The record will show that Taylor Mack had three solo tackles, one assisted stop, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups in last year's win at Maryland.
It is that last number that still irks Mack to this day or more accurately, the fact that there are no entries in the category to the immediate left on the score sheet.
Twice Mack had his hands on passes that he felt he could have come down with. Heading into the rematch with Maryland and former UConn coach Randy Edsall, Mack is hoping that if he has a chance to make an interception or two on Saturday that he will close the deal.
"(Mack recalls) getting thrown at a lot and basically dropping two interceptions that I should have come up with," Mack said. "I am hoping to get my hands on some balls this year and come down with them. I know they are going to throw at me lot and I know it is coming but I just have to play. It motivates me a lot because basically it is leaving money out on the field, those are two balls that could maybe give our offense 14 points we could have scored. I have to come up with those and just working on the tennis ball machine making sure I focus on the ball and come down with it."
Mack knows this is going to be a huge test for the UConn secondary which had an uneven performance in a season-opening loss to Towson.
"Hopefully we come up with some turnovers, we only had one big one earlier with Obi with the great play he made," Mack said. "We have to be ball hawks, get some turnovers and give the offense a chance. It is a short-term memory. If you get beat on a play her or there, as long as you can recover and tighten up, you can bend but not break and that is what we know we are going to do. You can let something happen but you just have to turn the page, keep the concentration.
"It is a big game. It is big for us to get back and do what we know we can do and how we come out and prepare is what the people will get. We have a lot of energy and we are playing with a chip on our shoulder, we didn’t play our best last game and we are going to come out with a lot of intensity and a lot of focus and have a better result."
The biggest issue could be at nickel corner as David Stevenson has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. Redshirt freshman Jhavon Williams and sophomore Tyree Clark figure to see expanded roles in Stevenson's absence.
"I'm very confident that Jhavon and Tyree," Mack said. "I know Jhavon will come in and not miss a beat, he has confidence and I know he will play and keep the ball rolling. It is going to be sad missing DC but I know Jhavon can make plays. He has been making plays since he has been here. I think he does, you guys have seen him practice out there making picks. I know he is exciting to come out and make a lot of plays. He is a good player."
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar