With UConn ready to host Michigan on Saturday night in what could be the most high-profile home game in program history, it seems like a perfect time to look back on UConn's 2010 game to Michigan.

Although he did not start in the game, senior defensive tackle and captain Shamar Stephen made one of his two tackles on UConn’s first defensive series.

“That was the first time I ever played in a game so it was definitely a great experience for me,” Stephen said. “I remember it was a pretty fast tempo, getting into it was a little different and as the game wore on, I adjusted and started making the plays.

“It was definitely nerve wracking at first but once you make that first hit, it all goes away and you are into the game. I was more focused on my assignments. I just didn’t want to mess up in my first game but it was pretty crazy.”

Stephen was one of six current Huskies to play in the 30-10 loss to Michigan in the 2010 season opener. Jesse Joseph started at defensive end and made four tackles, Cole Wagner had a 66-yard punt, Chad Christen averaged 65.3 yards on three kickoffs while Martin Hyppolite and Taylor Mack also played in the game.

Many of the current seniors were on the travel squad for UConn’s lone trip to Michigan Stadium.

“It was a fantastic experience,” UConn senior offensive tackle Kevin Friend said. “I was a redshirt freshman and I have never seen a stadium like that before and just to see it, looking up at it and seeing that it was full it was awesome. Just feeling what the team felt in the locker room and how everyone came together before the game and psyched everybody up. It was an awesome experience.”

Fellow senior offensive lineman Steve Greene also has mostly positive memories of the trip to Michigan.

“I remember it was a big place and we were in the game and we had a chance to win it too,” Greene said.
“It is one of the most famous arenas in college football so obviously it is a great experience.”

Senior kicker Chad Christen hasn't been the busiest of Huskies in the two preseason practices I have attended so at Friday's media day I approached Christen to get an update on how he has progressed since needing surgery on a groin injury.

"Everything is back," Christen said. "I am kicking on a regular basis. Things are going pretty well, I am starting slowly and progressively working into that. I can’t complain.

"Surgery was in March and we progressed through May I was up here all summer long and working out with Bob Howard and his training staff just to get back healthy. On July 1 I started kicking and in the month of July I would slowly, progressively get back into things There was a down after the season and in the offseason and kicking this summer I felt great, I am kicking well and ready to come out and help us win ball games."

Christen took it slowly when he was cleared to kick field goals last month.

"I started out extra points and each week I moved back 10 yards and I am hitting 50 yarders now so things are going well," Christen said. "The endurance of your leg is not where you need it to be because you haven’t been using it but I am happy."

I took a ride up to Worcester earlier today so I could catch up with former UConn kicker Dave Teggart who hosted the first camp as part of the Teggart Total Kicking program he recently started with his father. A story on how he decided to become a kicking coach will appear in tomorrow's edition of the Register.

However, don't think for a minute that this endeavor means that he is giving up on his aspirations to be a kicker in the NFL.

Teggart impressed at a kicking showcase in Arizona in March which resulted in a tryout with the Seattle Seahawks. Although he was not signed by Seattle, he is hoping he opened enough eyes there to be on the radar when a team needs a kicker.

He was signed as a free agent by Chicago coming out of UConn and made it to training camp but he was unable to unseat the Bears’ incumbent kicker Robbie Gould. He spent six months in Los Angeles working out under former NFL kicker Michael Husted that culminated with an impressive showing at a showcase in March.

“Robbie Gould he is a great kicker,” Teggart said. “He is a great guy to learn from but competing against a guy like that, I think he is pretty safe there. It was a great learning experience, I learned from the best. I went to California and trained. At a showcase in Arizona in March, won the field goal portion and I ended up they flew me to Seattle for a workout.

“Hopefully I keep getting these workouts,” Teggart said. “All I can control is staying ready and be ready when I get the call.

“There are so many kickers out there and so few spots. I have no illusions that it is easy. Obviously it is not the easiest position to make it, there are four quarterbacks, four linebackers for each position and for kickers there is only one. You have to get lucky and stay ready; you never know when the call is going to come. I will always stay in shape, always stay ready. I am still booming the ball. I am going to keep training forever, it is one of those things that I can use my abilities to help kids and keep myself in shape.”

Teggart said the biggest improvement he has made as a kicker has come on kickoffs since he knew that a kicker who struggled kicking the ball off has little chance to making it an NFL roster.

“I feel like I am kicking better than I ever have,” Teggart said. “At UConn I never really (kicked off) because we had Desi Cullen and he got it into the end zone every time and Chad (Christen) does very good kickoffs and I never really got the chance to showcase that ability. That is something I have improved upon; field goals have never been a problem for me it is just kickoffs. I am putting the kickoffs out of the end zone now and it is just a matter of getting into the right place at the right time, have somebody see me and take a chance on me.

Regardless of whether Teggart ever appears in an NFL regular-season game, his legacy in Connecticut was forever sealed when he blasted a 52-yard field goal against South Florida in the 2010 regular-season finale to kick the Huskies into a BCS game and showdown with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

“That was one of my favorite moments to be able to go to a BCS game like that,” Teggart said. “At the time when you are lining up you are not really thinking of all the things that go with it. You are like ‘man, I’ve got a kick here and I’ve got to treat it like an extra point. I have to put it through or we are going to lose.’ That whole experience, that whole Fiesta Bowl ride, that was something you will never forget.”

I also addressed some other UConn-related topics with Teggart including his take on seeing five of his former UConn teammates (Dwayne Gratz, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Sio Moore, Trevardo Williams and Ryan Griffin) taken in April's NFL draft.

"It goes to show everyone of those guys who were drafted are great people off the field as well," Teggart said. "I am really good friends with all of them and it just goes to show how much off the field matters as much as one the field. They are all great guys and they deserve everything they get. I wish them luck in the upcoming season."

When current UConn kicker Chad Christen missed four field goals in a loss to Temple, he told the media that Teggart was one of the first people to reach out to him.

"I have known Chad for a long time," Teggart said. "I have developed a great relationship with him over the time he was here, he was my holder for two years. He had a huge game winner against Louisville and believe me I was up on that screen watching. I was dying for him ‘hey, you’ve got to make it.’ When he did, I was going nuts. I was probably more excited than if it was me kicking it."

Finally here are Teggart's thoughts on his time at UConn.

"UConn was the best four years of my life," Teggart said. "It is indescribable what I think of that place, all the fans, everybody treated me great. Coach Edsall gave me a shot and Coach Pasqualoni when he came in he treated me very well. It has given me opportunities I wouldn’t have had any other place, I attempted more field goals than any other place in the country. UConn is a great place to be a field goal kicker, we were always in tight end games and we were always kicking field goals. I loved every minute at UConn."

Chad Christen was one of 34 kickers named to the College Football Performance Awards watch list.

Christen was 22 for 22 on extra points and 14 of 21 on field goals with a long of 50 yards coming against South Florida. He finished the season by making his last seven field goals in his first season as the starting kicker. He also had 16 touchbacks on 43 kickoffs.

Christen joins linebacker Yawin Smallwood as the only Huskies on the CFPA watch lists.

UConn rising junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood was named a fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele.

Smallwood led UConn with 120 tackles during the 2012 season. He had six double-digit tackle games as a sophomore including back to back 14-tackle efforts against North Carolina State and Maryland. Smallwood also had four sacks, forced two fumbles, 15 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble.

Smallwood, running back Lyle McCombs and cornerback Byron Jones were all named to the American Athletic Conference preseason first team, offensive tackle Jimmy Bennett and kick Chad Christen were third-pick pick while offensive guard Steve Greene, linebacker Graham Stewart and punter Cole Wagner were fourth-team selections.

                                                                                    (Associated Press photo)
UConn senior kicker Chad Christen, seen in action during South Florida,
reaggravated the groin injury he suffered late in his junior season and he
will miss the rest of spring practice following recent surgery.

After senior kicker Chad Christen reinjured his groin in almost the same exact fashion which resulted in him missing the final game of the 2012 season, the UConn coaches and medical staff were not messing around as he underwent surgery and will miss the rest of spring drills.

"We had to do a little bit of surgery, everything came out great and he will be ready to go for the season," UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "We weren’t going to take a chance on getting into preseason camp and having anything wrong with him so we did the MRI with him and felt like we would go in there and do a little repair surgery.

"(He was) just warming up, kicking a PAT. It was almost the way it happened the first time warming up kicking the PAT and he felt a strain. He rehabbed it and is doing really well."

UCONN TO ATTRACT A CROWD ON PRO DAY
Pasqualoni said that he expects nearly every NFL team to be represented when the seniors on the 2012 squad work out at the Huskies' annual pro day on Wednesday afternoon.

"I am awful excited about it that they prepared hard for this and it hasn’t been casual preparation so of 32 teams in the NFL there will probably be like 28 or 29 tomorrow which really says something," Pasqualoni said. "There will be a lot of coaches, a lot of scouts, probably a general manager or two so I am anxious and hopeful that they have a great day.

"You wouldn’t have this many guys coming if they weren’t fired up about it. Teams are sending multiple coaches, sending two and three guys here and that means they are interested in getting accurate information and an accurate evaluation."

INTERESTED SPECTATORS
Southern Connecticut State coach Rich Cavanaugh and offensive coordinator Tom Godek, former Cheshire High coach Mark Ecke and Staples head coach Marce Petroccio were among the large group of college and high school coaches checking out UConn's practice.

Pasqualoni and Cavanaugh go way back.

"It is always great to see Rich," Pasqualoni said. "When I left Southern Connecticut Rich took my place at Southern Connecticut and that was back in 1978 and he has done a fabulous job there so he is a terrific football coach, we are always excited to see him."

Senior defensive end Trevardo Williams was named the Big East's Defensive Player of the Week after recording three sacks and four tackles for losses in the win over Louisville. Junior kicker Chad Christen, who kicked three field goals including the game-winning 30-yard in the third ovetime, early Special Teams Player of the Week recognition from the conference.

Both players were also honorable mention picks by the College Football Performance Awards site.

In UConn's triple-overtime upset of Louisville, two of the Huskies top playmakers went down with injuries.

UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni said on Sunday's call with the media that he is hopeful that both quarterback Chandler Whitmer and defensive end Trevardo Williams will be able to return to practice on Tuesday.

Whitmer suffered an apparent concussion after taking a vicious hit leaving last year's starter Johnny McEntee to finish the game.


"He (Whitmer) will be out of practice today," Pasqualoni said. "We have a very light walkthrough today. He won’t be involved in that today. We will be off (Monday) so we will have two days and then we will see how he is. We are optimistic but we will see how he is.


"I would rather wait until Tuesday and get the absolute definite (update) on it because I want to be sure about what I am saying."

Williams had one of the best games of his collegiate career highlighted by three sacks and four tackles for losses. But he had a walking boot protecting an injured right ankle.

"We will go very light with Trevardo today and like the other guys we will reassess where he is on Tuesday. He is already in the training room being aggressive with his treatment so we are optimistic there."

Pasqualoni said that running back Lyle McCombs received the offensive game ball, the game ball for special teams went to kicker Chad Christen while the entire defensive unit received the defensive game ball.

When Lyle McCombs crossed the goal line and Chad Christen added the extra point with 5:03 left in the third quarter everything was going according to plan for the UConn football team.

Visiting Buffalo figured to have trouble staying with the Huskies especially with tailback Branden Oliver (who came into the game ranked fifth in FBS with 142 rushing yards per game) and receiver Fred Lee missing the game with leg and hand injuries respectively.

However, the Bulls did not go away quietly with a touchdown courtesy of a hook and ladder play and then a 44-yard field goal pulling Buffalo within seven points.

UConn, which ran 24 offensive plays in Buffalo territory in the second half but only had seven points to show for it, was left to hang on. Buffalo did get one more possession but after reaching its own 39, the Bulls turned the ball over with incompletions on second and third down and then Buffalo QB Alex Zordich was tackled two yards shy of the first-down marker by Yawin Smallwood.

UConn will take the win but with a chance to lower the boom and head into Big East play with a dominating win, the Huskies seemed to play not to lose in the second half.

The good news is the Huskies won to go to 3-2 and it didn't seem as if there were any injuries suffered in the game. The pass protection by the UConn offensive line was solid. Whitmer was sacked three times but two of those were a case of holding onto the ball too long. Whitmer looked as comfortable in the pocket as any other time I have seen him play. He was setting his feet on his throws and being patient on his progressions. He also spread the wealth by hitting eight different receivers. Other highlights included safety Ty-Meer Brown getting an interception and playing a solid game even though he was limited in practice this week with a shoulder injury and Martin Hyppolite ripping off a 50-yard TD run on his first carry of the game. Angelo Pruitt, starting his second game at DE, played a pretty good all-around game. I liked UConn getting Nick Williams more involved in the passing game and senior linebackers Sio Moore and Jory Johnson played much of the game like they had something to prove which they did after last week's slow start at Western Michigan.

The bad news is that Buffalo outgained the Huskies 361-360 and 39 rushes by McCombs accounted for 97 yards which is simply not good enough. I also wonder if giving a running back listed at 166 pounds 39 carries is a smart move heading into the Big East portion of the season. UConn had issues staying with Buffalo receiver Alex Neutz and it is something that could have been exploited more by Buffalo than it was.

Now the Huskies head into the Big East opener on Saturday when they play at Rutgers. It will be interesting to see how UConn handles the challenge of Big East play.