There's plenty of things I'm interested to see take place during tonight's season opener against Maine. Right at the top of the list is just how the UConn coaching staff decides to use junior linebacker/defensive end Cam Stapleton.

If there was a player who had a more impressive spring game than Stapleton, his name escapes me at the current time. Yet, he heads into the Maine game still listed as a backup to Luke Carrezola.

Early in preseason camp I did notice Stapleton and Carrezola out on the field together and asked UConn coach Bob Diaco about the possibility to using the two together.

"Cam and Luke can definitely play together," Diaco said. "We are taking a look at Cam as the other outside linebacker. If he ends up becoming one of the best ones then it will be Cam and Luke so you will see a lot of plays with both of them. Based on style of play, Cam is a big physical player, he might he a different kind of tool to use to do a specific job opposite Carrezola. If we are playing an empty team, (no backs in the backfield) it is all spread out and we have to do work than maybe it is not Cam so it gives us more flexibility to add a little pressure where it is needed."

So what does Carrezola think about the potential of being on the field at the same time as Stapleton?

"Me and Cam work on pass rush a lot together and seeing him on the field brings another spark to our defense," Carrezola said. "He is a great player. We push each other to get better."

UConn tied for 94th among FBS teams with 21 sacks a season ago and tied for 92nd with 67 tackles for loss. Carrezola led the team with 11 1/2 tackles for loss while Stapleton had four in a reserve role. They also combined for eight sacks so having the two of them out there together would help in the pass rush department.

"We are trying to wreak havoc back there, trying to get that quarterback to get the ball out early, mess up his timing, hit him and get him on the ground," Carrezola said.

Stapleton figures to spell Carrezola as he did last season but he is too good of a player to merely be a reserve. He will be up for whatever role the coaches have for him including playing alongside Carrezola.

"Me and Luke out there together, it is going to be something crazy, it is going to be a sight to see," Stapleton said. "It is great to be alongside another brothers like Cole (Ormsby), Foley (Fatukasi) and just thrash around, be great players."

Stapleton said it was not much of a struggle to learn how to play the outside linebacker slot opposite of Carrezola (one where Vontae Diggs is likely to be the starter).

"It is an easy position," Stapleton said. "It is basically like a defensive end, something I played in high school so being able to switch over and play defensive end. Playing linebacker, I love it. I never played it until I came to college and it is awesome to play now."

Speaking of Carrezola and Stapleton, they have the benefit of having not one by two defensive coaches who were on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot. Last year I caught up with defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter when he was on the 2015 ballot. This year he was joined by Vincent Brown and I recently got Brown's take on being recognized with a spot on the Hall of Fame ballot.

"It was a tremendous honor to be recognized for your efforts as a player," Brown said. "When I first found out, I was extremely humbled and honored, regardless of the outcome of the ballot there are some tremendous names on that list that I just feel honored to be mentioned in the same breath win."

At some point I will have to research this but I can't think there are too many college coaching staff with two assistants on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Brown said. "Having the chance to work with Dex for the last seven years now, knowing what kind of player he was and an even better coach, well deserved."

Finally, feel free to check out my season preview on UConn finally having some offensive continuity and also a feature on UConn commit Ryan Fitton.

Foley Fatukasi is part of a talented group of sophomore defenders

I don't recall whether I wrote this or said it to the people silly enough to put me on their radio show but I can recall making the declaration that UConn's defense would only go as far as the talented sophomore class would take it.

Well, all the sophomores did in last week's victory over previously undefeated Houston was to combine for three sacks, an interception, fumble recovery and 14 total tackles in the 20-17 win over the Cougars.

Luke Carrezola had a pair of sacks, Foley Fatukasi had a sack and forced a fumble, Cameron Stapleton recovered a fumble and Jamar Summers came up with the game-clinching interception.

When I asked UConn coach Bob Diaco about it, he merely said it was a case of the seniors on the defense led by captains Julian Campenni, Andrew Adams and Marquise Vann putting them in the right spots and making the proper calls for them to make the key plays. Perhaps that is the case but some credit should be given to these playmakers.

Thankfully I got better responses from Carrezola, who has a team-leading six sacks and 9 1/2 tackles for loss this season and Campenni when I asked them about it after Tuesday's practice.

"That is what we have been doing all season," Carrezola said. "I think we have been growing. All of those guys have been playing fantastic. We all know it doesn't matter where you are on the depth chat, you only have one mission to beat and shut down whoever we play."

There are four sophomore starters on defense and two more listed as backups in the most recent two-deep chart. The number would be even bigger if not for Cole Ormsby suffering a season-ending injury forcing him to miss the last three games.
It is hard to overlook the fact that the sophomores are averaging about four more tackles in the last four games than in the first seven contests. Leading the way is Carrezola and Summers who have four sacks and four interceptions during the current three-game winning streak.

"They have been working real hard and it is nice seeing guys like that really perform because you know you are going to leave the program off in good hands," Campenni said. "I am glad they are exceeding expectations and we knew that was what they could do, we know that was their potential."

Cole Ormsby and his fellow sophomores have combined for 71 tackles,
10.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in the first three games of the season

If there is one trend that I have been noticing in UConn's first three games of the season is how much an impact the Huskies are getting from their sophomore class.

I expected tailbacks Ron Johnson and Arkeel Newsome, tight ends Tommy Myers and Alec Bloom and quarterback Bryant Shirreffs to be productive on the offensive side of the ball. But I'm not sure that I was anticipating that of the 13 Huskies to have tackles for loss this season, six of them would be sophomores.

Luke Carrezola and Folorunso Fatukasi lead the way with 4 and 3 TFLs respectively. Cam Stapleton had two stops behind the line, both coming in last week's spirited defensive effort against Missouri. Junior Joseph (UConn's leading tackler), Jamar Summers and Cole Ormsby each had 1/2 of a tackle for a loss.

"It is great to know that we have everybody in our class (is contributing) and we are going to keep building," Stapleton said. "We remember when we came in as freshmen, we weren't playing to now  we are on the field and making plays, it just feels great to know that the people in your class are going to be there in your senior year. Going to class, eating together and we build that brotherhood, she has been so strong and it has definitely kept it together."


My curiosity got the better of me so I did some checking. I simply did not have enough time to go through every FBS team but did look at the teams ranked in the top 25 in total defense and here are the results.

TACKLES BY SOPHOMORE CLASS
(Percentage excludes offensive players and kickers/punters)
North Carolina State     69/123 56.1
Ohio State                     98/209 46.9
Washington                   90/195 46.2
Vanderbilt                     91/199 45.7
Northwestern                79/194 40.7
UConn                          71/177 40.1

TACKLES FOR LOSS BY SOPHOMORE CLASS
(Percentage excludes offensive players and kickers/punters)
 North Carolina State     9.5/17 55.9
Ohio State                     10/20   50.0
Northwestern                 9.5/18 52.8
UConn                         10.5/22 47.7

TOTAL TACKLES FOR LOSS BY SOPHOMORE CLASS
Missouri                      10.5
UConn                         10.5
Boston College            10.0
Ohio State                    10.0

TOTAL SACKS BY SOPHOMORE CLASS
Ohio State                    6.5
UConn                          4.0
Vanderbilt                     4.0

Media day is in the books and not too much news of the earth-shattering variety came out of the day.

The captains were linebacker Marquise Vann (the only 2014 captain returning this season), offensive tackle Andreas Knappe, safety Andrew Adams and defensive lineman Julian Campenni.

I'm not really surprised by any of the picks. I thought there was a chance of a second offensive player being named a captain and perhaps junior receiver Noel Thomas could have been that player.

Campenni, who might have been UConn's most consistently efficient player a season ago, reminds me so much of former captain Shamar Stephen.

People around the program were aware of what Stephen brought to the table heading into his senior season but not many outside of the program seemed to be as aware of his talents as they should have. The same could be said for Campenni who was fourth on the 2014 squad in tackles for loss but likely first in number of blockers he occupied and number of opposing center he tormented.

Stephen went from relative unknown to NFL prospect and then was one of the better rookie defensive linemen in the NFL a season ago after being drafted in the seventh round by the Minnesota Vikings. While I'm not sure if Campenni/s lack of height will scare off NFL scouts, I believe he is primed for a special senior season.

The naming of the captains was done on Wednesday which also happened to be Campenni's 22nd birthday making it a rather memorable day all around.

"I am very happy to hear that they named me one of the four captains," Campenni said. "I am honored to have that. I love every guy in there so."

When I mentioned to Campenni that he is a bit quiet especially compared to fellow captain Vann, he got a good chuckle admitting that in comparison to somebody like Vann, he would be considered to be on a quiet side.

"I guess I am quiet, yes I am more of the behind the scenes guy," Campenni said.

He was not quiet, however, in stating his expectations for the defensive unit returning 10 of its top 12 tacklers as he believes it has the potential to be among the best units in the country.

"I think there is a lot of excitement about our team and we have to go out there and get some wins," Campenni said. "I think the Rent is going to be rocking this year

"That is what you want to aim for, you want to aim to be the best. A lot of the older guys like Andrew (Adams), Junior (Lee), Marquise (Lee), we were two defense that were top five in the country so we know what it takes. Every guy on the team that is what we are working for."

There's plenty of experience on the defense led by seniors Campenni, Vann and Adams as well as classmates Kenton Adeyemi and Graham Stewart as well as junior Obi Melifonwu. However, for this to be an elite defense, it will be imperative that a talented group of sophomores hit the ground running. Linebacker/defensive end Luke Carrezola has been rather impressive at the practices/scrimmages the media was able to watch while defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi drew incredible praise from defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter today.

"Foley has as much skill as any guy I have been around as a defensive lineman," Poindexter said. "When he's got it going, he is going to be hard to block. He is a young player so he has a learn to do it on a down by down basis but he has as much skill as anybody we are going to play so we are excited about that."

Just as a frame of reference, 14 players from the University of Virginia were taken in the NFL draft when Poindexter was a star safety from 1994-98 and another 32 selected during his time on the Virginia coaching staff from 2003-13. That list includes defensive linemen Chris Canty and Chris Long.

Poindexter also talked up Carrezola, who could add some pass rush off the right side that has been lacking since the graduation of Trevardo Williams.

"Luke, he is in the right spot, he knows how to play the defense, he is big, a lot stronger," Poindexter said. "I am very excited about him. He got to play a little last year, he got nicked up towards the end of the season but he got that game experience. We are excited about what he is able to do this year."

Campenni also had plenty of praise for the two talented sophomores.

"You look at him (Carrezola) from last year to this year, he really transformed himself so it is going to be exciting," Campenni said.

"He (Fatukasi) is a monster, he is strong, he is quick and he is what you would want. If I could pick who I could be like, I would like to be like Foley. He kind of has the whole package. He has, including this year, three more years and it is going to be scary in these next three years what he is going to start doing. He is a great player. Since I got here, he has always been kind of a physical freak but he is just starting to get better and better in practice. He played well last year, he got better in the spring, he got better this camp so he is just getting better every day."

Other sophomores expected to make a major impact on the defense are linebacker Junior Joseph, defensive ends Cole Ormsby and Cam Stapleton and cornerback Jamar Summers.

I asked defensive line coach Kevin Wolthausen specifically about Ormsby, who led the team in sacks as a redshirt freshman.

"Cole has done everything we have asked him to do," Wolthausen said. "He does all the same techniques for stopping the run, he is very explosive, has hand speed and just happens to be one of our better pass rushers but that is not all that he can do."

Luke Carrezola (15), Mikal Myers (92) and Cole Ormsby have added
a combined 41 pounds since end of 2014 season adding strength to front 7

This is pretty much the calm before the storm in the college football season.

The hoopla from national signing has subsided and the start of spring practice is still a few weeks away so the biggest news out of UConn was some of the changes on its roster.

I've already addressed Matt Walsh's move from fullback to linebacker but another aspect of the recently posted spring roster has been the weight changes. There isn't a position that has been a bigger change in the listed weight of players than on the defensive line.

Walk-on Sean Marinan, a former Xavier High star and one of three football players honored for having a 4.0 grade-point average in one of the two most recent semesters, leads the way as he went from 264 to 286. Kenton Adeyemi added 19 points and is now listed at 287 pounds. Mikal Myers added 14 pounds and is now at 326. On the other end of the spectrum, Foley Fatukasi dropped nine pounds to get down to 298 pounds. Cameron Stapleton and Luke Carrezola, while listed at linebackers, can be used as defensive ends as well and there could be better suited to hold up at the line of scrimmage as sophomores after adding 20 and 18 pounds respectively.

We met with the UConn assistant coaches earlier today and I spoke with defensive line coach Kevin Wolthausen about how the defensive linemen have been changing their bodies.

"You have not just a strength and conditioning coach, he (Matt Balis) is everything," Wolthausen said. "You have the trainers, the nutritionists and everything and that is why we can look at the frames we can look at and they can develop so well. We had guys who have gone 'x' number of years at a certain level of training and then who knows.

"Foley Fatukasi, he got down in weight to get back up, Julian Campenni and all of those guys they attacked it and will continue to do that. We are expecting them to have great results
.
"It is a group that we added the two redshirt freshmen (James Atkins and Sheriden Lawley) and now we have to take a look at them in the spring and it is a group that just by the nature of understanding what we are doing, you expect (improvement) and what they expect out of each other how can you not be excited about the next level of development."

Linebackers coach Vincent Brown echoed Wolthausen's sentiments as the young players who were thrust into key roles a season ago will be more physically able to handle things at the point of attack.

"They will be 10 times better," Brown said. "They are stronger, their understanding of how to play the position and techniques will be so much better. With those guys, they are eager to learn so they are growing every day. I am really excited to watch them grow.
"It is a nice blend, you have some veteran leadership with Marquise (Vann) and Graham (Stewart) because they bring an element of strength and toughness, they have been here, they have been through some really tough times here. I am hoping the younger guys like Junior Joseph, Stapleton, Vontae (Diggs), Luke and they are all embracing their roles within the defense. We are excited to come out and watch these kids come out and play."

The last couple of the year UConn's defense was spearheaded by the play of grizzled veterans.

However, one look at this year's numbers heading into tonight's American Athletic Conference opener tell a different story. The top five tacklers are players with eligibility remaining at season's end. Taking things one step further, there are seven freshmen who have recorded tackles for the Huskies.

In tonight's game, two freshmen in particular have a chance to shine. Redshirt freshman Cole Ormsby from Windsor has been seeing time at defensive end since Angelo Pruitt has been sidelined. With Pruitt retiring due to his injuries, Ormsby is not only expected to see significant time at defensive end but he is expected to split time with Kenton Adeyemi. The rapid development of true freshman Luke Carrezola is a major reason why Ormsby was able to move to defensive end.

"Last week (Adeyemi and Ormsby) participated at the same rate," UConn coach Bob Diaco said. "The outside linebackers, a few of them have a higher threshold of plays and we have three real good ones standing in the line together (ahead of Ormsby). Not that Luke Carrezola has arrived, he is just a true freshman, but he is really going to be an impact player in the future. I have been so impressed with him as a youngster so we want to keep his participation up so when Angelo sustained his lower-leg (injury), it is really nothing sustained, it is something he has genetically but when it got irritated we needed another player there and Cole is the most obvious choice. He works to keep his body size down and now he doesn't need to do that. He is really a big guy, maybe not the tallest guy but he has a real big torso and lower body so he will have a great opportunity to get even bigger than he is right now."

Ormsby recorded a sack in last week's loss to Boise State, one of three the Huskies recorded in the first three games of the season.

"I am excited because I want to prove to everybody that I can do it," Ormsby said during media day. "I am way more prepared with the new coaching staff, Coach (Vincent) Brown, Coach Wolt (Kevin Wolthausen) teaching me everything they know just trying to be disciplined with what they are teaching me.

I am ready for anything. Whatever the team needs me to do. We keep each other in check. I would want somebody telling me if I am messing up or doing bad in practice.

Linebacker Junior Joseph (seven tackles) is the top tackler among the freshmen followed by cornerback Jamar Summers. Ormsby, Fatukasi, Carrezola, Cam Stapleton and Vontae Diggs.

Last year safety Obi Melifonwu finished as the team's second-leading tackler as a redshirt freshman but the next leading tackler among freshmen was wide receiver and special-teams dynamo Noel Thomas.

Junior Joseph had to wait a year before getting into a game at UConn so another couple of series before he was able to make his presence felt was not about to test his patience.

The redshirt freshman reserve linebacker from Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania, in a game being televised live on ESPN, made one of the most memorable defensive plays in UConn's season-opening 35-10 loss to Brigham Young.

The Huskies were also down 21-0 after BYU scored on the previous offensive possession. A first-down completion was about to give BYU the ball in UConn territory yet again and things were about to get ugly. Suddenly Joseph appeared from behind and knocked the ball free from Mitch Mathews. Joseph also came away with his own forced fumble. Six plays and 52 yards later Josh Marriner powered his way into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run and suddenly UConn had a little life.

"I sort of messed up," Joseph said of his signature play. "I let the guy come back inside but I retracted and try to make up for my mistake. I wanted to do something to help the team because at that point we needed something to go our way. I was glad I was able to to that for the team."

Cole Ormsby (No. 57) was one of five UConn freshmen to make a tackle
in Huskies' season-opening 35-10 loss to Brigham Young on Friday

Joseph, who had one solo tackle and three assists and was one of the 17 players to see the field in the opening defensive possession, was one of five freshmen to record tackles for UConn as fellow redshirt freshmen Foley Fatukasi (two solo tackles) and Cameron Stapleton (a share of the Huskies' lone quarterback sack) had moments where they made an impact. Cole Ormsby, also a redshirt freshman, recorded the team's first quarterback hurry while true freshman cornerback Jamar Summers had three tackles.

"I was a little nervous going in but as soon as the first play when I was in," Joseph said. "I was able to settle down and react better to things.

UConn coach Bob Diaco didn't pull any punches when terming the play of the linebackers "performed at a below average to poor level." However, Diaco liked what he saw from Joseph.

"We are pleased," Diaco said. "His participation needs to increase. He has shown a nose for the ball and an aptitude for fitting into the defense. It was not perfect, he has a lot to clean up. We are looking for a Will (weak-side linebacker), (Marquise) Vann needs a backup and that right now is a concern."

Joseph would like to be that player that Diaco could call on to spell Vann, one of the team captains.

"It is a role I have been assigned on the team and whenever a guy needs a break I am glad to fill that role on the team," Joseph said. "It could only be one or two plays in a drive, it doesn't matter I am going to make the best of it."

BYU quarterback Taysom Hill had plenty of time to pass
during the Cougars' season-opening 35-1 win over UConn

I won't even attempt to guess the number of words that UConn football coach Bob Diaco uttered while answering questions from the media during yesterday afternoon's press conference. However, one 11-word reply to a question of mine caught my attention more than anything else he said to us.

"We are not going to have a problem rushing the passer," Diaco said when I asked if the defensive line showed the ability to get into the backfield during preseason camp.

There were many things to take out of the season-opening 35-10 loss to Brigham Young but at the top of the list in my eyes was the inability of the front three or front four (depending on the defensive alignment) to generate pressure.

UConn's lone sack came when BYU quarterback Taysom Hill stumbled and fell as Jefferson Ashiru and Cameron Stapleton were closing in. The duo split the sack and the only other tackle for a loss was recorded by linebacker Graham Stewart.

The starting defensive line combined to make one solo tackle (although starting defensive end Angelo Pruitt was not credited for tackle he made on opening drive of game). Let's be honest, many times defensive schemes are set up for the defensive line to occupy blockers so the linebackers can make plays so making a big deal out of the tackles recorded by the defensive line can be a fruitless exercise. That is certainly how the UConn defense is set up but still, I was expecting to see more from the line. Not only were sacks hard to come by but so were pressures. It often looked like Hill could have opened a book, read a few pages, then could look up and pick out which receiver he'd like to throw to. Making matters worse is he also seemed to have plenty of running room when he tucked the ball and took off I was curious if the defensive line got spooked by Hill's ability to take off and make huge plays with his legs. Diaco said that certainly played a role.

"When the defensive line starts to attack creases get created and (Hill is) a guy who was incredibly proficient at finding the crease and being a hard guy to tackle with a foundation of speed and power," Diaco said. "He runs like a big back so inevitably, shortly thereafter, what the defensive linemen what they start to do, they stop the attack, the start to decelerate and now they aren't pushing on the blockers, they are looking in the backfield, looking for him and which way he is going to go. That is probably what it looked like. It doesn't take long for it to happen. You are 305 pounds, you give it all you've got to rush and then all of a sudden you have to put your brakes on and have to chase the guy across the field. He redirects and then you are chasing him across the other way and the next play you are 'OK, I am not doing that again,  let's see where this guy is coming.' It is a teaching moment."

That led to my follow-up question regarding whether he saw the ability to generate a pass rush in the days and weeks leading up to the BYU game.

"We are not going to have a problem rushing the passer but we are a no-crease defense," Diaco said. "We believe in, we don't see any difference in horizontal separation and vertical separation so our defense plays differently. We are not an up the field defense, we don't believe philosophically that is what keeps the points down."

The good news for UConn is that Stony Brook quarterback John Kinder ran the ball nine times and finished with negative 34 yards rushing when the four sacks recorded by the Bryant defense are factored in so it looks like the Huskies will be facing a one-dimensional quarterback who only runs as a last resort similar to the quarterbacks they square off against daily in practices.

The major news to come out of a Monday press conference that ranges somewhere from the bizarre to the surreal was that Casey Cochran, who led UConn to all of its three wins a season ago, has been named the Huskies' starting quarterback while former starter Chandler Whitmer will be featured in the offensive game plan on a weekly basis.

However, it would be a mistake to downplay the importance of Tim Boyle's role in the quarterback derby at UConn. With all due respect to Cochran and Whitmer, Boyle is the most physically gifted of the trio. It was Boyle who ascended to become UConn's starting quarterback in game No. 5 after Whitmer and the Huskies began the season with four straight losses. When Boyle was pulled in favor of Cochran after he started four games, all UConn losses, I remember hearing rumblings from a pretty reliable source that Boyle was at least pondering his future with the Huskies. A call to his former high school coach (Xavier's Sean Marinan) quelled those rumors.

I've gone on a couple of radio shows to discuss the prospects of the 2014 Huskies and naturally the quarterback situation was a popular topic of conversation. I predicted that either Cochran or Boyle would win the starting job. It wasn't due to any insight I gained from watching practice because I did not see one 11 on 11 or 7 on 7 drill due to the limited amount of practice time the media was allowed to watch but simply that if the quarterback competition was going to as close as I expected it to be, why would Bob Diaco and his staff use this year to develop a senior like Whitmer when they could build the offense around a player with two more seasons of eligibility after this year? The other concern I mentioned was whether one of the sophomores would exit stage right if the other one was named the No. 1 quarterback.

Well, Boyle certainly said all the right things during the press conference.

"I am extremely happy," Boyle said. "I appreciate Coach Diaco and the coaches doing what they are doing with me but my role this year is to help Chandler and Casey prepare for games, continue to push them to improve their games so they can perform on Saturdays. I have my role this year and I am 100 percent willing to do it. I have learned that getting mental reps is a huge part of the development in a football player. I think seeing things in practice and from the sideline and hearing the play call in the headphones, seeing that the defense does to prepare for it is going to help me prepare for it mentally. Like Coach said I am going to be ready to play games this year, it is not like I am going to take a year off. I am going to be studying BYU film in a couple of hours with the quarterbacks and I am going to be ready to go but my job this year is going to be to push these guys to their best levels."

If that proves to be the case, the quarterback situation played out perfectly as UConn will be able to bring back both Cochran and Boyle next season with Boyle having three more seasons of eligibility and Cochran would have two years left. Also, North Carolina State transfer Bryant Shirreffs, who has to sit out this season due to NCAA regulations, would have three seasons remaining while highly-touted high school quarterback Tyler Davis will be in the mix as well.

Here is what Diaco said about Boyle's role.

"With some nagging injuries here and there through this fall camp, it has slowed his competitive portion and with that, he is going to prepare for the games and help the team prepare to win games. We would expect him to go in and perform at a winning level - and we have no doubt he would do that. But, all in all, if we can, we are going to protect him. He is a four-to-play-three (in terms of eligibility), so that will give us an opportunity to create separation in terms of years between he and other guys. If is possible, I say that with great clarity, we will make every effort to do that. If it's not possible, we will not hesitate and he's going to be ready and be diligent in his preparation to get that done."

Some other thoughts and items from yesterday's practice that I didn't get into previous blogs.

First, while it is impressive to hear that both Cochran and Whitmer completed nearly 65 percent of their passes during this competition, I have to wonder what that says about the quality of the pass defense since those numbers occurred in drills against the defense. I have no idea how many of these completions were against the first, second or third team defenses but for every pass completed by the UConn offense, that is one pass not broken up by the defense.

For the second straight practice I was able to attend, true freshmen Ryan Crozier and Trey Rutherford continue to work with the second team offensive line at guard.  Redshirt freshman Thomas Hopkins continued to be the second-string left tackle. Redshirt freshmen Tommy Myers at tight end and Thomas Lucas at receiver continue to look like they will play significant roles while I would be surprised if redshirt freshman Josh Marriner is not the Huskies' leading rusher this season while I have long said that of the true freshmen, I predict tight end Alec Bloom would have the biggest impact early on. Of course Arkeel Newsome, who is the all-time leading rusher in Connecticut high school football history, is a true freshman with an exciting future while every time I looked over to see the offensive drills yesterday I saw fellow true freshman Ron Johnson with the ball tucked under his arm. On the defensive side of the ball, redshirt freshman Foley Fatukasi has been with the second unit at defensive tackle at every practice I have seen while redshirt freshmen Cam Stapleton, Cole Ormsby and Junior Joseph were working with the second team defense at linebacker. It has been reported multiple times that true freshman Jamar Summers is pushing for a major role at cornerback. In other words, there will be plenty of youth on display during the 2014 season.

Reuben Frank, with UConn coach Bob Diaco at Saturday's practice, is one
of players who could be asked to play either defensive end or linebacker

Let's make no mistake, it was the creative defensive mind of Bob Diaco that earned him national recognition as one of the nation's top assistant coaches and rising stars. Diaco walked away from a successful situation as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame to try to reinvigorate a program at UConn coming off three straight losing seasons.

The feeling was that after years playing a 4-3 defense that Diaco's Huskies would play primarily a 3-4. Those thoughts were seemingly confirmed when UConn posted a roster with 18 linebackers and nine defensive linemen. Then at American Athletic Conference football media day Diaco stated that he was planning to use four down linemen about 50 percent of the time and would go with a 3-4 alignment the rest of the time. Most of the teams I have covered have played either a 3-4 or 4-3 so I was very intrigued by how this was going to work so after yesterday's practice I asked Diaco if the same players who line up in a three-point stance as a 4-3 defensive end and shift to a stand-up 3-4 outside linebacker in the same series or would he need to change personnel to make the move from a 3-4 to a 4-3 or vice versa.

"That facilitates one of those players being that guy who can do both jobs that is why we don't have to sub to get in and out of defenses that look like sub defenses," Diaco said. "Graham (Stewart) will afford even more opportunity because for us, (he is not) the prototypical outside backer, he plays longer and bigger because he is strong, powerful, tough and rugged but he moves as quick and changes direction like a safety."

I asked Diaco if it was a fair assessment that players like Stewart and Reuben Frank will be required to learn more one position. At first he hesitated before responding with "I an going to say yes. For me to minimize the fact that you need to be able to see, move and fundamentally do your work from the two-point (stance) and also the three-point (stance) and that is like nothing, no that is definitely something."

One thing of note is that I count 18 players who have either gained or lost at least six pounds since the end of last season (based on weights on the UConn roster in the 2013 season finale against Memphis and the one currently on the UConn site) and nine of those are either defensive linemen or linebackers. The top guy is redshirt freshman linebacker Junior Joseph who dropped 20 pounds to get down to 242. Offensive guard Zach Rugg and defensive lineman B.J. McBryde are next up having lost 16 and 14 pounds. The top guys in the weight game department are linebacker Cameron Stapleton and receiver Blake Feagles. Stewart is also in that select group as he was listed at 236 pounds last season to his current weight of 227.

Alignment was a major issue for Diaco on the first day of practice. During the spring he was none too pleased watching players line up offsides, not lining up properly and not knowing where they should be lining up. While it wasn't perfect in the first day of preseason camp, he saw tremendous progress.

"I don't mind saying that the program was a long way away, we are closer now," Diaco said. "Practice one fall camp was in sharp contrast to practice one in spring football so it shows the amount of investment made during the spring and specifically post-spring to come back to the summer conditioning program and be able to move forward. I remember saying let's not worry about fall camp, let's see how they come back after three weeks away. Have we made a dent culturally to see how they live. They came back and they were ready to move forward from a training standpoint.

"Everybody participated today, everybody was ready. Twelve men on the field, 10 men on the field, ball security errors, penalties, offsides, things that lack discipline, lining up offsides, not getting aligned, not being in your stance before the ball is snapped, those are all things that we did not want to see at practice today. It wasn't necessarily what we want to see, we have things that we don't want to see so we are still at the point but they have made a lot of ground up in that area."