Busy Day For UConn Sports

What seemed like a normal Wednesday in October, has actually been a pretty busy day for UConn Sports news.

Basketball

The day started down in New York City at the Big East Conference Basketball Media Day. All of the 16 Big East coaches and select players traveled to the Big Apple and Madison Square Garden for the annual event. However, UConn found themselves in a not so familiar position as they were picked to finish 10th in the preseason rankings. “Well, I got a chance to be coach of the year,” head coach Jim Calhoun joked about the Huskies’ position. “We’re the most unknown team in the league,” he said, “I truly believe that.”

Last year UConn was picked to finish third in the conference, but ended the season near the bottom of the league. Calhoun and his Huskies hope to change that this year. “It’s not if you get knocked down, it’s if you get up and how you do,” Calhoun said.

Pittsburgh was picked to win the Big East.

There was one bright spot for UConn Basketball today, as Junior Point Guard Kemba Walker was selected the preseason All-Big East 1st Team. He was voted to the second-team last year as a sophomore.

 
Football

The football team delivered some bad news today, as it was announced that starting quarterback, junior Cody Endres, has been suspended for the rest of the year. Reports are that the suspension is due to violations of university substance abuse policies. Endres was suspended early this season, missing the first three games. Since taking over for Zach Frazer in the second half of the Buffalo game, Endres has played pretty well. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 471 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions while going 1-1 as a starter.

Redshirt Freshman Michael Box is currently listed 2nd on the depth chart, and will most likely make his first career start Saturday when the Huskies travel to Louisville. Senior Zach Frazer, who was the starter before Endres, might be in the running to make his way back on the field as well. Head Coach Randy Edsall will have a lot to think about before kick-off on Saturday.

The Huskies, who are currently 3-3 (0-1 in the Big East), have been nothing but inconsistent all year, and have yet to live up to the high expectations set forth at the beginning of the season. With six games left in the season, UConn needs wins, and needs them fast if they hope to make a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season.

Redemption: Part 2 – Buffalo Game

So after another brutal loss, this time to Temple, the UConn Huskies look to bounce back and get a win this Saturday when they play Buffalo at The Rent. There has been quite a buzz around different players this week, as suspended players Cody Endres and Erik Kuraczea have returned to the team. Both are listed on the second team for the their respective positions. Quarterback Zach Frazer has also been in the cross-fire of rumors this week. After his third straight game of inconsistent play, many are wondering just how long he will remain the team’s starting quarterback. Add the return of Endres, and Frazer is definitely feeling some pressure. Hopefully that competition between teammates will translate to better performances on gameday.

Dwayne Difton, Kashiff Moore, Isiah Moore

In other news, Dwayne Difton, the highly touted sophomore receiver, has overtaken Isiah Moore as one of the starting receivers. Randy Edsall has said he has been impressed with Difton’s performance in practice. “I like his progress. I think it’s just one of those things where we feel that he’s got a chance to maybe give us a little bit more,” said Edsall. “Isaiah is still going to be playing but Dwayne is going to be the starter”

The receiving core really needs to step up and help out Zach Frazer, or whoever else might be playing quarterback, as the passing game has been the team’s offensive downfall so far this season.

Senior captain Scott Lutrus’ status is still uncertain for when he will return to field. He’s still being bothered by an “upper extremity” injury. Most likely a stinger.

UConn Makes First Trip To Notre Dame

Notre Dame Stadium

After a much needed bye week, the UConn Huskies are back on the field this week to prepare for their first ever meeting with College Football power house, Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish come into the game as losers of two straight, the last loss being to another Big East team in Pittsburgh. Notre Dame is always in the news, and this week is no different. After what can be looked at as a dissapointing season thus far, Head Coach Charlie Weis is under pressure and is in jeopardy of losing his job.

Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis

UConn hopes that the Irish continue to struggle, as they themselves look for their first win since beating Louisville on October 17. Since that victory the Huskies have gone through a tough three and half weeks, with tragically losing a teammate and brother in Jasper Howard, losing starting quarterback Cody Endres for the rest of the year to a shoulder injury, and losing three straight games in heartbreaking fashion. Head Coach Randy Edsall has even pondered how much his team can take, “I just don’t know how much more we can take. We’ll just keep fighting, that’s all i know to do.”

After a week off to relax, clear their heads and get back to just playing football, the Huskies can go out and not only compete, but come through with a victory at Notre Dame. It will be the Huskies first ever football game against Notre Dame, even though all other UConn sports compete against the Fightin’ Irish in Big East Conference competition.

One of the big story lines in this week’s game is that UConn quarterback Zach Frazer will be looking for some redemption against his former team, as he transfered to UConn from Notre Dame. Frazer was one of the nation’s top quarterbacks coming out of high school, and chose to play for Charlie Weis. However, his stay was short lived, as he transfered after his freshman year when it became clear that he wasn’t going to be the guy under center for the Irish (that job of course went to the blond-haired, Southern California raised, prized recruit, Jimmy Clausen). Frazer hopes to play well against his former team, and bring home a victory for UConn. He just needs to play relaxed and try and not get caught up in all the “hoop-la,” that is Notre Dame.

Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

The Huskies, lead by Frazer, hope to silence the “echoes” and keep Touch-Down Jesus on their side this weekend. The game will be nationaly televised on NBC (just as every Notre Dame home game is), with Kick-off at 2:30pm ET.

Comeback Comes Up Short: UConn Falls To Cincinnati in Heartbreaker

Courtesy of the Hartford Courant

In trying to recap UConn’s 47-45 loss to #5 Cincinnati, I feel I could write the same story I’ve written four previous times this year. The Huskies lost for the third straight week, for the fifth time this year, and once again in heartbreaking fashion.

Trailing 30-10 heading into the second half, the Huskies began the comeback. UConn scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter as running back Jordan Todman scored a touchdown on a 46-yard run and senior cornerback Robert McClain had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown. After another Cincinnati score, the Huskies were down 37-24 at the start of the fourth quarter, but two more Todman touchdowns put the Huskies within two at 40-38. UConn went for two, but quarterback Zach Frazer was sacked. Still down two, the Huskies forced the Bearcats into a fourth down with around two minutes to go in the game. Instead of kicking a short field goal Cincinnati elected to go for it. Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead broke free from the UConn defense to run in a 14-yard score putting Cincy back up by nine with just 1:52 remaining in the game. However the Huskies weren’t done yet, as they drove down the field and scored on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Frazer to reciever Marcus Easley with 13 seconds to go. The Huskies tried an onside kick, which was recovered by Cincy, ending the game.

Courtesy of the Hartford Courant

Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros was the difference maker as he thew for 480 yards and accounted for three touchdowns.

The Huskies showed once again that they can compete with anyone on their schedule, even the top-5 rated Cincinnati Bearcats. The heart and effort shown by the Huskies was something special, however they couldn’t get over the hump once again to get the victory. The Huskies pulled off several big plays that took the game down to the closing minutes, just like all of theirs this season. UConn’s five losses have come by a combined 15 points.

“It never gets easier to take,” Todman said. “We’re going to have to deal with it. It’s been a tough, tough year. We have to learn to finish.”

Courtesy of the Hartford Courant

Todman had a career day for the Huskies, as he had a career best four touchdowns to go along with 162 yards, also a career high.

Frazer, who made just his third start of the season after taking over for the injured Cody Endres, played efficiently. He threw no interceptions and completed 19 of 32 for 261 yards and a touchdown.

UConn, now 4-5 on the year, and 1-4 in the Big East, has the week off. They return to the field November 21st, when they travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Coach Randy Edsall and his entire staff have to be proud of the way the team fought till the end. After the last three weeks, which included three heartbreaking losses and the loss of Jasper Howard, the Huskies are still looking for their first victory since the tragedy.

“I’ll tell you, this team showed grit, determination,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “You can use any adjective you want but we just came up short. I’m running out of things to tell them after games like this.”

Endres and Frey Out For the Year

Courtesy of the Hartford Courant

UConn quarterback Cody Endres was scheduled to have season-ending surgery on his non-throwing(left) shoulder Sunday morning.

Endres, who took over the starting job during week 2 against North Carolina, had completed close to 64% percent of his passes for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions.

Zach Frazer took over for Endres in the Rutgers game, and threw one touchdown to go along with 3 interceptions.

Head Coach Randy Edsall also said that running back and return specialist Robbie Frey, who had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Rutgers, will miss the rest of the year with a torn left labrum.

The Huskies return to the field this Saturday when they travel to play the Cincinnati Bearcats. The game will be the ABC prime time game, with kickoff coming at 8pm.

Rutgers Hands UConn A Heartbreaking Loss

Courtesy of Hartford Courant

It was a story UConn fans have seen too often this year…UConn has a lead in the fourth quarter of a game, but some how, some way is unable to hold on and secure a victory.

In the team’s first home game since the passing of teammate Jasper Howard, the Huskies lost a dramatic, emotionally devastating game to Big East rival Rutgers.

Courtesy of Hartford Courant

The Huskies made a fourth quarter comeback to take the lead with less than a minute to go in the game, when running back Jordan Todman ran in a two yard touchdown. The team and the entire UConn crowd went crazy. However, the excitement faded quickly when Rutgers Freshman quarterback Tom Savage hit reciever Tim Brown for an 81 yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in the game. Rutgers took the lead 28-24, and held on for the victory.

The loss on the field wasn’t the only bad news UConn recieved, as it is being reported that starting quarterback Cody Endres, who left the game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury, is done for the season. The injury is being reported as something similar to that of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford’s injury. Backup quarterback, and former starter, Zach Frazer, threw for 333 yards and touchdown, but had three costly interceptions.

The Huskies just can’t catch a break this year. The loss of Jasper Howard, the injury to Scott Lutrus, and now the injury to Endres. After the game, Head Coach Randy Edsall was asked how much adversity one team can take.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll just keep fighting. That’s all I know to do.”

Courtesy of Hartford Courant

UConn Football: Mid-Season Report Card

(AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

The UConn Huskies are half-way through their season, and currently stand 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big East. While that record wasn’t what the Huskies were hoping for at the beginning of the season, the team is better than their record indicates. The team should really be 5-0 and 3-0 in the conference. All three of the losses this year came after the Huskies gave up a fourth quarter lead. Against North Carolina the Huskies had a ten point lead, but lost the game 12-10. Against Pittsburgh the Huskies had a fifteen point lead at one point, but lost the game 24-21 on a last second field goal. Against West Virginia this past weekend the Huskies scored with four minutes to go to take the lead 24-21, but once again they gave up a late score and lost the game 28-24.

The team has had to face a great deal of adversity this year in dealing with the injury of captain and defensive playmaker Scott Lutrus, the switching of quarterbacks during the season, and most recently the loss of a teammate, Jasper Howard, who was murdered a day after the Huskies homecoming win over Louisville.

So after 5 games and a lot of adversity, here are my mid-season grades for the team:

QUARTERBACKS: Zach Frazer started the season as the starter, but after two mediocre performances and a knee injury in the first two games of the season, the stage was set for Cody Endres. In the four games he has played since taking over for Frazer, Endres has completed close to 65% of his passes for 1314 yards and 6 touchdowns. Endres has made some mistakes, but overall he has improved throughout the season and is doing things to help his team win. OVERALL GRADE: B

(AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Jerry Larson)

RUNNING BACKS: The duo of Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon has given the Huskies one of the best running games in the conference. One question heading into this season was how was UConn going to replace the production of Donald Brown, the nation’s leading rusher from a year ago? In the first five games Todman and Dixon have made up for the lost of Donald Brown. Dixon has rushed for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns, while Todman has rushed for 596 yards and 7 touchdowns. The duo has played well in every game, but they disappeared in the fourth quarter of the Pittsburgh game, when the team really needed them to step up. Overall though, the Huskies have proven once again that no matter whose rushing the football, they will have success here at UConn. OVERALL GRADE: B+

RECIEVERS: One of the biggest question marks coming into this season was the receiving core. After a terrible season last year, the Huskies were looking for playmakers on the outside. Through the first few games, the Huskies were still looking for that go-to-guy. A few players made some plays, such as Brad Kanuch, Michael Smith, and Isiah Moore. But no guy really stepped up and became that deep threat and consistent playmaker. However, over the past three games, Senior Marcus Easley has become that guy for the Huskies. Easley has had over 100 yards receiving and has had a touchdown in each of the last three games. With his emergence and hopefully more consistency from the other receivers, the offense will have a passing attack it can rely on. OVERALL GRADE: C

OFFENSIVE LINE: The big guys up front have been solid for most of the year. Besides a few sacks here and there, and the one holding penalty on Dan Ryan against North Carolina for a safety, the offensive line has been a strong point for the Huskies. They have given Dixon and Todman room to run, and have given Endres decent protection in the pocket. OVERALL GRADE: B+

DEFENSIVE LINE: The Huskies front four on defense have been pretty consistent this year. Lead by Senior Lindsey Witten, who is second in the nation in sacks, the defensive line has been a strong point for UConn this year. Freshman defensive end Jesse Joseph has proven to be a playmaker as well, while Kendall Reyes has played well at the tackle position. They did have a bad game against Pittsburgh when they were man-handled by the Pitt offensive line. OVERALL GRADE: A-

LINEBACKERS: Captain Scott Lutrus has been out for all but two games this year (he has been cleared to play this weekend against Rutgers), however the linebacker core has played extremely well even without their leader. Lawrence Wilson is leading the Big East in tackles and has become more of a vocal leader. Greg Lloyd has been very consistent and Lutrus’ replacement Jory Johnson has played very well. Once Lutrus is back on the field the Huskies will have the best linebacker group in the Big East. OVERALL GRADE: A

DEFENSIVE BACKS: The Defensive Backs have played well all season, but they lost one of their leaders in Jasper Howard. Team captain Robert McClain and fellow senior Robert Vaughn have played extremely well, as both have 4 interceptions on the year. Jerome Junior and Jonathan Jean-Louis have split time at the other safety spot and have been solid players. Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz will be competing for playing time at the corner position that was Jasper Howard’s. OVERALL GRADE: B+

SPECIAL TEAMS: Desi Cullen is having a good senior year as he is one of the top punters in the Big East. Kicker Dave Teggart, who was one of the most consistent kickers in the conference a year ago, has struggled so far this year. He is just seven for twelve on field goal tries this year, and missed two costly ones against West Virginia that could have given UConn the victory. Teggart needs to find his rhythm again, and when he does the Huskies will have a solid special teams duo. OVERALL GRADE: C+

HEAD COACH RANDY EDSALL: Coach Edsall has built this program to what it is today, and has done it with class and integrity. Coming into this year the Huskies had a lot of question marks, and overall the team has played better than their 4-3 record indicates. Coach Edsall and his assistants have done a good job with this team, but they need to continue to preach the concept of “Finishing” to the team. The only downside to the coaching this year has been that the team has blown three fourth quarter leads, and some of that falls on the coaching staff. While on the field, Coach Edsall may have a little work to do, off the field he has been “Coach of the Year” in my book. Dealing with the tragedy of losing a player is never easy, but what Coach Edsall went through was just awful. He had to identify the body, call Howard’s parents to tell them what had happened to their son, call Jazz’s girlfriend to tell her the bad news, then tell the team that they had lost a teammate and brother. Coach Edsall has handled this entire situation with class and has been the leader and support for the team, the program, the Howard family, and the entire UConn community. Coach Edsall has done a marvelous job leading this team through this horrific time, while trying to get them back to normal business of playing football. OVERALL GRADE: A+

The Huskies have plenty of talent, heart, and desire to win every game the rest of the season. If the team can continue to improve, play together, play the entire game, play for Jasper Howard, and follow the lead of Coach Edsall, then they can have a very successful season.

The team will return to the field this Saturday when they host Big East rival Rutgers at Noon at the Rent. It will be the first home game since the death of Jasper Howard, and many tributes will be made at the game. The team hopes its ultimate tribute will be a win in Howard’s honor.

UConn Honors Howard, but Upset Bid Comes Up Short

Andre Dixon and Kasif Moore with Jasper Howard's Helmet and Jersey (AP Photo/Michael Switzer / October 24, 2009)

After dealing with the tragedy of losing teammate Jasper Howard, the Huskies traveled to West Virginia searching for their first ever victory over the Mountaineers, as well as closure to a terrible week. While the effort was there, the final result was not as the Huskies lost 28-24.

Quarterback Cody Endres hit Marcus Easley for an 88-yard touchdown with four minutes to go in the game. However, the Huskies blew their third, 4th quarter lead of the season as West Virginia running back Noel Devine scored on a 55-yard run with two minutes left in the game to give the Mountaineers the victory.

Head Coach Randy Edsall decribed the loss as “heartbreaking” because the team wanted to win “so badly for Jazz.” Edsall went on to say, “I just feel empty. The kids played their hearts out and did what we asked them to do. This is a special group of kids. We’ve got to take this and just learn how to play like this all the time.”

Coach Randy Edsall and Andre Dixon (AP Photo/Michael Switzer / October 24, 2009)

The team will travel to Miami on Monday for Howard’s funeral. After they return, the team will look to move on and move forward in Big East play as the Huskies host Rutgers next Saturday, at 12 o’clock, at the Rent.

The “How to Get Back On Track” Guide for UConn

PHOTOSHOP

The Huskies are 3-2 on the season, and 0-1 in Big East play. Five games into the season, and the team is at a crossroads. They can either give-up and this season become a total bust, which would be the easy thing to do. Or they can come together and realize that it’s going to take a lot of work and dedication to get this season “back on track” and finish the season with a winning record and a bowl bid. As a UConn fan, I hope they pick the second choice. To help them find their way I have created a “How to Guide” to getting the Huskies back to their winning ways.

The “HOW TO GET BACK TO WINNING GAMES GUIDE”

1) Go Back to Basics
The first thing UConn needs to do is go back to the basics. The defense needs to learn how to tackle better and the offense needs to learn how to move the ball consistently. Head Coach Randy Edsall needs to get his team to make the simple plays, the easy plays. If they make these plays, then the harder, more complicated plays will be easier to handle.

(Hartford Courant Photo)

2) Play the Entire Game
The Huskies are two fourth quarter collapses away from being 5-0 on the season. Against North Carolina they were up 10 points in the fourth quarter but lost the game 12-10. Against Pittsburgh they had a 15 point lead late into the third quarter, but couldn’t hang on as they lost 24-21. Take away the Rhode Island game from this year, and the Huskies have been outscored 40-10 in the fourth quarter. If the team wants to be in the top-25, this has to change. They need to learn how to finish games. Learn that just because you have a lead does not mean it is safe. The offense and defense need to continue to be aggressive and attack the other team, not sit back and watch the other team make a comeback. Through the first three quarters the Huskies have been easily a top-20 team, but in the fourth quarter they are one of the worst in the nation. In order to win games at this level, the Huskies have to learn to finish and play aggressive the entire 60 minutes.

3) Don’t “Shoot Yourself in the Foot”
In the past few years, UConn has been known as a team that plays good team football and doesn’t make mistakes that hurt themselves. They’ve been known as a team that wouldn’t “shoot themselves in the foot.” However, this year has been a different story. Whether its interceptions, fumbles, missed tackles, or penalities, the Huskies have been killing themselves with mistakes. Looking at the Pitt game, the Huskies had two big mistakes that I thought ended up hurting them in the end.

(Hartford Current Photo)

The first was in the second quarter, as the Huskies were in Pittsburgh territory after a good offensive drive. On a second down play, Cody Endres dropped back and threw one of the prettiest balls a UConn quarterback has thrown in awhile. It was the perfect play call, a “go”-route for Jordan Todman out of the backfield. Todman split the linebackers and was wide open in the endzone, with that perfect pass right on his hands….but he dropped the pass. He didn’t catch it, and ruined a perfect opportunity for the Huskies to increase their lead. On the VERY NEXT PLAY, Endres drops back to pass but this time Pittsburgh got pressure on him and tackled him, as well as knocked the ball out of his hand. A fumble. The panthers recovered, and the Huskies got no points on that drive. That should have been 7 points, or at least 3, but it ended with nothing to show for it except a turnover.

The second play was in the fourth quarter. The Huskies were still hanging on to a 7-point lead. Pitt was driving and with the ball around mid-field. It was third down and six, Pitt QB Bill Stull finds a receiver to the right. He catches the ball, but is still 3 yards shy of the first down marker. All UConn has to do is make the tackle and force a punt and they get the ball back. However, linebacker Greg Lloyd misses the tackle. The receiver is able to drag Lloyd across the first down marker for a gain of eight and a first down. The Panthers go on to score a touchdown and tie the game. After forcing a three and out from the Huskies, Pitt drives down the field and kicks the game winning field goal as time expires.
Mistakes such as these cost the Huskies a victory, and if the Huskies hope to have a successful season the rest of the way, they need to stop making big mistakes like these.

UConn is a good team. The silver lining in all of this is that the Huskies are just two quarters and a few mistakes away from being 5-0 and nationally ranked. If they can do the things I pointed out in this blog, then they should be able to bounce back and have a successful season. They get their first chance this Saturday, when Louisville comes to East Hartford, for a Big East matchup. It’s homecoming for UConn, and with the game already sold-out, the team needs to play well if they don’t want their fans to give up on the season.

UConn hopes to avoid letting another team celebrate at the end of a game this season. (Hartford Couarnt Photo)

Offense, Endres Still Improving Despite Loss: Palestra.net VIDEO

Even though the UConn lost this past weekend to Pitt, there was one bright spot…the offense. Under Quarterback Cody Endres, the offense has continued to improve every week. This past week was no different. Watch this video for more insight on Cody and the Offense.