It took all of one defensive play for it to become apparent that UConn's front four was going to have a more impactful role against Stony Brook than in the season-opening loss to Brigham Young.

In that 35-10 loss UConn's defensive linemen combined for five solo tackles but in a 19-16 victory over Stony Brook the same group had five tackles behind the line of scrimmage even though a leg injury kept Angelo Pruitt, the Huskies' most experienced defensive end, out of the game.

It started right away as nose tackle Julian Campenni, with help from Jefferson Ashiru, held Stacey Bedell to a 1-yard gain on the Seawolves' first offensive play.

The nose tackle duo of Campenni and top reserve Mikal Myers combined for four solo tackles, six assisted stop, 3.5 of UConn's nine tackles for loss and Myers had the team's lone sack. Even more important than any individual statistics was the way the interior of UConn's defensive line pushed the Stony Brook offensive line back at the point of attack, especially in the first half.

"We just did what the coaches teach us to do every day, they do a great job of putting up in position to make plays, we took full advantage of it," Myers said.

"We complement each other. I am going to do as good as he does and he is going to do as good as I do. We try to work together and play well as a collective unit.

Kenton Adeyemi, who got the start in place of Pruitt, B.J. McBryde and Reuben Frank also got into the backfield.

"It always feels good to get a little love, make a couple of plays when we had to,: Myers said.."We did a way better job tackling this week and kudos to a great week of practice."

On his day after the game conference call UConn coach Bob Diaco had some good things to say about the play of the nose tackles.

"I thought they played excellent," Diaco said. "I thought those two players had a major impact on the game and they made it hard for the offense to run the ball and even pressed the pocket back on passes and a lot of first and second down runs. They really had nice great games, great effort both guys and Sean (Marinan) had a great week of practice and I was very pleased with his work all week."

TV DETAILS FOR BOISE GAME
It was announced that Saturday's noon game against Boise will air regionally on ABC and be seen on ESPN2 by the rest of the country. Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway and Paul Carcaterra will call the game.

I caught some of Boise's game against Colorado State and they looked unstoppable on offense piling up 656 yards of total offense led by running back Jay Ajavi's 219 rushing yards and 280 yards of total offense. Ajavi is listed at 216 pounds but looked so much bigger the way he ran through would-be tacklers.

Boise may utilize its running backs in the passing game as well as any team in the country so that will be a test for UConn's linebackers and while he is not Taysom Hill, quarterback Grant Hedrick showed the ability to make plays with his legs.

It should be noted that Boise also gave up 462 yards (434 through the air) and had just two sacks on 58 Colorado State passing attempts.

The offensive coordinator is former Yale assistant coach Mike Sanford, who got plenty of air time on the ESPN2 broadcast due to his wife setting up a separate area in the house for him to sleep following the birth of the couple's second child Gunnar a few days ago.

NCAA STATS UPDATE
The NCAA updated its stats through last night's games and let's start with the good news as the Huskies rank 22nd among 124 FBS team in 3rd down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 26.7 percent of the time. However, there's some scary numbers as well as UConn is 118th in rushing offense (76 yards per game) and 121st with an average of 9.5 tackles for loss surrendered.

Individually Geremy Davis ranks 23rd nationally with an average of 104.5 receiving yards per game. Boise's Matt Miller is among the receivers ahead of him as he ranks 13th with an average of 117.5 yards in the two games. Marquise Vann is 42nd with an average of 10 tackles per game. Deshon Foxx is 14th with an average of 21 yards per punt return (of course 72 of his 84 yards came on one return).

BIG GAME FOR FORMER UCONN RB
While Lyle McCombs debuted with Rhode Island, he was not the former UConn tailback making the biggest splash as Joe Williams ran 10 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns, caught two passes for 26 yards and another score and had a 12-yard punt return in ASA College's 48-21 win over Erie Community College on Saturday.

As for McCombs, he ran 17 times for 39 yards, caught three passes for 31 yards, had 57 yards on three kickoff returns and lost one yard on one punt return in Rhode Island's 48-7 loss to Marshall.

Arkeel Newsome has made the journey up to the UConn campus plenty of times in the past but he admitted when he goes up there on Sunday to begin college life "my heart is definitely going to be racing."

It has been a long journey for Newsome, owner of pretty much every Connecticut high school rushing and touchdown scoring record during his brilliant four-year run at Ansonia High.

"I'm very excited but also a little nervous but once I get there I have to work hard in all I do," Newsome said after being named the New Haven Register's Male Athlete of the Year on Thursday night.

Newsome has been in contact with the new coaching staff and is fired up about what the next four or five years is going to be like.

"The new coaching staff, I love them, they are all great guys," Newsome said. "The freshman class is great too, I have kept in touch with a few of them so I am looking forward to being up there with that group of players."

When Newsome signed with the Huskies it looked like Lyle McCombs and Max DeLorenzo were going to provide the 1-2 punch at running back as they did during the 2013 season. However that quickly changed when McCombs, the team's leading rusher in each of the last three seasons, was dismissed from the team.

"I thought I had an opportunity (to play as a true freshman) when he was there," Newsome said. "I felt bad when I heard about him being kicked off the team now it is like it is a bigger opportunity for me."

DeLorenzo is the only experienced tailback as Newsome will be vying with redshirt freshman Josh Marriner and fellow incoming freshmen Ron Johnson and Brice McAlister. With a new head coach, offensive coordinator and running backs coach, it's hard to predict how the carries are going to be allotted but with the departure of McCombs and Joe Williams, who also moved on after some off the field issues, it seems more likely than not that at least one of the true freshman could make it onto the field.

Ansonia coach Tom Brockett doesn't know if Newsome will be on the field this season but he knows he will do the work necessary to put him in the ideal position.

"He will be prepared," Brockett said. "He has done everything he could and now he goes up there and it is the coach's (choice), they will evaluate him and do whatever they think is best whether it is redshirt him or if that is playing him. I know one thing, he is going to go up there and compete for an opportunity

"He's been a kid for four years who has done everything he was supposed to do in every aspect. When you are a high-profile kid like that, people are always waiting for you to stumble and he hasn't done that.
I think he is real excited. He is real happy where he is going and he is looking forward to it, when you talk about UConn and he is all smiles so I think he is real happy."

BRIDGETON COACH "YOU ARE GETTING A GOOD ONE"
I spoke with Bridgeton (N.J.) High coach Dave Ellen this morning to get a better idea of what kind of prospect new UConn commit Nazir Williams is. One of the last things he said to me before hanging up was "you are getting a good one."

Williams plays both wide receiver and outside linebacker at Bridgeton but he is expected to play on the defensive side of the ball at the next level.

"He has a real high ceiling," Ellen said. "He has only been playing football for two years and he has a very big frame. he has a chance to put a lot of muscle. He has good size now but I think he's going to be a lot bigger."

Ellen said Williams is about 6-4 and 225 pounds right now and he believes he has all the physical attributes to be a dynamic outside linebacker at UConn.

"His first step is pretty good coming off the edge, he has nice long arms to keep people off of him," Ellen said. "He has very good grip strength when he gets ahold of somebody, they usually don't get away. We have him at outside backer and sometimes he comes up (to the line of scrimmage). He hasn't had his hand in the dirt at all for us so he will be up anyways. It should be a good transition, we are definitely going to try to get him well prepared for next year."

Ellen said that Bridgeton will play with three, four and sometimes five down linemen which means that Williams is put into a variety of different positions. Sometimes he simply takes off after the quarterback, other times he will engage and shred blockers at the point of attack and other times he drops so he can provide man to man coverage. He has displayed versatility as he had 8.5 sacks as a sophomore but had two interceptions during his junior season.

Ellen came away impressed with the way UConn recruited Williams.

"They went after him early, they liked him and they offered him," Ellen said. "They kept in communication with myself and with Nazir. We were talking and I said your visitations are going to be important. You are going to visit campus and you are going to get that feeling and when you do, you'll make your decision. He came home the other night, shot me a text and said he loved the visit up there. I told him to sleep on it and the next day he shot me a text and said he fell in love with it. He really felt like it was going to be his home. It is a good feeling, it think it was a feeling of relief for him and now he can concentrate on the season."

Max DeLorenzo is UConn's most experienced tailback following
departure of Lyle McCombs, the team's top rusher last season

Plenty of people have weighed on how the UConn running game is going to look following the dismissal of Lyle McCombs, I figured it was my turn to join the party.

McCombs was UConn's leading rusher in each of the last three seasons  and considering that other than Max DeLorenzo, the other players vying for playing time at tailback will have a combined total of seven career carries, a lack of experience is certainly an issue. For an untested running back the biggest potential pitfall tends to be pass blocking which was an underrated part of McCombs' game.

First, for the sake of full disclosure I never fully understood why he was UConn's featured back. I was not covering the team during his best season but in the last two seasons I was not overly impressed with what I saw from McCombs. He simply wasn't big enough to move the pile and he didn't show enough escapability for a back of his size to be productive. He did display the ability to make things happen if he got into the secondary but that didn't happen very often. Still, on the team lacking experienced playmakers McCombs played a heck of a lot of football and only three UConn running backs ever ran for more yards than he did so I won't attempt to trivialize what his absence could mean.

At the practices I witnessed during spring camp McCombs was running with the first-team offense and he had more carries than any other player at UConn's spring game so obviously he was figuring into Bob Diaco's plans at that point.

Now the question is who emerges as the featured back?

DeLorenzo is the returnee with the most experience and he had his moments during the 2013 season although his 3.5 yard per carry average was the lowest among UConn running backs with at least 10 carries. DeLorenzo did have the longest run in the spring game with a 16-yard scamper. Josh Marriner came to UConn with plenty of hype so after redshirting as a true freshman, perhaps he could factor into the equation as well. Marriner and DeLorenzo had the Huskies' rushing touchdowns in the spring game. Clax also received some carries during the spring game. Both Clax and fellow fullback Matt Walsh have the ability to be short-yardage backs if asked to do so. Then there are the three incoming freshman running backs. Ansonia's Arkeel Newsome, who rewrote the Connecticut high school record book comes in with the most buzz while Ron Johnson and Brice McAlister were extremely productive high school backs.

History has shown that running backs can make an impact at the collegiate level as quickly as any other player. While Arkansas' Alex Collins was the only FBS freshman to run for 1,000 yards during the 2013 season, nine of the top 100 rushers were either true or redshrt freshmen. It won't be a surprise to see one of the true freshmen utilized in the upcoming season. Of course with all the attention given to McCombs and the running back situation, it will still come down to how well UConn's offensive line can perform.

When I spoke to Diaco about the tailback position moving forward, he didn't seem overly concerned.

"We've got six scholarship players at the position that all have aptitude, three older players and three brand new guys coming in," Diaco said. "The tailback issue is not going to have an issue functioning."

When I sat down with Diaco last week I asked him which players are stepping up in the leadership department which is something that could be of even larger importance now that McCombs is no longer a member of the team.

"Alex (Mateas), Geremy Davis, Deshon Foxx, the quarterbacks are doing a good job collectively. Byron Jones, Andrew Adams, Angelo Pruitt, Julian Campenni those guys," Diaco said.

While time will tell who emerges as the top rushing threat on the 2014 UConn team, the one certainty is that things will look different on offense for UConn without McCombs lining up at tailback.

Today happened to be the day when I was able to schedule some time to sit down with head coach Bob Diaco and other than the news that Lyle McCombs, the team's leading rusher in each of the last three seasons is no longer a part of the program.

UConn announced the departure of McCombs, who ranks second on the Huskies' career list with 677 carries and is fourth with 2,681 yards although he remains on scholarship until he is done talking the final classes this summer he needs in order to graduate.

Diaco didn't have much more to say on the matter although he said everybody else that he was expecting to be back is still in the fold.

"I don't know what I can say," Diaco said. "He has not met the expectations set forth by the group and for that he won't be moving forward with us."

With McCombs out of the picture, Max DeLorenzo and Jazzmar Clax are the only returning running backs who had carries during the 2013 season. Josh Marriner came to UConn with plenty of buzz and he will push for time after redshirting as a true freshman. Clax and fellow fullback Matt Walsh may also factor into the running back derby and UConn is bringing in three tailbacks in Register State Player of the Year Arkeel Newsome, Ron Johnson and Brice McAlister.

"We've got six scholarship players at the position that all have aptitude, three older players and three brand new guys coming in," Diaco said. "The tailback issue is not going to have an issue functioning."

On a brighter note, Diaco recalled with glee the moment when he informed walk-ons Chris DeBerry, Dominick Manco and Justin Wain that they were receiving scholarships.

"It is awesome," Diaco said. "It is the best, it reaffirms everything we are talking about. It gives an indication of the DNA and character of the team and our coaching staff. You put something in and you are going to get it back out, it is not like we are just going to use and use. We could sign more guys but those guys earned that opportunity. Both Dominic and Justin are going to play in the games (Manco as the long snapper, Wain as the punter). Chris is being rewarded for being a great teammate."

So how did Diaco break the news to the trio?

"I told the team," Diaco said. "I told them collectively together as a team. There were guys in the room crying it was that important to the team. They were jumping around, celebrating, hugging, crying. It was a very emotional outpouring response by the whole team. It was one of the more awesome moments we have had as a team together. "

The incoming freshmen are not expected on campus until later this month but Diaco was optimistic that all the players who signed with the team in February

"So far everything seems fine," Diaco said. "They are all working, checking every box, getting registered, applied for housing and all the things that are needed to be done to move from high school to college."

When the team wrapped up spring practice Diaco asked the players to use good judgement during the time that they would be away from campus. When the team reconvened on Monday he was delighted that the players did just that.

"We were able to move forward," Diaco said. "The concern is you have to spend a week, two weeks, three weeks going back to where you were at the end of spring training. After having three weeks or in some cases four weeks off, these guys came back (in good shape)."

Diaco didn't have much of a reaction to being placed in a division with Central Florida, Cincinnati, East Carolina, South Florida and Temple as the American Athletic Conference announced the two divisional format beginning in 2015.

"For us, the only difference between the future models is one was Tulane and the other one was Central Florida so it was no real consequence for UConn," Diaco said.

Finally, Diaco said his kids will be finishing school on Friday and he is anxiously awaiting the chance to get his entire family together in Connecticut.

"I have a house but it is empty and there is nothing in it," Diaco said. "They have finish school, my children are still in school."

So how much is he looking forward to seeing his kids and wife arrive in Connecticut?

"More than anything," Diaco said. "It has been horrible."

When the season began the UConn running game consisted of "let's hand the ball to Lyle McCombs and hope for the best."

McCombs carried the ball 17 times and no other running back had a career (although converted running back Deshon Foxx did carry the ball once).

However, as time went on Max DeLorenzo has been featured more in the running game. Last week's loss to Louisville marked the first time that he had more carries than McCombs as DeLorenzo ran 13 times for 38 yards and McCombs ran the ball 12 times for 30 yards.

With all the hype surrounding the switch from Tim Boyle to Casey Cochran at quarterback, could there be a switch at tailback as well with DeLorenzo emerging as the go-to guy?

I posed that question to UConn interim coach T.J. Weist at Tuesday's press conference.

"We are in good position with Max and Lyle," Weist said. "I think they complement, I think they both do a good job of playing hard and being productive, we have to get them the ball and find ways to run the ball. It is not the case of Max taking the place of Lyle, it is both of them, they both have to do a good job."

DeLorenzo has run the ball 48 times for 167 yards this season with 30 of those carries coming since Weist became the interim head coach.

"It was tough at first," DeLorenzo said. "I told myself to keep plugging away, keep plugging away and good things will come. I always said I am a gamer so if I get a chance to do well in a game, I tend to do well when I get a chance I get to do the best I can. It happened for me on Friday night. We have to play better obviously but as for me, I like the way it is going but team wise this isn’t good. That has always been my goal through every game, move the chains because that is what we need. I have been saying for the last year that we complement each other nicely. I hope I can get loose and break one so I can be that style of back too and not just be a battering ram, I like running inside, I like being the tough (inside runner) and taking hits, if that is what needs to be done than that is what needs to be done."

Obviously with a new starting quarterback, it would be a huge help if the Huskies can establish the run early against SMU.

"You have to establish the run every game, if you can’t stop the run you are not going to win," DeLorenzo said. "We moved the ball on Louisville because of the run, Louisville the No. 2 defense against the run, our line has been doing a good job up front and if we can get a lead for once and establish the run, I think we are going to be tough to beat."

DeLorenzo and his teammates want to get off the snide and pick up the first win of the season after an 0-8 start.

"It is too late now (to make a bowl) but we are playing for the seniors because it has to be hard for them but maybe it carries momentum into spring ball and next year," DeLorenzo said.

Two of UConn stars figure to reach some milestones tonight for UConn.

Junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood needs seven tackles to become the 16th UConn player with 300 career tackles and first since Scott Lutrus in 2010 while junior tailback Lyle McCombs needs 23 yards to become the sixth UConn player with 2,500 career rushing yards.


Here are the lists
300 TACKLES
1. John Dorsey (80-83)        495
2. Lawrence Wilson (07-10) 449
3. Troy Ashley (86-89)         428
4. Maurice Lloyd (01-04)     412
5. Mike Jansen (85-87)       394
6. Vernon Hargreaves (81-83) 393
7. Alfred Fincher (01-04)    357
8. Paul Duckworth (90-93) 344
9. Scott Lutrus (07-10)       341
9. Dennis O'Connell (76-78) 341
11. Chris Meyer (00-03)      332
12. Jamal Lundy (99-02)     320
13. Jim Reppi (90-93)        314
14. Paul Zenkert (91-94)    312
15. Brad Keatley (94-97)   311


2,500 RUSHING YARDS
1. Donald Brown (06-08)   3800
2. Terry Caulley (02-06)     3187
3. Jordan Todman (08-10)  3179
4. Wilbur Gilliard (92-95)    2624
5. Ed Lojng (91-94)            2515

Without providing any specifics, UConn interim coach T.J. Weist vowed that there would be some changes on the offense.

It didn't take long in Weist's second game at the helm to see one difference in how he handled the personnel.

Max DeLorenzo averaged just under 4 1/2 carries in the first five games of the season. He almost topped that mark on the Huskies' second offensive drive as the redshirt sophomore from Berlin carried the ball four times in a span of six plays. DeLorenzo had 25 of his team-high 46 yards on that one drive. DeLorenzo later accounted for the Huskies' only offensive touchdown with a 12-yard scoring run in the third quarter which snapped a streak of scoreless second-half possessions at 20.

DeLorenzo had a couple runs when he simply lowered his shoulders and bulled his way for an additional yard or two which is something that has been missing from the UConn running game in the last couple of seasons.

"We watch on film and Coach says why don’t you stiff arm on here, make a move here and I am trying to mix the game up because Lyle is going to be doing that (outside running) so I try to give them a different look," DeLorenzo said.. Last week we ran the ball well but this week other than a couple of plays, we didn’t get the job done. It comes down to making plays."

DeLorenzo's touchdown was his first on offense although he did return a punt 9 yards for a score in the 2012 season opener against UMass.

"It felt good," DeLorenzo said. "I was confident through the whole game and I wish it had be at a better time, with a better scenario, that touchdown isn’t easy to look at because we lost."

DeLorenzo could play a larger role moving forward as Weist tries to find some answers on offense.

UConn tried to establish the run early especially in the second quarter when the Huskies ran the ball on 12 of 18 plays. But trailing 27-3 at halftime, it was harder to stick with the running game . DeLorenzo only carried the ball twice after halftime with one of them going for the TD.

He was frustrated with the performance of the offense against Cincinnati even if the Huskies managed more yards on Saturday than they did against Cincinnati in the 2012 season finale.

"The offense took a step back," Weist said.

"We still have the players, effort wasn’t an issue in this game. I think they were focused, I think they gave effort. On offense our guys were running, they were coming off the ball they never stopped trying but we just had some breakdowns. We are not ignorant enough to say we are going to do the exact same things because if it ain’t working, you’d better find something. You can only go so far and say we have to get better, sure we have to make some changes and mix things up and that is what we are doing whether it is personnel or scheme, we have to find a way to put our players in better positions and motivate them to make plays. We are constantly working on it and that is a sign of a good staff being able to adjust whether it is at halftime, in game or on Sundays and Mondays get ready for that next game because we have an even better opponent coming up."

DeLorenzo is confident that the Huskies have the pieces in place to be a productive offensive team.

"What we are doing it is not good (enough) right now," DeLorenzo said. "We have talent and we have talent to put points on the board. If we gave what we played with (the intensity) in the first half the way we played in the second half it is a different ball game.

We have too much character. We work too hard, we have too much talent on this team to be 0-6. We still have time but it is running out. We just have to put it together, one play here and we were on the 2 yard line and we had to settle for a field goal and we missed another field goal so we have to score, we can’t be putting pressure like that on our kicker and our defense."

One likely change on offense could come on the offensive line but not by choice. Starting right guard has a cardiac issue and Weist said information is still being gathered on the prognosis for Cruz and if he can return to the field.

"He has a cardiac issue that we are still dealing with," Weist said. "It wasn’t really an injury, it is a cardiac issue and we have to determine exactly what it is. He has to get some tests done and I can’t really say exactly what it is just yet because we are not sure and we have to work through some things."

Cruz didn't make the trip to Cincinnati and sophomore Tyler Samra got the start. As the same wore on, senior Tyler Bullock got worked into the rotation at right guard.

"Tyler (Samra) at times played well and at times he was average and made some mistakes, he made a mistake down on the goal line that cost us," Weist said. "Tyler (Bullock) came in and was a little rusty, played a little better in the run game they just did OK, we have to be better up front."

Weist wasn't happy with the play of freshman quarterback Tim Boyle who threw three interceptions and was sacked eight times. While the line struggled to contain Cincinnati's edge pass rushers, Boyle made things worse by stepping up into where the pressure was. He rarely faced pressure when he quarterbacked at Xavier so that is one area where he needs to get better.

"He has to make better decisions and not turn the ball over," Weist said. "We said we are going to be patient (with Boyle)  and we really have to look at it but he’s got a lot to learn. Last game we felt like we didn’t have as much to learn as this game because this game he had more pressure, he had three interceptions and he had some turnovers that cost us so he has to make a big step to get better this week. Our receivers played better. We got Shak (Phillips_ back, he came back and made some catches. He is not full speed yet but he will give us a weapon on the outside when he gets to be full speed because Geremy (Davis) is playing really good. We had some young receivers who came in, Noel Thomas and Dhameer Bradley came in and had a good game, (Deshon) Foxx stepped it up and played better even after the drop, made some good catches, some good plays after the catch for us. I think the tight ends played a little bit better overall. Our tailbacks, at times they were productive but we just have to get better on the line. Max stepped in as a tailback and made some good plays, Martin (Hyppolite) stepped in late and made some good plays and we feel good about that."

Weist suggested that he is considering a change in play calling duties. If he goes that way, quarterbacks coach Shane Day or running backs coach Kermit Buggs so we'll see what happens with that.

This is not how Kevin Friend envisioned his final year at UConn was going to play out.

The veteran offensive tackle has been a mainstay on the line during his sophomore and junior seasons but even before his senior campaign got underway he found himself in the unfamiliar role of reluctant spectator.

Friend suffered a concussion late in preseason camp which forced him to miss the season opener against Towson. Cleared to play against Maryland, Friend made his first start of the season but fell awkwardly to the ground when he was pushed by a Maryland defender. Friend suffered a high-ankle sprain in the first quarter of that game. He came back in for a couple of plays but then missed the rest of that contest as well as the Michigan and Buffalo games.

Finally, Friend was able to start and play the entire game against South Florida. However, he won't be remembered for the crushing blocks which helped to spring Lyle McCombs for a career-high 164 yards or his rock-solid effort in pass protection but his inability to corral the ball on the first quarter strip sack which turned into South Florida's only touchdown of the game.

Still,though all of his trials and tribulations, Friend has maintained a positive attitude.

"It definitely felt good to get back on that field," Friend said. "I haven’t played, I had a couple of snaps against Maryland but that was it. It has been kind of frustrating this season, I haven’t been about to be out on the field with my teammates and contribute in the game. I thought I played pretty well, there are obviously things watching film where I could have done (better) but just getting back into football will help me but overall I think I played a physical game and did a pretty good job."

And what about that fateful play when he failed to jump on the fumble by Tim Boyle

"We don’t really work on hand drills and I wasn’t really expecting it," Friend said. "My gloves, they are not like receivers’ gloves so I went to grab the ball and as soon as I got it in my right hand, somebody pushed me to that side and and I lost it, it popped right out. That was the biggest play of the game. I guess I have to work on (falling) on the ball better

"That play is not something I want to experience ever again, having the ball to where we could at least punt the ball, at least we would have had the ball to punt it if I had gotten it, it did a whole 180 and for them to put points on the board it was kind of heartbreaking."

Friend's consistent presence on the right side has been sorely missed. Xavier Hemingway and Dalton Gifford both had chances to fill in for him but they are both still very raw.

"I thought it was great he was able to get the full game under his belt, it was kind of like a preseason game for him in a sense," UConn offensive line coach Mike Foley said. "He got a concussion during camp, came back during camp finally for the Maryland game. He played eight plays and he is out again with the high-ankle (sprain). He came back, I thought he played a real solid game. There are some things that he is going to continue to work on but he is physical, he is starting to move better. He is a tough kid, he is physically tough and mentally tough. He doesn’t say a heck of a lot, he is a quiet guy but he has really worked hard to make himself a better player.

"He is a guy I remember when he was a redshirt freshman, we had a tackle go down and he had to go in the game against Rutgers. On the road you don't have a lot of guys, he gets hurt and he sprains an ankle and basically the trainer said he is going to be out and he said ‘I am ready to go.’ He went back out there and that just shows you the toughness, he was back on the field when we won the (Big East) championship down at South Florida Mike Ryan was hurt and he couldn’t go, a redshirt freshman and they have some very good people on the defensive line and he didn’t flinch. I have great faith in Kevin and I am happy for him. Hopefully he has gotten over the injury thing and he can move forward because it is a big plus to our offensive line."

It felt just like old times for Friend and the veteran members of the offensive line as Foley was back coaching the line following the firing of offensive line coach George DeLeone. UConn, which came into the game ranking last in the country in rushing yards per game, ran for a season-high 207 yards which is 42 more net rushing yards than the team had in the first four games of the season.

"I think Coach Foley is really emphasizing just being physical," Friend said. "We have schemes where we have a person but if he is not there, just hit somebody, be physical and if you make a mistake do it 100 miles an hour. A lot of times plays are not going to be perfect and if you hit someone, maybe the other guy overran the ball where Lyle can cut it back and make a big play like he did. I really like how we can play physical even if it is the wrong person, you can still turn that play into a positive."

Foley was an incredibly successful offensive line coach under Randy Edsall as the Huskies annually had one of the best rushing offenses in the country every season. However, when Paul Pasqualoni was hired he brought in George DeLeone to run the offense and take over the offensive line coaching duties. Foley moved to work with the tight ends.

In his first game back working with the offensive line Foley said there wasn't too much that he changed. He said there was only a couple of new plays which was brought out because he thought they would be successful against USF.

"There is one new play that we ran that we didn’t run before, a second play in our book that we didn’t run much," Foley said. "It is really an emphasis on what we did because those plays would be good against South Florida and you try to match up the run game.

"I liked the way they responded. I think they all have great respect for Coach DeLeone, it was a tough situation and it probably did help, particularly the older guys I have worked with them before so they had a feel for what I was like as a position coach so it is just the way it is, unfortunately it happened but I think they responded well."

Of course the strip sack is the one play most casual observers will recall from that game. At first glance it looked simply like left tackle was beaten off the edge and was responsible for giving up a defensive touchdown for the second week in a row. Foley said that is not the case.

"We gave up three sacks, I thought we had pretty good protection," Foley said. "The big run, Lyle’s run the receivers did a real good job, the offensive line did a good job and got him to the second level and the receivers did a great job blocking down the field. Protection is the same thing, it takes all 11 guys, the quarterback has to get the ball out of his hands, receivers have to get open, you can’t cut guys free out front, the back if he has a pickup has to make it. To me we gave up three sacks but two real sacks, the one that people wouldn’t think that was a big play and a couple of people had their hands in that one. Jimmy got his depth, turned his shoulders a little bit early, then you look at it and you have a young quarterback he is supposed to be at nine yards and he is at 12 and Jimmy pushes the guy by, that happens but you can’t let that one play take you down. We responded on the next series and Lyle has a big run. It is unfortunate but we have to recover that fumble, we have to chase that guy down and make them line up again."

Finally, Foley did answer a question I had about the offensive line and that is where Paul Nwokeji was when Friend was unable to play. I remember during preseason camp Nwokeji getting some first team reps at right tackle but DeLeone went to Hemingway and Gifford when Friend was unable to play.

"He hurt his elbow and some of that (time with the first and second-team offense) had to do with our depth, he was in the rotation, he is developing as a player right now some of those guys are back," Foley said.

With a new offensive coordinator and new running backs' coach it's really hard to predict how Lyle McCombs, the Huskies' leading rusher in the last two seasons, is going to be utilized this season but perhaps we will get a pretty good idea during tonight's season opener against Towson.

Head coach Paul Pasqualoni has mentioned his desire to have more than one tailback involved in the game plan so it will be interesting to see if Max DeLorenzo, Martin Hyppolite and freshman Josh Marriner get into the ball-carrying mix.

McCombs knows that despite rushing for more than 100 yards in two of the last three games during his sophomore season, the 2012 campaign was one he would like to forget. It sounds like that is exactly what he is claiming to be trying to do.

"I think the past is behind us and we are ready to move on and put up some numbers," McCombs said. "I am focusing on being a leader, being a spark to the offense and being the guy who is positive. When things aren’t going right to lead the troops and make sure we are still doing the job."

One area where McCombs could be used differently is in the passing game as there seems to be more of an emphasis on getting the ball to the running backs in the passing game.

"That would be nice but at the end of the day it is up to what Coach (Weist) wants to do," McCombs said. "If they need me to do it, I will do whatever they need me do."

Pasqualoni wants to see McCombs run with more discipline than he did a season ago.

"He is going to help himself a great deal by not trying to do too much and taking what he’s got, get back in the huddle and run the next play instead of trying to make big plays, just do your job and hit it up in there where it is supposed to go," Pasqualoni said. "The big ones will come, we don’t know when they will come but if you hit them up in there and play the right way they will come."

UConn junior tailback Lyle McCombs was named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award.

McCombs ran 860 yards and six touchdown during the 2012 season and his three 100-yard rushing efforts included a season-high 133 yards in an upset of Louisville. McCombs also caught 24 passes for 230 yards as a sophomore as he was one of 63 players named as candidates for the award, presented annually to the nation's top running back.

McCombs, a 5-foot-8 169-pound redshirt junior from Staten Island, N.Y., burst onto the scene as a freshman when he recorded six 100-yard games in the first nine contests of the 2011 season. He ran for 1,151 yards and seven touchdowns. He is one of nine UConn players to record more than 2,000 rushing yards and needs 505 yards to break into the top five.

The Doak Walker Award semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 25 and the winner will be revealed on Dec. 12.

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.

Just where the upset of nationally-ranked Louisville will go down in UConn folklore figures to be determined by just what happens in Saturday's regular-season finale.

If UConn wraps up the regular season with a win over Cincinnati, the Huskies will have secured a bowl bid which is something that seemed like a virtual impossibility following a loss at South Florida on Nov. 3 and that will make what transpired in Louisville all the more important. A loss to the Bearcats, especially a lopsided one, and it will be merely a footnote in a second-straight losing season.

“What it did for us is it makes this one (against Cincinnati) the most meaningful game we’ve played,” UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said. “The next game you play is always the most important one because it is the next game but obviously it is a game where we could become bowl eligible. It is the last game the seniors will play here at the Rent (Rentschler Field) so that Louisville game put us in position to have a pretty exciting game.”

Pasqualoni said that Christen was given the special teams’ game ball while the offensive game ball went to sophomore tailback Lyle McCombs, who ran for 133 yards. In a rare gesture, Pasqualoni said that the entire defensive unit was awarded the defensive game ball.

“It was very clear on the film how many guys (on defense) contributed to the win,” Pasqualoni said. “It started with doing a very good job on run defense, constantly putting them in second down and third down and longs where you kind of knew it was going to be a drop back type of thing instead of a play-action type of pass. They threw the ball 65 times in the game and that required us to use a lot of people. Guys like Julian Campenni came in and got a sack. B.J. McBryde came in and did a good job in the pass rush. Tim Willman came in and did a good job with the pass rush and Kenton Adeyemi came in and gave us a couple of rushes. I thought the guys inside did a good job of trying to keep (Louisville quarterback) Teddy Bridgewater in the pocket. It was an overall good team win. Obviously Blidi (Wreh-Wilson’s) play at the end was just a huge play to make that interception in the end zone.”

It wasn't pretty at the end but there were few complaints coming out of the UConn camp after Friday night's 24-17 victory over Pittsburgh except perhaps the belief that those outside the Huskies' inner circle were counting them out.

“It is a great feeling. We have been in four games this year when we lost the game by seven points or less,” UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said. “It is awfully nice to win under these circumstances.”

Coming into the game on a four-game losing streak and with all four of the games coming in the Big East, the UConn players knew that people outside the inner circle were already predicting that the Huskies would finish the season with seven straight losses and go winless in Big-East play.

“That is what got us motivated,” UConn senior defensive tackle Ryan Wirth said. “Everybody was putting a fork in us.”

The tone was set on the first offensive play of the game as Chandler Whitmer ran a bootleg to his right and hit a wide-open Ryan Griffin for a 12-yard gain. Lyle McCombs would add 29 yards on five carries while Whitmer would hook up with Griffin two more times including a 2-yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead with 8:31 left in the first quarter.

“I think we just came out and answered the call tonight,” UConn junior offensive guard Steve Greene said. “We set the tempo early. It feels great. It showed what we were capable of on national television."

UConn, which had not scored a touchdown in the second half in its first four Big East games, appeared primed to finally hit pay dirt as a 39-yard run by McCombs got the Huskies into the red zone. But on second down and 7 at the 14, Whitmer badly overthrew Griffin. Jarred Holley intercepted the pass in the end zone.Whitmer, who was 19 of 25 for 213 yards, atoned for his mistake with a key third-down completion to Shakim Phillips to allow the Huskies to run out the clock.

Whitmer was 19 of 25 for 213 yards while McCombs ran for 120 yards. Yawin Smallwood had nine tackles including the 100th of the season while Sio Moore had a pair of sacks. UConn senior defensive end 

Trevardo Williams left the game with a shoulder injury but Pasqualoni said the injury was not serious and he doesn’t expect him to miss any time.

Beginning with the start of fall camp there might not be another position on the UConn team more hotly contested than center.

After Moe Petrus was the unquestioned guy in the middle of the line in recent years, Penn State transfer Alex Mateas and Tyler Bullock were running neck and neck.

Mateas earned the No. 1 spot on the depth chart at the start of fall drills and remained there until yesterday when Tyler Bullock was named the starting center.

It's been an interesting competition because early on in camp I noticed that Bullock was seeing plenty of time with the first team offensive line before he was slowed by injury. Mateas started the first four games before he got hurt in the loss at Western Michigan.

Mateas, although he was in pads the following week when UConn hosted Buffalo, was held out of the game. He was back for the Rutgers game but it was Bullock who earned his second straight start and figures to start again when the Huskies host Temple on Saturday.


“During preseason camp there was a lot of competition for that spot,” Bullock said. “You sign up to come here and play and that is what we both wanted to do. Obviously the injury had a huge impact on my outcome at the start of the season. That is just the way the game is. Guys will go down and you have to pick up the pieces and go in for that offensive position. We have nothing against each other, we are teammates. I’ll help him and he will help me, we give each other advice. That is pretty much how that is going so far.”

Matteas, a redshirt sophomore, began his career at Penn State before opting to transfer. He started the first four games before injuring his ankle in a loss at Western Michigan. Mateas was in uniform against Buffalo but was held out with the hopes that the extra week of rest would help him get closer to 100 percent. He got some time in last week’s loss to Rutgers. Even though he is healthy enough to return to a starting role, Mateas doesn’t not blame the coaching staff for keeping Bullock in the starting lineup for UConn’s game with Temple on Saturday.

“It has been a close battle between me and Tyler Bullock,” Mateas said. “At that point in time the coaches decided that he was healthy and he’s been practicing pretty well. I think they made the right decision because he did have a very good game (against Rutgers).

"On Saturday against Rutgers I did get a couple snaps. It definitely could have gone a little better. I didn’t change anything in my preparation. It is not what I expect from myself and definitely not what the coaches expect. I have some work to do to get back but me and Bullock will be fighting for the spot I hope a little longer.”

Interestingly enough, it was the process of recovering from an injury which ultimately resulted in Mateas leaving Penn State for UConn.

“It was just a difference of opinion on some treatment,” Mateas said. “It wasn’t anything that was extremely horrible in terms of the injury but I felt like it was the best decision and it looks like it has turned out pretty well for me. I am very happy with where I am but it is time to get back in there a little bit, get healthy and start fighting again.”

Obviously much has changed since Mateas left Penn State. Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno resigned under pressure shortly before his death because of the handling of the sexual abuse allegations against his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday. The NCAA came down hard on Penn State for their handling of a Sandusky situation. Connecticut natives Silas Redd and Khairi Fortt were among the players who transferred.

"I've definitely been in touch with a couple of the guys I was really close with," Mateas said. "It is tough for them to talk about it even with me even though we are good buddies but it is just something tough to talk about. I think the players who decide to transfer or players who decide to stay on the team or stay at school, most of the guys are happy with their decision. They are slowly getting over it and getting over it in the right way so I think it is good."

Following Saturday's loss to Rutgers, Lyle McCombs talked briefly about his regrets that a fight with his girlfriend led to both of them being charged with a misdemeanor for breach of peace.

McCombs, who was held out of the game for the first quarter because of his indiscretion, went a little further on Tuesday saying that he was a distraction to his teammates and apologizing for his actions.

"The only thing I can say is I apologize," McCombs said. "It makes me and her seem like people we are not. I have already apologized to her for that and hopefully people can forgive me for this situation. I am really sorry about it. It is uncharacteristic for me. I am looking to learn from it and hope and pray to move on and learn a big lesson.

"I need to be as careful as possible and I put myself in a tough situation.

"At the end of the day I was a distraction with what happened. I apologized to my teammates. I don’t want to say I am to blame for the game on Saturday but I was a distraction."

McCombs is expected to start at tailback when the Huskies host Temple on Saturday at 1 p.m.

These are the times when team captains and leaders show what they are made of.

UConn had a forgettable performance in losing at Rutgers in the Huskies Big East opener and now comes the aftermath. The good news is that 10 seniors and five four-year juniors who started against the Scarlet Knights so they have the people in place to be able to move forward.



“We have to go back to drawing board,” UConn senior linebacker Sio Moore said. “We have to figure out what we need to do in order to get these W’s on a consistent basis and not a roller coaster effect. It is just not productive especially for the seniors; this will not be the way we go out. There will be change, there is no other choice.

“You figure out what you have to do and get the mistakes corrected, It is very frustrating for a team like ours because we are a good team. We sat there and busted our tail through the entire week preparing for this game and we can’t lose sight of that kind of faith to keep working in that manner and start putting wins on top of wins.”


UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said on a Sunday conference call that he considers the punishment for sophomore running back Lyle McCombs to be “a done deal.”McCombs was arrested for second degree breach of peace on Friday and Pasqualoni held McCombs out until the second quarter against Rutgers.

“My sense of it is that it is a done deal,” Pasqualoni said. “I tried to make certain that I had all the facts and I knew what direction it was going before I allowed him to play.”

Pasqualoni also said sophomore reserve fullback Mike Osiecki of Seymour suffered a concussion on Saturday and he is considered to be day to day. Osiecki spent most of the first two quarters sitting on the trainer’s table but after the initial evaluation indicated that Osiecki had a concussion, he did not return to the game.

UConn sophomore Lyle McCombs, who was arrested on Friday on second degree breach of peace following an alleged argument outside the Hilltop Apartments on Friday.


McCombs only said it was a “coach’s decision” and did not offer further comment on the situation.
Pasqualoni said “Lyle, unfortunately, violated a team policy and we will move on from there.”

Pasqualoni said he has been briefed on McCombs situation and he does not anticipate any further disciplinary action.

McCombs teammates made a point of offering support to him on the sideline when he was left to watch Hyppolite and DeLorenzo struggle to find holes against the well-designed and relentless Scarlet Knights’ defense.

“Lyle will be all right,” UConn senior linebacker Sio Moore said. “He is a hard-working kid. I am with Lyle all the time. He is always in my room and I am one of the guys who kind of took him under my wing. I’ve talked to him and he is going to be all right. He’s got the flame under him. He is going to come back and be all right.”

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.

Considering that Lyle McCombs is coming off a 1,000-yard season as a freshman and the Huskies return four offensive linemen with previous starting experience and both of its top tight ends, the struggles of the UConn offense to run on a consistently effective basis is a bit of a head scratcher.

Heading into tomorrow's game against Maryland, the Huskies have been saying all the right things about how the necessary adjustments have been made and they still believe in their ability to churn out yardage on the group.


“It is just little things we need to get fixed,” said McCombs, who is averaging just 78 yards and 3.3 yards per carry in the Huskies’ first two games. “It is uncharacteristic for this team to make mistakes like that but I think we will get it straight. It definitely surprised me but there is a reason for it. The running game has been good (in the past) and we have taken it for granted.”

Of course, talk is cheap. We'll see tomorrow what happens when UConn faces 3rd-and-1, 3rd-and-2 situations and if they'll be able to win the battle at the line of scrimmage of get back to being a dominant team running the ball.

Of all the numbers to crunch off Thursday night's season-opening 37-0 win none may be more impressive as 38 as in that UMass got no further than its own 38 yard line in being shutout for the first time in 199 games.

The defensive stars were many. Sophomore middle linebacker Yawin Smallwood led the way with seven tackles and 3.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a sack. Trevardo Williams also had a sack (the 20th of his career) while Dwayne Gratz returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown.

When the game is replayed there will be no lack of highlight-variety hits to catch the attention of the viewers.

"We are going to go for the big hits," Smallwood said. "We are going to go for the big plays and make sure we make the big plays. I feel like that is going to help our defense out going forward."

Pasqualoni loves the speed of the defense but he was quick to note that UConn was playing a UMass team playing its first game at the FBS level.

"We practice that way," Pasqualoni said. "We practice fast. I don't know if it is going to look that fast next week. We've got guys who can run. Blidi (Wreh-Wilson), the corners can run they really can. Sio (Moore) can run, Yawin can run pretty good. The two defensive ends, Trevardo (Williams) can run so we've got some guys (who can run)."

Chandler Whitmer was 7 of 9 passing in the second half and finished with 219 yards. He'd like to have both of his interceptions back but he was able to get the ball to seven different receivers led by sophomore Geremy Davis' five receptions. Nick Williams finished with 143 all-purpose yards while Lyle McCombs ran for 82 yards and had another 23 receiving.

Williams was not the only star on special teams as Chad Christen was 3 for 3 on field goals and had four touchdowns on kickoffs while Taylor Mack blocked a punt which was recovered in the end zone by Max DeLorenzo.

The downer from the game could be the knee injury suffered by senior defensive end Teddy Jennings.

"I don't know for sure (the extent of the injury). I haven't been in the training room."

Also, with the investigation into academic irregularities going on at Hillhouse where there are accusations of changing course names and altering grade to get athletics eligible to play by the NCAA, I asked Pasqualoni for an update on Hillhouse grad and freshman offensive lineman Rennick Bryan. I did not see Bryan on the sidelines and he did not play.

"We are just trying to gather as much information as we can right now," Pasqualoni said.

BIG NIGHT FOR FORMER HUSKIES
It's uncertain whether former UConn stars Marcus Easley and Jordan Todman will be on NFL rosters when the teams go from 75 players to 53 by this afternoon but they certainly aided their cause on Thursday night.

Easley returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, caught the ensuing 2-point conversion and also had a 20-yard reception in Buffalo's 38-32 loss to Detroit while Todman had a 76-yard touchdown run in Minnesota's 28-24 loss to Houston. Todman ran 10 times for 114 yards and also caught five passes for 21 yards. I also thought it was interesting that Kashif Moore not only signed with Indianapolis earlier this week but he played and had a 15-yard catch for the Colts against Cincinnati, the team that cut him.