Casey Cochran, who made the difficult decision to give up his playing career after suffering one too many concussions, wasn't among the UConn players brought into Tuesday's press conference but his teammates had plenty to say about the loss of the team's starting quarterback.

"He's been a guy who has given it 100 percent," UConn senior cornerback Byron Jones said. "We are 100 percent behind his decision. You use it as motivation because anything can be your last play."

Cochran already had the respect of his teammates but seeing the professional manner in which Cochran addressed the team on Monday to make his decision official only made him go up in their estimation.

"It is tough to see a guy up there who has been around football for so long and probably didn't think for one second, this is going to be my last game to go down like that," Jones said. "It is just one of those unfortunate moments, people get inured and don't come back. We will 100 percent support his decision, no doubt about it.

"He is a very high-quality person, a leader and a person who does everything at 100 percent. He is definitely going to be missed with the football team but he is still going to be a part of us in a coaching capacity."

Fellow team captain Marquise Vann echoed Jones' sentiments.

"You just see a very strong person," Vann said. "He was strong with it, very confident. He wasn't crying, he was very excited tat he was going in a new direction with his life. We are all backing him and he is still going to be around. It wasn't a hard time, it was an exciting time for Casey because we saw how great of a man he was, how great of a leader he was so."

Chandler Whitmer is now UConn's No. 1 quarterback, a position he held for the entire 2012 season and first four games last season. He's also had multiple concussions including ones in the final two games of the 2012 season so he knew there was a chance that Cochran may have some tough decisions to make.

"It was a possibility," Whitmer said. "He's had concussions before and that is not something you fool around with. It is tough because you work your whole life, you put everything you have into it to get to this point and play the game and it kind of gets taken from you like that, it is pretty eye opening. It makes you realize that you never know when it could be your last time so enjoy every day, every moment that you get, go out and give it your best effort."

3, one in high school, back in Louisville and Cincinnati games. I remember one of them was after a throw at Louisville, U got hit and bang bang and the other was on a trick play out at Cincinnati, I was lined up at receiver, a double pass.

Trust the staff for their opinions. You can't play scared or think of things like that, you have to play until it is done.

We feel for him but we are excited for his future and he is still around helping us out, being the same guy. He is going to help me out, me and Tim and we are excited about it.

I know they say the most important statistic is the final score but there were some other numbers that are somewhat troubling after UConn picked up its first win of the season.

First, UConn was outgained 109-29 in the fourth quarter and showed the inability to put away Stony Brook . The Huskies ran 10 offensive plays in Stony Brook territory in the second half and yet the only points came on a Deshon Foxx punt return and the ensuing extra point by Bobby Puyol. With plenty of opportunities to put away the FCS team coming off a 13-7 loss to Bryant, the Huskies were left to hold on after a 14-play, 88-yard touchdown-scoring drive brought the Seawolves within three points late in the game. The Seawolves got the ball one last time down three points but four straight incompletions ended any hopes of either forcing overtime or rallying for the improbable victory.

I haven't watched the replay of the game yet but there were so many missed opportunities, throws just a matter of inches from being completed, some costly drops and other throws that were just missed.

Another number to chew on is that UConn attempted 36 running plays (not including a kneel down at the end of the game) and 13 came from Chandler Whitmer. Whitmer, to put it nicely, is not known for his prowess as a runner and even he found it humorous when I asked him the last time he led his team in rushing attempts.

"I don't know, wasn't my plan," Whitmer said with a laugh. "I don't think I've ever done that, it is not my style to be honest but we will look at film and see what we can do."

Whitmer also had a clever response when asked about one of his runs in which he took a huge hit.

"To be honest, that is my old JUCO teammate (Max Martinez) so I was going to give him a little (highlight)," Whitmer joked after the game. "I wanted to put a move on him but I did it a little too late. I have to take care of my body because we are low on QBs."

Yes they are. Casey Cochran was out with a reported concussion and Diaco was not ready to offer an update on his status for next week's game against Boise just yet. Whitmer played the entire game at quarterback and Tim Boyle, who the Huskies would prefer to redshirt, was the only other quarterback to take snaps before the game in 11 on 11 drills.

The good news about Whitmer is he did not take unnecessary sacks or force throws into double coverage which is something he has been known to do. It is obvious that he has been instructed to tuck the ball and go if the protection is breaking down. As for the rest of the running game, Arkeel Newsome and Max DeLorenzo had runs of 22 and 18 yards and the other 21 runs by the tailbacks netted just 13 yards.

Diaco was in no mood to put all of this on the often maligned offensive line.

"You may have your story written already to bash the offensive line, I don't think it is fair," Diaco said. "They had the box packed with all kind of people which created opportunities in the passing game which we exploited some and could have exploited a bunch more. It is feast or famine and you create a situation where the running is very tough sledding. If you go back and watch the tape, you are going to see a lot more points left on the field that didn't go up on the board that we had an opportunity to make and we just didn't make."

The secondary continues to have issues playing the ball when it is in the air. UConn's defensive backs were in good positions most of the time to make plays only to react slowly when the ball is in the air resulting in some completions that simply should not have happened.

The good news is that it is always easier to make corrections coming off a win than following a loss.

As for the positives, the special teams were exactly that. Other than a shanked punt wiped out by a Stony Brook penalty, Justin Wain had a very good game. Bobby Puyol hit a pair of field goals and three touchbacks on five kickoffs. Arkeel Newsome, who moved into a starting role on kickoff returns, continues to look dangerous and Foxx's 72-yard punt return for a TD was a thing of beauty.

The defensive line, even playing without the injured Angelo Pruitt, made their presence felt early and often as defensive linemen had five of the team's nine tackles for loss led by Mikal Myers and Julian Campenni, who combined for 3.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage..I was also impressed with what I saw from true freshman Luke Carrezola who was out there a ton, especially in the second half and did a solid job maintaining his position against running plays.

Geremy Davis still continues to make tough catches across the middle and also caught a touchdown pass on a sweet pitch and catch from Whitmer, his former roommate.

I also think it is encouraging that despite the heavy substitution pattern, I believe UConn only has two pre-snap penalty in the first two games and I liked how UConn began to get more aggressive in the passing attack as the game wore on and although it resulted in a loss, I liked seeing Arkeel Newsome get the ball on the screen again and would love to see the screen game utilized more moving forward.

As for the injury situation, Diaco said he chose not to bring Josh Marriner back after he was shaken up on a Newsome kickoff return but Marriner could have gone back in and that Pruitt and offensive tackle Andreas Knappe could have played but were held out for precautionary reasons. Knappe, who also missed the season opener, could practice without restriction on Tuesday and could be in line to play for the first time this season when the Huskies host Boise.

When Chandler Whitmer made his way to meet with the media on Tuesday afternoon he was fully expecting to have a similar role to the one he filled in the season-opening loss to Brigham Young.

Cochran was expected to start for the second straight game but he was dinged up against BYU and on his weekly radio show which aired on WTIC, UConn coach Bob Diaco revealed that Cochran would miss Saturday's game against Stony Brook due to what Diaco termed an "upper-body injury."

Whitmer could have opted to walk away from UConn at the end of the 2013-14 academic year since he fulfilled his graduation requirements. A heart-to-heart phone conversation with Diaco when the first-year head coach told Whitmer that if he couldn't deal with being the fourth-string scout-team quarterback then don't come back. Diaco wasn't saying that was the role Whitmer would fill but the last thing he needed was a former starter feeling slighted if he didn't earn the starting job.

Whitmer discussed his frame of mind on Tuesday.

"Deep down I just want this program to do well," Whitmer said, "I am excited about everything that this team is doing. To me, being a senior on this team, if we rebuild that is pretty of satisfaction of itself. We want to get to a bowl game, win some games and play well and not focus on so many of the goals but just be focused on the little things."

Whitmer also addressed the two-quarterback system that would have been utilized again if Cochran were able to play.

"It is a little different, it takes some getting used to but knowing your role helps you prepare for what you are going to experience and knowing specifically I am going in for the red zone and putting a little more focus on their red-zone defense and that helps me focus on what I need to do well and what they doing," Whitmer said.

"We did some good things, we went down and scored on the first one. We want to be better in the red zone, that is clear but when you go back and watch the film, it was a few little things that we missed. It is part of it and when you are playing from behind you go for it on fourth down. We saw a lot of things we can take advantage of in the future and that is the biggest thing for this game."

UConn went into camp last season with what looked like a surplus of quarterbacks with Cochran and Whitmer joined by Scott McCummings and incoming freshmen Boyle, Richard Lagow and Kivon Taylor as well as walk-on Michael Ecke. McCummings didn't return, Lagow and Taylor both transferred and Ecke is also no longer a member of the team. Mike DiMauro of The Day of New London reported that Cochran suffered a concussion and that is the third one since arriving at UConn. If he is sidelined for multiple weeks that could put UConn in a precarious situation if something where to happen to either Whitmer or Boyle. That's a lot of ifs to be sure but you do have to wonder if Diaco and his staff would get an emergency quarterback like receiver Kamal Abrams, who was a productive quarterback in high school, prepared just to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Whitmer also addressed one of the most impressive of the eight completions he had as true freshman tight end Alec Bloom went down to the ground to pluck a Whitmer pass that was maybe an inch or two from hitting the ground. The play was close enough that the officials took an extra look at it after confirming it as a good catch.

"That was a big play, third down we needed a play," Whitmer said, "I scrambled out and he made a nice catch, went down and got it. That was a big conversion and for your first college catch, that is not a bad one to have."

I'm going to admit that Bloom is one of the true freshmen I have been touting for some time. He towers over the other tight ends and seems to have the size, speed and hands to develop into a Ryan Griffin like player. Whitmer threw passes to Griffin, now in his second season with the NFL's Houston Texans, and I asked him if Bloom has the potential to become that type of player.

"If he puts on some weight, works hard in the weight room with Coach (Matt) Balis, I think he can be a legitimate big-time tight end," Whitmer said. "We have seen the potential. I think he has a good head on his shoulder and he works hard. If he can put all of that together, he is going to be a good player/"

Casey Cochran was one of 13 state products to play in UConn's opener

As I mentioned in the days leading up to Friday's season opener, there was going to be a chance for local products to shine at Rentschler Field.

I went back through the online box scores dating back to 2006 to see how many Connecticut players took part in the season opener. I would have gone back further but the 2005 box did not include a player participation list and this is just the third time that at least 10 Connecticut natives played in the Huskies' opener as 10 players saw snaps in 2008 and 2006. 

According to the participation chart, 13 Connecticut players got into the game

Here is the breakdown

DT Kenton Adeyemi (Wethersfield): Had three tackles

QB Casey Cochran (Monroe): Started and was 17 of 31 passing for 171 yards with an interception

TB Max DeLorenzo (Berlin): Started and finished with a team-high 38 rushing yards

DB Chris DeBerry (Torrington): Saw time on special teams

CB Byron Jones (New Britain): Started and had five tackles

DL Sean Marinan (Higganum): Saw time on special teams

TE Sean McQuillan (Glastonbury): Started and had 33 yards on three receptions

TE Tommy Myers (Coventry): Had a three-yard catch

TB Arkeel Newsome (Ansonia): Ran three times for 10 yards, caught an 18-yard pass and had 49 yards on kickoff returns

LB/DE Cole Ormsby (Windsor): Had a solo tackle

LB Graham Stewart (Durham): Started, tied for the team lead with 11 tackles and forced a fumble

WR Noel Thomas (Norwalk): Had two catches for 18 yards and made a special-teams tackle

FB Matt Walsh (Madison): Saw time at fullback and the field goal, extra point, kickoff return, punt return and punt coverage teams as he recorded one tackle.

Former St. Luke's star Noel Thomas is one of 11 Connecticut natives
on UConn football team's two-deep chart which was released on Thursday

A quick look at UConn's two-deep chart and there are no lack of local boy makes good stories out there.

The emergence of Casey Cochran as the No. 1 quarterback, Max DeLorenzo as potentially being the top running option, Sean McQuillan the top guy at tight end, Graham Stewart primed for a big season at linebacker and Byron Jones being named as a team captain and emerging as an NFL prospect at cornerback have been reported on in the past and they will continue to dominate the headlines. However, there are some other state natives flying a bit under the radar.

Defensively, Windsor's Cole Ormsby is pushing for quality playing time at the hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end position. Ormsby learned his lessons well a season ago when he knew he was going to be redshirted.

"I worked as hard as I could and tried to be ready," Ormsby said. "I am ready for anything and whatever the team needs me to do.

"I am excited because I want to prove to everybody that I can do it. I am way more prepared with the new coaching staff,"

Well, he is ready to go now. While UConn coach Bob Diaco said Ormsby has the flexibility to be an asset either on the outside or inside, Ormsby said he has worked almost exclusively on the outside.

Moving over to the offense, tight end Tommy Myers has been a fixture at UConn sporting events as long as he can remember since his father Norman played for the UConn football team in the early 1980s and his mother Peggy was one of the stars of Hall of Fame Geno Auriemma's first women's basketball teams at UConn.

Like Ormsby, Myers was redshirted a season ago but is now No. 2 at tight end.

If there is such a thing as a player born to play football at UConn, Myers could certainly fit the bill.

"I remember coming to these games when they were at Memorial Stadium and just always wanted to play UConn football and it feels natural," Myers said. "I kind of fell into the position of tight end because growing up I always wanted to play quarterback or receiver like everybody does but I think I fell into the tight end spot just by size and ability."

He displayed some of that ability in the spring game when he one of four players to catch at least four passes. Noel Thomas was also on the list of prolific pass catches in the game. As a freshman he was best known as a gunner on the punt coverage teams as he displayed a knack for downing Cole Wagner punts inside the 5.

Diaco said Thomas has made tremendous growth as a player and a person in the last several months and he has put himself into the rotation at receiver.

"I just want to help the team win and anything I can do in a positive way," Thomas said.

So what has Thomas been doing to get ready for his sophomore season?

"I've been running a lot, working out with Coach (Matt) Balis (UConn's strength and conditioning coach, he is an amazing guy, and I just want to make sure I catch everything that is thrown to me."

There are 11 state natives on UConn's two deep chart while others like Tim Boyle, Arkeel Newsome, Steve Hashemi aren't on the two-deep but could see action this season. Here is the list of Nutmeg State natives on the depth chart

Kenton Adeyemi (Wethersfield), No. 2 defensive tackle
Chase Briley (Hartford), No. 2 kicker and No. 2 punter
Casey Cochran (Monroe), starting quarterback
Max DeLorenzo (Berlin), starting tailback
Byron Jones (New Britain), starting cornerback
Cole Ormsby (Windsor), No. 2 defensive end
Sean McQuillan (Glastonbury), starting tight end
Tommy Myers (Coventry), No. 2 tight end
Graham Stewart (Durham), starting linebacker
Noel Thomas (Norwalk), Co-No. 2 receiver
Matt Walsh (Madison), No. 2 fullback

The press conference announcing Casey Cochran as UConn's starting quarterback had not even wrapped up yet when the tweets started pouring in at a fast and furious pace. No, it wasn't Cochran's impressive finish to the 2013 season that generated all the buzz but his mullet. Deadspin got into the act as did many other online entities and that left Cochran practically speechless.

"I didn't even know what to say, it is unbelievable and I never in a million years would have imagined that," Cochran said. "That's a little tough. I guess is the (world) I live in."

Junior linebacker Graham Stewart, was much more receptive to discussing Cochran's hairstyle, however.

"Me and Casey are pretty close and during the offseason we hang out," Stewart said. "He has been working hard on that mullet and for everything to come to fruition with it, that is great. At first a lot of people are like 'what are you doing?' but he had a vision and a path for his mullet and I think the mullet is a great statement. I think people will be rocking the mullet after seeing how he does. I think it is awesome, I am pro mullet 100 percent and I might grow one myself if that is what it takes."

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.

It was a rather interesting day at UConn to say the least.

The initial impression I got was that no players would be available even though this was the day we were expecting Bob Diaco to announce who is going to be the starting quarterback.

Then came the process of removing the podium from the defensive meeting room inside the Burton Family Football Complex and replacing it with a table. Five chairs were then brought in which made the media wonder if this was going to be the day when the team captains were named. Instead, the chairs were for all four scholarship quarterbacks and Diaco. I've covered my share of competitive quarterback battles but have never seen a coach bring in every scholarship quarterback to announce the starter. It was original, that is for sure.

It didn't take long for Diaco to cut to the chase and announce that redshirt sophomore Casey Cochran was going to be the No. 1 quarterback, senior Chandler Whitmer was going to see time in games and Tim Boyle would likely be redshirted.

Diaco told the quarterbacks of his intentions earlier on Monday before announcing the news to the media early in the evening.

"It is great news and it feels even better to hear it around these guys," Cochran said. "We are working as hard as we can. I am glad that Chandler is going to come in and play as hard as he can, we are going to work together in terms of being able to putting points on the board and winning games this year. I have a different life now, a different lifestyle and it feels amazing."

As Cochran mentioned, the plan is for both Cochran and Whitmer to see action in games. Diaco didn't have a preset scenario where Whitmer, who started 16 games over the previous two seasons, would get a certain amount of plays or get onto the field in particular situations.

In practice Diaco said the repetitions with the starting offense will likely be closer to a 51/49 percent breakdown than the maximum 85/15 allotment of snaps.

Whitmer, who was benched after starting the first four games of the season, has admitted that he lost some of the joy he used to get from playing football and with his degree in hand, he could have walked away from the sport. Instead, one phone conversation with Diaco changed it all. Diaco told Whitmer if he could handle being in a situation where he worked with the scout team and didn't get a snap during games he was welcome to come back. If he was only thinking on returning to be the Huskies' starting quarterback, there would be no need to return.

Whitmer vowed that "I did not come back to be the starting quarterback at UConn."

Diaco raved about Whitmer's maturity.
"Every day since he has repaired, rebuilt and gained back the respect of his teammates," Diaco said. "He didn't have to gain back our respect, he got it through his actions, through his behaviors and through his work."

Whitmer sat at a table with fellow quarterbacks Cochran, Tim Boyle and Bryant Shirreffs and said he is ready for whatever role Diaco, offensive coordinator Mike Cummings and quarterbacks coach Don Patterson has in store for him.

"I wanted to come back, set the record straight and not leave UConn the way things ended last year," Whitmer said. "I wanted to change my attitude. I grew as a man and I credit Coach Diaco for having me come back and just the way he changed this whole group, this environment. He has increased the love and it has made it easy for me to be a better teammate."

Diaco said it was nearly a dead heat between Cochran and Whitmer (Boyle was slowed by what appeared to be a lower body injury as he started today's practice riding a stationary bike.

Cochran led UConn to a season-ending three game winning streak culminating when also threw for a single-game program record 461 yards in the regular-season finale against Memphis.

However, with a new head coach in Diaco, new offensive coordinator in Mike Cummings and new quarterbacks coach in Don Patterson Cochran had to earn the job all over again.

The first step was doing the work in the weight room. Diaco said Cochran weighed in at 247 pounds at one point which predictably did not go over well with the new regime. He worked diligently to get down to under 220 pounds and showed enough during the preseason camp that he was named the team's starting quarterback on Monday.

There's a chance that today is the day when one of the biggest questions surrounding the 2014 UConn football team is answered and the starting quarterback is announced.

It certainly fits the time frame of when UConn coach Bob Diaco said he wanted to have a No. 1 quarterback named but since it is looking as if there will be no players made available to the media after today's practice, we will have to see if the wait will go on for a few more days before the quarterback pecking order is announced.

Just looking at the numbers and you would think that Casey Cochran would be the guy. He threw for more yards, was the only one with more touchdowns than interceptions and had the most completions, attempts and highest quarterback rating. However, it didn't sound like new football coach Bob Diaco, who places a premium of physical fitness, was too pleased when Cochran reportedly was pushing 250 pounds at one point.

Chandler Whitmer has the most experience of the three quarterbacks after starting all 12 games during the 2012 season. He also had the best numbers at the spring game as he completed 19 of 26 passes for a game-high 163 yards and had the only touchdown pass. He was also on the receiving end of three of the four sacks in the game which has been an issue in the past as well.

Tim Boyle is probably the most physically gifted of the three. Unlike Cochran and Whitmer, he has prototypical size (he's listed at 6-foot-3, 216 pounds on UConn's official roster). But he completed just 44.4 percent of his passes a season ago and threw eight interceptions versus no touchdown passes.

Let's look at what each of them brings to the table.

Boyle can make all the throws and while he is not known for his running ability, he does have more of an ability to make plays with his legs than his other two competitors. He had an issue feeling the pass rush during his four-game stint as UConn's starter and the forgettable touchdown to interception ratio was already mentioned. He is also the only one of the three not to have used up his redshirt season meaning that if the UConn coaching staff thinks he has a bright future, which is something Diaco has said in the past, they could use this season as a developmental year. If they believe Boyle is not going to have wandering eyes and look to leave that could be a good move.

Cochran is an outstanding student-athlete as he was a member of the American Athletic Conference All-Academic team a season ago and he studies football at a high level as well. He led UConn to three straight wins to end the season including a dominating performance in the season finale when he passed for a program single-game record of 461 yards. The problem is Diaco has said many times that nothing that happened last year - good or bad - will determine playing time this season as his current staff is making evaluations based solely on what they see.

Whitmer provides experience which is something this team doesn't have very much of on the offensive side of the ball. He finished in the top 10 on UConn's single season list in passing yards, attempts and completions during the 2012 season and it is easy to forget that he threw for 349 yards in the loss to Maryland a season ago. He has also shown incredible toughness as he hung in the pocket as long as he could before delivering the ball. He tends to be the biggest risk taker among the three quarterbacks which has led to some big plays but also some costly turnovers. Diaco said he values ball security over any other attribute in his quarterback so if Whitmer gets the call, he must have excelled in that area during camp and Diaco certainly seems to like what Whitmer brings to the table based on what he has said to us. The question I would have is if the quarterback competition is as close as Diaco said it has been, wouldn't it make more sense to go with a younger quarterback like Boyle or Cochran so UConn can benefit from this season's experience rather than hand the keys of the offense to a player on his final season of eligibility? Of course, Diaco has said on multiple occasions that he is planning to use more than one quarterback this season so perhaps that is his way of developing one of the younger quarterbacks while letting Whitmer get the bulk of the work.

In my opinion, I think UConn's ability to win or lose games won't fluctuate regardless of who takes the bulk of snaps and that is why I haven't done a heck of a lot with the quarterback position in my coverage of preseason camp but it is going to be interesting to see how this all shakes out and not just during the season opening BYU game but over the course of the season.

Bob Diaco, with Tim Boyle during the spting game, said
ball security is a top priority for UConn's quarterbacks

Like it or not, the quarterback position is treated just a little bit differently by the media.

When you look at the 2014 UConn team, especially the offensive group, the quarterback position might be the spot where the Huskies are in the best shape as Chandler Whitmer, Tim Boyle and Casey Cochran return after each starting four games last season. The trio combined to throw for 2,810 yards, the highest total for a UConn team since 2009 and 10th highest mark in program history.

There are significantly more questions surrounding the offensive line and tailback positions with inexperienced and untested players being thrust into key roles as well as curiosity surrounding how much of an impact the young receivers and tight ends are going to have this season. Still, as UConn prepares to open preseason camp tomorrow, all eyes - at least outside of the program - will be on the quarterback position.

UConn coach Bob Diaco said that previous performance is irrelevant (the efforts during spring practice under the watch of his staff notwithstanding) and the starting quarterback will be determined by what transpires in the next couple of weeks. He was also quick to shoot down the notion that Cochran, who led the Huskies to all three of its wins a season ago, and Whitmer, who quarterbacked UConn to five wins during the 2012 season, are ahead of Boyle in the quarterback derby.

"I would say that it is not accurate in that we are going to have an open competition for the next two weeks," Diaco said.

He also said he intends to use more than one quarterback during games which is sort of curious since all three have similar skill sets. None of the three will be playing their way onto the field as a result of their running ability so I don't really get the purpose of using more than one quarterback but then again, my opinion doesn't really matter in the process of determining the quarterback pecking order.

What does matter to Diaco is ball security.

A season ago UConn opponents scored 39 offensive touchdowns and exactly 1/3 of those drives began in UConn territory. One of the most frightening statistics associated with the 2013 Huskies is that opponents started 25 drives in UConn territory including seven in the red zone while UConn was given that glorious field position just 12 times inside the 50 and three times inside the 25. Those numbers do not even take into account the six non-offensive touchdowns scored by UConn opponents last season.

"If they don't take care of the ball they are not going to play," Diaco said. "(If they turn it over) in practice, you are not going to see them in the games. If they do it in the game, they are coming out, they are not going back in. You can't turn the football over. I'll hand it to the back 55 times, I am serious and then we will have a chance. If you turn the football over, you have no chance."

Cochran had the highest passing rating (141.7), completion percentage (63.4) and touchdown/interception ratio (11/4) of the trio so heading into camp I would consider him the favorite to earn the starting nod but as Diaco said, nothing is predetermined. In my opinion, however, I would think the odds are stacked against Whitmer. Considering that Boyle and Cochran both have three seasons of eligibility and Whitmer is a senior, I would think that Whitmer would have to be head and shoulders ahead of his competition to earn the starting gig since it would make more sense for the staff to work on developing Boyle and Cochran and there is no better way of doing that than seeing what they can do in game situations. Also, if Cochran is the No. 1 guy, I would be in favor of trying to use this season to redshirt Boyle. UConn burned Boyle's redshirt a season ago somewhat foolishly. When they made the switch from Whitmer to Boyle heading into South Florida game it was known that games against the best three teams in the league (Central Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville) were coming up in rabid succession. They pretty much threw Boyle into the deep end with a month of preseason camp experience and another month of practice work in the regular season under his belt. If they were going to make a move, they could have gone to Cochran then and protected Boyle's redshirt status.

Finally, since we will only be privy to the first 20 minutes of the practices that the media is allowed to attend, we likely will see little if any of the progress the three quarterbacks are making when they lead to first-team offense against the No. 1 defense in 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 situations. What I do know is that Diaco plans on naming a starting quarterback in two weeks when the Huskies break camp.

Stay tuned.

UConn sophomore quarterback Casey Cochran is a candidate for the Allstate Good Works team.

Cochran, who quarterbacked UConn to a three-game winning streak to end the 2013 season, is recognized for representing the football team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, volunteering as a coach in the Monroe Lions Youth Football program and regularly visiting local elementary schools as part of the Goal Line Project. Cochran has also been recognized for his work in the classroom.

The former Masuk High star also worked as a counselor at the camp during the 19th annual Manning Passing Academy run by the family of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.

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.

It was a pretty unforgettable day at Rentschler Field.

The festivities began with AD Warde Manuel meeting with the media to answer questions (at least those not concerning head coach candidates) and then it was time for Casey Cochran and Geremy Davis to take over.

Judging by the first three drives, all ending with Cole Wagner punts, there was no indication of the assault on the UConn record book that Cochran and Davis were about to embark on.

The Huskies managed 41 yards of total offense on their first three drives. By game's end Cochran had thrown for a Connecticut single-game record 461 yards and Davis hauled in a record 15 receptions in the 45-10 win over Memphis.

"We had a great time, guys were on the sideline laughing joking," said Davis, who also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark during the game.

While Davis has been producing on a weekly basis for two seasons, Cochran was an afterthought in the UConn quarterback derby for much of the season.

Chandler Whitmer began the season as the starter and then after an 0-4 start, true freshman Tim Boyle was the next QB to take over.

"It is very rewarding," Cochran said. "There were times this year when it was very discouraging. In camp I was taking some reps with the 3’s (third-team offense) and I wasn’t taking many reps at all and I give it to everybody around me, my family, my friends. Everybody has really helped me push through that and realize my chance would come.

"(UConn quarterbacks) Coach (Shane) Day ever since he has been here he has always preached to us that you never know when it is going to be your last play, you never know when you are going to your shot. I had no idea I was going to play at Buffalo, I never knew at the end of the year that we were going to have games like this or if I was even going to be playing and I give so much credit with people around me."

Cochran's 451 yards broke the mark of 445 set by Dan Orlovsky against Syracuse in 2004. Orlovsky, a former Shelton High star, is one of the most revered players in UConn history making the record all the more special for Cochran.

"I just remember him being a great player, leading the team and putting UConn on the map and I certainly heard so much of him from high school, him staying in state," Cochran said. "That really spoke to me at a young age and I wanted to stay here, I wanted to play for UConn. I am glad I can be in the same sentence with Dan."

UConn was up big when T.J. Weist kept Cochran and Davis in the game in the fourth quarter so Davis and Cochran could set the single-game marks.

"I didn’t want to run the score up," Weist said. "We weren’t taking shots and throwing it deep, just throwing short passes and guys making plays and it never really crossed our mind. We wanted to send them out right and whoever made plays made plays, got all the seniors in there Martin (Hyppolite) got a touchdown and got some playing time. All of our seniors who were healthy got to go and that was important."

UConn senior cornerback Taylor Mack was named the American Athletic Conference's Defensive Player of the Week after he had two fourth-quarter interceptions in Saturday's 28-17 win over Rutgers.

It was the first multi-interception game for a Husky since 2010 and matched Mack's career interception total coming into the game. Mack also had seven tackles in the game.

It's the second straight week that a player from UConn earned that distinction as Yawin Smallwood was last week's winner. UConn did not have an individual AAC award winner this season before Smallwood was honored.

Freshman Casey Cochran was named to the honor roll after throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns.

True freshmen receivers Brian Lemelle (84) and Dhameer Bradley (1)
each had touchdown catches in 28-17 win over Rutgers

With catches in six of the last seven games true freshman receiver Dhameer Bradley has quietly made an impact at UConn.

Well, there was nothing quiet about his performance yesterday. Starting for an injured Shakim Phillips, Bradley was targeted on the Huskies' fourth offensive play. Although he failed to come up with the slightly low throw from Casey Cochran, there was no hesitation from Cochran four plays later when he connected with Bradley for an 18-yard touchdown reception.

With the Huskies clinging to a four-point lead in the fourth quarter and facing a key 3rd and 9, Cochran connected with Bradley again. This one went for a career-long 19 yards for Bradley as UConn was add the insurance touchdown on a TD pass to fellow true freshman Brian Lemelle.

Bradley was targeted six times and came up with three catches for 41 yards. Bradley had a reception on three of the Huskies' four scoring drives. He also was asked to throw blocks on a multitude of bubble screens thrown to teammate Deshon Foxx as UConn took advantage of Rutgers rolling their coverage to the other side of the field where leading receiver Geremy Davis was lining up..

"Dhameer has always been a tough player," UConn interim coach T.J. Weist said. "He is still a freshman but he stepped up and has been a good football player because he is tough. He is one of our best blockers, I think he is a better blocker than Geremy – at times. When you find a receiver like him who will block as hard as he does, without a lot of experience, to me that is a tough football player. He came in the spring and worked really hard. He kept it all together, showed great maturity and did a great job."

When Phillips was limited to seven snaps because of an ankle injury which would also sideline him for the Rutgers game, Bradley had a chance to see the field for most of the game against Temple. Bradley was targeted four times and had two catches for 18 yards in a 28-21 win.

"I had to step up for Shak Phillips," Bradley said. "He comes in and makes a lot of plays and I had to step in and make plays like he does. Last week he got hurt and I pretty much had started that game, he played seven plays and I had to step in. I knew after that I had to come in and to do what I did.It felt good."

Bradley was eager to atone for his earlier drop and was thrilled to get the chance to get the Huskies on the board. His TD catch marked the first time this season UConn scored a touchdown on its opening possession.

"Coach Weist always says that you move to the next play when something bad happens, I just moved onto the next play and made it happen," Bradley said.

While one player can not be credited for UConn's second straight win, a 28-17 win over Rutgers, it struck me while watching Casey Cochran complete 25 of 33 passes for a career-high 311 yards and two touchdowns that he bore little resemblance to the turnover-prone player I saw during preseason camp.

Other than one drive when he indecisiveness resulted in both of the Scarlet Knights' sacks, Cochran looked poised and in control.

He guided UConn to its first touchdown on an opening drive since last year's win over Pittsburgh and led the Huskies to scoring drives of 79 and 80 yards despite playing without starting right tackle Kevin Friend, tight end Sean McQuillan and receiver Shakim Phillips.

"He makes good, sound decisions," UConn interim coach T.J. Weist said. "We take some chances with him as well. Shane (Day) did a good job calling plays today, put us in great position."

Weist shook his head at the throw he made on the final touchdown. Weist thought Cochran's best option was to look in the direction of Geremy Davis but watching the perfect throw by Cochran and outstanding catch by Brian Lemelle made Weist realize that Cochran made the right decision.

"That last touchdown to Lemelle, I asked him why are you throwing the ball over there?" Weist said. "We have Geremy and Deshon over there and you have a freshman over here but he knew he was hot. He had pressure coming from that side, he made the throw and Lemelle made a great catch on it but that was him making the right decision in a critical situation. He put the ball in there and he just made a play.."

That hasn't always been the case. We were able to go to a handful of practices during preseason camp and during the 11 on 11 drills against either the No. 1 or No. 2 defense, I had Cochran throwing eight interceptions, losing three fumbles and throwing no touchdown passes. He looks like a completely different player these days. He had one throw during a drill with no defense on the field when he missed the intended receiver by a couple of yards. I still remember Paul Pasqualoni, the head coach at that time, getting after Cochran saying "this is a 100 percent drill, there's no defense out there."

"It was just being resilient and working through that," Cochran said. "I give Coach Day a lot of credit for always pushing me, pushing me and pushing me no matter how hard it got and I thank him a lot for how hard he pushed me because it got to me where I am because it got me to where I am today."

Cochran was a good teammate when Weist chose to go with Tim Boyle, a true freshman, when he was named interim head coach but behind closed doors it was not the easiest of times for Cochran.

"It was a frustrating time for me," Cochran said. "I have been working hard here for two years. I think at that moment I made a decision that at that time whatever role I had I needed to do it to the best of my ability. I was over there signaling plays to Tim at the time and I did that to the best of my ability. When things are getting tough, you have to embrace that role you have to do your best. I was trying get to be the best I could be at practice or taking reps after practice and it paid off.

"I love the school, I love the program and I love the guys in this program and I knew I had to contribute any way I could whether it was working hard in the weight room trying to get guys better, throwing after practice. It did get frustrating. I did want to play real bad but I give it to the support that I have because they really pushed me through that time because it was tough."

When UConn interim coach T.J. Weist reflected back on the scene at halftime in Saturday's win at Temple, he mentioned two players who displayed remarkable leadership in the locker room as the Huskies faced a 21-0 deficit at halftime.

The first name is hardly a surprise as team captain and leading tackler Yawin Smallwood gathered the defense around him and acted like the leader that he is. An offensive player did the same thing but it was not one of the veteran players but redshirt freshman Casey Cochran.

Cochran was quick to spread the credit around when he recalled that scene at halftime before the offense had three scoring drives in the second half of at least 50 yards en route to a come from behind 28-21 victory.

"It is important to get everybody on the same page," Cochran said. "It is more than just yelling at the guys. I don’t do that as a quarterback of the offense. I try to get the offense more cohesive, try to get everybody on the same page and I think that is how I lead the offense. The leadership is thee on every single guy, I don’t do that much it revolves around everybody else on the offense.

"The thing that was weird was at halftime it didn’t feel like we were down 21-0. (A) 21-0 (deficit) to some people is a big deal and not a lot of people come back from that but I didn’t feel like we were out of the game at all. I think everybody on the team knew we were going to win that game even in the first half, we just had a bad half. The second half we came out and won it and that was a big deal for us."

Since being elevated to interim coach T.J. Weist has walked into the visiting locker room at halftime on the wrong side of the scoreboard and knew he had to play the role of cheerleader and self-help guru as much as a football coach.

However, when Weist stepped into the locker room at halftime of last night's game at Temple, he saw a different scene. There were few bowed heads but a sense of  "enough is enough" from the leaders of the winless team.

"What did we say at halftime?" Weist said on a Sunday afternoon conference call. "Everybody wants to know ‘what did we say at halftime?’ I got a little (ticked) off and kind of challenged them a little bit but the players came together, Yawin (Smallwood) grabbed the defense and really Casey (Cochran) did a good job at halftime and really grabbed the offensive guys and brought the offense together in the locker room and challenged them. That was good to see some of our leaders challenge the team at halftime to get back to playing smart football, tough physical football. I was proud of their second half effort, shutting those guys out. Really everything came together for us in all three phases in the second half and that is what we have to do."

UConn trailed 21-0 against Temple at halftime but did not allow the Owls to score another point and had three offensive scoring drives of at least 50 yards to rally for a 28-21 win. Fittingly, it was the Huskies' veteran players who delivered many of the key plays. Junior linebacker and team captain Yawin Smallwood scored the game-winning TD on a 59-yard interception return and also had a sack on Temple's final drive. Defensive end Tim Willman had two sacks and two fumble recoveries, Geremy Davis opened the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown catch.

"That is what makes some of the (plays) special," Weist said. "Yawin, a team captain, makes the plays in the end. Tim Willman guys that the players really respect, comes through and the character shows through in the end and he makes a play when you need it. That is what you have to have. You want to win games you have to make plays and somebody’s got to make them, it is the guys who work the hardest, guys who are the starters and the team leaders those are the guys who usually come through and that is what we have been missing. It is really good for this team to see Yawin and Tim make those plays. Geremy only had four catches but they were four critical catches, every one of those catches made a difference in the game and the players trust him when he gets the ball that he does what he is supposed to do and make plays. The same thing with Yawin and that is what good teams and that is why I said we just have to learn how to win and they only learn how to win by making plays, making them at critical times and we finally did last night."


Weist had to deal with the frustration after returning home with losses following road games against Central Florida, Cincinnati and SMU so there was a different feel when the team headed back to Connecticut this time.

"There is no comparison because winning solves so many things," Weist said. "It makes everybody feel better, there is no comparison to it. This kind of win is so sweet because these players have put in so much work, the players and staff have put in so much work, so much time and so much effort to get a victory that this one is that much more special and means that much more. It may not mean anything to anybody in the country that a winless team won a game but this is one of our best victories, one of my best victories as a coach just because of how much it means to the players, to this program, to this university to come back and finally put it together. There is no comparison to the feeling you have, the satisfaction of coming back after a bad first half, coming back and getting a victory like this – there is just nothing like it."

On Thursday's conference call Weist said he brought cigars a while back with the intention of breaking them out for the staff following the first win of the season. He just didn't think it was going to take this long.

"Right after we met as a team (he broke them out)." Weist said. "We sang the fight song, we prayed, the assistant coaches got to meet with the offense and defense and we (had) a nice victory cigar. We have been waiting to do that a long time and it was a little something special."

Weist said wide receiver Shakim Phillips turned an ankle early in the game but he is hoping that Phillips can play on Saturday against Rutgers. He said he hopes to have offensive tackle Kevin Friend, DB Jhavon Williams and WR John Green back as well. Friend and Williams are dealing with concussions and Green had a quad issue. He was able to practice a little bit last week but not enough for him to play.

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Former Masuk High star Casey Cochran has been named UConn's starting quarterback for Saturday's game against Southern Methodist.

Cochran has appeared in four games, all in relief, and has completed 17 of 28 passes for 183 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He has the highest QB rating (132.04) among the three quarterbacks who have played for the Huskies this season.

"I had no idea I was going to play against Buffalo, no idea I was going to play against Cincinnati, no idea I was going to play Louisville but the best advice I got from Coach (Shane) Day (UConn's quarterbacks coach) was you never know when you never know if you are going to get your shot, there are games in college and in the NFL where four quarterbacks get hurt in the game and the fifth guy gets in so you never know when your opportunity is. Even back in January I looked at it that some point you are going to get your shot so you have to be ready.

"We are here 24-7 and it is non-stop football and I think at that point during camp when it is grueling, the biggest thing is to push through it, push through that wall and ever since camp we developed that mindset no matter what those circumstances are, even if I wan’t getting reps in practice or during games, the biggest thing was mentally being able to see the game."

Boyle had no touchdown passes and eight interceptions in the last three games and with Boyle continuing to struggle against the pass rush, Weist made the decision to turn to Cochran.

"He has made very smart decisions, he has shown the ability that he can handle pressure and handle them efficiently and really make good decisions," Weist said of Cochran. "As far as Tim is concerned, we are giving him time to develop. He has really done a good job from a focus standpoint and we are no way giving up on either one of our quarterbacks, Tim still has to get himself ready to play all the quarterbacks know they are one play away, one snap away especially if you are the second-team quarterback to playing the whole game.

"Casey is a very smart quarterback and he is probably one of the hardest working players on our team, he comes in and watches film more than any other player than we have, he is very smart. We went with Tim with the onset, when we made the decision, because we thought Tim had a better skill set for us and it came time for Tim to really prove himself on the field. Same thing for Casey, Casey has to go and prove himself on the field against the No. 1 defenses, the pressure situations leading this team so he will get his shot."

Boyle has the best arm among the three quarterbacks who has played this season and he is also the biggest of the three. But the feeling is that Boyle got flustered after the struggles he had in recent weeks.

"At the time we felt that Tim threw the football better with more velocity, more accuracy at times," Weist said. "There was time in the spring and in camp that Casey really showed that he threw the ball better, he threw the ball more accurately. Casey had a little bit of a slump when he wasn’t making the best decisions, he wasn’t playing up the level that he played before and that came into the play with the decision for us going with Tim at the time. Since then Casey has kept working hard, kept showing us in practice that he was making better decisions, sounder decisions and when he moved up, when he played the last two games he has made really good decisions and fast decisions. When he was second team he has done a good job of handling the offense which is why we feel better about him. It is less about his skill set and more about his decision making more than anything."

Cochran's teammates rave about his football smarts and work ethic.

"Casey really knows what he is doing, he is a real student of the game he knows the playbook, he knows what the defense is going to do and that is something that really benefits him," UConn senior offensive guard Steve Greene said. "He came in on the last two games and had two touchdown drives and that is really what you can ask him to do. We are excited for him that he is getting a shot this week. A lot of it has to do with film study, staying after, working on timing and receivers and just making sure he is doing everything he can to put himself in the best position."

As ecstatic as Cochran is, Boyle is understandably disappointed. It was an interest scene inside the Burton Family Football Complex. Five weeks ago Boyle was swarmed around by the assembled media in the first access since he was named the starting quarterback. Cochran sat in the same seat as Boyle did five weeks ago and got the same treatment while Boyle was a couple tables away and only fielded questions from a couple of reporters.

"I am not going to give up by any means, I am going to keep pushing," Boyle said. "I will use it as motivation, whenever I do get my next shot I do want to be prepared and have a game plan going in. This is definitely a learning experience for me and what is in the past is in the past

"I was obviously disappointed because I want to play. I came here to play quarterback, I don’t think I did too good a job when I was in but that is an experience I am going to try to put behind me and learn from. My second reaction is don’t give up because a lot of players in that situation would just fold and throw in the towel but I am not going to do that by any means and I am going to use this as motivation to get better."

If interim head coach T.J. Weist has made a decision on who is going to be UConn's starting quarterback against Southern Methodist, he is not ready to announce it just yet.

Chandler Whitmer started the first four games of the season but when Weist was named interim coach following the firing of Paul Pasqualoni, he named true freshman Tim Boyle as the starting quarterback. In four games as a starter Boyle has no touchdowns and eight interceptions. Redshirt freshman Casey Cochran came in late in three of those four games and threw touchdown passes in the last two games.

"We are still evaluating it," Weist said on Monday's American Athletic Conference coaches' call. "We put him (Boyle) down as the starter on the depth chart yesterday. At practice yesterday we reevaluated it and will make my decision tomorrow on who I am going to go with."

I asked him if he split first-team reps three ways when UConn hit the practice field yesterday.

"I wouldn’t say that," Weist said. "I will look at things tomorrow and decide who our starting quarterback is going to be and go from there, open up competition a little bit and see how things shake out."

Since UConn normally doesn't practice on Mondays and we meet with Weist before Tuesday's practice, he either has made his decision but doesn't want to announce it until tomorrow or he wants to sleep on things before announcing the QB.

There are no such quarterback issues at SMU. Senior Garrett Gilbert, the American Athletic Conference's reigning offensive player of the week. He leads all AAC quarterbacks and is seventh nationally in passing yards (3037 in eight games). He is averaging 379.6 passing yards per game and only Oregon State's Sean Mannion and Fresno State's Derek Carr average more passing yards per contest.

"It is impressive that he gets the ball to his weapons," Weist said he has some good weapons obviously, three of the best receivers in the league and two of the best receivers in the country so he spreads the ball around and he is very efficient. He has a very strong arm and he is physical."