr. 5-9 171
24 Dwayne Gratz RFr. 5-11 189

SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter
13 Desi Cullen Sr. 6-2 200
38 Dave Teggart RSo. 6-0 208

Kicker
38 Dave Teggart RSo. 6-0 208
13 Desi Cullen Sr. 6-2 200

Punt Return
6 Jasper Howard Jr. 5-9 171
42 Robert McClain Sr. 5-9 196 OR
21 Gary Wilburn RSo. 5-11 197

Kickoff Return
44 Robbie Frey RSo. 6-0 198
23 Jordan Todman So. 5-9 190

Holder
13 Desi Cullen Sr. 6-2 200
10 Zach Frazer RJr. 6-4 225

Long Snapper
95 Derek Chard Jr. 6-3 241
40 Nathan Sheer RSo. 5-1 197

I may have just broken the world record for most phone calls made in a 45-minute span. I could use a Powerade right now. And a shower. Ever break a sweat talking on the phone? OK. I'm a bit woozy and rambling.

Feel free to scroll down to previous posts and see all the players with Connecticut ties who signed free agent contracts. Quite frankly, it's impressive. Four for UConn, one for Yale, and three state residents playing for other programs all latched on with NFL teams tonight. Add in two the two drafted players (Shaughnessy and Knighton), and that's 10 kids to the leagues today alone. Fourteen including the four Huskies' taken on Saturday. Wow. That just may be a record, too.

Julius was at his grandparent's house in Georgia, and he said it was a long day. "I expected to be drafted. But I'm not disappointed. This is a good opportunity. Jacksonville actually called a few picks before the draft ended. They said they couldn't draft me, but still wanted me as a free agent. I spoke to my agent, and we thought this was the best opportunity. My agent had calls from Jacksonville's GM and head coach, and seemed really interested. I had a good visit with them when I went down there, and I think I have a good chance to make the team."

Williams said Denver, San Diego, Atlanta and Green Bay also made free agent offers tonight.

Deleston said he had the Bears and Patriots on two different phone lines at the same time, both with offers. He felt the Pats were already stacked at his position, and that Chicago was the better fit. He thinks he can be a productive special teams player for the Bears.

Jacksonville plans to use Lorenzen as a tight end. He may need to bulk up about 30 or so pounds.

Dahna Deleston to Chicago, Keith Gray to Carolina and Tyler Lorenzen to Jacksonville.

Will have a couple of quotes up in a minute.

Also, courtesy of John Silver, Kory Sheets of Bloomfield via Purdue to the 49ers.

Julius was undrafted, but signed a deal with the Jaguars, according to his agent.

Matt Shaughnessy of Norwich, a defensive end at Wisconsin, and Terrence Knighton of Windsor, a defensive end at Temple, were the only players with Connecticut ties drafted today. Shaughnessy went to Oakland in the third round (71st overall), and Knighton went to Jacksonville with the very next pick.

Some happenings after the draft. New Haven resident Chris Vaughn, who played wide receiver at Louisville, signed a free agent deal with New Orleans. Yale linebacker Bobby Abare signed with Kansas City.

One more. Windsor's Chris Baker, a defensive tackle at Hampton University in Virginia, signed a free agent deal with Denver.

Should hear where Julius Williams signed soon. Waiting on other UConn guys, too.

What a day for UConn football. Four players taken on day one of the draft. Only USC, with five, had more. Methinks this might be a bit more enticing as a recruiting tool for Randy Edsall and his staff than the International Bowl win over Buffalo. Just a hunch.

And there's more to come. I fully expect Julius Williams to be taken Sunday, with Dahna Deleston possibly sneaking in as well. That could give UConn six draft picks, more than the entire Division I-A era combined.

Edsall, who manages to give scholarships to kids none of the "big guys" want, summed it up perfectly on Saturday night.

"It's amazing," he said. "These kids, hardly anybody else recruited. You can take those rankings and throw them out the window. It's about finding kids with athletic ability, and work ethic and good character. If they're willing to buy into that, it's amazing what can be accomplished. Today was a testament to that."

Some other nuggets from Edsall tonight. He said he spoke at length with Colts president Bill Polian before the International Bowl, when Donald Brown was still on the fence about declaring early.

"There was one team that really wanted Donald, and they were nervous because they didn't think he would get to them with their pick," Edsall said. "They were concerned about Indianapolis, and lo and behold, Indianapolis took him. But I had spent a lot of time talking with Bill about Donald."

Edsall is excited Bill Belichick got Darius (and Butler is pumped, too), and very happy Will Beatty landed in New York. Edsall spoke with his mentor, Tom Coughlin, about both Will and Cody Brown, and said he was hoping one of them would go to the Giants when their second-round pick arrived.

As for Sunday, Edsall thinks Julius and Dahna get picked, and feels Keith Gray might have a shot at the draft, too. He also said Tyler Lorenzen and Steve Brouse could have opportunities to sign free agent contracts and get into camps somewhere.

It took a while, but just got off the phone with Darius Butler. He said he got pretty nervous as the night wore on and his name wasn't called. "I expected to go anywhere from 15-40, and I went 41st," Butler said. "It was pretty crazy. But it's definitely exciting."

Butler said he spoke with several of the Pats big wigs when they called tonight, including Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft. The team was very interested over the past few months, and Belichick has said he loves Butler's athleticism.

Butler said he expects to play corner in New England, but someone (he can't recall who) from the team asked him about the possibility of playing wide receiver. "You know how the Patriots use their players, they like a lot of athletes in their system," Butler said. "But someone did ask me about playing receiver, though I doubt they'll put me in there."

While Butler didn't know who asked him about receiver (his mind, understandably, was racing) he said it definitely wasn't Belichick.

Will Beatty just went 60th to the Giants. Cody Brown at 63 to Arizona.

Second round, pick No. 41 overall.

Little surprised he went late. Not suprised it was New England. Belichick really liked him.

Just finished a call with Donald. He's obviously thrilled and excited. One interesting thing is that he said he had "Zero" contact with the Colts in the months leading into today. He spoke with the team's sports psycologist at the NFL Combine in February, "and that's the last I heard from them. I really wasn't expecting to be taken by the Colts. " His agent, however, thought otherwise. "He told me to watch out for the Colts, they were his sleeper pick. That was the case. It was a big surprise."

Here's what the Colts had to say about Donald Brown.

Colts president Bill Polian. "He's a scintillating player. We lost Dominic Rhodes, we replaced him with Donald Brown. He's a guy who is a game-breaker.

Polian on Brown joining Joeseph Addai in the backfield, "Because of (Brown), Addai will have a longer career and be a more productive player."

Colts head coach Jim Caldwell. "One of the first things he asked me after we made the pick was about offensive installation. He wanted the playbook for the upcoming weekend (rookie mini-camp). It's important to have two backs in the system because of the work load in our system, you need at least two."

Peyton Manning. Joe Addai. Reggie Wayne. Dallas Clark. And now, Donald Brown, who, as the 27th overall pick by Indianapolis, becomes the first UConn player ever taken in the first round.

More to come soon. Darius Butler's name will be called any minute. Will Beatty will have a longer wait.

Will update after Donald Brown's conference call at 7:30.

Newly-elected UConn football captain Scott Lutrus was arrested by UConn police early Friday morning and charged with interfering with an officer. His older brother, Kyle, 23, was also arrested. According to the police arrest log, officers were dispatched to a report of a fight near the entrance to Celeron Square Apartments. Upon arrival, officers attempted to detain the brothers, they became combative. Both resisted and began fighting with officers. Scott Lutrus, who turned 21 on Thursday, was arrested, and later released on a $500 bond. Kyle Lutrus was charged with two counts of interfering with an officer and second degree breach of peace.

The brothers are both due in Rockville Superior Court on May 5.