The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Zergiotis embracing his game with Huskies
STORRS — In a city where hockey and a legendary NHL franchise are deified, Jack Zergiotis took another athletic path.
It did not involve a puck, a stick, skates or emulating the beloved Canadiens. This child of Montreal drew inspiration from America’s weekend pastime.
“It’s football,” Zergiotis said this week. “Always.”
The love of the game has landed the freshman at UConn, where he has emerged as the starting quarterback for a program on reboot. The Huskies (11) are a year removed from a 111 season and looking for a revival.
As UConn travels to Indiana for Week 3 Saturday, fans are grasping for hope may have found it — Zergiotis, who possesses an endearing level of swagger, debuted with a 275yard passing game in a loss to Illinois. After an off week, he’ll be back taking snaps against another Big Ten opponent.
But shouldn’t Mike Cavanaugh’s UConn hockey program be the landing spot for a Montreal recruit?
Zergiotis’ sports journey goes back a generation. His grandparents moved to Montreal from Greece, arriving with no knowledge or interest in Canada’s favorite sport.
“They didn’t put my father or my aunt and uncle in hockey,” Zergiotis said. “And then my dad didn’t put me in skates, either.”
Constantine Zergiotis was drawn to football, a sport he played through his
late teens. When his son Jack was 7, it was time to pass along the love.
Jack was a soccer player as a kid. No matter, Constantine introduced him to football.
“He kind of forced me to play,” Zergiotis said. “I wasn’t too sure about football. … But I grew to love the sport and ended up giving up soccer.”
As he began playing the sport, Zergiotis looked south for inspiration. He loved watching Adrian Peterson run and he became a fan of Percy Harvin, so the Minnesota Vikings — of all teams — sprouted a fan in Montreal.
Zergiotis is still a Vikings fan. He also grew up watching college football and he roots for the CFL Montreal Alouettes, even attending an exhibition game this summer.
Football, from age 7 on, was engrossing. Especially playing the most important position on the field.
“He’s a football player,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “He loves everything about being a quarterback, what it takes to be a quarterback. You see because you watch the way he competes.”
And the way Edsall sees it, Canada is not a bad incubator for growing quar
terbacks. The Canadian game is played on a wider field (65 yards across) with a threedown format.
The result is a more wideopen, passhappy sport at all levels.
“Playing in Canada, on a wider field, in terms of the passing game, they throw the ball quite a bit up there,” Edsall said. “I think he has a little bit of a handle on concepts in terms of the passing game.”
Zergiotis said he noticed the difference in field dimensions as he transitioned to the American game, but the adjustment has been mostly seamless.
“It was definitely an adjustment having a smaller field,” he said. “But with my arm strength and everything, it makes it easier on a smaller field making those throws. … Everything is tighter but I feel like it makes it easier just seeing everything that’s going on.”
Zergiotis, 20, played at the postsecondary school John Abbott College for three years, so he arrived at UConn with more seasoning than the average freshman.
And sure enough, he opened eyes in training camp. When graduate transfer Mike Beaudry got hurt after starting the opener against Wagner, Edsall turned to Zeriotis.
“He’s got a good mind for the game, understands the game,” Edsall said. “The
maturity factor, I think is something that helps him out. He is a little bit older.”
Zergiotis was the fifth true freshman to start at quarterback at UConn since 2000 and his debut numbers were the best. But he did throw two interceptions and admits he has much to learn.
That’s why the week off came at an opportune time. There was lots of work on the field and in the film room.
What did Zergiotis see as he critiqued his first start?
“I think there were a couple times when I was a little nervous in the pocket when I didn’t have to be,” he said. “It turns out on those plays when I was nervous, there were open receivers down field, which could have resulted in a touchdown.”
Edsall said Zergiotis is the quarterback moving forward. Next up is another Power Five opponent, this time in a hostile environment.
The Canadian QB is jumping into the deep end of American football.
“Coach Edsall said, you make the most improvements from Game 1 to Game 2,” Zergiotis said. “That was Game 1 for me. So I’m just trying to learn from it and just get better.”