Spanos plans to be back for UConn’s game against Yale

Interim head coach Lou Spanos sees a silver lining in watching UConn football practice virtually on Tuesday.

"The best part of it, I don't have to take a shower, so I'm not late to the 11 o'clock press conference," Spanos said during his weekly Zoom session with the media. "I'm doing everything remotely . ... We had like an old school speaker and they could hear my voice, so it's pretty neat."

Good thing that Spanos, who's been in isolation since testing positive for COVID-19 last week and missed Saturday's game at UMass, still has his sense of humor. He needs it to survive this trying season during which little has gone right for the Huskies (0-7).

If all goes according to plan, Spanos says he should be back on the sidelines for Saturday's game against Yale at Rentschler Field. Game time is noon.

Defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter was in charge of the Huskies in last week's 27-13 loss at UMass, which ended a 16-game losing streak.

Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Frank Giufre, tight ends coach Corey Edsall, senior left tackle Ryan Van Demark and freshman offensive lineman Will Meyer also tested positive last week and didn't make the trip to Amherst.

Spanos has stayed involved with his team while working remotely.

"Coach Spanos is still finding a way to be around us even though it's virtually," freshman Keelan Marion said. "He's still keeping the energy as if he was in person. I would say there's no adjustment. He's just on the screen. He's keeping the guys motivated. Coach Spanos is just a great guy. He's going to keep that energy rolling through here."

Gaining experience

Injuries have helped thrust freshman wide receivers Aaron Turner and Marion into prominent roles.

They've responded and been productive.

Turner and Marion rank first and second, respectively, on the team in receptions with 18 and 17. Marion leads the Huskies with four touchdown receptions and a 16.6 yards per catch average.

"It's next man up," Marion said. "We stay in our playbook and we stay ready. Whenever our number is called, we make a play whenever it comes our way."

Against UMass, Marion caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steven Krajewski. He finished with four catches for a team-high 80 yards. In the previous game at Vanderbilt, he caught a 40-yard scoring strike and finished with four receptions for 102 yards.

Turner had four receptions for 21 yards against UMass and three catches for 12 yards versus Vanderbilt.

Redshirt freshman Kevens Clercius also is part of the receiving rotation with 12 catches for 102 yards and one touchdown catch.

The young Huskies are gaining valuable experience that will help speed up their development and prepare them for next season and beyond. "I feel like coming in as a freshman to make you a better player, experience is what you need," Turner said. "Right now, I feel like I'm getting a lot of experience. The college game is a lot faster, so I'm getting a lot more comfortable with just playing the game, knowing what to do and knowing how to make plays."

They've also developed a close bond.

"We're really tight," Turner said. "We're joking and laughing every day. We're hanging out outside of football. We're just a very tight group. Us being a young group, makes us that much tighter."

Marion is optimistic about the future.

"We have a lot more to do," Marion said. "I know we're going to be very successful. We've just got to keep our foot on the gas and work hard every day. When the off-season comes, we're back to working hard."

Third down woes

UConn's defense has struggled to stop opponents on third down plays, allowing a conversion rate of 47 percent.

The Huskies are working in practice to try to correct that issue.

"In order to get this win this week, we've got to win third down," Spanos said.

In comparison, UConn is converting 26.5 percent on third down.

News and notes

The second quarter continues to be a problem for the Huskies, who've been outscored 114-20 during that time . ... Starting defensive back Jeremy Lucien is in concussion protocol. When asked about Lucien's status for Saturday, Spanos responded, "We'll see how that goes." ... As far as Van Demark's status? He is following COVID protocols, Spanos said . ... Yale (2-2) has two former Eastern Connecticut Conference players on its roster — senior tight end D. Major Roman of New London and senior long snapper Nick Tibbetts, a Montville graduate.