It was a foregone conclusion that a running back from the Valley would be taking part in UConn's Senior Day festivities. Now there will be two backs from one of the most talent rich part of Connecticut being honored on Saturday.

Arkeel Newsome, who rewrote the Connecticut High School football record books during his unforgettable four-year run at Ansonia High, won't be able to play against USF due to the upper-body injury he suffered in a recent win over Tulsa. Shelton High graduate Jason Thompson is one of four players listed as a junior who will be taking part in Senior Day festivities. With injuries to Newsome and leading rusher Nate Hopkins, Thompson could get more offensive touches than at any other point in his career.

"Obviously I'm excited for a great opportunity, my last time playing at Rentschler," Thompson said. "I've been looking up at that since I was a little kid always wanting to play there but I am going to take it all in but it is not going to change my performance. My parents told me to take a step back, make sure you enjoy it all so I am going to do that but it is not going to change the preparation."
Thompson joins quarterback Brad Westmark, offensive lineman Dan Oak and defensive back Anthony Watkins as the juniors who will not be returning to the team next season.

There are times when coaches "strongly encourage" fourth-year juniors to exit stage right opening up more scholarship in the next recruiting class. It's uncertain whether than happened with any of the players mentioned above but it most certainly is not the case with Thompson who would have to be considered one of Edsall's favorite players on this year's team.

Thompson is the only player to be named a game captain three times this season and it didn't take much prodding for Edsall to rave about Thompson's attitude and work ethic.

"I love being around that kid, that kid there is something special," Edsall said. "You could see how hard of a worker he is and how much pride he had in doing things the right way. His position group selected him as the leader of that group. When you watch the kid go out and practice and he just goes hard every play, gives everything he has whether it is practice or the game, that is what you want for everybody. He sets a great example for not only his position group but his unit and for his team.


"Earlier this season he ended up having to go down and do some work on the scout team, he just went and did his job but still prepared to go in and play. That is a guy, you can depend on, he is reliable. He is going to be very successful at whatever he does. He goes in there and has productivity when he is in there, we put him on special teams because we knew he was going to get the job done. He is a really good kid, he is a good leader, has his priorities in line and gives it everything he has each and every day. He's been a joy to be around, to me he is one of those special type of young men, he's got everything that you are looking for."

Thompson, who came to UConn as a non-scholarship player, has done the work in the classroom as well. He is on pace to graduate at the end of the semester and his future plans won't include playing football.

"(He's pursuing a) doctor of physical therapy degree and that could be at any school so with that in consideration, just focus on my future and that profession, I felt like it was best for me to make this my senior year, go into that graduate (school) without football being there because I don't know if it is even possible to do both."

Thompson has seen more and more time on the field with each passing year. He's been a standout in the spring games and this year is a mainstay on special teams. He is the guy sent back to be the voice of reason when freshmen Quayvon Skanes or Jordan Swann field kickoffs. When Thompson believes it is in the team's best interest for them to settle for the touchback, they quickly oblige.

Thompson would love to have all the running backs healthy and available to play but with that not being the case, he's going to be ready when his number is called.

"I am going to do what I can with my extra opportunities to help this team win," Thompson said.

Mensah leads all healthy UConn running backs with 274 rushing yards and Thompson is considered to be the team's best blocking running back. What surprised me was when Edsall said that Donevin O'Reilly will serve as the No. 3 tailback. I figured Ja'Kevious Vickers, a redshirt freshman on scholarship, would have that role or perhaps Donovan Williams might get some reps at running back since the converted quarterback is buried a bit on depth chart at receiver.

O'Reilly was one of four players who recently were added to the roster after attending a tryout for walk-ons. Edsall said O'Reilly only became eligible on Friday and now he has moved past a scholarship running back who looked pretty good at the practices I attended last year (this year's practices are closed to the print media). Naturally, I asked Edsall what Vickers' status was because if he can't get into the mix this week, when is that going to happen?

"It is not the head coach's decision, it is a player's decision," Edsall said. "You watch players work and you watch players practice and both of these guys were on the scout team. He didn't become eligible until Friday of last week but what I saw with the energy guys were giving on the scout team, if I am going to move a guy up, I am going to move a guy up that I think has been busting his butt and giving the effort, doing the things you need to go where another guy is down there just kind of going through the motions, not pushing himself ...

"In the NFL, a guy comes onto the practice squad, he doesn't get it done, he's not working hard guess what he gets cut and you bring another guy in. I can't do that, sometimes I wish I could. I wish there was a waiver wire but you can't do that. If I am true to the team and true to the word that I tell those guys, guys who work the hardest, I don't care freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, scholarship/non-scholarship, if I stand up in front of them and say things to them and I don't follow through than I am not doing right for those kids. He has earned that right to be up over the other guy.

"The same thing in terms of Tyraiq (Beals) and Keyion (Dixon), Tyraiq has earned that right. He didn't pout, he just kept working, maybe the other guy didn't work as hard or wasn't as productive. To get that culture established, that is the way we have to do it and that is the way it is always going to be done. Play the guys who give the effort, guys who deserve it and show that they want to be out there and give everything they are going to give each and every day because that is the only way you are going to get better."

SUMMERS OUT FOR FIRST THREE QUARTERSThe good news is that senior cornerback Jamar Summers was on the two-deep chart which I wasn't sure was going to be the case after Edsall vanquished Summers to the locker room after he threw the ball at a Missouri receiver after making an interception late in the third quarter of the Missouri loss.

Edsall, with input from the 10-member leadership council, has decided that Summers won't be able to play in the first three quarters against USF.

"You know things are going to way you want them to go because I sat down with our leadership council and talked to them about the situation that took place, what they thought we needed to do as a team and as a program regarding that situation," Edsall said. "I was very impressed with the feedback and response I got back from those nine young men. They felt there was a component that needed to be dealt with away from the playing field, if there was going to be playing time taken away or not so they set that themselves. I won't get into what they set but it was a pretty harsh punishment, I shouldn't say punishment, discipline they put in place for Jamar to fulfill. They felt there should also be game time taken away. I asked them to give me parameters for what they thought would be fair in terms of the situation that happened.

"I got a range of things in term of half game to a full game to maybe a quarter that they brought up. Each young man had an opportunity to express himself. As I sat back and listened, I told them I would make the final decision  based on the recommendations that you guys put out there. I told them it could be the low end, it could be the high end, it could be somewhere in the middle. I made the decision, I brought the leadership council in with Jamar and told them what I was going to do so Jamar could hear it front of his teammates who are the leaders of this team and told him he will not be able to play in the first three quarters of this game which would really end up being a full game suspension based on a quarter last game and three quarters this game. Tre Bell will start and if he is playing well, doing what he is needing to do I'm not going to make any substitution there.

"I am proud of those guys for the way that they handled it and what they felt was necessary in order for our program moving forward in terms of what they want to establish from a culture and what I wanted to establish from a culture standpoint."

If there was a person at Rentschler Field who understood what the members of the UConn football team was going through during another humbling defeat, Dan Orlovsky would certainly fill the bill.

The program's all-time leader in passing yards, completions, attempts and touchdown passes was on the field as UConn lost 10 games by at least 14 points in the first 18 games that the former Shelton High star was on the UConn squad.

"My first 18 games here were bludgeonings, they weren't fun," Orlovsky said at halftime of UConn's 52-12 loss to Missouri. "We were so committed to the big picture where it came to the point where it not happening was not an option for us. it truly just became a way of life where we were going to do it no matter what. I know this, we fully committed to Coach (Randy Edsall) and what he was saying the same thing over and over, we were getting waxed over and over again so at some point you go, 'what is the deal because we aren't necessarily seeing the results, he was and we weren't.

"We committed to Coach and we committed to ourselves. I feel for them, I know it stinks. It is not fun especially playing games like this at home but I am a big believer of failure, getting beat up, having that sensation and, 'I don't want that any more.' That was the thing we did, we just decided we weren't going to walk around campus like that anymore, it was kind of embarrassing. It takes time but you don't have all day so you want to feel the pain of loss and failure and turn that into motivation and success."

Senior linebacker Junior Joseph and senior defensive end Luke Carrezola are two of the team's unquestioned leaders and both addressed what Orlovsky had to say.

"Dan knows, he's the face of the program, he hit the nail (on the head).You get to the point that you can't take it anymore," Carrezola said. "I think every play is a fight, you have to come as a man and no matter what happens it is a next-play mentality."

Joseph, who had five tackles to move into 18th place on UConn's career list in that category, came from a winning program in high school as did most of his classmates but the Huskies are 14-31 in the last four seasons.

"Nobody likes losing, we are definitely tired of losing but we still have a lot of young players, a lot of guys who haven't had a lot of game experience," Joseph said.

Joseph admitted that he lost his composure at times during the game but it was another senior who really lost control.

Cornerback Jamar Summers had his first interception of the season late in the third quarter, it was his 12th career pick tying him with Justin Perkins for seventh in UConn history. However. Summers fired the ball at the legs of Missouri J'Mon Moore drawing a 15-yard penalty. Summers wasn't ejected on the play since it was his first unsportsmanlike penalty of the game. However, when he got to the sidelined, an irate Edsall was waiting. The one-sided conversation ended with Edsall pointing to the locker room and telling Summers to get off the sideline.

"You are not going to disrespect the game that way and play in this program," Edsall said. "It is all about respecting the game and doing what you are supposed to do. If you aren't going to do that, yuou don't deserve to be on the field, that is my opinion, that is how I am going to do things."

Carrezola said he didn't see what Summers did and didn't offer much of a reaction to Summers' play and Edsall's reaction. Joseph, however, did address it.

"That is not going to fly with Coach Edsall," Joseph said. "I totally expected him to bench Jamar after that and even kick him out of the game. We have to keep our cool and stay together. We are down by a lot but you still can't do anything selfish to hurt the team even more."

Joseph said he wants to talk to Summers and make sure his mind is right.

Missouri finished with 583 yards of total offense and if the 27 yards Missouri lost when a snap went over the head of punter Corey Fatony for a safety, it would have been the third time this season the UConn defense gave up more than 600 yards.

"We are definitely at a point where we have to draw a line, really step up," Carrezola said, "It starts with the seniors, with the leaders and we have to do a better job. We have to come out ready to play."
It doesn't get any easier with USF coming to Rentschler next week and a game at undefeated UCF the following week.

Edsall said he won't even bother showing the film of the game to the team. He will, however, address the missed tackles and dropped passes. Edsall estimated a dozen dropped passes which might have been a little on the high side but the missed tackle number would probably be more than a dozen.

Edsall didn't do into details but freshman running back Nate Hopkins was knocked out of the game as was starting guard Trey Rutherford. If Hopkins is forced to miss time, UConn will be getting extremely thin at the running back spot with Arkeel Newsome already sidelined.

The game was a chance for fans to receive Orlovsky bobbleheads. Orlovsky, who recently retired from football after he failed to make the Los Angeles Rams roster this year, reflected on his four years at UConn and 12 seasons in the NFL.

"To come back and have a night I can share with my friends and family is special," Orlovsky said. "I think the thing that has hit me the most recently is being from the state of Connecticut and coming here means even more to me now than it did back then because I've shared some of the memories, any time I come back here is great."

Orlovsky, who worked with the team as a volunteer coach in the spring as he was finishing up the work required for him to graduate from UConn, feels the pain the team is feeling.
"It's hard because I know Coach, I know a couple of guys on the staff, how much time they put into it and how much they care," Orlovsky said.

"As you watch the game, it is not like the kids aren't trying, they aren't quitting, They are out there throwing their best punch but they've got better punches."
Orlovsky finds himself suddenly with no football games to prepare for. A jump into the coaching profession is a possibility.

"Last five or six years of my career is pseudo coaching in some ways," Orlovsky said. "I've had a couple of opportunities to join some staffs in the NFL. I am not in the mindset of doing that right now because I didn't want to jump into anything. I talked to Coach Edsall about it, he knows where I stand, to coach college football isa little bit of a different animal especially when you have young kids."

UConn holds a special place in Orlovsky's heart.

"I don't know what would have happened if I would have gone somewhere else," Orlovsky said.

So what games or game stands out?

"The game against Indiana when Rentschler (in 2003) opened up was special to me. As you sit in the tunnel, it was OK you came here for a specific reason and this is the reason everybody said it could happen so that was a big moment. There are so many of them but that was the one that was, 'let's go.'"

He admits that the first NFL football Sunday was a little odd for him as he was in his home in Philadelphia.

"My wife was a little hesitant, how do you want to do it, where do you want to watch it," Orlovsky said. "I said lets just watch the opening kick at home, opening kickoff went off, she kind of looked at me and I said, I promise you, I am OK.' It was weird, different but not emotional for me. I was ready. I always told myself that when I was younger in my career if I played one year or 12 years when I was emotionally not invested in it anymore as a player, I wanted to be done. My sundays certainly are different."

Kevon Jones had a pair of scoring runs as East Hartford defeated Southington 27-20 to hand the Blue Knights their first regular-season loss since Oct. 19, 2013 when Hall posted a 49-37 victory. Southington's last regular-season home loss had come to Cheshire in 2010. I saw a report that it has been 20 years since East Hartford last defeated Southington.

East Hartford opened the season by being blown out by South Windsor 41-14 but have won the last six games to move into seventh place in the CIAC Class LL rankings.

Even if East Hartford wins its final three games, it might need some help to get into the playoffs since its final three opponents have combined for just seven wins. There's not much separating No. 5 West Haven from No. 10 Cheshire but with teams getting points for every victory by the teams it has beaten, I don't like the Hornets' chances of earning a postseason bid by finishing in the top eight in LL ratings.

Here are the combined win totals of games remaining on the schedule for the teams figuring to fight it out for playoff spots - West Haven (14), South Windsor  (8), East Hartford (7), Southington (12), Fairfield Prep (11), Cheshire (13).

Wilbur Cross, featuring two-way starting offensive lineman and fellow UConn commit Travis Jones, crushed East Haven 51-0 to improve to 5-2 but that is only good for 13th place in the Class LL ratings.

Also, Elijah Jeffreys had touchdown passes of 34, 55 and 32 yards and a 38-yard scoring run as Somerville (Mass.) defeated Triton 27-9. Next up will be the Massachusetts D5 North semifinals while Shamel Lazarus' Erasmus Hall squad defeated South Shore 35-7 to improve to 8-0.

Steve Krajewski threw for four touchdowns and had more than 200 passing yards in the first half alone as his Colquitt County team nearly pulled off a huge upset before falling 51-45 in double overtime to Lowndes.

Recent offensive lineman commit Dylan Niedrowksi helped his Exeter Township team to a fourth straight victory as Exeter Township defeated Reading 42-18.

One former UConn standout went from the practice squad to the active roster, could another one follow the same path?

Receiver Geremy Davis, who has played 13 career regular-season NFL games including three with the Chargers last season, was promoted to the active roster by the Chargers after Dontrelle Inman was traded to Chicago.

Davis was targeted twice in the three games but did not have a reception as both of his career catches came with the New York Giants in 2015.

I actually thought there was a chance Davis would be signed by the Giants after injuries decimated New York's group of receivers. Now he will get a chance with the Chargers.

Meanwhile, the status of Andreas Knappe bears watching after the Washington Redskins had four starting offensive linemen injured in Monday's game against Philadelphia. Guard Brandon Scherff suffered a knee injury and he underwent an MRI on Tuesday. Right tackle Morgan Moses left the game twice with ankle injuries and left tackle Trent Williams was dealing with a knee injury that kept him from finishing the game.

I saw a tweet stating that Knappe, only recently signed to the team's practice squad, and T.J. Clemmings were the only offensive tackles doing individual drills at today's practice.

Master Tesfatsion  @MasterTes

1h

#Redskins practice underway. Trent Williams, Brandon Scherff, Ty Nsekhe and Morgan Moses are not paricipating. Don’t see Spencer Long.

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Master Tesfatsion

@MasterTes

Replying to @MasterTes

T.J. Clemmings & Andreas Knappe, who is on the practice squad, are the only two offensive tackles participating during individuals #Redskins

ANXIOUS TIMES FOR THE SHIRREFFS FAMILY
These last couple of football weekends have been exciting but nervewracking times for the Shirreffs' family.

Older brother Bryant's UConn team had to hold on for victories against Temple and Tulsa including Tulsa having a chance to throw the winning touchdown pass on the final play of the game. Younger brother Evan's Miami squad had to drive 85 yards to kick the winning field goal with 8 seconds to play against Georgia Tech on Oct. 14  In the Hurricanes' most recent game, a fourth-quarter drive gave Miami an eight-point lead. Syracuse got to its own 47 but couldn't set up a scenario where a touchdown would have set the stage for a potential game-tying two-point conversion.

"My dad was at the Temple game and my mom came to this last game, they were flipped with the (Miami) games,: Bryant Shirreffs said. "There have been some tight games, we both pulled it out these last (two) weekends so my parents have been happy but I wouldn't want them to check their blood pressures after Saturday's (games)."

Bryant Shirreffs began the season as the second-string quarterback but he's set to make his seventh straight start. He is in the midst of one of the best seasons by a QB in UConn history. Evan Shirreffs completed 1 of 2 passes in Miami's season opening win but with undefeated Miami winning its last three games by 4, 1 and 8 points, he hasn't had to chance to see the field.

Those who are regular visitors to this blog know I like to crunch numbers. I find it beneficial to supplement my stories by having some statistics to back things up. However, in all the time I have gone through statistical databases or looked up box scores from previous year, I'm not sure I ran across a stat like the one I just recovered.

Since UConn's last winning season in 2010 the Huskies opponents have had better average starting field position 45 times and UConn has won on just six occasions. In the rest of the games, the Huskies record is 21-14. That is some staggering stuff.

This is relevant because of the work of Michael Tarbutt and Bret Graham in Saturday's win over Tulsa. Tarbutt kicked off five times and each time it resulted in touchbacks. Meanwhile Graham punted seven times for an average of 40.6 yards and even more impressively, Tulsa returned only one of those punts for zero yardage. Let's be honest, Tulsa ranks near the bottom of the FBS ratings in both punt return and kickoff return yardage but to have a game when the other team doesn't gain a positive yard on kickoff or punt returns is something that deserves more attention than it received.

I was a little surprised to discover there have been 20 games featuring at least one FBS team when a team had no punt return or kickoff return yardage including the Colorado/Colorado State game featuring six kickoffs and 10 punts without a single yard being gained on returns (there was, however, a touchback on a punt). Still, UConn's 12 kickoffs and punts without a negative result (positive yards on kickoff or punt returns, a kickoff out of bounds or punt into the end zone) is tied for second during the 2017 season trailing only the 13 by Mississippi State against Louisiana Tech.

"Everybody gets caught up in this spread offense and all this stuff, that sells tickets but at

the end, defense sells game and field position wins games, that ain't ever going to change," UConn coach Randy Edsall said. "Everybody wants all this sexy stuff and everything else but when their average starting position is the 19 or you can kick the ball out of the end zone, I will take that every time because that just takes one opportunity away from them trying to score. Five times because of Michael kicking the ball the way he did took an opportunity away from them to try to score or gain field position on us. To me that is huge because if you have to drive it 75 yards, there's a lot of things that can happen in that 75 yards."

As Edsall mentioned, Tulsa's average starting position was its own 19. I did some checking and in last year's season opener Maine started at its 18 but counting only FBS competition and the last time a UConn opponent failed to have a starting field position of at least its own 20 was South Florida in 2013.

"When they have to go 81 yards and 75 for me, you are doing your job and basically you are

helping out the defense as much as possible, that feels unbelievable," Tarbutt said. "Honestly, that is better than hitting that 40 or 50 yard field goal in the game that bounces you back into it. Just knowing that you ae helping out the defense, making it as hard as you can for their offense and meanwhile the head coach on the other side is so frustrated because he's thinking I have to go 80 yards every single time with we punt the ball or kick the ball, that is one of the best feelings."

The most amazing part of all this is that the zero yards on returns is not even a program record. In last year's game against East Carolina both of Bobby Puyol's kickoffs were touchbacks while the only one of Justin Wain's four punts to be returned went for negative 1 yard. In a 2015 game, Temple had no yardage on special teams as well.

There will be much more on Tarbutt including him reflecting on the fact that UConn has more players from Canada than any other FBS teams (the Huskies have five, Buffalo is next with four followed by Oklahoma State with three), his hour-long drive to go attend Canisius High School in Buffalo for his final two years in high school, recalling his 60-yard field goal in high school, how Scott Norwood of the Buffalo Bills' missed field goal in the Super Bowl served as motivation and how he handled some early season struggles when it came to accuracy on his kickoffs.

The one constant Bryant Shireffs has been blessed with during his time as UConn's starting quarterback is having a game-breaking talent like Arkeel Newsome to get the ball too.

However, Newsome will be out for the next 3-4 weeks for what UConn coach Randy Edsall termed "a clavicle/sternum issue."

Newsome is the first UConn running back with 100 career receptions and his final play in the win over Tulsa was a 51-yard reception which put him into second place on UConn's career list for all-purpose yards.

Freshmen Nate Hopkins (289 yards) and Kevin Mensah (210) are the No. 1 and 3 rushers on the team so the running game shouldn't take a huge hit with Newsome's absence but it will be felt in the passing game. Newsome is tied for the team lead with 22 receptions and leads the Huskies with 407 receiving yards while the other running backs have combined for nine catches and 61 receiving yards.

It's not just the catches that Newsome makes but the fact that opposing defenses need to make certain they knew where Newsome was at all times because a blown assignment against the former Ansonia High School star likely would result in a touchdown for the Huskies.

"I would guess defenses would game plan a lot for Arkeel so in that respect, it is not a great thing for us," Shirreffs said. "I believe in the other running backs and the other guys are definitely going to step up. We have an offense where any given week different people can step up, when a big play has to be make you never know who is going to make it."

"I am going to miss tossing him the ball and seeing him weave through the defense. It was always a unique angle from my point of view because I would see him pop in and out of defenders. I am sad about it, you don't really have time to sulk about it and get emotional, it is in the middle of the season and it is part of football, sadly we have all been there before. He is a great player, a great teammate and you hate to see that happen because he is a leader on the team."

Newsome was on the sideline trying to talk the UConn medical staff to let him get back into the game shortly after getting injured. At one point he dropped to the turf and did some pushups to prove he was OK. As if his teammates didn't already realize how tough a competitor Newsome was, that certainly reminded them.

"He is a beast, there aren't many people in the country who have taken the hits he has taken," Shirreffs said. "I know how some of those hits feel and I don't see how he does it because he is considerably (smaller) than me and to see some of the hits he has taken, this injury doesn't really surprise me after all that I've seen. He is one tough player and a tough individual. That is a credit of where he is from, the people who have had influences on him, just his resilience, his size might not be that big but his heart is really big."


Hopkins ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns in a season-opening win over Holy Cross but hasn't rushed for more than 38 yards in any game since. Mensah ran for 156 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry in his first two games but has 54 yards on 24 carries in the last four games.

"Kevin is getting better but Kevin has to relax a little bit, he puts a lot of pressure on himself," Edsall said. "We are trying to get him to do what he is supposed to do. He is one of these kids who wants to be perfect all the time instead of just getting the ball and letting your instincts take over. He is talented enough. Nate is a guy who has gotten better, he has some shiftiness to him, the big thing with Nate is just starting healthy, that is the big thing with him. JT (junior Jason Thompson) will be up there playing so there is a chance that he could get some more time so we will have those three guys going. Those guys have improved but there are little things that they have to continue to work on to get better at."

UConn isn't the only team dealing with an injury to a star running back. A shoulder injury will keep Missouri's leading rusher Damarea Crockett from playing in Saturday's game.

Edsall said that reserve defensive back John Robinson will not play in the next two games due to violation of team policy. Robinson's absence will be felt more on special teams as he was on return coverage squads than on defense. Also, defensive lineman James Atkins is back at practice so he will add another body as a position that has been hit hard by the injury bug.

Not long after watching his team give up a program record 70 points against Memphis a couple weeks ago, UConn coach Randy Edsall stood up at the press conference following the game and when he was questioned about the effectiveness of the newly-installing 3-3-5 defense, he declared that it was not the scheme but the personnel that is the issue.

"I have to answer this the right way because if I don't I know I will get crucified," Edsall said. "We decided to come in here and install a defense that we think is going to be good for us as we put this program together. The defense that we inherited is not built for this defense. If you look, we don't really have enough linemen to even play a four man front. If people want to question, it is not the scheme it is we have to get players in that can play the scheme that we want to play because of the teams we are going to have to play year in and year out and. Right now it is difficult. We don't have the personnel to play this, we do not have the personnel to play a 4-3. This is a big job we have undertaken to make better, fair and simple, and it isn't going to happen overnight, it just isn't."

Since that time, UConn has received three commitments and two of them are linemen (I'll let the coaching staff determine if they play on offense or defense).

Noel Ofori-Nyada, a lineman out of Arlington, Texas, committed not long after UConn won 28-24 at Temple. The 6-foot-4, 285-pounder out of Mansfield Timberview in Arlington, had some company as the most recent commitment is Dylan Niedrowski announnced his commitment on Twitter today.

Dylan Niedrowski‏ @dylanniedr_02  6h6 hours ago

Extremely excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at UCONN! #BleedBlue #UConnNation

Niedrowski is a 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman at Exeter Township in Reading, Pa. who has helped his team average more than 300 rushing yards and 7.4 yards per carry in the first eight games of the season.

Since Wilbur Cross lineman Travis Jones committed in late July, Niedrowski is the fifth lineman to commit to UConn. Peter Rooney out of Atlanta committed two days after Jones, Liam Maloney (Schenectady, N.Y.) became a UConn pledge in early August. In late August it was defensive end Jonathan Pace out of Needham, Mass. followed in the last week by Ofori-Nyada and Niedrowski.

Maloney had a sack and the ensuing fumble was recovered in the end zone as Holy Trinity rolled to a 42-0 win over Voorheesville to advance to the New York Class C semifinals against Chatham although at 6-foot-8, it sure seems like he'd be better suited to play offensive tackle at the next level.

With UConn losing all three of its defensive line starters (Luke Carrezola, Foley Fatukasi and Cole Ormsby graduating) and Edsall admitting that getting more defensive linemen in place to play the 3-3-5 scheme, it's certainly a position that needs to be addressed. It's a position hit hard by injuries this season as 290-pound sophomore Philippe Okounam, 266-pound junior James Atkins and 255-pound sophomore Connor Freeborn are currently sidelined. The only true freshman defensive lineman who is being redshirted is 289-pound Caleb Thomas while Noel Brouse is a redshirt freshman who came into UConn as a touted prospect. The only UConn commit I have seen play live is Jones and I wouldn't be surprised to see him land on the defensive side of the ball. I won't be surprised to see more linemen join the list of UConn commits as Edsall looks to bring in the type of players suited for the defense being run by coordinator Billy Crocker.

Speaking of linemen, here's a link to a piece on former UConn starting offensive tackle Andreas Knappe who was recently signed to the practice squad by the Washington Redskins. Also, former UConn safety Obi Melifonwu has returned to practice with the Oakland Raiders so perhaps he will be activated off injured reserve and make his NFL regular-season debut soon.

Back on the subject of UConn commits, unfortunately this batch of pledges don't have as many coaches who utilize MaxPreps as past recruiting classes so it is harder to provide updates on them but here's a little bit of info.

Recent quarterback pledge Steve Krajewski ran for a season high 44 yards and passed for 227 yards (completing 19 of 24 passes) in Colquitt County's 38-35 loss to Tift County. In nine games, he is completing 65 percent of his passes for 1,327 yards with 10 TD passes and one interception while adding 173 rushing yards.

Jones had four tackles in Wilbur Cross' loss to Cheshire giving him 40 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in six games this season.

The Capital Prep duo of Khyon Gillespie and Oneil Robinson are putting up impressive numbers. Gillespie has rushed for 793 yards on 58 carries with seven TD runs to go with 166 yards on eight receptions not including last week's loss to Toronto Prep while Robinson is averaging 28.7 yards on 18 receptions. Robinson also has two interceptions.

Heron Maurisseau had six catches for 93 yards (one shy of his season high in both categories) as St. Anthony's improved to 6-1 with a 29-3 win over Chaminade.

Last but certainly not least, Hunter Webb has six straight games with at least 10 tackles. He has 118 tackles,  15 tackles for loss and six sacks in eight games at Loyalsock Township High School including a game with seven TFLs, four sacks and 149 yards on four rushing attempts.

Junior Joseph, who earlier in the game moved into the top 20 on UConn's list of career tacklers, had just made perhaps his signature play during his successful run with the Huskies.

Joseph's ability to keep Keenan Johnson from hauling in what could have the winning touchdown kept the Huskies from suffering a spirit-sapping loss. While his teammates were running around Rentschler celebrating the hard-earned 20-14 victory, Joseph was either too exhausted or in too much pain to join in the celebration. Classmate Vontae Diggs saw what was happening and helped Joseph make his way off the field.

Probably 30 minutes later, Diggs had finished up entertaining questions from the media and as he headed out of the room where the interviews take place, he poked his head into the pack of reporters interviewing Joseph and proclaimed, "this man right here won us the game, thank you Junior."
Joseph had left the game as he hyperextended his back according to UConn coach Randy Edsall. Watching Diggs assist Joseph on their way to the locker room reminded me of that classic scene when Kellen Winslow needed help of teammates to get off the field after a classic 1982 NFL playoff game.

"I was gassed but I was just thinking about us winning the game, that was the most important thing," Joseph said. "I was not going to let us lose this game on a play like that. I just focused on the ball in the air, breaking the basket when the ball is in the air. They wanted to get pass interference because I think they would have gotten another play, I just focused on breaking the basket of his hands."

Johnson had inside position on Jamar Summers (who in my opinion played his best game of the season) and when Skipper let the throw game, I thought it was game, set and match. Joseph, who was rarely used in pass coverage until this season, used his superior football IQ to float into the area when the ball was headed. if he doesn't do that, the Hurricane likely would have been lining up to kick the game-winning extra point after scoring 21 unanswered points. Instead, UConn won its second game in a row.

Bear in mind that the last time this UConn team played at Rentschler Field, Memphis put up 70 points which was the most ever given up by a UConn team.

"I stayed off social media for four or five days," Joseph said. "I didn't go on Twitter. A lot of people say stuff on Twitter so I stayed off that and that is how you block it out. All you can do is get better, you can't dwell on that game."

In that game, UConn's defensive backs played with little confidence playing so far off that if you were watching the Memphis game on TV, you might have missed who was providing the coverage. There was little pressure being generated by the all-senior starting defensive line.

Fast forward to today and the secondary (other than in the final couple of drives) were as aggressive as they have been all season long while the starting defensive line of Cole Ormsby, Foley Fatukasi and Luke Carrezola combined for six tackles for loss and five sacks. UConn had 11 TFLs since a win over Temple on Nov. 23, 2013. The six sacks were the most since notching six against the Edsall coached Maryland team on Sept. 25, 2012.

Staying with "the first time since" theme, UConn help Tulsa off the scoreboard in the first half something that last took place against Louisville on Nov. 24, 2012. Wait, there's more. Fatukasi and Ormsby each had two sacks and the last time UConn had two players with at least two sacks was when Sio Moore and Yawin Smallwood accomplished the feat against Maryland in 2012.
As I mentioned, Joseph is now in the top 20 on UConn's career tackles list as his seven tackles pushes his total 278.

Some other notes:

Arkeel Newsome's 51-yard reception (setting up the first of two Michael Tarbutt field goals) moved him into second place on UConn's career list for all-purpose yards. However, Newsome suffered an apparent upper body injury and did not return. He tried his best to convince the medical staff to allow him to return, getting on the ground and doing pushups at one point. Edsall said he will update Newsome's status on Tuesday.

Quayvon Skanes' three catches give him 22 making him the eighth freshman in UConn history with at least 20 receptions. Skanes is also the 13th UConn freshman with at least 200 receiving yards (Keyion Dixon is also on that list).

Shirreffs was 23 of 29 passing for 372 yards and an 80-yard TD to Hergy Mayala on a perfectly executed flea flicker. Unofficially, I have him with a passer rating of 198.44, the sixth best by a UConn player attempting at least 15 passes since 1978.

I thought kicker Michael Tarbutt (2 for 2 on field goals and touchbacks on all five of his kickoffs) and punter Brett Graham (a 40.6 net average with five of his seven punts landing inside the 20) had strong games.

The issues I have is UConn failing to punch it in twice with 1st and goal situations including three plays in a row from the 1 in the fourth quarter and questionable clock management. I noticed at least three times in the fourth quarter when the play clock was running and snapped the ball with more than 10 seconds on the play clock including one with 22 seconds left so there are at least 45 seconds that Tulsa shouldn't have had to attempt its spirited comeback. UConn doesn't have a lot of recent experience running plays with the least in the fourth quarter but I'm hoping it gets addressed this week because those mental lapses could have cost the Huskies the game. It never would have gotten to the point where there would be a debate on whether Tulsa should have been able to line up and snap the ball after a 50-yard completion with 1 second left on the clock.

Finally, I couldn't work this quote into my game story but it's a great one from Diggs.

"I threw my hands to the sky and I was hoping, praying and calling on all the football ancestors who came before us," Diggs said. "I give Junior Joseph props because I don't think that was his man, he is just out there playing football."

Time for my weekly "where Arkeel Newsome stands" update.

The former Ansonia High star needs 38 yards to move past Joe Markus and into sole possession of second place in all-purpose yards in UConn history.

Here's the updated list

Category                      Yards     Rank Next up   
All-purpose                  4,776  (3rd)      Joe Markus 4,813
Yards from scrimmage 3,153 (6th)       Lyle McCombs 3,158
Rushing yards               1,904 (13th)    Tory Taylor 1905
Touchdowns                  22     (14th)     John Fitzsimmons 23
Receptions                    102   (17th)     Keith Hugger 103
Receiving yards            1249 (20th)    Ken Miller 1,313


Also, Bryant Shirreffs needs 46 yards to join Pete Petrillo and Ken Sweitzer to become the third UConn quarterback with 1,000 career rushing yards. Junior Joseph has 271 career tackles which is tied for 21st in program history. With four tackles today, he will pass Sio Moore and Rob Belucore to move into 19th place. Also, Joseph is part of a senior class with a combined 97.5 tackles for loss. The only other classes with at least 100 tackles for loss are 2012 and 2004.

There are some more tidbits in my preview capsule

Keyion Dixon is part of a prolific pass catching freshman class at UConn

When Noel Thomas walked off the field after a season-ending loss to Tulane, it was a foregone conclusion that the receptions would be distributed much differently during the 2017 season after Thomas hauled in a UConn program record 100 catches as a senior.

While returnees Arkeel Newsome, Aaron McLean, Hergy Mayala and Tyraiq Beals have combined for more receptions than they had a season ago, the impact of the freshman class has been a bit of a revelation as they have helped UConn's fast-paced offense get rolling.

With Keyion Dixon (17 catches, 211 yards), Quayvon Skanes (19-167), Mason Donaldson (13-176), Kevin Mensah (5-41) and Nate Hopkins (2-7) getting into the act, the class has 56 catches for 602 yards. Heading into this week's game, only Ball State gets more receptions per game from freshmen than the 9.3 by UConn's frosh while the Huskies join Louisville, Nevada and Ball State as the only FBS programs with freshman classes combining for at least 100 receiving yards per game.

In terms of UConn freshman classes, in 2002 which was UConn's first FBS season, Jason Williams, Terry Caulley, Brandon Young, Deon Anderson and Tim Lassen combined for 78 receptions and 858 receiving yards. This current class is second on that list.

I would think that Kashif Moore's 27 receptions, a UConn record by a freshman, is in serious jeopardy. Here's the breakdown of top marks in UConn history by freshmen for receptions and receiving yards

RECEPTIONS27 Kashif Moore 2008
25 Terry Caulley 2002
24 Tyraiq Beals 201523 Ryan Griffin 2009
23 Jason Williams 2002
22 Glenn Antrum 1985
22 Brandon Young 2002
19 Lyle McCombs 2011
19 Quayvon Skanes 201718 Brian Kozlowski 1989
17 Keyion Dixon 201717 Terence Jeffers 2006

RECEIVING YARDS354 Jason Williams 2002
315 Glenn Antrum 1985
288 Brad Kanuch 2006
281 Carl Bond 1995
275 Tyraiq Beals 2015273 Kashif Moore 2008
272 Ryan Griffin 2009
269 Brandon Young 2002
267 John Fitzsimmons 1996
211 Keyion Dixon 2017205 Terry Caulley 2002
200 Terence Jeffers 2006

With the regular season at its midway point, there's one aspect of the 2017 UConn football team that has flown under the radar.

There's been plenty written about the vastly improved offense, the struggling defense and after managing a total of 20 punt return yards in the previous 35 games, UConn already has 61 yards on seven punt returns in the first six games.

Now it is time to address the improvement in kickoff returns. The only real mentions have been focused on the three lost fumbles on kickoff returns all by different players but there is also some good news to report about the unit.

UConn has ranked 96th or lower in four of the previous five seasons. UConn joins Akron, Army, Illinois, Louisiana Lafayette, Miami (Ohio) and Wake Forest as the only teams failing to average at least 20 yards per kickoff return in each of the previous five seasons. However, the Huskies currently rank 32nd nationally averaging 23.6 yards per return and that includes a 2-yard return by freshman Jay Rose on a kickoff left intentionally short. If that return was taken off the books, the Huskies would be in the top 20.

Jordan Swann began the season as the primary kickoff returner and leads the team with an average of 25.9 yards per return. Kyle Buss has averaged 24 yards on a team-high 10 returns while Quayvon Skanes has 75 yards on three returns.

"It is pretty exciting but last game I didn't get much because I was fair catching the ball a lot (on punt returns) but it is pretty exciting to make plays," Skanes said.

Skanes returned one punt for six yards, had a 23-yard kickoff return and also caught three passes including a 6-yard touchdown pass.

A redshirt freshman from Chicago, Skanes is second on the Huskies with 278 all-purpose yards. He's also second on the team with 19 receptions. He is on the verge of joining some select company. With his next reception, he will become the eighth UConn player with 20 catches as a freshman. Former Ansonia High star Glenn Antrum was the first to accomplish the feat in 1985. In 2002, Terry Caulley (25), Jason Williams (23) and Brandon Young (22) all topped the 20-reception mark as freshmen. Six years later Kashif Moore set the program record for catches by a freshman with 27, the following year current Houston Texans tight end Ryan Griffin had 23 catches and in 2015 current UConn receiver Tyraiq Beals had 24 catches.

Skanes could have some company as classmates Keyion Dixon and Mason Donaldson have 17 and 13 catches respectively with Dixon's 211 receiving yards already 10 in program history for a freshman. There will be more on the freshmen receivers in the preview package set to appear in Saturday's paper.

With Hergy Mayala back after missing two games with an ankle injury, the opportunities for the talented freshmen might be limited more than when the dynamic Mayala was sidelined. However, with so much competition at the position, all the receivers know they need to be on their game at practice or their snaps could go to somebody else.

"Practice is always tough, we are always competing for a job no matter what," Skanes said. "The receivers it is a lot of young guys so you never know when you shot is going to be handed to you so you have to keep on (working)."

UConn coach Randy Edsall mentioned how coachable Skanes is. Starting quarterback Bryant Shirreffs addressed something else about Skanes that is noteworthy.

"Extremely shifty, great hands, great guy in the locker room" was Shirreffs' scouting report on Skanes. But there was more.

"Something you might not know about him, he is probably the funniest person on the team. He is hilarious, really funny. He is great to be around, a hard worker and he knows when to be funny and when to be serious, it means a lot to him. I am really proud of him."

So is Skanes the resident stand-up comedian or the guy ready for a witty retort at the perfect time?

"He just knows the time to say certain jokes and can impersonate people well," Shirreffs said. "He will say funny things when you wouldn't expect it and it catches you off guard, you won't know who is saying it and you will look over and it is him.

"We sat on the bus after the game, long bus ride. The bus would hit bumps and I would look at him and the first couple of times I didn't realize he was beign sarcastic, I thought he was being serious and really drastically bouncing up in his seat but he was so serious. I kept looking out of the corner of my eye and he kept doing it every single time and by the end of the ride, I was laughing at him."

One can only imagine the jokes to come out of Skanes' mouth if he were able to return a kickoff for a touchdown against Tulsa on Saturday. That is something that hasn't happened since Robby Frey accomplished the feat in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl. The Huskies have returned 254 kickoffs in a row without bring one all the way back only Akron, Army, Indiana, UNLV and Wake Forest have longer active streaks about FBS teams.

"I feel like, I think this game is a great opportunity to get one," Skanes said. "We want to do it in every game but unfortunately we aren't going to do it every game but I feel like it is going to come."

Perhaps UConn senior linebacker Junior Joseph will find his way onto a professional football roster but if that is not the case, today was the last game he will play in his native Pennsylvania.

If it indeed is his swan song, he went out with the bang with a team-high 11 tackles, a sack and he nearly had an interception as UConn upset defending American Athletic Conference champion Temple 28-24.

The defense is chock full of defensive play makers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland and their family members were among the 29,849 in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field as UConn won its first conference game in more than a year and first road game since 2015.

"It meant a lot to me because I am from PA," Joseph said. "It is good to come back to my home (state), see my family and friends, it is good to get a win in front of those people."

This is Joseph's fourth consecutive game with more than 10 tackles after coming into his senior season with just one double-digit tackle game. He continues to move up the list of all-time leading tacklers in UConn history. Today he moved by three players including former teammate Andrew Adams and is now tied with James Hargrave for 21st place with 271 career tackles.





"He is the smartest player I've ever play with so to do that, it feels good to pass him, it is an honor," Joseph said.

Joseph said before the season that one of his goals was to be a more vocal leader so how has he gone about doing that?

"Just keep motivating guys and leading, making plays, telling guys to follow me and seeing that they can do it too," Joseph said. "Just calling out plays before the snap, helping them out little stuff Andrew did for us when I was a freshman or a sophomore."

With UConn starting three true freshmen in the secondary since illness sidelined starting cornerback Jamar Summers, not one of the defensive backs who saw time in today's game ever started a game at UConn before this season. With Brayden Brown and Jordan Swann making their first career starts and fellow true freshman Darrian Beavers seeing his most playing time at linebacker, obviously there were some bumpy patches as Temple ran 18 more plays than the Huskies and outgained UConn 473-244 but UConn is more than happy to head home after a hard-earned victory especially when the defense gave up a program record 70 points last week against Memphis.

"After a game like that you have no choice but to respond, you can't let the wheels fall off for the rest of the season," Joseph said. "We are going to enjoy this game tonight and tomorrow, it is onto Tulsa. Short memory and that is what we have to do."

After the game, UConn coach Randy Edsall began to tear up when discussing the victory and he made reference to a speech to the team that obviously resonated with the team.


"He's been here before so when he is telling us something, we have to believe it because he has done it before," Joseph said. "When he gets emotional, he knows what he is talking about. Guys responded and saw when Coach was talking last night how emotional he was, how much it mean to him so we had to do it for Coach Edsall."

Edsall didn't divulge his complete message to the team but here's what Joseph took out of Edsall's words.

"Stop playing tentative, have fun, you've been playing football since you were a little kid so why not go out and have fun," Joseph said. "We were out there having fun on defense finally making plays. His biggest thing to go out and have fun, don't think and play fast."

The assigning of numbers often comes and goes with little time for reflection.

Take the case of Eddie Hahn who thought it was be a nice change of pace to flip the No. 9 jersey he wore in high school so he requested the No. 6 at UConn. Hey, it was just another number, right? Not exactly.

Former UConn defensive back Jasper Howard was stabbed to death not long after making 11 tackles and forcing a fumble in a 38-25 win over Louisville on Oct. 17, 2009. Since that time the number worn by Howard has held special meaning.

Receiver Kashif Moore, at the request of UConn coach Randy Edsall, wore the number in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl and during the 2010 season as a way to honor Howard's memory. Receiver Michael Smith followed suit and that was the number he wore during the 2012 campaign. Cornerback Jhavon Williams also was given No. 6 that year when he redshirted and wore it proudly during his time as a Husky. Williams made certain that Hahn understood that there is an additional responsbility that comes with wearing No. 6 at UConn.

"When I got here and learned from the tradition from Jhavon last year, you just try to go out in the summer, in the winter and work hard," Hahn said. "You can't take anything for granted because at the end of the day, you never know.

"Seeing the statue at the stadium and seeing 'play each play like it is last play you will ever play' Coach Edsall harps on that every day because once you have that mindset, it is tough to not go out and win every day so that is what I have been trying to do and trying to apply it every day."

Obviously Moore and Smith were very close to Howard while Williams was a cornerback from Florida just like Howard was there was that connection to Howard. Hahn doesn't have that going for him but he is doing everything he can to live up to that number.

"I had an understanding (when he got to UConn) but not like I am now where I understand how hard you have to work when you have that number because there is such a tradition behind it," Hahn said. "Jhavon last year would tell me all the time that it is an honor to wear this number, you have to show everybody that you value wearing the number. It definitely goes through my mind a lot, play like it is the last play you are ever going to play. If you have that mindset, if you didn't practice (well) you know deep down inside, 'what if that was my last practice?' It makes me try to be the best football player and person I can be."

Hahn, like so many of the freshmen on the UConn roster, seemingly sees his work load increase with each passing week. He's a reserve linebacker but sees quite a bit of time on defense in addition to his special teams duties.

"I don't have any bad habits because I've never played there," Hahn said of the move to linebacker.

"I've never played that close to the line of scrimmage in my life, the game is quicker you have to make a lot more decisions. At safety your first two steps are going backwards, at linebacker your first two steps are going forward so that is definitely a big adjustment."

Saturday's game is a homecoming from plenty of Huskies especially on the defensive side of the ball.

The most recent two-deep chart lists 22 defensive players and according to Mapquest, 12 of them list hometowns less than 115 miles from Lincoln Financial Field. Senior defensive end Luke Carrezola leads the way as Langhorne, Pa is 29 miles away followed by Kevin Murphy, Connor Freeborn and Marshe Terry growing up 30, 31 and 34 miles from the site of Saturday's game. Hahn is only sixth among the defensive players on the two-deep chart in terms of proximity to the field but he is no stranger to football games at Lincoln Financial Field.

"My mom grew up in Trenton so I have been going to the Linc, we probably would go to five Eagles home games every year just because mom's side of the fmaily had season tickets so that was pretty cool," Hahn said. "A lot of them are going to come to the game this week but it is going to be pretty cool to play in the stadium that the Eagles play in."

I put Hahn on the spot and asked him for the most memorable Eagles game he was been to.

"Probably when the Eagles played the Giants when the Phillies and Yankees were in the World Series, I went to the Eagles game that day (Nov. 1, 2009) and most of the people had tickets to that game that night so it was pretty cool."

The Eagles fared better than the Phillies that day with a 40-17 win over the Giants while the Yankees topped the Phillies 7-4 with three runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series.

There are two constants surrounding UConn's longest rushing and passing plays this season.

First, both times the ball was in the hands of the always dangerous Arkeel Newsome for a 79-yard catch and run against East Carolina and his 64-yard scoring run against Memphis. Another player, however, had a role that has flown a bit under the radar as junior receiver Aaron McLean was down the field sealing off defenders to allow Newsome to fly right by on both plays.

It is something I asked UConn coach Randy Edsall about at yesterday's press conference and he said McLean's attitude and level of play was something that came up earlier that day.

"He got accepted into business school," Edsall said. "He goes out there the other day and the bone popped out of his hand, he went back in and played. It is important to him, he wants to do well and he is a guy who goes out there and practices that way every day. I don't know if I'd heard him say more than 10 words but that is what he does, he goes out, he knows what his role his, he knows what his job is and he goes out and does it to the best of his ability each and every play, that is what we are trying to get done from everybody."

I remember last year asking then UConn offensive coordinator Frank Verducci about McLean because once again he caught my eye by throwing a block during the Navy game.

"McLean is really the exceptional one because he played two plays," Verducci said. "One play he did a kickout block like a fullback and puts the guy on the ground. The other play, he catches a 24-yard pass so give credit to him for his preparation and staying in the game. He had every excuse to not be focused but when those guys got gassed on the two-minute drill, he goes in and makes a play. It is not a scripted play, it is a scramble, it is an adjustment and he makes an adjustment and makes a play."

What stuck with me about that quote was that I thought McLean would see a jump in playing time after that game but that wasn't the case. He would catch just one more pass the rest of the season and went the final seven games of the season without having a reception. It was more of the game this season. He had three catches in the season opener against Holy Cross and then one in the next two games.

McLean's reaction to his lack of playing time tells you all you need to know about him.

"It made me work harder," McLean said. "I am not the kind of person who blames the coaches for me not playing, if I am not playing it is something I am doing so I have to work harder to play."

In a Sept. 30 game against SMU, he was certainly out there on the field as he set career highs with five catches and 122 receiving yards with 64 coming on his longest play since his days at St. Mark's.

"I have grown a lot as a player with what Coach (Aaron) Smith is telling me," McLean said. "I think one of the biggest advantages is my size (6-foot-5, 210 pounds). I am not going to be a guy to make people miss all the time but I can break tackles and use that to my advantage."

So how does he explain breaking free for a 64-yard touchdown reception.

"I had one guy on me and I knew I had a chance," McLean said.

McLean drew interest from Ivy League schools before committing to UConn so its hardly surprising to hear that he fulfilled a goal by being accepted into UConn's business school.

"It is a blessing because it is what I wanted to do," McLean said. "When I first came here, I didn't know what I wanted to do but now I think I want to be in management. I was nervous about getting in."

UConn has six wide receivers who have caught between 9-16 passes so contributions have come from a variety of sources especially since Hergy Mayala went down with a high ankle sprain. His teammates are thrilled to see McLean featured more in the offense this season.

"McLean is an incredible example of leading by example," UConn senior tight end Tommy Myers said. "He leads with his attitude and work ethic on and off the field. He doesn't say much but when he does, people listen."

Mayala has returned to the field for the first time this week since getting injured (ironically while throwing a block) early in the East Carolina game. I noticed that he wasn't wearing a protective boot when he was on the field before the Memphis game so I asked Edsall for an update on his progress. Edsall said Mayala is doubtful to play this week but it sounds like he is getting closer to returning.

During his days at Ansonia High School, if one person was assigning with tracking all of Arkeel Newsome's record-breaking achievements, I'm not sure they could have kept up with the speedy running back. Well, he is still breaking records as a member of the UConn team.

When Newsome broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run on the first drive against Memphis, it was his fifth touchdown of at least 50 yards with the Huskies. That got me wondered where that stood in UConn history. Some of the media guides from the early 2000s included box scores dating back to the 1978 season so I did some checking and found that no other UConn player had more than four 50-yard scoring plays.

Tory Taylor, Carl Bond, Robbie Frey and Nick Williams all had four as did Newsome before the Memphis game.

Also, he is now the sixth player in program history with 3,000 yards from scrimmage (combined rushing and receiving yards)

Donald Brown (2006-08)   3800-276=4076
Terry Caulley (2002-06)    3187-579=3766
Mark Didio (1988-91)       3535-0=3515 
Jordan Todman (2008-10)  3179-283=3462
Lyle McCombs (2011-13)  2681-477=3158
ARKEEL NEWSOME      1848-1253=3101

Here's a breakdown of where he ranks in some other prominent categories in UConn history
Category                Total (rank) Up next
All-purpose yards 4724 (3rd) Joe Markus 4813
Kickoff return yards 1623 (3rd) No longer returning kickoffs
Rushing yards 1848 (13th) Tory Taylor 1905
Touchdowns 21 (15th)  Jeff Gallaher 22
Receptions 99 (18th) Scott Sweitzer 101
Receiving yards 1253 (20th) Ken Miller 1313

Things were trending in the right direction when the UConn defense limited an explosive Memphis offensive unit to a total of seven yards in consecutive drives in the first quarter.

UConn did not hold a lead at the end of the first quarter in its last seven games against Football Bowl Subdivision teams being outscored 73-14 during that span. Yet, the Huskies were up on the Tigers 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers managed 97 yards in the first quarter, a solid total but in comparison to some of UConn's recent outings, there was reason for optimism.

Then, just like that, it was over.

It would not be a stretch to say that no UConn pass defense struggled more in a two quarter stretch than the Huskies did in the second and third quarters. Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson was 28 for 37 for 354 yards and six touchdowns in 30 minutes of football. I went back and rewatched all 37 of those passing attempts and when you factor in three dropped passes and a couple of missed throws to open receivers, the UConn defense only forced four of those incompletions. There was solid coverage by Jamar Summers on Anthony Miller resulting in a pass that even the remarkable Memphis receiver couldn't come up with, an incompletion on the screen with Junior Joseph close enough to the play to disrupt the timing of the play, Ferguson saving a sack when he flipped the ball out of bounds after one of the rare times when UConn was able to apply pressure and Luke Carrezola batting down a pass.

I broke down the nightmarish run of the UConn defense that turned a 14-7 UConn lead into a 56-24 Memphis advantage.

SECOND QUARTER
3rd-9 UConn 44: Anthony Miller with an amazing one-handed catch as Omar Fortt was providing the coverage. Gain of 10 yards and a first down
1st-10 UConn 34: Miller gained seven yards on a screen. Jamar Summers with the tackle
2nd-3 UConn 27: Phil Mayhue with 15-yard gain. Marshe Terry took a step in the wrong direction off a play-action fake and couldn't get back in time to make the play and help out Summers
1st-15 UConn 17: Miller with 17-yard touchdown. Miller set up Summers with an inside move leading to the catch on a back-shoulder throw by Ferguson.
1st-10 Memphis 24: Mayhue 12-yard reception. Summers was barely in the picture when Mayhue made the catch just short of the first down line to gain.
1st-10 Memphis 36: Miller 8-yard catch. Summers closed and was able to force a fumble but it was recovered by the Tigers
2nd-1 Memphis 45: Miller 14-yard catch as Summers played eight yards off at the snap
1st-10 UConn 41: Miller 15-yard catch. Omar Fortt, who was playing 10 yards off, took a look into the backfield and that was more than enough for Miller to make another grab.
1st-10 UConn 26: Tony Pollard dropped pass. Terry provided the coverage
3rd-3 UConn 19: Damonte Coxie 8-yard catch. Summers lined up five yards beyond the line to gain making for an easy third-down conversion
3rd-3 UConn 4: Joey Magnifico with 3-yard catch to get a first down. Chris Britton picked up Magnifico on the right side of the formation but wasn't able to stay with him as he worked across the field. Tahj Herring-Wilson made the stop at the 1. Bigger issue was that Ferguson had so much time to make the throw and a ball-hawking secondary would have picked off a pass that seemingly was in the air forever.
1st-goal UConn 16: Darrell Henderson gains 8 yards on screen pass. Foley Fatukasi provided the coverage
2nd-goal UConn 8: Miller 8-yard TD. He ran pretty much the same route, this time on Herring-Wilson for another touchdown on a back-shoulder throw
1st-10 Memphis 25: John Williams 2-yard catch
3rd-7 Memphis 28: Doroland Dorceus with 27-yard gain, Dorceus lined up to block in the backfield but leaked out into a pattern and was unaccounted for
1st-10 UConn 45: Miller 3-yard catch. Herring-Wilson with a nice break on the ball to hold Miller to a short gain
2nd-7 UConn 42: Ferguson had Mayhue open but had a low throw for the incompletion
3rd-7 UConn 42: Pollard with a drop as Vontae Diggs provided coverage
1st-10 UConn 38: Henderson 8-yard catch on a screen
2nd-2 UConn 30: Mayhue with a drop with Summers in coverage
3rd-2 UConn 30: Miller can't come up with the catch on the sideline. Solid coverage on play by Summers
1st-10 Memphis 38: Magnifico 22-yard catch. Looked like a miscommunication as Diggs had initial coverage but passed him off. Brice McAllister was late in reacting making for an easy pitch and catch.
1st-10 UConn 40: Miller 40-yard TD. Herring-Wilson took one wrong stride while backpedaling and never had a chance on the play
1st-10 UConn 20: Screen pass was incomplete. Joseph on the coverage
2nd-10 UConn 20: Mayhue 6 yards, McAllister and Herring-Wilson combined on the coverage
3rd-4 UConn 14: Tony Pollard 14-yard touchdown. Diggs ran with him and it looked as if Chris Britton was supposed to provide help in the middle of the field but never got there

THIRD QUARTER
1st-10 Memphis 25: Mayhue 8-yard gain. Summers had the coverage
1st-10 Memphis 37: Incomplete pass, Ferguson flushed from the pocket and close to running out of bounds for a sack when he flipped the ball away for an incompletion
2nd-7 UConn 32: Miller 22-yard catch. Summers was 7 yards off but not in picture when Miller got the ball
1st-goal UConn 15: Henderson 7 yards on screen pass
3rd-goal UConn 5: Magnifico with 5-yard TD. Had a free release off the line and Cam Stapleton was closest defender to him
2nd-8 Memphis 19: Williams 12-yard gain. Herring-Wilson had the coverage
3rd-3 Memphis 38: Williams 7-yard catch. Pretty good coverage by Summers
2nd-12 Memphis 43: Miller 13-yard catch as Summers backed off once again
1st-10 UConn 44: incomplete pass as Henderson dropped screen
1st-10 UConn 32: incomplete pass intended for Miller as Carrezola reached up and batted pass away
2nd-10 UConn 32: Miller with his fourth TD, McAllister had the coverage

There are so many concerns to address. First, 26 of those 37 pass plays were called with Memphis in UConn territory, that is a recipe for disaster. Summers was targeted 13 times in the second quarter and Ferguson was 10 for 13 for 114 yards and a touchdown (a QB rating of 175.97) while he was 6 for 6 for 81 yards with two TDs when Herring-Wilson was the intended receiver.

I understand the philosophy of playing off the receivers especially somebody like Miller but being seven yards off on 3rd and 3 isn't going to work unless the Huskies' improve as pass rushers. It's also troubling that the purpose of playing off of receivers is to prevent balls from being thrown over their heads but the Huskies are struggling to defend the bubble screens and also getting beat on vertical throws.

If there is a silver lining, after facing one experience quarterback after another to start the season, the next two games come against QBs who had a total of eight attempted passes at the collegiate level coming into the season. Also, Herring-Wilson's first two starts at cornerback came against SMU's Courtland Sutton and Miller. I'd be surprised if both of them aren't on NFL rosters at this time next year. No disrespect to the receivers the Huskies will play the rest of the way but I'm not sure they'll see another WR as good as either Sutton or Miller this season.

Other than the quarterback position, there might not be another spot on the football field where the backup gets the spotlight shined on him more than at center when pressed into duty.

Nothing will get a center noticed more than a snap that is off the target.



Dan Oak found that out during last week's SMU game when one of his snaps was off target and some others were a little low.

Oak was among the players made available to the media on Tuesday and he reflected on his first career start and yes, even the wayward snap.

"It was a great experience, you dream about it," Oak said of his first career start. "It was amazing, I can't really describe it."

Oak was thrust into action when starting center Ryan Crozier went down with a season-ending knee injury against East Carolina. He stepped in and while there was an occasional low snap, he had a pretty solid showing.

However, Oak wants to get to the point where the snaps to Bryant Shirreffs are an afterthought and this week in practice he has been taking steps towards making that a reality.

"You have to read the defense to know what is going on so you can communicate it to the rest of the offensive line, telling them what we are doing," Oak said. "It comes down to repetition, the more I do it, the better I'll be at it. I try to treat every rep like a game rep in practice

"Hitting him right in the chest (with every snap) and I've been doing really well this week so I am going to try keep doing the same thing over and over and over. Trying to treat everything as a game rep and make it as real as I can."

A guard at Fort Myers (Fla.) High School, Oak was moved to center right away as a true freshman and this is his fourth season getting work at center for the Huskies.

"I got recruited pretty late in the process so I didn't know for sure," Oak said. "I figured I would be somewhere in the interior but I wasn't 100 percent sure and I was just going to play where they needed me to play."

Oak and Shirreffs worked together during the 2014 season on the UConn scout team and the relationship between the two wasn't limited to their time on the practice field.

"Dan and I had a class my redshirt year here and I think we were the only football players in the class so we bonded in that class," Shirreffs said. "It is definitely important, I am close to Ryan (Crozier), Dan, Vech (Brendan Vechery), Schaf (Kyle Schafenacker), all the centers. I think it is an important relationship to have because you are the first two people to touch the ball on any offensive play. I think I just said, 'let's go, we believe in you (after the bad snap).' I think he did a good job and he has been doing a good job."

When I got around to looking at the stats from the SMU game, one of the first things that struck me was the passing efficiency rating that Bryant Shirreffs registered in the loss to the Mustangs.
Seeing that he had a rating of 224.54, it got me wondering where that ranked in UConn history. It took some work but not only did I find the answer but it will turn into the feature I am writing for tomorrow's paper.

In the last 40 seasons, Shirreffs' mark is the second best single-game mark in program history. Who has the best QB rating dating back to the 1978 season? Ken Sweitzer is the answer as he registered a rating of 227.81 in a win over Rhode Island on Nov. 15, 1980. It just so happens that Sweitzer, a Madison native, is the sideline reporter for UConn's football broadcasts on the UConn Radio Network and he is a frequent visitor to the weekly press conferences so in between the end of Randy Edsall's remarks and the start of the player interviews, I spoke to him today about the difference in Shirreffs' play from a season ago so keep an eye out for that story to appear on the Register's site later today.

I posted this on an earlier blog but here it is again - Shirreffs is the first UConn quarterback with back to back 400-yard passing games and he has more yards in consecutive games than any other player in program history.


In the meantime, here is the breakdown based on a minimum of 15 attempts in a game since that is what the NCAA uses to set the parameters for the passing efficiency leaders in its statistical database.
Shirreffs has three games with a passer rating of 175 or better, the only player in program history (again since 1978) with more is Dan Orlovsky who has four.

Rating  Player    Date     Opponent (Score)             C   A Yrd TD-Int
227.81 Sweitzer   11-15-80 Rhode Island (56-30)        11-19 251 4-1
224.54 Shirreffs   9-30-17 SMU (28-49)                       22-28 408 2-0
219.27 Orlovsky       9- 4-04 Murray St. (52-14)          19-29 382 5-2
216.91 Orlovsky      11- 2-02 Fla. Atlantic (61-14)       13-19 218 3-0
202.32 DeGennaro  11-14-87 Rhode Island (52-7)       19-24 234 3-0
190.83 Benton      9-29-90 Yale (44-7)                          26-32 371 3-3
189.91 DeGennaro  11-17-90 Rhode Iland (51-21)       22-30 283 4-1
185.62 Frazer        10-18-08 Rutgers (10-12)                14-20 236 1-0
185.47 Shirreffs  10-10-15 UCF (40-13)                       16-22 256 1-0
183.15 Rodgers        9-18-93 James Madison (45-24)   14-17 204 0-0
182.06 Endres      10-17-09 Louisville (38-25)              14-21 273 1-1
180.91 Orlovsky       9- 6-03 Army (48-21)                   26-36 317 5-2
180.82 Riley      11- 3-84 UMass (21-16)                      13-20 221 2-1
179.59 Endres       9-26-09 Rhode Island (52-10)         23-30 289 2-0
178.55 DeGennaro  10-27-90 Richmond (42-24)         23-30 246 3-0
178.36 Shirreffs   9-10-16 Navy (24-28)                       23-26 239 1-0
178.11 Lorenzen       9-13-08 Virginia (45-10)              13-15 124 1-0
177.62 Orlovsky    9-25-04 Army (40-3)                       25-34 288 4-1
174.82 Cochran    11-30-13 Rutgers (28-17)                 25-33 311 2-0
174.67 Rodgers      10-15-94 Maine (35-31)                 16-24 230 2-0
173.77 McEntee     9-24-11 Buffalo (17-3)                    12-21 213 2-0
172.34 Sweitzer  9-13-80 Bucknell (20-7)                     12-19 216 2-2
170.71 Orlovsky   11-16-02 Navy (38-0)                       29-35 272 3-1
171.31 Bonislawkski9-10-05 Liberty (59-0)                  18-25 217 2-0
170.42 Stafford    9-28-96 Yale (42-6)                            11-17 183 2-2
169.85 Whitmer     9-29-12 Buffalo (24-17)                  15-22 227 1-0
168.77 Tracey      9- 9-00 Colgate (37-7)                       25-35 327 2-0
167.84 Shirreffs   9- 3-15 Villanova (20-15)                  12-20 202 2-1
166.78 Orlovsky   11- 9-02 Kent State (63-21)              11-17 128 2-0
166.72 Shirreffs   9-12-15 Army (22-17)                       19-25 270 0-0
165.76 Orlovsky       9-20-03 Buffalo (38-7)                 15-23 236 1-0
165.20 DeGennaro   9- 9-89 CCSU (27-9)                    19-25 250 1-1
163.90 Sweitzer 11-14-81 Rhode Island (29-34)           20-31 312 2-1
163.59 DeGennaro  11-10-90 Boston Univ. (28-21)      19-30 264 3-1
162.82 Cochran    12- 7-13 Memphis (45-10)               36-54 461 4-0
162.67 DeGennaro  10-20-90 Maine (35-20)                23-33 295 3-0
162.59 DeGennaro   9-26-87 Yale (27-30)                    10-15 132 1-0       
161.99 Hernandez  11-11-06 Pittsburgh (46-45 2OT)   20-29 164 4-0
161.33 Orlovsky   10-30-04 Syracuse (30-42)              39-51 445 3-2
160.17 Whitmer    10-23-14 East Carolina (21-31)       18-30 303 2-1

I also did some checking and in American Athletic Conference games, Shirreffs has the best mark this season and seventh since the league's inception in 2013. What's interesting is six of the 18 games with a 200 quarterback rating or better happened in AAC league contests took place against SMU including Shirreffs' career-best effort.

388.64 Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati vs. UCF 10-31-15             15-15 319 5-0
253.18 Keenan Reynolds, Navy at Houston 11-27-15         13-16 312 1-1
238.43 Blake Bortles, UCF vs. UConn 10-26-13                20-24 286 4-0
236.92 John O'Korn, Houston at Rutgers 10-26-13            24-30 364 5-0
235.52 Dane Evans, Tulsa vs. SMU 11-8-14                      16-24 286 5-0
230.83 Brandon Kay, Cincinnati vs. UConn 10-19-13        17-24 300 4-0
224.54 Bryant Shirreffs, UConn at SMU                          22-28 408 2-0
220.03 Tyler Harris, UCF at Tulane 10-3-15                        10-15 156 3-0
219.99 Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville vs. USF 10-26-13    25-29 344 3-0
219.81 P.J. Walker, Temple vs. Tulane 10-10-15                  11-15 183 2-0
213.73 Quinton Flowers, USF vs. Cincinnati 11-20-15          9-15 165 4-2
215.54 Dane Evans, Tulsa at Navy 11-12-16                        16-27 367 4-1
212.25 Riley Ferguson, Memphis at SMU 11-5-16              20-27 287 4-0
208.54 Quinton Flowers, USF at SMU 11-19-16                   7-15 195 3-1
207.95 Jason Stewart, Memphis at Cincinnati 11-18-16      13-15 138 2-0
202.90 Paxton Lynch, Memphis at Cincinnati 10-4-14        18-25 311 2-0
202.29 Greg Ward, Houston vs. SMU 10-8-15                     16-18 243 0-0
200.38 Paxton Lynch, Memphis at SMU 10-25-14              17-23 307 1-0

As for other notes from the press conference, freshman defensive back Ian Swenson underwent shoulder surgery today. Although he is still listed on the depth chart as a starter, obviously he is out for the season. Freshman defensive back and return specialist Jordan Swann returned to practice this week so he is expected to play against Memphis on Friday. UConn coach Randy Edsall wasn't sure whether Swann or Kyle Buss would handle the kickoff duties against Memphis.