Former UConn offensive lineman Alex Mateas was named to the Canadian Football League's East Division all-star team.

Mateas, who made the team as a guard although he has moved to center recently due to some injuries on the line, was one of five offensive players from the Ottawa RedBlacks named to the team as Ottawa joins the BC Lions as the only CFL teams to rank in the top five in both passing and rushing yardage.

Mateas was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 CFL Draft and has played in 53 regular season games in three CFL seasons. He is the first former UConn player to earn CFL all-division honors since Larry Taylor was the West Division pick as special teams performer in 2013.

Mateas was a key member of Ottawa's 2016 Grey Cup championship squad. The RedBlacks play Saskatchewan in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday with the winner to meet Toronto in the semifinals.

Looking at the rosters for the six CFL playoff teams, I was surprised to see former UConn tight end John Delahunt on the roster for West Division semifinalist Edmonton. Knee issues forced Delahunt to retire in 2015 but he was signed by Edmonton as a free agent last month and played in the Oct. 9 game against Montreal although he is currently on the six-game injured list. Also, Reuben Frank has played in six games for West Division finalist Calgary and is currently on the Stampeders' practice squad.

Former UConn defensive end Jesse Joseph recorded his first career sack in the Canadian Football League in Montreal's 22-14 win over Winnipeg on Friday night.

Montreal was leading 22-6 with 5:15 remaining when Joseph took down Drew Willy for a six-yard loss on third down to give the ball back to Montreal. It was one of five sacks for the Alouettes in the season opener.

Joseph is in his second season with Montreal as he made six tackles in 18 games during the 2015 season.

A couple of Joseph's former teammates could square off tonight when Alex Mateas's Ottawa team plays Edmonton featuring rookie Reuben Frank.

In Toronto's 42-20 loss to Hamilton on Thursday, Larry Taylor returned to the CFL as he returned five punts for 40 yards and had 68 yards on three kickoff returns. Taylor moved up a spot to eighth on CFL's career kickoff return list moving past Ron Hopkins.

Canadian Football League teams had to trim their rosters to 46 players today and among those players let go today was Trevardo Williams, UConn's all-time leader in sacks, who was waived by the Toronto Argonauts.

Williams played in both preseason games for Toronto, finishing with two tackles and one sack.

Former UConn receiver Terence Jeffers-Harris was cut by the BC Lions. While official rosters haven't been posted, former Huskies Martin Bedard (Montreal), Reuben Frank (Edmonton), Jesse Joseph (Montreal) and Alex Mateas (Ottawa) were not listed among the cuts. Bedard, Joseph and Mateas (a former No. 1 overall pick) are all from Canada so it's not a surprise to see them survive the cuts but it would be an impressive feat for Frank to be on the opening game roster for Edmonton. Frank was signed by Edmonton on May 28.

I'd expect official rosters to be on the official CFL site perhaps as soon as tomorrow. The regular season kicks off on Thursday when Hamilton plays Toronto.

Alex Mateas has been on a pretty nice run since playing his final game for UConn in 2014.

The former team captain was the first overall pick in the CFL Draft by Ottawa and now the RedBlacks will be playing for the Canadian Football League title after a 35-28 win over Hamilton in the East Conference final earlier today.

The game was tied at 28 before Greg Ellingson's 93-yard touchdown reception on a 2nd and 25 play with less than two minutes remaining provided the winning points.

It's been a remarkable turnaround season for Ottawa which was 2-16 during the 2014 season but posted a 12-6 regular-season record.

Ottawa will play Edmonton in the Grey Cup final on Nov. 29 at 6 p.m.

Mateas is also drawing plenty of kudos on social media as he gave away tickets to today's playoff game to veteran Craig Searle.

@AlexMateas you are kind & generous! Made my hubby@CraigSearle1 so happy today thanking vets! Go @REDBLACKS ! pic.twitter.com/89InypTvpH

— Carolyn (@CPercySearle) November 22, 2015

Craig Searle @CraigSearle1

Thx @AlexMateas @REDBLACKS @OSEG_Media @REDBLACKSCheer @LumberJoes awesome tix for a vet, thnx so much for kindness pic.twitter.com/3Vq5pb8PBf

 

UCONN COMMIT GOES FOR STATE TITLE
UConn commit Quayvon Skanes ran for 207 yards and four touchdowns and his only pass went for a 6-yard touchdown to lead Phillips Academy High School to a 47-13 win over previously undefeated Marengo in the Illinois 4A semifinals on Saturday.

Skanes, who did not play in the second half with Phillips leading 47-7, had scoring runs of 64, 49, 24 and 22 yards as Phillips improved to 13-0. Next up is the state title game on Friday against Belleville Althoff.
Ottawa will play the Edmonton/Calgary winner in the Grey Cup final on Nov. 29 at 6 p.m.

Less than two weeks after Byron Jones became the second UConn product taken in the first round in the NFL draft another former Husky made history.

Alex Mateas was taken by Ottawa with the first overall pick in the CFL draft.

"It is a great honor," Mateas said. "This draft is packed with offensive linemen so it could have gone either way so I am excited they picked me and it is a great honor to be picked No. 1. Being drafted to your home city, you couldn't ask for anything better.

"It is time to focus on what we do and our job and that is to play pro football so it is now to get back to the grind."

Mateas, who started the last 25 games at center and 29 games in his three seasons with the Huskies, and is the only offensive player to start every game at UConn during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, became the first player from a U.S. college to go first overall since Washington State's Adam Braidwood was selected with the top pick by Edmonton in 2006. The Ottawa native is the first player from a New England university taken with the top pick was Tim Fleiszer of Harvard back in 1998.

The CFL is well acquainted with UConn players as Mateas is the seventh Husky taken since 2004 second behind only Eastern Michigan for the most players selected from a U.S. college since 2004. Moe Petrus, who was the starting center at UConn in 2011 when Mateas was redshirting after transferring from Penn State, held the distinction for the highest selection by a UConn products in the CFL Draft before tonight as Petrus was taken 10th overall in 2011.

Mateas recently took part in rookie camp with the New York Jets on a tryout basis but was not signed. Now he will become the fourth member of the 2014 UConn squad to sign with a pro football team as defensive back Byron Jones was taken in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys, receiver Geremy Davis was a sixth-round selection by the New York Giants and defensive lineman B.J. McBryde signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent.

"Pro day, there were a lot of people there and I got to watch my teammates perform well so to see them succeed, give it a shot in the NFL is just unbelievable," Mateas said. "I know they are going to prove their worth and really be names in that league. Overall it has been awesome experience."

Former Yale running back Tyler Varga was taken by Calgary with the 19th overall pick. Varga was considered to be one of the top prospects in the draft but he signed as an undrafted free agent and he made it clear that playing in the NFL was his main priority at the current time resulting in him falling to the third round.

Here's UConn history in the CFL Draft
2015: Alex Mateas, OL Ottawa 1-1
2013: Jesse Joseph, DE Montreal 3-23
2011: Moe Petrus, OL Hamilton 2-10
2009: Martin Bedard, TE Montreal 2-14
2006: DE Shawn Mayne, Hamilton 3-18
2006: DL Jason Ward, British Columbia 6-48
2004: WR O'Neil Wilson, Montreal 3-25

Byron Jones and Geremy Davis were fortunate to hear their names called in the NFL Draft. Now it is Alex Mateas' turn to be selected by a professional football team.

Mateas, the only offensive player to start every game for UConn over the last two seasons, is in the running to be the first overall pick in Tuesday's CFL Draft.

Mateas, an Ottawa native, is the No. 3 prospect in the final CFL Scouting Bureau rankings released on Apr. 24. However, the top-rated player (defensive end Christian Covington) was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round in the NFL Draft. The second-rated player is offensive lineman Brett Boyko, who was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent. Yale running back Tyler Varga, the fourth-rated player in the final pre-draft rankings, signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent and has made his intentions clear that his focus is on making it onto an NFL roster. Mateas received an invitation to New York Jets camp on a tryout basis but he was not among the tryout players who were signed by the Jets. As a result, he would seem to be the safest pick among the top CFL Draft prospects.

The draft will be held on Tuesday beginning at 8 p.m. It will air on TSN2 in Canada. Ottawa was the No. 1 overall pick.

Mateas, Varga and Wesleyan linebacker Dee Simons are the only players with state ties eligible for the draft.

In other news, the Detroit Lions announced that it signed three players who attended rookie camp on a tryout basis but the list does not include former UConn defensive end/linebacker Reuben Frank. Also, Deshon Foxx was not among the tryout players signed by the Seattle Seahawks.

Former UConn center and team captain Alex Mateas is the No. 3 rated player and former Yale running back Tyler Varga is ranked fourth in the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau's final ranking before next month's CFL Draft.

Varga, who starred at the Senior Bowl and earned an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, is focusing on the NFL Draft which begins on Thursday. Mateas is being considered a possible No. 1 overall pick in the CFL Draft. Calgary and Toronto both sent personnel to Storrs for the UConn pro day in late March.

Rice defensive lineman Christian Covington and UNLV offensive lineman Brett Boyko are the top two prospect on the CFL Scouting Bureau final list.

The CFL Draft is set for May 12 with Ottawa owning the No. 1 overall pick.

Normally when counting the scouts and/or coaches at UConn pro day, the focus is on  how many NFL teams were represented.

However, with Alex Mateas the No. 2 rated player for the upcoming CFL Draft, there were a couple of teams represented to UConn on Tuesday morning.

"The more teams the better," Mateas said. "At this point the only thing I can do is focus on my own craft and wherever I end up, I will be happy."

I didn't get Mateas' times in the 40 and other running events but he did 22 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press, had a 30 1/2 inch vertical and went 9-1 in the broad jump. His broad jump was equal or better than 30 of the 36 offensive linemen at the NFL combine and his vertical would have tied him for 12th out 39 offensive linemen in Indianapolis.

"There is just excitement," Mateas said. "I feel like I performed best when I kind of clear my mind and let the work you did previously shine."

Mateas, a native of Ottawa, took part in the Collegiate Gridiron Showcase in Arlington, Tex. on Jan. 31 before returning to UConn to work out with former teammates Gus Cruz, Reuben Frank, B.J. McBryde and Angelo Pruitt to prepare for the pro day.

"It was awesome," Mateas said, "I really enjoyed it. It was nice to play against different guys, get a taste of what pro football is like and I loved it."

Mateas' graduation left a hole in the middle of the offensive line. Ryan Crozier, who started the last three games of the 2014 season at left guard, has moved over to play center with Trey Rutherford and Tommy Hopkins the top options to start at left guard.

"He (Crozier) is a great player, great guy and he has a lot of potential," Mateas said. "I am really excited to see what happens with Crozier and the other guys. It going to be awesome to see them play this season."

Tyler Samra is one of two returning offensive linemen to start
all 12 games at UConn during 2014 season

The exact timeline is a little fuzzy to Mike Cummings.

At some point during his first season on the UConn football coaching staff all the weeks felt like all the other ones. So just when Cummings, who was hired to be the offensive coordinator and work with the tight ends, began taking on more of a hands' on approach with the struggling offensive line escapes him.

"Some of it is a blur for me but I would say it was around week four," Cummings said.
The timing would make sense. The fourth game of the season was the nightmare at South Florida when the Huskies abandoned the passing game for a significant portion of the game because the coaching staff didn't want to risk more costly turnovers.

Once the season began the practices were not open to the media which is nothing new as it was the same way when Paul Pasqualoni was the Huskies' head coach. The result is I didn't fully understand how involved Cummings was in the improved play of the offensive line until the season was over.
UConn coach Bob Diaco did want to use the fact that Cummings was being pulled in a few different ways as an excuse. But when the season came to an end, it was clear he was going to make some changes on the offensive side of the ball. Mike Foley, who coached the offensive line from 2006-10 when future NFL running backs Jordan Todman and Donald Brown were among the nation's most productive tailbacks. When Pasqualoni was hired, he brought in George DeLeone to work with the offensive line and Foley moved over to work with the tight ends during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and started the 2013 season in the same capacity. When Pasqualoni and DeLeone were fired after an 0-4 start, Foley returned to work with the offensive line. He was the only coach retained by Diaco before deciding that something had to be done.

When the dust settled none of the remaining offensive assistants had the same responsibilities. Nobody was more impacted than Cummings who returned to his speciality of coaching the offensive line. While he is still listed as co-offensive coordinator, veteran NFL assistant coach Frank Verducci was brought in to be the offensive coordinator and call the plays.

In retrospect Cummings admitted the time be devoted on fixing the leaky offensive line probably hurt his performance as a play caller.

"I spent all the individual time with the line," Cummings said. "The division was doing position, individual (work) with the offensive line and then I spent time with the team in the other (practice periods).

"It is difficult when you spend so much time coaching five guys that it feels like it is a different world. It if difficult because you are focused and locked in on a particular portion of the offense that when you step out into the big picture, you kind of go back to that part of the offense which is a huge part of the offense."

The results were hard to overlook.

UConn did not allow a sack in three of the last four games and the running game was more productive as well. After the East Carolina game UConn had one game with at least 160 rushing yards in the last 31 contests. The Huskies accomplished the feat three times in the last five games with the 249 yards against SMU is the most since a Nov. 11, 2010 game against Pittsburgh.

"That was huge," Cummings said. "That does mean a lot. If you coach the position, you are motivated by players getting better. You are not motivated by notoriety, obviously you want to win the games and that is primary but seeing players get better and develop skill wise, emotionally, socially those are big deals."

Cummings said he is 100 percent all in with his new role. I'm sure seeing somebody else call the plays must have stung Cummings a little but he certainly said all the right things about Verducci's arrival and his changing role.

"Frank is very detailed," Cummings said. "I think he has a very good vision and plan and I think it is a shared vision. I enjoy working with him, he really likes collaborative efforts with the staff which is big. He lets the position coaches have ownership."

As for the players he will be working with, Richard Levy and Tyler Samra started every game at left tackle and right guard respectively. Andreas Knappe likely would have started every game at right tackle if not for a leg injury he suffered late in preseason camp. He started the last seven games while true freshman Ryan Crozier was the starting left guard for the final three games. UConn did lose Alex Mateas, the starter at center in all 12 games, and Gus Cruz, who got the start at left guard for the first nine games. Those were the only losses on the offensive line. Trey Rutherford, Thomas Hopkins, Kyle Bockeloh and Gifford lead the list of the other linemen who got game experience a season ago. Obviously the biggest question facing the offensive line is who is going to earn the starting center job. Daniel Oak, who redshirted last season, drew plenty of praise for his work in practice. He figures to push Bockeloh for the job. Cummings couldn't say enough good things about Oak, who added 13 pounds since the end of last season and is now listed at 278.

"Dan Oak made a lot of progress," Cummings said. "He is a smart player, he is very tough. While he didn't get the game experience, we felt it was best to redshirt him because we could. He is a player that we are expecting a lot from him. We were able to put him in (practice) and he was able to battle with our defense as a next man in, not as a scout team or look team (center) and he was very aggressive. He did a good job, not a great job but a good job against our nose men which in our league are very difficult to block."

Another player of interest is Shelton's Steve Hashemi, who was moved to tight end and saw time on special teams as a true freshman. With so many tight ends as part of the incoming freshman class, Hashemi can move back to the offensive line which is what he was recruited to play.

"He has a lot of upside and he is going to develop," Cummings said. "He is only 270 pounds. I say only 270 but he's going to weight 300 and some pounds. He is a good big athlete who could step in and be able to do the job we asked him to do. Now we've got somebody for that job so we will bring him back and put him in the position we really wanted him in."

Obviously true freshmen Crozier and Rutherford were seeing time throughout the season and the Huskies had inexperienced starters at the tackle position. It is only natural that there were some growing pains.

"There is a frustration part of it that you know they are going to be really good but they are not there yet so you had to pull it back and make sure what you teach them is to the smallest common denominator so they can successful," said Cummings, who helped turn Eric Fisher from lightly-regarded prospect to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft during his four years coaching the offensive line at Central Michigan. "As they get older it is really fun because they have the building blocks and experience. It is not a guy who is in his third year and hasn't played, it is a little different."

It also helps that the offensive linemen continue to bulk up led by the tackle duo of Levy and Knappe.
"They are pushers, shovers, mushers were everybody else is a runner," Cummings said. "They are totally trained for that, that has been a big improvement for Andreas, he has been through the battles."

NEWSOME, JOHNSON READY FOR AN ENCORESpeaking of young players getting a baptism under fire, there wasn't much time for tailbacks Ron Johnson and Arkeel Newsome to act like the true freshmen that they were a season ago. With Max DeLorenzo the only experienced tailback on last year's team, Johnson, Newsome and redshirt freshman Josh Marriner were thrown right into the mix from the opening game.
That experience should serve the young running backs well this season.

"He is a guy that is obviously very explosive so we tried to find ways to get him the ball," said UConn assistant coach David Corley, who coached the running backs last season. "We got the ball in his hands and a couple of times he was able to make some big plays happen. It is a natural maturation process. In your first year of college there are so many distractions that are happening, things are moving faster on the field then they were in high school. I think he was able to settle himself. I think he is better prepared now  what is expected from him, what is necessary and I think he is looking forward to these 15 days of spring practice and find a way to get better every day.

"They had no choice but to grow up. You come out high school, you are used to a certain speed of the game, a certain size of the opponents. Now you are in college and you are playing against grown me who are 21/22 years old. I think those guys definitely, it was a process and it didn't happen overnight but I think they learned and they grew up quite a bit in those 12 games last year."

Alex Mateas, the only UConn player to start every game over the last two seasons, will be suiting up with the Desperados team in tomorrow's College Gridiron Showcase. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. in Arlington, Texas.

Mateas, who started 29 games at center during his time with the Huskies, is the No. 2 rated player in the CFL pre-draft rankings and he will become the second member of the 2014 UConn team to play in a college all-star game as Geremy Davis played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Former Central Connecticut State running back Robert Holloman is also a member of the Desperadoes team being coached by former Oklahoma running back Marcus Dupree.

As far as I can tell, the same is not being televised but you can check out the official site for more information on the game

It hasn't been the easiest of seasons for the three seniors who served as captains for the UConn football this season.

Cornerback Byron Jones suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a game at East Carolina while Geremy Davis missed 2 1/2 games with an ankle injury and just now is he back at 100 percent according to UConn coach Bob Diaco. That leaves Alex Mateas, the center on an offensive line that has received plenty of criticism over the last few years.

From 2011-13 only Pittsburgh, Miami (Ohio), Washington State, Hawaii and UCLA gave up more sacks than the 115 given up by the Huskies. In the first eight games, it was more of the same as the Huskies gave up 28 sacks and countless other times UConn's quarterbacks were running for their lives.

It wasn't until UConn held Memphis, which came into last week's game leading the American Athletic Conference in sacks, without a quarterback sack. Going a step further, UConn has given up two sacks in its last 100 passing attempts. As a point of reference, UConn gave up 14 sacks during the first 100 pass attempts of the season.

As the veteran of the line, nobody is happier about the improvement of the line that Mateas (except perhaps quarterbacks Tim Boyle and Chandler Whitmer).

"I am very proud to see the improvement," Mateas said. "You can feel the improvement in every game and every week in practice but it is always nice to see it on the board a little bit. I am really happy with the guys and trying to soak in the experience.

"Every part of the equation is helpful. Coaches start off everything by teaching us the schemes, the way they plan out the game plans and we just try to do what they tell us to. We are really enjoying it. They are going to be in great shape, they are a great group of guys and work really hard and are really hungry. The ceiling is tremendous for them. I would like to think that Gus (Cruz) and I have tried to do all that we can, help the guys out as much as we can. I have really enjoyed working with the young guys and finishing off my senior year with Gus Cruz has been a pleasure."

With the season-ending shoulder injury suffered by safety Obi Melifonwu, Mateas will be the only UConn player to start every game during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Meanwhile, fellow senior offensive lineman and three-year starter Cruz lost his starting left guard spot to true freshman Ryan Crozier a few weeks ago.

"He has dealt with it really well, he is a great guy a great teammate," Mateas said of Cruz. "I don't much of the situation but whoever they put beside us, we just have to be prepared to play the best we can."

Mateas, much quieter than fellow captains Jones and Marquise Vann, has grown into his role as a leader.

"It has been an experience of a lifetime," Mateas said. "I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without the team, we have a really good group of guys and everybody is really hungry. It is going to be something I will never forget."

Not only has UConn's sack numbers dropped, the rushing statistics have improved at the same time. In the first seven games of the season the Huskies averaged 77.4 yards per game with a 2.6 yard per carry mark. In the last four games UConn is up to 117.3 yards while the YPC numbers are up to 3.7.

With Crozier now starting, Mateas is the only starting lineman not coming back next season. The stating tackles are sophomores Richard Levy and Andreas Knappe, junior Tyler Samra has started every game at right guard. Crozier has the makings of a star and he is far from the only true freshman with seemingly bright futures. Trey Rutherford has seen time as a reserve lineman in 10 of 11 games this season and Daniel Oak, expected to replace Mateas as the starting center, has been getting talked up quite a bit by UConn coach Bob Diaco even as he is being redshirted. Former St. Joseph High Steve Hashemi is athletic enough to be moved to tight end. Hashemi has seen time blocking for field goals and was in the area of holder Blake Feagles' fake field goal earlier in the season. Considering the number of tight ends UConn is bringing in next season, Hashemi figures to move back to the offensive line.

"They are really good, they work really hard and have great attitudes," Mateas said. "They listen well, take a lot of information and apply it to games. Those young guys along with the other guys on the offensive line, we look like we are in good shape and there is definitely going to be competition."

Mateas is one of 14 players who will be honored during Senior Day festivities before Saturday's game against SMU. His two sisters, mother and father will all be making the eight or nine hour drive from Ottawa to be there for his final collegiate game.

"I couldn't have done anything without them especially my mom, she is a saint," Mateas said. "All the credit goes to her. They come when they can, my mom probably comes a little too much because it is a drive. I owe all of this to her and I love her to the end. We have been through a lot."

There's a chance that Mateas will be playing much closer to home at the next level. Every Canadian native who has been on scholarship has either played or been drafted into the CFL. In the prospect ranking posted on Sept. 11, Mateas was rated as the No. 6 available player.

"That would unbelievable, it would be just a dream come true," Mateas said. "I am going to take everything I learned here, apply it to whatever happens to the future."

With the CFL season ending with Sunday's Grey Cup (won by Calgary) you would assume that Mateas was transfixed to the game, right. Well, not exactly.

"I unfortunately didn't get to see much of the game," Mateas said with a laugh. "I was watching a little bit of it and then I had to watch the Walking Dead with Casey (Cochran), Andreas (Knappe) and Zach Rugg. Probably should have stayed and watched a little bit more but it was the finale
for this part of the season."

Getting back to the way UConn's line is ending the season, here is the list of teams having allowed two or fewer sacks in the last 100 passing attempts

Team             Sacks (Opponents)
Appalachian State 1 (Georgia State, Louisiana Monroe, Arkansas State, Louisiana Lafayette, Idaho)
Ball State 1 (Northern Illinois, UMass, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green)
Oklahoma 1  (Iowa State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas)
Alabama  2 (Mississippi State, Western Carolina, Auburn)
Cincinnati 2 (East Carolina, UConn, Temple)
Florida State 2  (Virginia, Miami, Boston College, Florida)
Louisiana Tech 2 (UAB, Old Dominion, Rice)
Rutgers 2 (Indiana, Michigan State, Maryland)
UConn 2 (Central Florida, Army, Cincinnati, Memphis)

Arkeel Newsome's first game as UConn's starting tailback did not go the way the record-breaking former Ansonia High star would have liked.

Newsome lost two fumbles, both in Tulane territory as the Huskies failed to score a touchdown in a 12-3 loss.

While Newsome has yet to made available to the media this season, senior offensive linemen Alex Mateas and Gus Cruz had plenty to say about the talented freshman.

"He's a great guy to block for along with all the other running backs," Mateas said, "Arkeel has been doing really well. I completely forgot about those little parts in the game against Tulane. I love him and he has a bright future. He kind of keeps to himself but he doesn't have to say very much because he talks with his performance but I love him, he is a great kid."

Here's the take from Cruz on Newsome.

"He is a young guy and he running hard," Cruz said. "All of that is encouraging. I don't really care too much about the fumbles. I appreciate the guys running hard. One of them he was really running hard, put a hand down and next time he will probably keep both hands on (the ball). The other time it wasn't really his fault, he was down (emotionally) because he was young but I think that was a good learning experience for him early. Moving forward I don't think he is going to have those problems as far as turning the ball over. He is going to be more game savvy as far as how to run with the ball and that all comes with experience. I am encouraged to watch him run and it is exciting at the same time."

I spoke to Cruz about how his season has been progressing and whether the offseason conditioning work he had to miss because of his cardiac and blood clot issues has left him struggling to regain the form he showed as a sophomore and junior. That was a focus of a story on the Register's site.  

As the most experienced player on a struggling offensive line, it has not been the best of senior seasons for Alex Mateas.

He was whistled for costly penalties on more than one occasion in Saturday's loss to Temple and when I asked UConn coach Bob Diaco how Mateas, a team captain, has been handling his leadership role on a conference call this morning he basically said that he'd like for Mateas to merely focus on his responsibilities and leave the job of working with the other linemen to the coaching staff.

With all that being said, Mateas' journey to becoming a team captain at UConn is a rather unique one.

His father is a former professional soccer player and well-respected soccer coach in Canada, his former AAU basketball coach spent a few years as an assistant with the Canadian national team and yet Mateas has made his mark on the football field. I spoke to Mateas during media day about his soccer background and finally got around to writing the story on how he landed at UConn.

UConn senior center Alex Mateas, who along with Geremy Davis is the only returning offensive player to start all 12 games during the 2013 season, was one of 66 centers named to the watch list for the Rimington Trophy.

Mateas had played in 20 games at UConn over the last two seasons after transferring from Penn State, starting 17 times and he is one of the few experienced players on an offensive line which lost four starters to graduation.

He has drawn praise from new UConn coach Bob Diaco for being one of the best leaders among the returning Huskies and it would be a surprise to nobody if he were to be named as one of UConn's team captains.

The list of candidates looks very much like the one put out a few months ago as the committee went from having 64 candidates on the spring watch list to 66 on the most current roll call.

Perhaps it is just my perception but judging by what I have seen in recent weeks and months it certainly appears as if Bob Diaco is more generous in handing out offers than Paul Pasqualoni, his predecessor at UConn.

I can't log into Twitter without seeing reports of more players in the next couple of recruiting classes receiving offers from UConn so when I sat down with Diaco earlier this week I asked him for his take on handing out scholarship offers.

"You are going to sell a car, how many people are you going to talk to about buying it?" Diaco said. "If you want to sell one car, you have to talk to about 20 people so the recruiting board is full of guys we would really like to have. We may only have one spot so first one in ... Everybody understands the landscape, the PSA (prospective student-athletes) understand the landscape, the guardians understand the landscape and the coaches understand the landscape. This is all over the country, not just at UConn."

Now for the more short-term future, Phil Steele released his All-American Athletic Conference teams a couple days ago. Receiver Geremy Davis was the only UConn player named to the first team. Cornerback Byron Jones was named to the second team and Alex Mateas was a fourth-team pick.

While there's plenty of work yet to be done before UConn opens up the 2014 season against Brigham Young, it is looking like the coaching staff has a pretty good idea who are the building blocks on the offensive line.

At the first practice I attended, the No. 1 line consisted of (from left to right) tackle Richard Levy, guard Kyle Schafenacker, center Alex Mateas, guard Bryan Paull and tackle Dalton Gifford. After nearly a week and a half off due to spring break and more importantly, that much down time for the staff to break down the performance of that line, four of the five players were in the first O-line group sent out at yesterday's practice.

Levy and Gfford remained the left and right tackles and Mateas (who is impressing head coach Bob Diaco with his leadership) was the starting center. Paull moved from right guard to left guard while Tyler Samra moved in at the right guard spot. Again, this is very much subject to change with 10 more spring practices to go before the Apr. 12 spring game.

Gus Cruz, who started five games in each of the last two years at right guard, is still relegated to riding the stationary bike at practice. If he is able to return to the field after seeing his 2013 season cut short due to cardiac issues, it could provide a huge lift to a young offensive line.

Also in the "for what it is worth department" Casey Cochran was the first QB I saw in the offensive reps although the QBs seem to be getting a similar amount of reps and the brief time I was able to watch, I saw plenty of formations with both a fullback and tight end which was a rarity a season ago whether it was Paul Pasqualoni coaching the team or T.J. Weist assuming control of the team. It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out. UConn has an overflow of talented receivers so if the Huskies opt to use a tailback, fullback and tight end, that means only two receivers can be out on the field. The trio of Geremy Davis, Shakim Phillips and Deshon Foxx figure to be among the best playmakers on the 2014 UConn team so that would mean that either the fullback or tight end position would get fewer snaps if Diaco and offensive coordinator Mike Cummings opts to use more three-receiver sets. Davis has looked rock solid in blocking drills so that could also figure into things down the road when the Huskies determine how to best use their receivers, tight ends and fullbacks as  big receivers like Davis (6-3, 216 pounds) and Phillips (6-3, 206) could help in the running game as well as given the No. 1 quarterback big targets on the outside.

Center Alex Mateas is the most experienced of UConn's returning linemen

There were plenty of question marks with the UConn offensive line even before the news broke that Xavier Hemingway, who was expected to compete for a starting offensive tackle spot, was not enrolled at UConn for the spring semester and no longer with the team.

With Hemingway gone, the status of Gus Cruz up in the air and four starters having graduated, there's no question that offensive line coach Mike Foley and head coach Bob Diaco will have their hands full in putting together the offensive line for the 2014 season.

Center Alex Mateas is probably the lone sure thing right now although Dalton Gifford showed tremendous growth as he started the final four games of the season at right tackle in place of Friend.

Guards Tyler Samra (who started against Cincinnati) and Kyle Schafenacker, who redshirted as a true freshman, came to UConn as highly-touted recruits from national powerhouse programs. If they are as good as advertised, the interior of the offensive line should be in good shape. Tackles Richard Levy and Paul Nwokeji, guard Zach Rugg and center Bryan Paull were all in the rotation a season ago. If Cruz gets a clean bill of health and that's a big if due to his season being shut down due to cardiac issues, he could always be bumped outside to tackle. Kyle Bockeloh could be another name to look at in the interior of the line while Tommy Hopkins is a tackle prospect who redshirted as a true freshman. Another option I would have to think the coaches should at least consider is moving defensive lineman Andreas Knappe to the other side of the ball. He certainly fits the size requirements as he was listed at 6-foot-9, 296 pounds as a redshirt freshman.

Diaco has made the offensive line a major priority in recruiting with a commitment from St. Joseph All-Stater Steve Hashemi and offensive tackle recruits Derek Allen and Trey Ratliff visiting last week. Still, expecting a true freshman to come in and start at offensive tackle might be asking a little bit too much.

I addressed the offensive line position with Foley when we met with the UConn assistant coaches earlier this month and here's what he had to say.

"With Kevin getting hurt Dalton got to play a lot," Foley said. "Dalton towards the end of the year played a lot and did a nice job, Alex Mateas I thought really developed as the year went on and really improved over the year before so you have those two guys and there are some good young players. I think the spring will be important for them and next fall in camp but that is college football, that is the way it is and the next guy has to step up and we have to get them ready to do the things we are going to ask them to do.

"There is definitely talent there and it is a matter of getting some experience. One of the things we tried to do and I went back with the offensive line and that was to make sure that during the individual work that they got a lot of work also, not just the starters but everybody right down to the last guy was getting work so I could evaluate them as players to see what they had and try to develop them. What we did in the two-deep is we rotated because we knew we were going to redshirt some guys so a guy like Kyle Schafenacker had been up and I watched him for a couple of weeks, then we put him down and brought about freshman up to look at them. It had nothing to do with Kyle as a player, I liked him, he was a good player and he is going to be a good player but it more so that I could get a look at somebody else up so I could get a look at somebody else. I think there is some talent there and it has to be developed. With O-linemen, very rarely are any of them ready as true freshmen sometimes even as a redshirt freshman it takes a couple of years in the weight room to develop and that is what we are doing."

I had an opportunity to catch up with Paul Pasqualoni after the football team was honored alongside the Huskies' men's and women's basketball programs at the annual "Husky Day" at the State Capitol.

Even though the offense failed to score a touchdown in the regular portion of the spring game, Pasqualoni said he is encouraged with what he saw from his team during the spring.


"We had quite a few guys make significant progress during the spring," Pasqualoni said. "The spring game is more about fundamentals and technique than its about anything else. I am pleased with the progress the offensive line has made, they are a cohesive unit, they are kind of intact 90 percent (back) from last year. I am pleased with the progress our two older wide receivers (Geremy Davis and Shakim Phillips) made watching the film. I think Deshon Foxx is making some progress as a wide receiver, pleased with the progress with the guys up front on defense. Young guys inside Julian Campenni, Mykal Myers, I think Andreas Knappe is making some excellent progress, Tim Willman made progress, the corners on the outside Jhavon Williams, Taylor Mack so I am happy with the effort and fundamentals, the level of focus which are all great signs going into August."

So is he concerned after UConn needed to rely on a pair of Bobby Puyol field goals during the normal portion of the spring game?

"That is just a matter of a little thing here and a little thing there but I thought the offense came up with some good plays and moved the ball down the field," Pasqualoni said. "I thought Chandler (Whitmer) did a good job of hitting the open receiver, took them down and all of that is a positive.

"We cut down what we did, we had controlled scrimmage for most of the game so those things are going to happen in that situation. We had too many guys rehabbing or injured, we didn’t have enough offensive linemen, we didn’t have enough linebackers for two units. You need six linebackers and we had five healthy for the scrimmage and I don’t know how you do that. Everybody will be fine, when the kids get back on campus in June I expect all the kids to be full go."

The player with the longest recovery process figures to be running back Martin Hyppolite who continues to rehab after being a passenger in a car involved in a fatal accident.

Pasqualoni was optimistic that when the team holds its first fall practice on Aug. 1 that center Alex Mateas will be part of the squad. Mateas was suspended indefinitely for the final week of spring practice for what was called a violation of team rules.

"That’s a team policy issue and that will be addressed at the end of the semester," Pasqualoni said.

When I asked him if he believed Mateas will be there for the start of fall camp, he said that he did.

Pasqualoni addressed the crowd at the Husky Day event and here's some of what he had to say.

"Growing up as a young kid in the state I don’t think I ever envisioned the mighty Michigan Wolverines ever coming into East Hartford to play UConn, what a tremendous, tremendous (honor).

"I am a little bit tired, the players are a little bit tired of the results we’ve had for the past two years; we are tired of it and our guys will acknowledge it, we have talked about it. What I can tell you is this – this team is being built the right way, the way the fans and the people in the great state of Connecticut would want it done with hard-working, high-character guys with tremendous, tremendous integrity looking forward very much to August 1 when we came back and have our first day and we get ready for the season opening on Aug. 28 at the Rent against Towson. We are committed to doing this the right way and bringing you the type of team I know you want, an exciting team, a team that is going to play great on defense and be exciting on offense, win games and represent the state of Connecticut and I-A football the way we all want."

Offensive linemen Jimmy Bennett and Steve Greene, defensive linemen Tim Willman and Shamar Stephen and kicker Chad Christen were among the UConn players there for the Husky Day ceremony.

The 2012 season was not the best of times for UConn's offensive line.

UConn was 100th nationally in sacks allowed and 117th in rushing offense a combination that resulted in a disappointing 5-7 final record despite ranking ninth in total defense.

Six offensive linemen who started games last season are back so obviously optimism is high among the returnees as they look to reestablish the line as a dominant unit.


"I think we are going to go up," said senior guard Steve Greene. "I know I am not going to stand for it and all the other guys are with me, we are not going to be the weak point of this team. We are going to be the driving force behind this team that helps us win the game.

It was awful. There is no other word that says it. When you can’t run the ball it makes you so one dimensional and teams can virtually just tee off on you and it makes everything else a lot harder. When you can run the ball you can control the game and that is what we need to be back to. That is what we’ve been preaching and what we’ve been working. We are going to run the football and be successful at it."

Running the ball has been a trademark of recent UConn squads which made what happened last season tough to swallow for players and fans alike.

"It was a collaboration of everything, it wasn’t everybody all the time it was one person having a breakdown," Greene said. "On offense you need 11 guys functioning together or it is not going to work. Right now I feel like we are on that page, we are working real well and you are going to see some results.

"The standard has been set. We know what needs to get done. Really there is nothing left to do but to do it. I know it is a corny saying but that is what it comes down to."

The only returning starter gone is right guard Adam Masters who missed the last three games of the season with an ankle injury. 

"We lose Masters who is a special dude, he is tough to replace but he (got injured) early," Greene said. "Gus (Cruz) came out and got a lot of time so you can say we return the five guys we finished the season with which is going to be huge for us."

A bonus is the return of starting left tackle Jimmy Bennett for a sixth season of eligibility.


"Jimmy is one of my best friends, a great kid and the sky is the limit for him," Greene said. "It is good to see him finally play a full year of football last year and it is going to be good to see what he can do in his second year back. I am excited, we are all excited. We have been working well in the spring without Jimmy and when we gets inserted back into the lineup, I feel like it can only go up."

Bennett has shoulder surgery in December forcing him to miss the entire spring camp. In his place Xavier Hemingway and Dalton Gifford have had an opportunity to take first-team reps at left tackle.

"Jimmy is my right arm, I guess my left arm since he plays on my left side," Greene said. "Me and Jimmy have such a good chemistry out there, we don’t even have to make calls to know what each other is doing. It is huge for them to step in and get this time. I honestly felt they have been doing a great job. Honestly I was a little skeptical coming into the spring having X (Hemingway) on my left, a guy who hasn’t had much experience but he has done a great job. He got hurt, he is down right now and Gifford has stepped up and he has done a great job too."

Not only will Bennett be out of the lineup and Hemingway is iffy as well, but Alex Mateas (who started the first four games at center during the 2012 season) at has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. At the last open practice Tyler Bullock was at center with Cruz and Greene at guard,  Kevin Friend and Gifford at tackle on the first team. The second team featured Kyle Bockeloh at center, Zach Rugg and Tyler Samra at guard with Paul Nwokeji and Richard Levy at tackle.

Parking lots will open at Rentschler Field tomorrow beginning at 9 a.m. with gates set to open at 10:30 a.m. for the spring game which will start at noon. In the wake of the events in Boston security could be tighter than normal. UConn put out a reminder that  that personal bags are not allowed to be brought into events at Rentschler other than bags containing personal medical supplies.

I caught enough of yesterday's practice to notice that Alex Mateas was not taking part in drills with the offensive line and asked head coach Paul Pasqualoni about it. He did confirm that Mateas did not practice but nothing more. Well today UConn said the junior center has been suspended from the team indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules. He will not play in Saturday's spring game.

Mateas started the first four games of the season at center before Tyler Bullock took over and was the starting center for the rest of the season. In the offensive line drills on Tuesday Bullock worked with the first team while Kyle Bockeloh was the second-team center.