The list of former UConn players heading to the Canadian Football League grew this week as running back Andre Dixon was signed by British Columbia and Hamilton signed tight end John Delahunt.

They join long snapper Martin Bedard (Montreal), defensive ends Cody Brown (Montreal), Julius Williams (British Columbia) and Lindsey Witten (Edmonton), safety Jordan Younger (Toronto) and receiver/return specialist Larry Taylor (Calgary) as UConn products on CFL rosters.

Delahunt, who had 18 catches for 223 yards as a senior, becomes the ninth member of the 2012 UConn football team to make it into a pro training camp.

Former UConn defensive end Lindsey Witten has been signed by the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos.

Witten, who was a first-team All-Big East selection as a senior at UConn in 2009 when he had 14 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks, is getting his second chance at the CFL as he was signed by Calgary back in 2011.

Witten was signed by the Pittsbirgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2010 but never got into a game with Pittsburgh. He was signed by the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League after being cut by the Steelers but did not play a down for Hartford. Witten did have three tackles for Chicago of the Arena Football League in 2012 and now he has a chance with the Eskimos, a team with no players who had more than six sacks last season.

A rundown of Tuesday's media luncheon.

• Lindsey Witten and Cody Endres both have a stomach virus, and won't be practicing today. Endres woke up at 4 a.m. vomiting, while Witten and long snapper Glenn Kolebrenner were throwing up in the trainer's room this morning. Brandon Dillon and Kendall Reyes had the same bug prior to the North Carolina game, but both were able to play. It's not swine flu, or anything major. Edsall says he expects both to be fine within 24 hours.

• If Witten continues at his current pace, he'll have 42 sacks by the end of the regular season. "He's been very good," UConn cornerback Robert McClain said. "He's coming off the ball with strength and speed. It's crazy the things he's doing out there. And that's a big part of us getting interceptions in the defensive backfield. Without pressure on the quarterback, they can't make bad decisions."

• Scott Lutrus remains questionable with post-stinger syndrome. He says he's not in pain, but the medical staff is more concerned with him being re-injured. "I have full range of motion now, it's just a matter of can I take the hits," Lutrus said. He'll participate in all non-contact drills this week, and it could be another game-time decision. (By the way, I don't know if post-stinger syndrome is an actual medical term, I just made it up...if it isn't, maybe they can name it after Scott. Lutrus Syndrome, anyone?)

• The heat inside the Shenkman Center will be set on "Texas level" this week. It's expected to be mild in Waco on Saturday, but mild in Waco is still 82 degrees. "The game will be in the heat of the day (4 p.m. Texas time)," Edsall said. "I'm sure that's on purpose."

• A mild controversy at the press conference with Edsall was eventually cleared up before the afternoon was finished. A reporter told Edsall that Cody Endres, in his postgame interview, "hinted he wasn't prepared to go in there" against North Carolina. It caught Edsall off-guard and really seemed to agitate him that his starting quarterback for this week would say anything like that. At one point, Edsall, slowly stewing over the perceived comment from his QB, seemed ready to bench Endres for freshman Michael Box right there during the press conference. "If Mike Box plays well in practice today, maybe we'll just have to go with Mike Box," Edsall said. "I don't know. We'll see what happens." Apparently, Edsall got Endres in his office a little later to discuss the comment. Edsall eventually brought Endres, still sick, in to see the remaining media members and clear things up. "I don't remember saying anything to this effect at all," Endres said. Chalk it up to misinterpretation.

• Obviously, Edsall would like to keep Box's redshirt season in tact, but with Frazer out for at least two games, he said Box is next in line should Endres get hurt.

• Edsall was asked if he ever calls any offensive plays. He said in 11 years, he hasn't called a single play. "That's why you hire coordinators," he said. Edsall said he may change a play if he wants, but he usually waits until a series is over before doing so. It's never vetoed before it gets to the huddle. Plays are called by Joe Moorehead, and Rob Ambrose before him, and Norries Wilson before him. (I'm leaving someone else out, but that's before my time on the beat).

• The funny thing about the no huddle...if you're not making plays, what's the point? Edsall knows his team needs to execute on offense for the new scheme to be effective, or else it's just rushing the defense back onto the field in a hurry. That was the case against UNC, where the Huskies had four 3-and-outs in the second half. "We have to sustain drives," Edsall said.

• Freshman receiver Nick Williams will be simulating Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin in practice this week. No word on whether Williams has been fitted for a jet pack. Griffin is an All-American hurdler with a cannon arm. He's not the same as former West Virginia QB Pat White because Baylor likes to throw more with Griffin, Edsall said. But McClain said there's no question Griffin "is a lot faster than Pat White." Anyone who watched White torch the Huskies over the last four seasons knows that's scary speed.

• Anthony Sherman is a fullback, but turned into one of UConn's top offensive weapons last season with 26 receptions for 270 yards. Through two games, Sherman has no carries and no receptions. I asked Sherman (wearing a cool Worcester State baseball T-shirt) if he's been frustrated with the lack of touches. "I think the plays are coming," Sherman said. "It's not frustrating, especially with Andre and Jordan's success running the ball. ... Right now, the passing game has been mediocre. I think that's a good word. It's something we can improve upon greatly."

• It sure seems like this is the summer the 1980s died. At least for me. Michael Jackson, John Hughes, now Patrick Swayze? Integral parts of the decade I grew up in. I wasn't a Jackson fan, per se. But from 1984-89, I'd arrive home from school, plop down on the couch and watch MTV for three hours. Mike was everywhere. And even if you didn't purchase his albums, you still watched his music videos. John Hughes' movies defined the decade. Fifty years from now, if my grand kids ever ask what it was like to be in high school in the 1980s, I'll tell them to watch 16 Candles. Or the Breakfast Club. Or Ferris Bueller's Day Off. That was it. Swayze had an amazing run of re-watchable movies from 1983-1991. They ran in a constant loop on cable, continuing to this day...I bet Roadhouse is on right now. Sad. Someone keep an eye on Huey Lewis, please.

• Monster game for Tyvon Branch last night. The ex-UConn corner, now a strong safety for the Raiders, was everywhere in the opener against San Diego. Quite impressive. I also thought Darius Butler looked good for the Patriots against the Bills. Had to like the postgame, too, when EPSN's microphones picked up Tom Brady telling him, "Good game, Darius" before Brady tried -- unsuccessfully -- to blow off Suzy Kolber. That was quite a scene. He gave her a couple of cold shoulders, then said, "I'm going in," when Suzy asked a question. "No. I'm going in," he said again, now trying to trot away. Suzy, like a pilot fish honed in on a great white shark, wouldn't give up. Brady then pretended he couldn't hear her questions before finally giving in and giving a brief response. He should have just sprinted away, though Brady probably isn't fast enough to shake Suzy Kolber. At least he didn't ask to kiss her.

Don't forget the live chats. Next one is Thursday at 2.

This loss will hurt. Here's some post-game notes.

• No word on the nature of Zach Frazer's injured right knee. He got hurt on a third-quarter scramble, stayed in and threw an incompletion, then didn't come back for the next series. We'll get an update tomorrow. A few other guys were banged up, too. Updates tomorrow. Also, Lutrus wasn't cleared by the medical staff to play, it wasn't a coaches decision.

• UNC's Zack Pianalto dislocated his fibula after catching the tying touchdown. He caught his cleats wrong on the turf as he celebrated.

• The mistakes were plentiful in the fourth quarter. North Carolina converted a 3rd-and-17 from its own 16, setting up Pianalto's touchdown. Both Cody Endres and Moe Petrus said it was miscommunication on the bad snap. "Moe thought he heard something," Edsall said. The holding call in the end zone was a killer. North Carolina's Robert Quinn, who was held by Dan Ryan, said he thought it was a blatant hold. "I was just waiting for the flag," he said. Ryan wasn't sure, though he seemed resigned that he was probably wrong. "I don't know," Ryan said. "We both went down. It might have been a hold, it might not have been a hold. ... Everything happened so fast. We just got tangled up. I probably needed better technique."

• The safety hurts, but here's something to consider. Even if there's no penalty on Ryan there, the Huskies still faced a 4th-and-6 from their own 24 after what would have been a 16-yard completion to Todman. Obvously, UConn punts there. It's entirely possible, especially the way they were moving the ball, that UNC could have driven into field goal range anyway. I know, I know. But I'm just saying...

• Even after the on sides recovery by Alex Molina, UConn was in position to win the game, a point Edsall hammered home after the game, against a very good North Carolina club. "We can stand toe-to-toe with people," Edsall said. "We need to make plays when they count." He also said the Huskies aren't in this for moral victories, and this is still a loss.

• More on the final UConn drive...an Endres to Isiah Moore completion of six yards gave the Huskies' 2nd-and-4 from the 50 with around 1:10 on the clock. Instead of calling a time out (they had all three remaining) and setting up a play on a crucial situation, the Huskies wasted about 25 seconds before getting a play off, an incomplete pass. Now its 3rd-and-4. But Edsall said he doesn't regret not taking a time out there. "Not at all," he said. "All we needed to to do was get a field goal there. Those are situations we practice every week." Another incomplete pass and a sack (by who else? Bruce Carter) and the game is over with 26 seconds on the clock. The Huskies still had two timeouts remaining.

• Great days for Desi Cullen (47.3 average per punt) and Lindsey Witten (three more sacks) and the D as a whole.

• Was the defense worn down in the fourth quarter? Aside from a 3-and-out, which chewed only 80 seconds off the clock early in the quarter, the defense was out the entire fourth quarter until the on-sides kick. "Not really," linebacker Greg Lloyd said. "We're made for these situations, so we don't really mind. Obviously, we were out there a lot, but we're here to hit people and make plays. Yeah, it was tough, but you have to work through those things."

• Another tough, tough opponent next week at Baylor. Injuries won't make it any easier.

I was running a little late driving up to Storrs for Randy Edsall's 11:30 a.m. press conference. I also needed gas badly but didn't have time to stop, so I got to play the always thrilling game of chicken with my gas gauge, which was actually below the last empty notch when I hit campus. But I made it. Whether I have enough left in the tank to make it from UConn to a gas station is another matter.

On to the Tuesday notes...

• The bar has been raised for Trevardo Williams, who surprised the UConn coaching staff with his sparkling debut. Trevardo, who moved to Bridgeport from Jamaica at 9, is an interesting guy. Very soft spoken, he saw hit future in track and field until a friend convinced him to try out for the Bridgeport Central team as a freshman. In five years, he's come quite a ways. Still undersized (he's 6-1, 221), he's going to be too fast for many an offensive tackle. Once he puts on some more weight, he could be a true terror. More on Trevardo in Wednesday's Register.

• One more note on Trevardo. As a junior in high school in 2007, he ran a 10.69 in the 100 at the CIAC Class LL Championships. At the State Open that year, he lost to Terrell Wilks of Hillhouse (who set a state record with an insanely fast 10.42), but easily beat former UConn defensive end Marcus Campbell. Williams ran 10.74; Campbell ran 11.02.

• Even more telling as to how fast Williams is? At the New England Open that same year, Williams ran a 10.94 to finish in second place. Jordan Todman, running the same race while at North Dartmouth (Mass.) High, finished seventh with a 11.17. Williams says he's not as fast now as he was then because of the additional weight for football, but it's still close.

• Lindsey Witten was the Big East defensive player of the week, and Edsall is expecting huge things from him this season. The first game was a good start. "Sometimes you just see the light go one with a kid," Edsall said. "With Lindsey in the preseason, you could see the light went on."

• Edsall is only giving injury updates on Sundays and Thursdays now. So, he had nothing new on Scott Lutrus' condition other than he will be at practice today in full gear. Of course, Lutrus told us he's fine and will definitely be in the starting lineup for Saturday.

• Cody Brown, on injured reserve with Arizona, sent a text to Edsall. He had watched the Ohio game, and told the coach to tell Lindsey to stop bull-rushing so much and to use his speed. "I guess Lindsey's performance still wasn't good enough for Cody," Edsall joked. Brown is going to try and finish his degree online now that his season is over.

• Zach Frazer needs to see the big picture and do what the defense dictates him to do, Edsall said. His biggest problem Saturday was staying on certain routes too long and not seeing other things that would have been better options.

• Edsall stressed balance in the offense is the main thing he's striving for, and that means more in terms of yardage rather than plays. It's no-huddle, it's multi-dimension. But this isn't a spread offense, a popular misconception. "In this (New England) climate, you have to be able to run the football," Edsall said. "You have to be able to throw the football (also), but first and foremost, you have to run the football." Expect Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon to continue to share the workload.

• UConn will work to redshirt Marcus Aiken. He was listed as top backup at safety behind Robert Vaughn for Ohio, but the coaches determined he just wasn't ready yet. Gary Wilburn is in there now, and is the nickle back. Edsall also mentioned part of the decision with Aiken is that in a couple of weeks, the Huskies will be getting guys back at that position (Aaron Bagsby).

• Keith Gray, Dahna Deleston and Tyler Lorenzen were all cut this NFL preseason (sorry, this National Football League preseason). But Five players from last year's squad are currently on NFL rosters: Donald Brown (Colts), Cody Brown (Cards), Will Beatty (Giants), Darius Butler (Pats) and Julius Williams (Jaguars). Danny Lansahah, released by Green Bay, hooked on with Miami and is reunited with Donald Thomas.

• To illustrate how far in advance schedules are set, Jeff Hathaway said the North Carolina series was signed in Sept. 2000 and Baylor in March of 2001. Ohio was a return game originally slated for Sept. 2002, and was moved a year later after UConn entered the Big East a year sooner than expected. That's how UConn wound up with a rather tough home opener this season, contrary to the usual "easy" opponent we've seen the past several seasons. Hathaway also mentioned if a team has an open slot, the Big East as the right to come in and use that date for a conference game, which is why we saw Cincinnati and Rutgers on Labor Day (a game I'm sure Rutgers is wishing was a little later in the season now).

• Hathaway was on hand to promote a new student initiative, the message to fans is essentially to come to the games and be loud, but do it in a way that's wholesome and fun for the whole family. "We want fans to come early, cheer the Huskies onto the field, and stay to the end," Hathaway said.

• There are still around 4,000 tickets left for the North Carolina game. Hathaway carries some around in his pocket, and, apparently, he'll accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express if you want some.

• Punt protection problems marred UConn last season, none more apparent than the North Carolina game when Bruce Carter blocked three himself. Edsall said changes have been made in that area. The objective? To simplify. The Huskies are running a new scheme called simply "The Shield". No word on whether Michael Chiklis helped develop the plan, but Edsall said it allows them to simplify the blocking schemes in an attempt to avoid missed assignments. No one bothered to pick up Carter last season, and it was a running theme. "It spreads guys out, and doesn't clog the middle," said Lutrus, who is on punt protection. "Last year we were twisted and king of tight in our protection."

• You'll never convince me that the Chiklis from "The Commish" is the same guy as the Chiklis from "The Shield". Unless aliens are somehow involved. And why doesn't Hollywood test for performance-enhancing drugs like baseball? Chiklis' body transformation may have come naturally, but look at that head.

Think of Chiklis every time UConn gets into punt protection formation this season.

• Punter Desi Cullen may still be waking up in a cold sweat, with visions of Carter jumping out from the closet dancing through his mind. He says he's done his best to put that game out of his mind, but would be lying if he said thoughts of the North Carolina game don't occasionally creep into his thoughts.

That's it. If you see a Jetta stranded on Route 150 between UConn and the I-84 entrance ramp, feel free to pull over and give me a lift to a gas station, would you?

Post practice updates...

• The injuries to Lindsey Witten and Mike Hicks aren't believed to be serious. Edsall expects them both to be back by Saturday. Receiver Kashif Moore didn't practice as a precaution with a tweaked hamstring. Erik Kuraczea is back at practice after having "his bell rung" last week.

• Kijuan Dabney was hurt during a blitz drill Wednesday. His status is unknown, pending more examinations, but in the meantime David Kenney has been moved up from defensive back to back-up Husky position. He'll remain there as long as Dabney is out.

• Michael Smith's grandmother passed, and he left campus to attend her funeral.

• Linebacker Jerome Williams suffered a burst appendix earlier in the summer, and underwent a difficult surgery that was touch and go. He is slowly working his way back, and will be limited much of this fall.

• Those who were at practice got to see how exciting a player Dwayne Difton really is; the rest of you will be pleasantly surprised this season. Difton evoked images of Donald Brown by stiff-arming Jasper Howard to the turf on one play. Howard got up and drilled Difton, who was already out of bounds, with Difton laughing at his "big brother". Howard has taken Difton, a fellow south Floridian, under his wing, and the two have become close. "It's the same thing Darius Butler did with me," Howard said. "I want to make him feel at home." Still, the pair like to go at it in practices. Howard has been impressed with Difton's ability. "Whatever he was, 4-star, 5-star, he's living up to the billing," Howard said. "He's doing a tremendous job."

• I, for one, keep forgetting Howard isn't a captain. He's such a natural leader, and has really been working with many of the younger players, not just Difton. He also wants to keep the UConn cornerback tradition of heading to the NFL alive. Bigger and stronger this fall, Howard also seems faster. "I can't slack off," Howard said, speaking about leadership as well as pro aspirations. "Tyvon did it, Darius did it. It's up to me and Reggie."

• There was a full referee crew on hand for today's practice, and if I didn't know better I swear the umpire was Tom Morello, the guitarist from Rage Against the Machine. Could have been his twin brother.


Bulls, err...Huskies on parade?



• Michael Box and Cody Endres got more action this afternoon simply because it was the second session of the day, so Zach Frazer got a bit of a break. Both looked good, Box in particular. He seems to be a heady player with lots of potential.

• Netflixed Iron Maiden: Flight 666 last night (which I watched by myself...the wife isn't as enamoured with 80s metal as I am). Great documentary. Iron Maiden is truly a global band, drawing crowds in excess of 100,000 for concerts in places like India, Costa Rica, Mexico and Columbia. In Brazil and Argentina, the band is revered as true rock gods. They were greeted by tens of thousands of fans both at the airport and hotel...incredible. The coolest part is lead singer Bruce Dickinson is also a commercial airline pilot, and personally flies the group and their entire road crew and equipment on a customized 757, known as Ed Force One. Worth watching if you're into that kind of thing. If not, I'll stop now.

Two .... minutes....to touch down...