The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Seniors look to go out as winners
The rising seniors in the UConn football program have seen coaches and teammates come and go, played starring roles in stunning upsets and been on the wrong end of some humbling defeats.
Now they stand as team leaders eager to provide some stability for a program that has seemingly dealt with spirit-testing upheavals on an annual basis. More than anything, they want to be the first senior class to leave UConn with a winning season since 2010.
“I committed to Coach (Paul) Pasqualoni, played for Coach (Bob) Diaco and now it is Coach (Randy) Edsall,” senior defensive end Luke Carrezola said. “I think what it did for us was bring people together. No matter what we went through, we have each other.”
The Huskies return 12 seniors who started at least once a season ago. When the first depth chart of the 2017 season is finally released, many of them figure to be in similar roles that they found themselves playing under the old coaching staff. Former head coach Randy Edsall is back trying to do what Pasqualoni and Diaco were unable to do, turn the Huskies into winners.
Preseason camp starts on Saturday, and it would be an understatement to declare that there are plenty of questions that need to be answered before UConn hosts Holy Cross on Aug. 31.
• Shirreffs still in charge?: Senior Bryant Shirreffs is 83 yards shy of becoming the fifth UConn player with 5,000 yards of total offense. Shirreffs has some work to do if he wants to start again. Junior-college transfer David Pindell could be Shirreff’s main competition. Donovan Williams is back after starting the last three games during the 2016 season, Brandon Bisack took some first-team snaps during spring ball and true freshmen Jordan McAfee and Marvin Washington will be in the mix as well.
• New year, same old question: If there has been one constant
at UConn in the last several seasons it is the number of questions surrounding the offensive line. This year it is no different. Injuries have slowed Ryan Crozier and Tommy Hopkins in the last season or two while Matthew Peart got thrown right into the mix as the starting left offensive tackle as a redshirt freshman. The line could very well be built around them. Cam DeGeorge saw plenty of time with the starters at right tackle during spring drills. Former starters Trey Rutherford and Brendan Vechery will push for starting positions again but expect to see plenty of untested players be in offensive line rotation.
• Will special teams actually be special?: There were plenty of weaknesses on the UConn squad in the last couple of years, but the kicking and punting positions were not among them. Replacing kicker Bobby Puyol might be easier with how well Will Rishell kicked the ball in the spring. He will challenge Michael Tarbutt for the job. Justin Wain should have put in for overtime pay considering that UConn ranked 15th, 19th and 18th in total number of punts in the last three seasons. That number was only held down by the pedestrian pace UConn played at under Diaco’s watch. Edsall expressed concern about the punting position at American Athletic Conference media day. Redshirt freshman Brett Graham is the only punter listed on the roster, though true freshman Ryan Fitton is among those on the roster who were effective punters in high school.
• Buckle your seat belts: The “bend but do not break” mentality Diaco believed in helped the Huskies get to a bowl game two years ago but also resulted in two seasons of ineffective football that was hard to watch. The Huskies will play at a faster pace on both sides of the ball and will even be allowed to return punts. Defensive coordinator Billy Crocker is expected to be calling blitzes early and often while offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s fast-paced no-huddle offense will indeed be something new for UConn fans to witness.