Since UConn began making the transition from I-AA to I-A, it has been a bit of a quarterback carousel especially in recent years. Case in point, counting this season five different players will have led the Huskies in passing yards over the last six campaigns.

While games against a FCS Villanova team and an Army squad coming off a 4-8 season is a small sample size, Bryant Shirreffs is off to a start rivaling any of the players to quarterback UConn during the FBS era.

Since 2000 the only quarterbacks to throw for at least 200 yards in their first two starts are Ryan Tracey in 2000, Chandler Whitmer in 2012 and Shirreffs this season.

It won't be easy as Missouri is third nationally allowing 90 passing yards per game, leads all FBS teams in tackles for loss per game and is 12th in passing efficiency defense.

Shirreffs currently has a passing efficiency rating of 167.2, which ranks 23rd among FBS quarterbacks. The rating is the best for a UConn quarterback after two games since Dan Orlovsky (remember him) had a 172.93 rating against Murray State and Duke in the first two games of the 2004 season.

Here is the chart
                                                             C  Att Yds TD Int Rating
2015 Shirreffs  Villanova & Army      31-45 472 2-1 167.22
2014 Cochran BYU                              17-31 171 0-1   94.72
2014 Whitmer BYU & Stony Brook   20-46 255 1-0  97.22
2013 Whitmer Towson  & Maryland   45-74 555 3-3 129.08
2012 Whitmer UMass & NC St           31-52 423 0-5 108.72
2011 McEntee Fordham & Vandy      18-40 212 0-3  74.52
2010 Frazer Michigan & Texas So.     24-46 309 2-0 122.95
2009 Frazer Ohio & North Carolina    22-43 221 2-4  91.08
2008 Lorenzen Hofstra & Temple       24-47 270 1-4  78.60
2007 Lorenzen Duke & Maine            39-56 484 4-2 158.67
2006 Hernandez URI  & Wake For.    27-45 346 3-2 139.25
2005 Bonislawski Buffalo & Liberty  29-43 338 4-1 159.52
2004 Orlovsky Murray St. & Duke     42-63 672 5-3 172.93
2003 Orlovsky Indiana &Army           52-78 624 8-3 160.02
2002 Orlovsky BC & Ga. Tech           37-63 348 2-2 109.26
Also, here is a look at how UConn QBs fared in their first career stats
Ryan Tracey            9/2/00 E. Michigan    23-49 340 3-1
Tyler Lorenzen        8/1/07 Duke               22-30 298 2-1
Casey Cochran       11/16/13 SMU            25-42 227 2-2
Chandler Whitmer   8/30/12 UMass          15-25 219 2-2  
Zach Frazer            10/4/08 N. Carolina    24-44 210 0-3
Bryant Shirreffs       9/3/15  Villanova      12-20 202 2-1
For those wondering Orlovsky's numbers were 14 of 32 for 180 yards with one TD and one interception in win over Eastern Michigan on Oct. 6, 2001.



I'm sure nobody can figure out what the subject matter will be for the UConn football story running in tomorrow's edition of the Register.