The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Receiver Mayala shines in Huskies’ spring game
EAST HARTFORD >> Randy Edsall doesn’t quite have as many attention-grabbing sayings as former UConn coach Bob Diaco, but certainly one of his favorite phrases happens to be, ‘I don’t want to give too much sugar because if you do that, they start getting fat.”
The translation of “giving too much sugar” is heaping praise on his players. Well, in Edsall’s eyes it may be a virtual impossibility to give too much sugar to talented receiver Hergy Mayala.
Mayala’s 80-yard touchdown reception from Bryant Shirreffs was the longest play in UConn’s annual spring game as part of Mayala finishing with 111 yards on three receptions as Team UConn defeated Team Huskies 27-24 before an estimated 1,500 fans at Rentschler Field.
Mayala’s success is hardly a surprise for Edsall, who has returned for a second stint at the helm of the UConn program.
“If all of those guys can emulate the work ethic, the commitment to get better that Hergy has, it would be really good,” Edsall said. “That guy will be the leader of that group. What an example he sets for those kids.”
So just what has Mayala done to catch Edsall’s eye?
“I just happen to sit in my office, had a great view into the Shenkman facility and just see a guy out there, catching tennis balls, catching balls out of the JUGs machine, a guy who works really hard in practice,” Edsall said. “He does the things in the weight room, you
see him on film, he is finishing plays, he is running to the whistle, he is a guy that is not afraid to block you. You put on the film on, he goes out and works. I’ve been around quite a few guys like that, but he is one of those guys who gets it and has it.”
In his first two years Mayala got to see how Noel Thomas put the work in en route to setting a UConn record 100 catches as a senior. Now Mayala is stepping into the role as the leader of the UConn receivers.
“Noel was a great leader for me, I want to keep building on what he did and even a step further than what we were last year,” Mayala said.
Despite Thomas’ brilliant season, the Huskies were an offensive disaster a season ago. UConn was the only Football Bowl Subdivision team not to score an offensive touchdown in the first quarter during the 2016 season. UConn had two of them in the spring game as Tyraiq Beals hauled in a 6-yard scoring pass from Shirreffs and Nate Hopkins had the first of three touchdown runs.
“I am getting used to it,” Mayala said with a laugh. “I feel like there are going to be a lot of those coming so we have to be ready and act like we’ve been there before. We’ve been working as a group so to see everybody eat, it just feels good .”
Mayala wasn’t the only receiver to thrive in UConn’s new up-tempo, nohuddle offense. Beals had six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Keyion Dixon had five catches for 94 yards and Quayvon Skanes added seven receptions.
Ja’Kevious Vickers led the running game with 54 rushing yards while Hopkins added 50 yards on 14 carries including touchdowns of 1, 7 and 1 yards.
Hopkins and Vickers consistently ripped off runs during practice during the 2016 season when both were redshirting. Now that he is in a position to see time in the games, Hopkins knows that developmental year was one he really needed.
“Looking back, I realized I wasn’t ready to play,” Hopkins said. “At the moment, you are sad because when I am high school I am the man but now I have to sit and take a back seat. Looking back at it, I definitely needed it. I am glad because I got better and I can still get better. I am more coachable, I don’t just do my thing, I listen to my coaches and continue to listen to them. I am in better position because of uptempo (offense).”
Shirreffs finished 19 of 33 for 300 yards and two touchdowns while Brandon Bisack was 19 of 29 for 222 yards including a 53-yard touchdown pass to Beals.
Defensively, Foley Fatukasi had five tackles and a sack, Nazir Williams had six tackles while Tahj Herring-Wilson recovered a fumble in the end zone.
Herring-Wilson and linebacker Chris Britton left the spring game with injuries but with the team not reporting for summer/fall camp until July 27, they will have time to heal.