Beaudry back but not in peak form

EAST HARTFORD — UConn quarterback Mike Beaudry posted a solid stat line Saturday in his second career start, with 18 completions in 29 attempts for 209 yards and a touchdown.

Still, coach Randy Edsall says the quarterback has plenty to work on.

“Just like everyone else, [he was] inconsistent,” Edsall said after a 48-22 loss to South Florida. “He made some nice throws but just inconsistent.

“Sometimes he hangs onto the ball too much; just take what they give you and move on. And sometimes when there’s one-onone coverage, let it fly and let the guy go try to make a play. Everybody’s not going to be open by 5 yards.”

Beaudry completed six passes of at least 15 yards, though two (including his touchdown pass to Elijah Jeffreys) came on screen passes. His best throws seemed to come in the fourth quarter, when he completed several downfield passes.

The quarterback said he felt better Saturday than he had in his first start, a season-opening win over Wagner.

“I felt really comfortable today, honestly,” Beaudry said. “I felt like I was seeing things really well and like I was playing really confidently.”

Beaudry has taken a strange ride over the past six weeks since winning UConn’s starting job out of preseason camp. After throwing for 158 yards against Wagner, he dressed for the next three games but did not play, due to what Edsall later revealed to be a shoulder injury.

After Jack Zergiotis struggled and Steven Krajewski suffered a fractured clavicle, Beaudry regained his starting job this week. The last few weeks, he said, were tough.

“It kind of sucks to get injured,” he said. “You feel helpless because you’re not out there with your guys. You see them putting in all the work, and you can’t do much.”

After rushing for 561 yards his freshman season, Mensah broke out for 1,045 yards last year as a sophomore. His performance Saturday left him at 398 in 2019 and 2,004 for his career.

Beaudry said he has been impressed not only by Mensah’s production but his work ethic.

“You give him the ball, you always know you’re going to get something out of him,” Beaudry said. “You can see it all throughout the week. He’s a hard worker. He’s the same guy every single day.”

Mensah now stands about 200 yards behind Cornell Brockington for eighth place on UConn’s alltime rushing list.

Several other Huskies hit milestones in Saturday’s loss.

In addition to Jeffreys’ first career touchdown (a 25-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass in the second quarter), defensive backs Abiola Olaniyan and Diamond Harrell both collected their first UConn interceptions.

Olaniyan’s pick came on a tipped pass late in the second quarter, with South Florida on the verge of a touchdown. The sophomore had played only on special teams before Saturday but earned snaps on defense as UConn experimented with dime packages.

“I think that was about my sixth snap [on defense],” Olaniyan said. “I just happened to be in the right spot and it felt great.”

Harrell’s interception came in the third quarter and included a 50-yard return deep into South Florida territory.

“The quarterback, I was reading his eyes all the way down,” said Harrell, who had one pick at Los Angeles Valley College before arriving at UConn. “The receiver ran a stutter-and-go, so I already knew the quarterback was about to throw the ball. I just read his eyes and tried to run it back.”