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Coach Randy Edsall believes UConn will start to turn a corner in 2021
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UConn football coach Randy Edsall has given every impression that his team will be better in 2021.
Should you believe him? Is this finally the year the Huskies begin the long climb back to relevance or some form of respectability? Saturday’s opener at Fresno State (2 p.m., CBS Sports Network) should provide some early clues.
Here’s a look at why — and why not — the Huskies might be ready to turn around their fortunes as they return to the field for the first time since 2019.
REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
The Bellcow is back: Easily the team’s most accomplished player on offense, Kevin Mensah has rushed for 2,619 yards and 19 touchdowns during his three seasons. The fifth-year senior is 1,181 yards shy of breaking Donald Brown’s program-record of 3,800. Brown, of course, parlayed his time in Storrs into a healthy payday in the NFL. Mensah isn’t nearly as heralded a prospect as Brown was, but make no mistake: he’s invaluable to the Huskies. Mensah, UConn’s first back-to-back 1,000yard rusher since Jordan Todman, should take some of the burden off the passing game.
Tough in the defensive trenches:
New Haven’s Travis Jones is a 6foot-5, 333-pound wrecking ball, a classic run-stuffer, the kind of massive space-eating defensive tackle who is also athletic enough to push the pocket. As such, the junior’s already been bandied about in NFL draft circles. He’s that good. He should have help, too. A healthy core of UConn’s defense is back, including linebackers Jackson Mitchell, D.J. Morgan and Omar Fortt, who has opened eyes in camp. Given their experience — five of the projected starters along
the front seven are upperclassmen — it’s hard to imagine the Huskies not taking a step forward on defense.
Soft landing spots on the schedule: The Huskies won’t exactly be playing the SEC West. Their schedule (rated 75th in the country by ESPN’s SP+ metric) is manageable. There will be opportunities to pick off a few wins in their first year as an independent, especially early. Before Halloween, they’ll face Holy Cross, Wyoming, UMass, Yale and Middle Tennessee.
Lots of time to regroup: Edsall isn’t worried about his team being rusty after a 600-plus day hiatus. If anything, he thinks the time off has only helped them get better. More specifically, they’re bigger, faster and stronger (excuse the cliché). Senior long snapper Brian Keating, one of three captains, called the decision not to play last season “one of the better ones we’ve made as a program.” That’s saying something.
REASONS FOR PESSIMISM
Inexperience at quarterback: The battle at quarterback has been narrowed down to two. Either sophomore Jack Zergiotis or redshirt sophomore Steven Krajewski will start against Fresno State. Between them, they’ve thrown 301 career passes. Will that inexperience cost the Huskies as they try to reshape their reputation? It certainly doesn’t inspire much confidence for a team that can scarcely afford any growing pains. There’s no substitute for a proven starter. Maybe one of them will surprise, but until then the jury’s out on whether UConn has the guy to lead them to greener pastures.
Pass protection 101: The offensive line allowed a 7.3% sack rate in 2019 (ranked 88th nationally) and returns just two starters in senior left tackle Ryan Van Demark and sophomore right guard Christian Hayes. For the Huskies’ offense to function properly, they’ll need their revamped front five to gel in a hurry.
Reshuffled secondary: The Huskies keep talking up their defense, how they believe they’ll be improved —
Fortt called the unit a “well-tuned car” and said they’re going to be “deadly” — but there are potential problem spots. Look no further than the secondary, which is both young and newly configured. A dangerous combination. Just one starter is definitive: Junior cornerback Jeremy Lucien, who had 16 tackles in 11 games in 2019. Opposite Lucien will be either sophomore Myles Bell or junior Tre Wortham, both unproven commodities. Freshmen Malik Dixon and Durante Jones are vying for one safety spot while the other will feature either sophomore Jalon Ferrell or senior Diamond Harrell, who had 40 tackles and two interceptions in 2019.
Recent history: The Huskies’ ongoing struggles are well-documented. They went 2-10 in 2019 and are just 6-30 in the three seasons since Edsall returned. Half those wins came against FCS schools. They may look better on paper, but until they go out and actually turn things around, is it worth believing in them?