Last night there was a report that UConn senior receiver Shakim Phillips was on the Boston College campus and he could transfer back to the school where he began his collegiate career.

The latest twist came on Wednesday when a source confirmed that Phillips is no longer a part of the team (first reported by the Hartford Courant) although he is still enrolled at UConn. He is looking to complete the requirements for graduation and if he does so, he would be immediately eligible to play at another school in the fall.

Phillips' loss is a substantial one as he was one of the most dynamic offensive players for the Huskies. It's easy to wonder how the 2013 season would have played out had Phillips not injured his hamstring during a 75-yard touchdown reception late in a loss to Maryland.

Phillips had 15 catches for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games of the season. Phillips and Geremy Davis formed a productive 1-2 punch at receiver. Phillips missed the next two games and managed just 13 catches during the remainder of the season before sitting out the final two games with an ankle injury.

He finished third on the team with 28 receptions during the 2013 season and had 60 receptions in two seasons with the Huskies. Injuries kept Phillips on the sideline for most of spring practice and he did not play in the spring game.

If there is a silver lining it is that receiver is position where the Huskies have the most experience. Not only is Davis back but Deshon Foxx came on strong late in the season. Brian Lemelle, Dhameer Bradley, Noel Thomas, John Green and Kamal Abrams are all returning receivers who had catches during the 2013 season. Also, if the spring game is any indication, UConn could utilize two running backs and a tight end more than in the past couple of seasons which would mean more two-receiver sets. However, other than redshirt freshman Thomas Lucas, whose 25-yard catch was the longest in the spring game, none of the players who could replace Phillips offer the size that the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Phillips brought to the table.

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.

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.

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.

A week ago at this time Shakim Phillips thought he had finally overcome his troublesome hamstring issues.

After missing two games after tweaking his hamstring during a 75-yard touchdown reception against Maryland Phillips was able to practice and returned to action against South Florida. Then, six plays later Phillips found himself back on the sidelines.

Phillips has gotten back on the practice field and even he doesn't know what his status is for tomorrow's game against Cincinnati.

"You think you are ready to go, you do certain things and you feel fine and then you actually get out on the field and you are really competing, battling and you are trying to do certain things and you can’t do it," Phillips said. "It is frustrating because hamstring injuries are nagging injuries and you never know when it exactly is healed. We didn’t want to hurt is any more so we shut it down.

"It got worse, it (gradually) got worse. The first play I felt fine just like in warmups and then I made a certain cut and I kept going, going and going. After a while it began hurting.

It is crazy honestly. I just want to be out there with my team and help us win. Now that I can’t do that."

T.J. Weist would love to be able to run the dynamic Phillips out there without restriction tomorrow but hamstring injuries are just so unpredictable.

"A lot of injuries you can put a timeline on, this one takes a week, this one takes a month but this one is anywhere from a week to two months because you just don’t know how severe it is," Weist said.

UConn interim head coach T.J. Weist said that senior offensive lineman Tyler Bullock and sophomore defensive back David Stevenson have been reinstated after both were suspended indefinitely.

"We got Tyler Bullock back so he is off his suspension so he will give us some added depth," Weist said on a Thursday conference call. "It was more he and Warde making the decision of what is best for them both, going through the legal process. We said it was an indefinite suspension, we knew it was going to be at least one game with him not having a prior record and not having done anything wrong before we took that into consideration."

Stevenson's return could help fill the void if Taylor Mack misses another game which is looking more likely as Weist said Mack is doubtful and that there could be some nerve damage with his shoulder injury. Linebacker Graham Stewart is also doubtful while linebacker Ryan Donohue could be back this week. Weist said he is still in a wait and see scenario with WR Shakim Phillips and Brian Lemelle.

"We have to see what happens with Lemelle," Weist said. He practiced yesterday but no contact. He is questionable.

"(Phillips) practiced yesterday but not necessarily full speed and still day by day. A lot of injuries you can put a timeline on, this one takes a week, this one takes a month but this one is anywhere from a week to two months because you just don’t know how severe it is. Ryan (Donohue) is back and he is probable, he practiced yesterday it wasn’t contact but he did practice. Graham Stewart is doubtful. He practiced some but didn’t have a full practice. Taylor Mack is doubtful, still hasn’t practiced yet and still hasn’t showed enough strength to come back. (He has) some nerves in the shoulder, it hard to come back from, I think he will play but I have to see in practice. Some of the guys who I thought were probable (last week) didn’t make it (back)."

Weist said they made more game-type practices this week as he followed up on his vow to open up the competition at receiver and tight end following the issues with dropped passes last week. Weist said that freshman receiver Dhameer Bradley and Noel Thomas looked good and could have larger roles in the offense while E.J. Norris could see more time at tight end.

It has not been the easiest of senior seasons for starting right offensive tackle Kevin Friend.

Friend missed the season opener as he recovered from a concussion suffered in practice. He returned the next week against Maryland but injured his ankle after he was pushed to the ground during the first quarter. He attempted to come back in and play but simply couldn't put enough weight on the ankle to play. He missed the last two games as well. However, on a conference call earlier today interim UConn coach T.J. Weist said Friend has been able to practice all week long.

"Kevin has practiced, basically all week and he looks better in terms of being able to go," Weist said. "We are taking it day by day but he has practiced well."

That would be a major boost for the UConn offense as Friend's replacements (Xavier Hemingway and Dalton Gifford) are still a bit raw and have struggled.

When he met with the media on Tuesday Weist discussed the impact that Friend could have on a struggling offense if he were able to return.

"If your starting tackles are out on either end you’ve got problems. We haven’t had the depth, the quality of depth that we need to step up and take their place. Obviously we need that and we can’t go on the waiver wire to get more guys so yes he is very important for us, any offensive line that has movement, that has guys moving around."

Of the players considered to be questionable, WR Kamal Abrams seems to be the most likely to play against South Florida followed by Friend, CB Taylor Mack and WR Shakim Phillips. Don't expect to see either LB Graham Stewart or DB Andrew Adams out there on Saturday.

Weist said that Phillips practiced yesterday and today will be a key day to see how his tender hamstring feels.

"We’ll see how he feels," Weist said. "Taylor Mack practiced and he is still questionable. He looks a little bit better and we will find out at practice today.  Andrew Adams had a little bit of contact yesterday, he is truly questionable coming off of surgery so he is just starting back into contact from that standpoint. Kamal has practiced and he is almost full go for us and he is ready to go. Stewart is not probable, he hasn’t practiced for us."

It's looking like cornerback Taylor Mack will be back when UConn hosts South Florida on Saturday. On the weekly American Athletic Conference call interim head coach T.J. Weist said starting right offensive tackle Kevin Friend was able to practice on a limited basis on Sunday and he hopes to get him back as well.

"Friend looks good, he practiced a little the other day," Wesit said. "He is still questionable and once we do get him back, hopefully we get him back for this game, it will solidify that offensive line which is what we need. If you are weak at one spot, it really weakens the whole thing. We’ll see if I can get him out to practice tomorrow, he will still be questionable for us but if I can get him back that would really help our offensive line."

Neither WR Shakim Phillips nor LB Graham Stewart has returned to practice yet and it doesn't sound like Stewart is coming back soon.

"(Shakim) Phillips hasn’t practiced yet, he is still questionable," Weist said. "That hamstring is going on a little longer than we thought. We will take it day by day with him and it would be a bonus if we can get him back.

"He hasn’t been back, he has still been walking around in a boot, we will see if we get him back but I don’t think it is going to be any time soon."

The biggest surprise on the two-deep chart which was released yesterday was seeing Andrew Adams listed as a second-stringer safety. Adams saw plenty of time last season in nickel packages and he was in line to be a starting safety before he injured his shoulder in a blocking drill late in preseason camp. The thought was he would miss about eight games if he was able to come back at all. However. he was out there doing some non-contact drills on Sunday.

"(Adams) is questionable more than anything," Weist said. "He practiced the other day but it was no contact, he was really just getting out there and getting loose. He has come back pretty fast, he has come back pretty strong but he hasn’t really taken that first hit yet. We are not going to depend on him, it would be a bonus if we get him but he did practice some on the non-contact period so we will kind of see and kind of go from there."

So what would Adams' return mean to the secondary which has been pressing freshmen into duty because of injuries.

"It is unbelievable because he is such a good leader and the players respect him," Weist said. "When you’ve got a guy like that who has played a lot of football, the guys back there respect him and he gives you that solid force that you need in the secondary. We have some young guys around him who can so ‘OK, here’s a guy who is going to recognize formations and those things.’ He adds that maturity and experience."

Weist talked about the week in general and it was a week ago today when Paul Pasqualoni was let go as head coach and offensive line George DeLeone was also fired.

"It’s been a tough week for us last week obviously going through some transition, starting out 0-4 and not reaching our expectations," Weist said. "It is always tough to go through change and decide who is going to take over and how they are going to do it. Our players have responded well and they have done a good job from that standpoint. This offseason we had three good practices, we gave our players a little bit of time off. We are looking forward this week to getting back and playing football going up against a good South Florida team that did a good job against Cincinnati. Our guys are excited, it has been tough but our guys are excited to get back to football and really get a fresh start with a different perspective for me as a head coach, our coaching staff and making some changes."

It was also announced that the Oct. 19 game against Cincinnati will start at noon

UConn junior safety Ty-Meer Brown was one of nine defensive backs to earn honorable mention recognition from the College Football Performance Awards site.

Brown had eight tackles,one of the Huskies' season-high 10 tackles for loss, forced a fumble and returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown in Saturday's 24-21 loss to Michigan.

Iowa's B.J. Lowery was named the national FBS Defensive Back of the Week after returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in a span of 3:34 in a 59-3 win over Western Michigan.

Brown is the second UConn player to earn CFPA honors this season as receiver Shakim Phillips was an honorable mention selection after his big game against Maryland.

Linebacker Yawin Smallwood was named to the American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll after recording 13 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble against Michigan.

It's looking more and more like it will be the dreaded "game-time decision" status for UConn's three injured starters.

On a conference call with the media earlier this afternoon, UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said he considers offensive tackle Kevin Friend, wide receiver Shakim Phillips and linebacker Graham Stewart to be questionable which was also how he referred to them on Tuesday.

"We are going to look at them again today," Pasqualoni said. "Kevin is moving around, Shak is moving around, Graham is moving around. As we go out to practice, we are going to look at them today. I would say they are questionable as of this afternoon.

"We have all day Saturday. We have our meetings and all of that so we will get a real good evaluation by Saturday game time."

So if Phillips, who has the most receiving yards through two games as any UConn receiver since 1989, can't do who will replace him?

"John Green will go in," Pasqualoni said, "John did in and did a good job last week. We are working a bunch of people, Dhameer Bradley, Noel Thomas, Thomas Lucas trying to bring him along as well as he is a tall kind of a same type of guy as Shak so we are working those guys and it is just a matter of how much we can get them, how much they can get ready and what they can get ready to do by Saturday."

This is where the departure of Tebucky Jones, coming off a big game in Fordham's win over Temple and Ricky Gutierrez, one of the more impressive receivers during spring ball, hurts the Huskies since the last three receivers Pasqualoni mentioned are true freshmen with Lucas not moving over to offense until late in preseason camp.

If Friend can't go or if hobbled by a high-ankle sprain, Xavier Hemingway and Dalton Gifford are the candidates to step in at right tackle.

"We are optimistic for Kevin but we are working Dalton Gifford and Xavier Hemingway," Pasqualoni said.

Considering how much Hemingway has struggled filling in for Friend in the first two games and Pasqualoni admitting - at least in the Towson game - that he wished he had given him some help I asked Pasqualoni whether it will change the way he utilizes his fullbacks and tight ends in an attempt to keep quarterback Chandler Whitmer protected.

"There are a few things you can do in the protection that can help over there," Pasqualoni said. "It is not always just keeping another guy in, sometimes you can slide the line, you can keep another guy in, you can roll out away from it so we have all of those mechanisms and we are certainly aware of it."

Shakim Phillips' 255 yards receiving is the most for a UConn receiver
through the first two games of the season in nearly 25 seasons

While I was in the process of putting together a story on Shakim Phillips and his hopes that he tender hamstring will allow him to play against Michigan on Saturday I was curious where his receiving totals through two games ranks in recent UConn history.

So I started going back through the years. It started on this very computer but that only got me back to 2007. Then I was given access to the UConn media guides and began to go back, back, back and back some more.

As recent as 2005 Jason Williams had 200 yards through the first two games but that is still a far cry from the 255 Phillips has piled up. Dak Newton and Carl Bond hit the 240-yard mark in the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Then in 1991 Alex Davis had 249 yards but that still didn't top what Phillips accomplished. Finally it was Mark Didio who was the receiver who had more yards through two games than Phillips as he had 283 yards in the first two contests of the 1989 season. As a point of reference, that was three years before Phillips was born. Of course the question is whether Phillips will be able to add to that total on Saturday. He vows to play but we'll have to see how his hamstring reacts to the strain of practices moving forward this week.

An interesting note is that Geremy Davis' 154 yards through the first two games would have been the most since 2005 if not for Phillips.

Here's the list
Player Season    Rec. yards (catches)
Mark Didio 1989 283 (16)
Shakim Phillips 2013 255 (15)
Mark Didio 1990 249 (9)
Alex Davis 1991 244 (14)
Carl Bond 1997 240 (11)
Dak Newton 1996 240 (10)
Mark Didio 1991 208 (16)
John Fitzsimmons 1998 203 (11)
Jason Williams 2005 200 (10)
Shaun Feldeisen 2003 171 (11)
John Fitzsimmons 2000 171 (7)

Junior receiver Shakim Phillips was pretty confident that his tender hamstring will not keep him out of Saturday's game against No. 15 Michigan while senior offensive tackle Kevin Friend is another of the key players undergoing multiple treatments a day in an attempt to get back on the field.

"I feel good, I am all right. I think I will be (able to play)," said Phillips, who was injured during his 75-yard touchdown reception in the loss to Maryland.."Around like the 20 I felt something. When you are in the game you kind of feel something but there is no way I am going to stop now. I am not going to quit or anything like that so I felt running and tried to push through it. It feels a lot better than it did on Saturday, I am just doing rehab three times a day trying to get to get back as fast as possible.

"It happens and that is just the way the game works. I just have to keep doing treatments and I will be all right. I feel a lot better, I am able to move a lot better. It wasn’t really bad, bad where I couldn’t walk but I did need some help"

If Phillips is frustrated, imagine what Friend is going through. He missed the season-opening loss to Towson due to concussion-like symptoms and was able to get back in the mix only to get knocked out of the game in the first half.

"It is so frustrating," Friend said. "I wish I could be out there because I could help us be better as a team.

"I do what they tell me. I am doing everything I can do to get back and make some plays."

Friend suffered a high-ankle sprain when he was pushed to the ground by a Maryland defender. Friend got up slowly and started to line up when he was pulled from the game. He did return but was pulled from the game again and this time he did not return.

"It was terrible," Friend said. "I was so psyched for the game, the adrenaline is rushing and I was doing pretty good and (it happening) early in the first quarter too I was so frustrated, I felt awful watching my team knowing that they need me out there, It is disappointing, I am a competitor and I want to compete."

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said he considers Friend, Phillips and starting linebacker Graham Stewart question for the Michigan game.

"They are working hard doing their part for the rehab part," Pasqualoni said. (UConn athletic trainer) Bob Howard is working on them as hard as he can and the kids are working as hard as they can. We’ll have to see how it goes, they are getting a little bit better. They were a little better yesterday and a little better today so we will see how it goes."

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now that the UConn women's basketball team's march to an eighth national title is over, I am back in Connecticut and it is time to catch up with the progress of the football team during spring camp.

I was up in Storrs today to catch the first half hour of practice before the team held a scrimmage that was closed to the newspaper reporters.

At the first couple of practices I attended, I was impressed with the energy of new offensive coordinator and receivers coach T.J. Weist who has been known to sprint 40 yards down the field to high five one of his receivers after a great catch. Following today's festivities something else caught my eye and that was the rapport that he has already developed with his players. Well after the scrimmage was over Weist engaged in an impromptu game of volleyball using a football as a prop with his receivers. When that was over, he posed with a photo with his beaming group of pass catchers at the request of Weist's wife.


“I love him,” said junior receiver Shakim Phillips. “He is high energy all the time. We try to outwork him all the time. It is hard to outwork him but we try to outwork him. He is running around like crazy, he is a great coach. He teaches more of technique and more of the fundamentals and that is helping us out.”

Weist came to UConn from Cincinnati so he did arrive with some knowledge of the personnel that he has to work with but spring practice has been a time for him to not only install a new offense but also discover the playmakers he has in the fold.

“I am new, of course, and I have to learn the guys,” Weist said. “But, it is almost like any school you are at it doesn't matter if you are coming off a national championship season, you've got to get a feel for the personnel even if you know your guys, you usually have young guys who are taking over. It has been a little bit of a combination of both not just me getting to know the players and know them off the field but also getting to know them and what they are able to do, that is key for me. If I had been here for years I would be doing the same thing, OK what is our personnel and that is what we talk about as a staff, what groupings can we use, what plays can we run, what concepts can we use, what are the best runs with the people that we have and that is what we are deciding right now and what is best for our personnel. The good thing is I think we are very well rounded, all of our positions have really developed and I am really pleased with that.”

Weist came in knowing he had a returning starting quarterback in Chandler Whitmer, starting tailback (Lyle McCombs), a pair of playmaking receivers (Phillips and Geremy Davis) and six offensive linemen who started games last season.

He has been thrilled with the way the returnees have meshed with the untested youngsters.

“We are probably on schedule on where we want to be. I think we are progressing well every single day as we understand, learn and execute the offense,” Weist said. “I think in these scrimmages players are executing with the physicality, good understanding and good finish and that is how we are learning how to play, we are creating our identity on offense and that is what we want to see.”

Weist raved about the how Chandler Whitmer continues to grow into a leadership role at quarterback.


"I think he is playing very confident, not just in the fact that we understands the offense but he built up a rapport with the skill guys in the offseason," Weist said. "Those guys know each other, not just the backs but the tight ends, receivers, he feels good about leading them because those guys have worked in the offseason, they have come together, (run) routes. I think when Chandler drops back, he feels like he knows his backs, he knows his tight ends and he knows what they are going to do and that makes a huge difference because now they can execute and make plays, he is playing with confidence because he is a leader. He is motivating guys, the guys respect him. He has thrown some good footballs because he feels good about not only executing the offense but executing the offense against our defense. Our defense gives us a lot of different looks, a lot of different problems and unless it is man or zone or press whatever it is, he is feeling comfortable because he has a veteran offensive line that is coming together, they are playing physical, they are understanding, they are picking up a lot of defenses and he is feeling a little better in the pocket and that combination of having a better relationship with your receivers and feeling better with protection,it lets him get rid of the ball faster."


Saturday’s scrimmage ended with redshirt freshman cornerback Jhavon Williams returning an interception about 80 yards for a score. … Sophomore running back Joe Williams left the scrimmage with an apparent left ankle injury and he had a walking boot on his left leg following practice. ..Xavier Hemingway, who has seen most of the first-team snaps at left offensive tackle with starting tackle Jimmy Bennett recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, was held out of practice. … Nick Apostolu, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman out of Springfield (Pa.) High, was in attendance at Saturday’s scrimmage.

                                                        (Associated Press photo)
Coming off his first season as UConn's starting quarterback
Chandler Whitmer is looking to become more of a leader. 

A year ago there was a sense of uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position heading into the spring as incumbent Johnny McEntee, junior-college transfer Chandler Whitmer, former top recruit Michael Nebrich and wildcat QB Scott McCummings were vying for the top spot while hot-shot freshman Casey Cochran was hoping to play his way into the equation.

What a difference 12 months can make.

Whitmer used a solid spring camp and a strong showing in the spring game to win the job and Nebrich transferred to Fordham shortly after failing to secure the No. 1 job. McEntee was the No. 2 QB for the entire season while McCummings continued to be used to run the ball out of the wildcat.

Fast forward to this year and Whitmer is clearly the guy for the Huskies. McCummings is back hoping to show new offensive coordinator T.J. Weist that he can do more than just run the ball and Cochran is healthy and in better physical condition than he was at any point last season. In the fall the quarterback position will be somewhat crowded with the arrival of freshmen Tim Boyle, Richard Lagow and Kivon Taylor but during spring drills there is time for the trio of scholarship quarterbacks to establish their roles.

Last year Whitmer was so focused on trying to win the starting job and learn the offense that he didn't always have time to establish himself as a leader on and off the field. He is hoping to change that.


"There were times last season when I kind of kicked myself for not being more of a vocal leader and getting guys going so that is something I really want to focus on this spring," Whitmer said.

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said that the comfort level of having Whitmer back is a significant bonus for the Huskies.


"It is a big deal in the sense that Chandler was a first-year player last year," Pasqualoni said. "Obviously he has 12 tough games in him, he has been here now for a solid year and I think that showed with the way that he played. We are looking for Casey to be a little more comfortable as well. I think that part of it is good and I think it is a big deal for us.

"Casey is in the best shape he has been in since he has been here. He has his weight down under control so his stamina, his endurance, the way he is running I am pleased with that. I want to see him take care of the ball a little more, he missed a snap under center, threw a pick (in Monday's practice). We had a couple of turnovers with him in there, we had two turnovers in four plays. He has to do a better job with that, he has to get familiar with it, he has to get comfortable with it and I want to see progress. I want to see the progress over the last seven weeks, I want to see it over the next eight weeks."

Cochran was likely going to be redshirted during the 2012 season but once he had a mishap at home when he fell off his bike, it was a no-brainer decision to allow Cochran to sit out his true freshman season. Now he is trying to at least make a statement that he is the No. 2 quarterback and perhaps if he can play well enough he can push Whitmer as well.

"It was frustrating being hurt and just having to do rehab and stuff like that, it was a learning experience," Cochran said. "It just comes with experience. I came in here at this time last year and I know so much more than I did at this point last year. Since my first practice last year I have improved 20 percent at least but there is so much I can do I need to do to get better.

"In spring that is the biggest thing at any position to show what you have going into the summer and going into the camp, it gives a basis of what you can do and what the team can expect out of you so I think it is a big deal for guys to show up in the spring and work as hard as you can."

With the three freshmen quarterbacks coming in, competition for practice time at quarterback will be intense in the next couple of years. Cochran figured that would be the case when he signed with the Huskies.

"There is competition at every school," Cochran said. "Every school is going to have four to five quarterbacks, just working as hard as I can every day and doing as much as I can.

"Chandler played last year and he is a great player and so is Scott, it is not like we are all on our own out there. We are all working together and working with Coach (Shane) Day and that is the best thing we can do."

UConn lost receivers Nick Williams and Michael Smith as well as tight ends Ryan Griffin and John Delahunt to graduation but Whitmer likes the talent and potential in the returning core of receivers.

"I am really excited about our receivers, we have some good guys coming back," Whitmer said. "Shak (Shakim Phillips) and Geremy (Davis) are obviously big-time guys and the younger guys have put in a lot of work."