The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Committed to the cause
Picked to finish last in conference, veteran Huskies remain optimistic
NEWPORT, R.I. — Whether it is quoting the frightening defensive numbers for the 2018 season or suggesting the plan to leave the American Athletic Conference for the Big East is a sign the school is signing a death warrant for the football program, these are hardly the best of times in the world of the UConn football.
The Huskies were not only picked to finish last in AAC’s East Division in the poll released Tuesday morning at conference media day, but were last on all 30 media ballots after failing to win a game against a Football Bowl Subdivision team a season ago. There are no lack of outsiders willing to use the UConn program as a punch line, but for mainstays Matt Peart and Donovan Williams there’s nothing comical about the Huskies’ struggles since they arrived on campus.
Peart, a redshirt senior offensive tackle, and Williams, a true senior tight end, have remained loyal even with the Huskies heading into the 2019 season on a 16game losing streak against FBS competition.
“I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the University of Connecticut, so I take a lot of pride in that,” Williams said. “Me and Matt have been through a lot and it would mean the world to go through a successful year.
“Some days I wake up and have to recognize the journey I have been on. Time flies so we can’t take anything for granted, and make the most of every moment.”
If either Peart or Williams had opted to leave for greener pastures as plenty of their former teammates have done, it would have been understandable. But two of the seven scholarship seniors on the 2019 UConn team
are as committed to the program as the day they decided to attend UConn.
“It is kind of weird because it is the last go around,” Peart said. “I had a sense that I came to UConn [for the long haul] because UConn took a chance on me so I knew I didn’t want to go anywhere else, I knew this is where I wanted to be.
“Right now we were picked last in the conference. Everyone has their opinion, but nobody sees our hard work. The key right now is we are going to have a productive camp.”
Peart has started all 36 games in the last three seasons beginning his career as a left tackle before shifting over to the right side. A pro prospect, there would have been plenty of schools willing to have Peart suit up for the them for his final season of eligibility. Instead, he will be one of the faces of a UConn football program not knowing what the future holds as the shift to the Big East means the Huskies would either need to land in another conference as a footballonly program or become an independent.
Peart’s loyalty has not been lost on his teammates or coaches.
“He probably could have left last year and transferred but he didn’t and you really appreciate guys like that because he is committed,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “You talk about dedication and commitment, that is what you need.
“I will forever be indebted to him in terms of what he has meant to the program. All he has done is grown and gotten better every day with the program and has developed into a really good leader.”
While Peart’s world was shaken up a little bit when he moved from left tackle to right tackle, that is nothing compared to what Williams has endured.
Former UConn coach Bob Diaco made the decision to start Williams at quarterback for the final three games of the 2016 season. When Edsall was hired for a second stint as UConn’s head coach, he moved Williams to receiver. Williams had one catch in the 2016 regularseason finale and another one in a loss to Cincinnati last season.
Now a tight end, he is hoping to earn a significant role in an offense that lacks experienced players at tight end and running back.
“There is a kid you feel bad for,” Edsall said. “He stuck with it and see what he has done with his body and he hasn’t batted an eye in what we’ve asked him to do. You know you are getting the program right when you get kids like that.”
Williams believes his work in the weight room will allow him to contrib
ute as a blocker. There certainly will be opportunities for Williams to play as Tyler Davis transferred to Georgia Tech and Aaron McLean graduated.
“We have to build on the production we had in spring ball,” Williams said. “Me and Jay [Rose] don’t have a ton of experience [on offense], but we have experience on the field.”
UCF is favored to win the AAC East Division, receiving 19 of the 30 firstplace votes. Memphis picked up 15 firstplace votes to be named the West Division favorite for the third year in a row. Houston, led by former West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, received 14 No. 1 votes and finished just three points behind Memphis in the preseason poll.
UCF was named on 12 of the 30 ballots to win the AAC title.
Overall, UConn is 1855 since the American was formed out of the old Big East in 2013 and has lost 26 of its last 28 games against FBS competition. Peart and Williams haven’t lost faith that they can make their final season as a Husky the best yet.
“We are going to focus on being as successful as possible so we can compete at a high level,” Williams said. [Conference affiliation is] not a priority of ours, people are going to continue to talk but we have to block out the talk.
“I don’t think there is anything to worry about, I think the program is in good hands with the guys
that we are recruiting and the guys that are here, I think we are going to be all right. We are looking to fill the Rent [Rentschler Field] back up and bring pride to the state.”
Edsall has said his focus will be on the 2019 season, and especially the opening game against Wagner. He stayed true to his word on Tuesday, despite multiple questions about the future of the football program. He did say that success on the recruiting trail gives him confidence that things are headed in the right direction despite the uncertainty.
“They [parents of recruits] are going to ask us and we are in the AAC and as long as we are, I have nothing to add,” Edsall said. “I think they trust us and once this all gets resolved, we will know exactly what we are going to do. We have a plan in place but nothing I can tell them right now.”
The recent upgrading of locker rooms and facilities inside the Burton Football Family Complex and Shenkman Training Center are among the tools that Edsall uses to let recruits and their families know that the university is still committed to the program.
“I think they see that,” Edsall said. “When you come to campus and see what we just did with the facilities and everything else, it makes a statement.”