Clemson’s Phommachanh proud of his younger brother Tyler at UConn

In two weeks, Tyler Phommachanh has endeared himself to fans and UConn teammates while producing at a level that’s making observers forget he’s only a freshman.

So while the losing continues, the Huskies are finally at a point where there’s reason for optimism.

They’ve found a quarterback — from their own backyard,

no less — to rally around, one capable of making plays and injecting life into a listless offense.

This is no surprise to his older brother Taisun, a sophomore quarterback at Clemson.

“That’s just who he is. He always just had that natural kind of leadership about him ever since we were kids,” Taisun said. “He doesn’t try to be somebody he’s not. He’s just going to go out there and be himself, be that spark, be that live-energy teammate that he is.”

At least for the time being, Tyler’s rapid emergence has changed the conversation around the downtrodden program. The 5-foot-11 dualthreat from Stratford showed promise against Army and Wyoming, and has unquestionably grabbed hold of the starting job.

He’ll be back under center Saturday (7:30 p.m.) in Nashville when the Huskies visit Vanderbilt, looking for just their second win in 32 games against FBS opponents.

If you’re shocked by how quickly he’s asserted himself, well, you shouldn’t be.

“That’s what he does,”

Stew Milne / Associated Press UConn quarterback Tyler Phommachanh has been getting plenty of support and advice from his older brother Taisun, a QB at Clemson.