Huskies set to kick off season, first game in 637 days
And so it begins — again — for UConn football.
For the first time in 637 days Saturday, the Huskies will buckle their chinstraps and jostle with someone other than themselves when they kick off the 2021 season at Fresno State.
The Huskies didn’t play a single down in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, choosing instead to take the year to recharge their minds and physically transform their bodies. By all accounts, the decision paid off.
“We made strides all over the field,” said senior long snapper Brian Keating, a Darien native. “You’re going to see it on Saturday with how much better we’re going to be as a team. At first (opting out of the season) was frustrating, but it ended up just being the right decision, and we’re going to prove why.”
Like Keating, coach Randy Edsall has zero doubts about the team’s readiness.
“What we’ve done is prepared the best way we can, doing the things that we’ve been able to do,” Edsall said. “I know our guys are going to be ready to play come 11 o’clock Pacific Coast Time.”
“I’m not worried how they’re going to compete, what kind of shape that they’re in, everything else,” he added. “Can we go out and execute at a very high level for 60 minutes on a consistent basis? That is going to be the challenge because that’s what we’re going to have to do. … We need to be a consistent team for 60 minutes. And then if we do that, we can get the outcome that we want.”
That hasn’t happened enough during Edsall’s second stint in Storrs. The Huskies are just 6-30 over the last three seasons, including 2-10 in 2019. Three of those wins came against FCS schools.
Many questions about the roster remain, specifically regarding quarterback. Edsall has yet to name a starter, deciding between sophomores Jack Zergiotis and Steven Krajewski. Together, they’ve combined to attempt just 301 collegiate passes, so inexperience could be an issue either way as the Huskies transition to life as an independent program.
The same goes for the offensive line, which returns just two starters in senior left tackle Ryan Van Demark and sophomore right guard Christian Hayes, and the secondary, where junior cornerback Jeremy Lucien is the only definitive starter.
Despite that uncertainty, Edsall believes the Huskies are in a better place today than they were 12 months ago.
“Are we the finished product as we go to play on Saturday?” Edsall said. “No. But we’re going to continue to get better each and every week. Our young men have a better opportunity to win than they did a year ago.”
Outside expectations are low. UConn is a 27.5-point underdog to Fresno State. The Bulldogs went just 3-3 last season, but return one of the Mountain West’s top quarterbacks in Jake Haener. The Washington transfer led the conference in yards per game in 2020 with 336.8.
The Huskies will also have to contend with the heat. Temperatures at Bulldog Stadium are expected to soar above 100 degrees and Fresno State coach Kalen DeBoer said this week that it could be 20 or 30 degrees warmer on the turf.
It’s a challenging environment for a team that hasn’t played competitively since November 2019. Fresno State, which plays at Oregon in Week 2, could be looking beyond the Huskies.
But Haener said he expects a challenge, praising UConn’s defensive line and secondary. “We’ve got our hands full,” he told reporters.
What does he expect from a team that’s been preparing for 21 months?
“I have no idea,” Haener said. “I’ve never played a team that had a year off. We’ll find out when they show up. Get them in here in Bulldog Stadium and roll with the punches.”
UConn insists they are ready after their layoff.
“Once you get that first play under your belt, you’re just back playing football,” Keating said. “As a program, every practice rep is like a game rep. We intend to make our practices harder than the games. So when we go into the games, we feel prepared.”