Announcement of UConn's starting QB could come tomorrow

If interim head coach T.J. Weist has made a decision on who is going to be UConn's starting quarterback against Southern Methodist, he is not ready to announce it just yet.

Chandler Whitmer started the first four games of the season but when Weist was named interim coach following the firing of Paul Pasqualoni, he named true freshman Tim Boyle as the starting quarterback. In four games as a starter Boyle has no touchdowns and eight interceptions. Redshirt freshman Casey Cochran came in late in three of those four games and threw touchdown passes in the last two games.

"We are still evaluating it," Weist said on Monday's American Athletic Conference coaches' call. "We put him (Boyle) down as the starter on the depth chart yesterday. At practice yesterday we reevaluated it and will make my decision tomorrow on who I am going to go with."

I asked him if he split first-team reps three ways when UConn hit the practice field yesterday.

"I wouldn’t say that," Weist said. "I will look at things tomorrow and decide who our starting quarterback is going to be and go from there, open up competition a little bit and see how things shake out."

Since UConn normally doesn't practice on Mondays and we meet with Weist before Tuesday's practice, he either has made his decision but doesn't want to announce it until tomorrow or he wants to sleep on things before announcing the QB.

There are no such quarterback issues at SMU. Senior Garrett Gilbert, the American Athletic Conference's reigning offensive player of the week. He leads all AAC quarterbacks and is seventh nationally in passing yards (3037 in eight games). He is averaging 379.6 passing yards per game and only Oregon State's Sean Mannion and Fresno State's Derek Carr average more passing yards per contest.

"It is impressive that he gets the ball to his weapons," Weist said he has some good weapons obviously, three of the best receivers in the league and two of the best receivers in the country so he spreads the ball around and he is very efficient. He has a very strong arm and he is physical."

Casey Cochran now No. 2 QB at UConn

UConn released its depth chart for Friday's game against Louisville and the most noteworthy change came at quarterback when redshirt freshman Casey Cochran is listed as the No. 2 QB instead of former starter Chandler Whitmer.

Since freshman Tim Boyle replaced Whitmer as the starting quarterback, Cochran is the only other quarterback to see the field for the Huskies. Cochran was 2 for 3 for 11 yards against Cincinnati and was 7 of 11 for 95 yards including a 46-yard touchdown pass to Brian Lemelle in a loss to Central Florida.

Whitmer started the first four games and passed for 896 yards with five touchdown passes and six interceptions.

Obviously I will have more on this tomorrow when we meet up with UConn interim coach T.J. Weist and selected players on the weekly media interview session.

Also, senior Tyler Bullock is listed as the starting right offensive guard but also as the second stringer at left guard, a spot previous held down by freshman Kyle Schafenacker.

Cornerback Taylor Mack is back in the two-deep but listed as the backup to Jhavon Williams.. Linebacker Graham Stewart is also back on the two-deep chart. Like Mack he began the season as a starter before being sidelined by injury.

Also, more than 30,000 tickets are already out for the next two home games against Louisville on Friday and against Rutgers on Nov. 30.

Change is music to T.J. Weist's ears

UConn interim head coach T.J. Weist just spent about 45 minutes answering a variety of questions with the local media on a variety of subjects.

Pretty high up on the list was his decision - at the request of the players - to allow music to be played at the beginning of practice to get the team in the right frame of mind.

"I sat down with some of the seniors and team captains  and I wanted to get their input of what changes they think can help us in this transition and can help us to win games," Weist said. "One thing they said is they’d like to have some music. It is kind of a new thing around the country that people are doing and when players see those things, they see other teams with music, they all watch the videos there are videos everywhere of teams practicing and they get excited about it so we added some music early in practice during the (team) stretch just to get the practice started out right. We really don’t want to have music during practice necessarily but just to get them started out. It is my music. It is like the weight room, in the weight room you have different days for the country guys, for the rock and roll guys, rhythm and blues and everything so we started out and I made it easy, it is my music to start and I was going to allow the players to pick out some clean versions of some of the music out there so that is what we’ve got.

"I focused on some of the music that other teams play in stadiums, whether it is Back in Black or Enter the Sandman. I have no idea about some of the latest hits so I let some of the players pick that, I couldn’t name any of them. I try not to go back too far to the 70s. I don’t know how long there are going to let me keep the music going on my terms because they don’t recognize any of it. I want to teach them musicology, I want to teach them the evolution of music. I want to get them motivated for practice so I don’t want to make it a learning session but they appreciate it and I will mix it up every day throw in some country and throw in some rock and roll, throw in some opera, punk and dance music or whatever gets these guys motivated. Heck, half the time I have to make it the instrumental because we have some people out at practice and I can’t hear those words they are saying but the worst part is they play the instrumental (version) and the players sing it anyways."

It might not come as a shock that the most popular topic for discussion centered around the quarterback position with freshman Tim Boyle set to make his first career start on Oct. 12 against South Florida.

.

"He has done a good job," Weist said. "He has shown good maturity in handling the offense, he is handling the scheme and making decisions throwing the ball, handling everything with the run game and all the calls that we have, every day he gets better and every day he is going to have to improve and take steps improving until we get to game time and really find out how much pressure he can handle, instinctually how he can lead this team, drive us down the field and keep drives alive and make smart decisions so that is what we are looking for out of Tim, smart decisions, efficiency, let him play with maturity and handle the offense and he is on his way to doing those things

"We are not married to any player on this roster, a starter, we evaluate them every single game. I would say this for Tim and any young player that we play we are going to be patient, obviously the quarterback position is a different position. If I had to play a true freshman, there has to be some patience, they has to be a period where he makes some mistakes where our last starting quarterback, our last starting wide receiver or our last anybody that a freshman replaced, they are going to make some mistakes and you were patient with the other guy at times so we will be patient with him. I treat him like most of the players and you have to go out there and perform, our goal is to win and you need to do the things to help us win. If he goes out and doesn’t perform the way we want that we are going to keep him in the game and stick with him no matter what. We have to do what is best for the team at any position. We are going to give him time but we have to win."

Weist was quick to point out that many of the interceptions previous starting quarterback Chandler Whitmer threw including the one returned for a touchdown in the loss to Buffalo were not his fault and that Whitmer will see normal reps as the No. 2 quarterback.

He also said he is not planning any changes to the starting offensive line and hopes to have starting right tackle Kevin Friend back for the USF game. Weist said the entire offensive line plays better when Friend is out there.

More on the injury situations. fullback Jazzmar Clax is out there practicing and Weist likes what he sees out of him and receiver Kamal Abrams, who was hurt warming up for the Towson game, has also been back at practice.

When asked about other young players who could see bigger roles now that he is calling the shots, he mentioned freshman wide receivers Brian Lemelle and Dhameer Bradley and offensive guard Tyler Samra, who moves up in the rotation following the suspension of Tyler Bullock.

Bullock was arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence and failed sobriety tests according to the police report. While not mentioning Bullock by name, there was no question who he was referring to when he mentioned "the events that happened yesterday."

"We have a lot of things that are happening around us that we have to deal with obviously with some of the events that happened yesterday and that is part of it," Weist said. "Players have to realize that every decision they make is for the best of the team, they are representing the university, representing the athletic department, the football program, representing every former player who has played here, representing their families and our families as coaches. We are stressing the point that all of their decisions have an impact on this team on and off the field."

Weist said he is still contemplating whether to bring in another coach since UConn is down a pair of coaches right now following the firing of Paul Pasqualoni and George DeLeone but he is not considering pilfering a coach who currently has a job. He complimented the graduate assistants for stepping in and helping with the day to day coaching. He has liked what he has seen in the first three practices.

"It has been a great four days," Weist said. "It has been exciting, I think our players have responded well, we have had three spirited practices. We are getting back to work. There is nothing magic about it, get back to work, refocused on one purpose of this team coming together as a team to win football games and especially to focus on being South Florida, our next (opponent). I think we made good progress and have had good practices."

Freshman Tim Boyle handed keys to UConn's offense

Paul Pasqualoni had one last parting gift on his way out the door as he let slip that plans were in place to have true freshman Tim Boyle, a member of three state championship teams at Xavier High, start at quarterback beginning with the Oct. 12 game against South Florida.

“We had made that decision last week that would be the direction to go in and we tried to fair about everything there,” former UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said on a teleconference Monday night. “We tried to give Timmy some time to develop, give him some time to be on the road and experience the whole thing before we threw him in there so I think would probably be the way T.J. goes, that was something we were going to do.”

The 6-foot-3 Boyle has been working his way up the depth chart since he arrived on campus in June. He quickly established himself as the best of the three true freshmen quarterbacks signed by the Huskies and was seeing time as the No. 3 quarterback when preseason camp started. After the season-opening loss to Towson, Boyle moved into the No. 2 quarterback behind Chandler Whitmer.

When the Huskies were getting blown out by Buffalo, Pasqualoni opted to put in Casey Cochran rather than put Boyle into a no-win situation in his first road game.

In between the Michigan and Buffalo games Boyle discussed his development as a quarterback since he arrived at UConn.

“I worked really hard in this offseason coming in and trying to pick up the offense,” Boyle said. “(UConn quarterbacks) Coach (Shane) Day, Chandler (Whitmer) and the other quarterbacks have done a great job of helping me. I didn’t want to sit on the bench my whole career at UConn so I really worked at the offense. This being my freshman year I didn’t think I was going to be a factor but I have worked hard and I think it has paid off.”

So where has Boyle made the biggest strides since the start of preseason camp?

“I would say recognizing defenses and making reads, my pre-snap reads seeing defenses and trying to slow down a little bit,” Boyle said. “There is a ton I have to change and become better at but at this point in time what I have become better at since my high school career is seeing defenses, trying to adjust and know where I go with the ball.”

Boyle is aware that he is the most high-profile in-state quarterback recruit to sign with UConn since Shelton Dan Orlovsky, the Huskies’ career leader in total offense, passing attempts, completions and passing yards who is now a quarterback with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Just being an in-state guy I think people rely on me a little bit more than other people but I can tell you one thing just being in the meeting room with Chandler, I know the fans are putting a lot of blame on him but he is a tremendous quarterback,” Boyle said. “I wouldn’t sit here and lie to you; if he was bad I would tell you he is bad. He is a really good quarterback, he is very smart and has a really good work ethic and it comes down to execution so we need to do a better job with that.”

UConn is committed to Whitmer as starting QB

Whenever a team is sitting at 0-3 and sitting near the bottom of the NCAA database in most offensive categories there will be questions surrounding the starting quarterback.

Certainly that was the case today as UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni was asked more questions about Chandler Whitmer than any other player beginning with his take on the interception which led to the tying touchdown in Saturday's loss to Michigan.

"The only issue was that it was a tight window and he thought we could get it over the linebacker’s head," Pasqualoni said. "It is kind of the same exact throw as the last play of the game where he fit it in there. The linebacker just had a little bit more depth and really surprised me that he got up in the air with one hand.

"I’d like to see the approach that Chandler took after Geremy’s catch was replayed and taken back. What happens now? So we make this great play and they rule it is a no catch and in a game like that it is a big play. We come back on the sideline, Chandler had a great look and we are calling the next play. They are replaying it and I am saying ‘let’s get ready for the next play.’ I grab Chandler and say ‘OK Chandler this is what we are going to do.’ He has a great look in his eye and we all know what happened. We got to a third down and he made the play. That type of fire, that type of toughness mentally let’s come back and go after it, I’d like to see that every single series is what I would like to see. He knows it and he is working on it. That is what I would like to see out of any quarterback who plays here, to tell you the truth."

After Pasqualoni said all of that I asked him if Whitmer was playing at a good enough level to remain the No. 1 quarterback.

"Chandler’s playing," Pasqualoni said. "When he gets the ball out on time, he is managing the run game well, he gets the ball off quick. We need to run the ball better, we need to protect better, we need to help him too. It is always the quarterback (getting the credit or blame) but it is the supporting cast that helps too so we have to do a better job all the way around."

After the Michigan game Whitmer gave his thoughts on his performance through the first three games of the season.

"I’ve been happy with my decision making so far but the kids they are going to make plays, you have to be as smart as possible and try to protect the ball," Whitmer said. "I am going to try to improve on that and see where I could have done better."

Looking back at bizarre play on missed field goal

Late in the third quarter UConn was still within striking range when a pair of plays changed the fortunes of both teams.

The first one was just a bizarre one as Taylor Mack fielded a missed 50-yard field goal in the end zone and after hesitating a bit, he took it out onto the field of play and was stopped at the 10. Just for clarification, I called a supervisor of officials who works at local high school and college games to make sure I understood the rule properly and he informed me that if the field goal was missed and not caught in the end zone then UConn would have gotten the ball at the 33. If Mack had taken a knee, the ball would have been placed at the 20 but instead the drive began at the 10.

UConn actually moved to ball out to the 38 before a hurried Whitmer was intercepted by Dexter McDougle who returned the pick 49 yards for a score.

Let's start with the initial play. Mack was merely following directions when he went down to catch the ball so it is hard to fault him for doing just that.

Here's how Mack described the play following the game.

"Coach told me to go back and catch the ball. I looked up and it was me trying to make a play and help the team. I guess if I would have taken a knee it would have been at the 20 and the offense could have gone somewhere else. I was just trying to make plays.

"If it happens and it goes positive you see it as a good highlight if it doesn’t come out then you are answering these types of questions. It just depends on what happens but everybody wants to make plays so you can’t get by trying to play it safe."

Obviously the play calls are much different for a drive starting at the 10 as opposed to one beginning at the 33 so who knows what would have transpired had the Huskies not tried to run the ball out of the end zone.

Paul Pasqualoni said the blame for the interception should be spread between quarterback Chandler Whitmer, the offensive line and receiver Geremy Davis.

"The film told us that we wanted him to sit in there and he sat in there and the protection broke down," Pasqualoni said on a call with the media earlier today. "It was a combination of three things, a combination of the protection, a combination of Chandler trying to get the ball out of his hands before he got blasted and a combination of the route. I think you can divide that one up."

Dexter McDougle, who returned the interception 49 yards for a touchdown, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury later in the game according to multiple reports coming out of Maryland.

Whitmer encouraged by progress of UConn's offense

When UConn opened its practice to the media and fans on Tuesday, it was anything but a showcase for the quarterbacks.

Whether it starter Chandler Whitmer, reserve Casey Cochran or the three true freshmen (Tim Boyle, Richard Lagow and Kivon Taylor) it was far from a productive set of drills as the offense turned the ball over time after time while working in 11 on 11 drills against the Huskies' defense.

On Thursday the team had a scrimmage and according to Whitmer, the results were significantly more positive than the ones in practice just two days earlier.

"In the red zone and on the goal line I think we were around 70 percent," Whitmer said. "The 1’s (starters) we scored on both of those opportunities and that was good. We need to put some drives together a little longer, get some runs and passes in there

"We are ironing things out and that is what we are trying to do here in camp. It is good to see some results and positive plays in there but we still have work to do."

Ball security paramount for Whitmer, Huskies

During the time he spent with the media at Tuesday's American Athletic Conference UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni wasted little time whenever he was asked the No. 1 priority for the Huskies during preseason camp.

Time after time Pasqualoni said that the Huskies need to take better care of the ball as turnovers cost UConn multiple games in the previous two seasons.

"I think there is a tremendous urgency to improve this year, we have to improve things like taking care of the ball, playing smart and not giving up a play here and there at an inopportune time on defense," Pasqualoni said. "We have been great on defense but we have also given up a play here or there on defense and we haven’t been good enough on offense to overcome those things. There is urgency to get those things done and if we get those things done the improvement will be there."

Starting quarterback Chandler Whitmer also said that cutting down on turnovers is something he needs to improve on. As a sophomore Whitmer had a ratio of nine touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.

With the return of six offensive linemen who started games for UConn in 2012, the top two receivers and leading rusher, all the pieces are in place for the Huskies to be an improved offensive unit. Whitmer knows he has to do his part and that begins with bringing a more mature approach to the quarterback position. That process shifts into high gear on Friday when UConn holds its first preseason practice.

“I’m very competitive,” Whitmer said. “I like to win games and sometimes that got me in trouble. I am trying to do too much. I am trying to make plays when they aren’t there. I am forcing things or whatever it was or I put too much on my shoulders.”

Whitmer had more games with multiple interceptions than he had with no interceptions. Whitmer knows that he needs to change that. Not only does he want to avoid putting the UConn defense in tough spots with costly turnovers but also wants to engineer more time-consuming drives to give the defensive stalwarts a chance to catch their breath on the sidelines.

“That is something I am trying to back off of, taking a sack and not trying to force things,” Whitmer said. “Punting is OK. Live to play another down and field position is big. That is something I am really focusing on this year, I am getting back and watching tape. I’m trying to improve on different things.

“It is tough to hold yourself back. It is a competitive game and your adrenaline gets going but that is part of the quarterback play. Part of being a good quarterback is being smart as well and not trying to do too much. It is something I have to improve on and I have known that since last year. It has already been in my nature (to be aggressive) but I am trying to be able to protect the ball and be smart.”

New faces dominate story lines in Newport

As I walked into Fort Hale State Park in Newport, R.I. on the eve of the inaugural American Athletic Conference football media day about the only familiar site was the scene of watching the lobsters being cooked at the annual clam bake.

Looking around at the coaches, the only holdovers from last year's media day was Louisville's Charlie Strong, Kyle Flood of Rutgers and Paul Pasqualoni of UConn. The three other teams who played in the Big East a season ago feature new coaches as Tommy Tuberville now coaches Cincinnati, Willlie Taggart is the new coach at South Florida and Matt Rhule took over at Temple when Steve Addazio left to take the job at Boston College.

It really hit home how much things have changed in just one year's time seeing players and coaches from Houston, SMU, Memphis and Central Florida walking around. Tomorrow morning it will become even more of a reality when the predicted order of finish is announced. It will be interesting to see where the teams coming in from Conference USA will figure into the balloting. I am not one of the media members who gets a vote but if I did get to cast a vote, I would say that Central Florida is the best of those four teams. I might even be tempted to put UCF into the third spot behind Louisville and Cincinnati and just ahead of Rutgers. It will also be interesting to see where UConn falls in the predicted order of finish. Coming off back to back 5-7 seasons, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Huskies fall somewhere between 6-8.

As for the Huskies, they will be represented by quarterback Chandler Whitmer, offensive guard Steve Greene and defensive back Byron Jones at tomorrow's media day festivities.

Defense dominates in UConn spring game

                                                                                   (Associated press photo)
Marquise Vann (No. 46) made an impact at UConn's spring game.

In all the years I've been to spring games whether it is the last two years at UConn or at Yale before that I've never quite figured out how to view these events.

When an offensive struggles to run the ball as badly as UConn did on Saturday is that a sign of poor offensive execution or great defense? I guess you could argue that it was a little bit of both.

A signal of what kind of day it was likely came when UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni opened his interview with the media focusing on the players (about 15 of them) who were held out of the scrimmage.

The event started with the "back to the wall" drills which is the offense with the ball on the 1 coming out. It did not go particularly well as it took a couple of series before the offense got a first down.

When it went to a live 11 on 11 offense against defense with no controlled situations, Chandler Whitmer had some nice throws as he finished 8 of 14 for 140 yards but the offense was unable to score a touchdown as the only scoring came on field goals of 46 and 20 yards by Bobby Puyol.

The highlight of the offense were three straight completions by Chandler Whitmer. The first two went Shakim Phillips and the third was to junior Deshon Foxx. Foxx had a 26-yard completion but he stumbled down inside the 1.

"I caught the ball and I tried to turn," Foxx said. "I didn’t know where the defender was so I was stumbling getting out of my turn and I stumbled onto the ground. As long as I can help the offense get down there."

Foxx had three catches for a team-high 70 yards and during the red-zone drills he scored on a reverse to show off some speed and explosiveness.

"I just want to be a threat, just trying to be able to spread the field a little bit and not only make plays for me but help my teammates able to make plays," Foxx said.

Defensively, senior defensive lineman Tim Willman had two sacks, starting safeties Ty-Meer Brown and Andrew Adams each had three tackles and an interception while linebackers Jefferson Ashiru and Brandon Steg had three tackles each while Marquise Vann had two near interceptions before finally picking one off during red-zone drills.

"It felt good to get out there in front of some fans," Willman said. "It was time for some of the younger guys to step up and play their roles and it will be even better when they are back and we are pretty excited about that."

Casey Cochran ready for spring game

There is no way of overstating how important these last few weeks have been for Casey Cochran.

The record-breaking quarterback out of Masuk High School has been given the opportunity to split time with returning starter Chandler Whitmer and Scott McCummings, who has seen time primarily as a QB in the wildcat formation. When the team gathers for fall camp, the number of quarterbacks vying for time will double with the arrival of freshmen Tim Boyle, Richard Lagow and Kivon Taylor so this has been a pivotal time for Cochran to open the eyes of the UConn coaches so he has a head start in earning the No. 2 quarterback position before the three recruits arrive on the scene.


"It is good to get all the work in," Cochran said. "Last year we had five QBs in the spring and we were splitting reps. This year with three QBs it has opened it up for us to get so many more reps. (UConn quarterbacks) Coach (Shane) Day has been challenging us on every play so I think every play in a mental process and it has been a really rewarding spring just being to go out there, make some plays, make some mistakes and learn from those mistakes.

"I think every guy out there is trying to show everything they’ve got on every play and I think that is huge for everybody in the spring. When we have this big break before we have fall camp and being able to show what you have before that break, before camp is huge for everybody here so I think that is a big deal."

Since Cochran graduated early from Masuk he was able to enroll in time for the spring semester and take part in spring drills. However, his first spring camp did not end the way he envisioned as he struggled in the spring game. Cochran was 4 of 15 with an interception and he was intercepted once. With just the three quarterbacks for this year's spring game, Cochran will start for one of the two teams while Whitmer will start for the other with McCummings playing for both teams so neither Cochran nor Whitmer will have to play the entire game.

Cochran is confident the fans heading out to Rentschler Field for the game on Saturday at noon will see a much improved quarterback from the one who played in the 2012 spring game or in high school.

"Since high school my arm has gotten better (and even) since last spring," Cochran said. "Being able to (make) different throws was huge in college. There are completely different throws that what you have to do in high school and I think arm strength is one thing that has improved and another thing is being able to learn the offense versus different defenses because the defenses are so complex."

UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni said there will be four 20-minute quarters with running time except for the final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters where normal clock operation will be used. There will be punts and kickoffs with the returners able to catch the ball but there will be no returns in the game. UConn announced today that there will be some controlled portions of the scrimmage since injuries have caused issues at certain positions (linebacker is one that immediately comes to mind).

Linebacker Yawin Smallwood, offensive tackle Jimmy Bennett and defensive tackle Shamar Stephen are among the key players who will be held out of the game. Pasqualoni couldn't even put list a number of players who will be held out of the spring game but when I said "about 20" he said that sounded about right.

New offensive coordinator making an immediate impact

Now that the UConn women's basketball team's march to an eighth national title is over, I am back in Connecticut and it is time to catch up with the progress of the football team during spring camp.

I was up in Storrs today to catch the first half hour of practice before the team held a scrimmage that was closed to the newspaper reporters.

At the first couple of practices I attended, I was impressed with the energy of new offensive coordinator and receivers coach T.J. Weist who has been known to sprint 40 yards down the field to high five one of his receivers after a great catch. Following today's festivities something else caught my eye and that was the rapport that he has already developed with his players. Well after the scrimmage was over Weist engaged in an impromptu game of volleyball using a football as a prop with his receivers. When that was over, he posed with a photo with his beaming group of pass catchers at the request of Weist's wife.


“I love him,” said junior receiver Shakim Phillips. “He is high energy all the time. We try to outwork him all the time. It is hard to outwork him but we try to outwork him. He is running around like crazy, he is a great coach. He teaches more of technique and more of the fundamentals and that is helping us out.”

Weist came to UConn from Cincinnati so he did arrive with some knowledge of the personnel that he has to work with but spring practice has been a time for him to not only install a new offense but also discover the playmakers he has in the fold.

“I am new, of course, and I have to learn the guys,” Weist said. “But, it is almost like any school you are at it doesn't matter if you are coming off a national championship season, you've got to get a feel for the personnel even if you know your guys, you usually have young guys who are taking over. It has been a little bit of a combination of both not just me getting to know the players and know them off the field but also getting to know them and what they are able to do, that is key for me. If I had been here for years I would be doing the same thing, OK what is our personnel and that is what we talk about as a staff, what groupings can we use, what plays can we run, what concepts can we use, what are the best runs with the people that we have and that is what we are deciding right now and what is best for our personnel. The good thing is I think we are very well rounded, all of our positions have really developed and I am really pleased with that.”

Weist came in knowing he had a returning starting quarterback in Chandler Whitmer, starting tailback (Lyle McCombs), a pair of playmaking receivers (Phillips and Geremy Davis) and six offensive linemen who started games last season.

He has been thrilled with the way the returnees have meshed with the untested youngsters.

“We are probably on schedule on where we want to be. I think we are progressing well every single day as we understand, learn and execute the offense,” Weist said. “I think in these scrimmages players are executing with the physicality, good understanding and good finish and that is how we are learning how to play, we are creating our identity on offense and that is what we want to see.”

Weist raved about the how Chandler Whitmer continues to grow into a leadership role at quarterback.


"I think he is playing very confident, not just in the fact that we understands the offense but he built up a rapport with the skill guys in the offseason," Weist said. "Those guys know each other, not just the backs but the tight ends, receivers, he feels good about leading them because those guys have worked in the offseason, they have come together, (run) routes. I think when Chandler drops back, he feels like he knows his backs, he knows his tight ends and he knows what they are going to do and that makes a huge difference because now they can execute and make plays, he is playing with confidence because he is a leader. He is motivating guys, the guys respect him. He has thrown some good footballs because he feels good about not only executing the offense but executing the offense against our defense. Our defense gives us a lot of different looks, a lot of different problems and unless it is man or zone or press whatever it is, he is feeling comfortable because he has a veteran offensive line that is coming together, they are playing physical, they are understanding, they are picking up a lot of defenses and he is feeling a little better in the pocket and that combination of having a better relationship with your receivers and feeling better with protection,it lets him get rid of the ball faster."


Saturday’s scrimmage ended with redshirt freshman cornerback Jhavon Williams returning an interception about 80 yards for a score. … Sophomore running back Joe Williams left the scrimmage with an apparent left ankle injury and he had a walking boot on his left leg following practice. ..Xavier Hemingway, who has seen most of the first-team snaps at left offensive tackle with starting tackle Jimmy Bennett recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, was held out of practice. … Nick Apostolu, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman out of Springfield (Pa.) High, was in attendance at Saturday’s scrimmage.

Quarterback position more settled in 2013

                                                        (Associated Press photo)
Coming off his first season as UConn's starting quarterback
Chandler Whitmer is looking to become more of a leader. 

A year ago there was a sense of uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position heading into the spring as incumbent Johnny McEntee, junior-college transfer Chandler Whitmer, former top recruit Michael Nebrich and wildcat QB Scott McCummings were vying for the top spot while hot-shot freshman Casey Cochran was hoping to play his way into the equation.

What a difference 12 months can make.

Whitmer used a solid spring camp and a strong showing in the spring game to win the job and Nebrich transferred to Fordham shortly after failing to secure the No. 1 job. McEntee was the No. 2 QB for the entire season while McCummings continued to be used to run the ball out of the wildcat.

Fast forward to this year and Whitmer is clearly the guy for the Huskies. McCummings is back hoping to show new offensive coordinator T.J. Weist that he can do more than just run the ball and Cochran is healthy and in better physical condition than he was at any point last season. In the fall the quarterback position will be somewhat crowded with the arrival of freshmen Tim Boyle, Richard Lagow and Kivon Taylor but during spring drills there is time for the trio of scholarship quarterbacks to establish their roles.

Last year Whitmer was so focused on trying to win the starting job and learn the offense that he didn't always have time to establish himself as a leader on and off the field. He is hoping to change that.


"There were times last season when I kind of kicked myself for not being more of a vocal leader and getting guys going so that is something I really want to focus on this spring," Whitmer said.

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said that the comfort level of having Whitmer back is a significant bonus for the Huskies.


"It is a big deal in the sense that Chandler was a first-year player last year," Pasqualoni said. "Obviously he has 12 tough games in him, he has been here now for a solid year and I think that showed with the way that he played. We are looking for Casey to be a little more comfortable as well. I think that part of it is good and I think it is a big deal for us.

"Casey is in the best shape he has been in since he has been here. He has his weight down under control so his stamina, his endurance, the way he is running I am pleased with that. I want to see him take care of the ball a little more, he missed a snap under center, threw a pick (in Monday's practice). We had a couple of turnovers with him in there, we had two turnovers in four plays. He has to do a better job with that, he has to get familiar with it, he has to get comfortable with it and I want to see progress. I want to see the progress over the last seven weeks, I want to see it over the next eight weeks."

Cochran was likely going to be redshirted during the 2012 season but once he had a mishap at home when he fell off his bike, it was a no-brainer decision to allow Cochran to sit out his true freshman season. Now he is trying to at least make a statement that he is the No. 2 quarterback and perhaps if he can play well enough he can push Whitmer as well.

"It was frustrating being hurt and just having to do rehab and stuff like that, it was a learning experience," Cochran said. "It just comes with experience. I came in here at this time last year and I know so much more than I did at this point last year. Since my first practice last year I have improved 20 percent at least but there is so much I can do I need to do to get better.

"In spring that is the biggest thing at any position to show what you have going into the summer and going into the camp, it gives a basis of what you can do and what the team can expect out of you so I think it is a big deal for guys to show up in the spring and work as hard as you can."

With the three freshmen quarterbacks coming in, competition for practice time at quarterback will be intense in the next couple of years. Cochran figured that would be the case when he signed with the Huskies.

"There is competition at every school," Cochran said. "Every school is going to have four to five quarterbacks, just working as hard as I can every day and doing as much as I can.

"Chandler played last year and he is a great player and so is Scott, it is not like we are all on our own out there. We are all working together and working with Coach (Shane) Day and that is the best thing we can do."

UConn lost receivers Nick Williams and Michael Smith as well as tight ends Ryan Griffin and John Delahunt to graduation but Whitmer likes the talent and potential in the returning core of receivers.

"I am really excited about our receivers, we have some good guys coming back," Whitmer said. "Shak (Shakim Phillips) and Geremy (Davis) are obviously big-time guys and the younger guys have put in a lot of work."

Pasqualoni pleased with first day of spring drills

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni wasn't about to wait around any longer as he had the Huskies report bright and early for the first day of spring practice.

Players started rolling in between 5-5:30 this morning with practice getting rolling at 6 a.m. so not to impact with academic responsibilities.

We were only allowed to watch the first 30 minutes of the practice so there's not a heck of a lot to report.

One guy who caught my eye in the pass-catching drills was redshirt freshman receiver John Green and with Jimmy Bennett still working his way back following offseason shoulder surgery, Xavier Hemingway got first-team reps at left offensive tackle.

Defensive end Jesse Joseph and middle linebacker Yawin Smallwood were among the players limited to riding the stationary bike or getting on the cross trainer.


UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said he liked what he saw on the first day.

"A lot of energy," Pasqualoni said. "I thought they did a good job on the first day of not flattening out. We made a few mistakes and this is the first day, there is a lot to improve on but I was very happy with the level of energy from everybody including the coaches. The coaches are running around after the kids and the kids are running around, it is the kind of environment you want."

With T.J. Weist the new offensive coordinator and Hank Hughes returning to the role of defensive coordinator, there are some new or somewhat new voices running the offense and defense.

"It is not all totally new, it is a lot of carry over with a lot of things that we are doing we have done here," Pasqualoni said. "We have two new coordinators, we are running our offense and we are running out defense but at the same time we have two new voices. I thought on both sides of the ball and we might as well include special teams because Kermit (Buggs) is new here too so the special teams aspect is new as well. With three new coordinators, (practice at) 6 a.m. in the morning I thought it was good."

There are plenty of holes to fill and a chance for young players to move into more prominent roles.

Leading the way of the positions of interest is cornerback. Starting safety Byron Jones was moved to corner to add some more size to that position.


"We needed some size there obviously. I wanted to get a 6-foot guy over there at one of those spots with the corner skill set," Pasqualoni said. "Byron does have some corner skills, we played him as a corner here two years ago but when Blidi (Wreh-Wilson) got hurt two years ago he did start and play the corner position so like a lot of guys on this team I know Byron Jones but I don’t know him well enough as a corner so that is what spring ball is all about. The same thing with Ellis Marder, we recruited him as a safety/corner combination and he has mono right now so he is very limited with what he is doing but I have to get to know him and see. They give you tall guys out there who match up on receivers."

Another player in the spotlight will be former Xavier High star Graham Stewart, who sat out last season after transferring from Florida who sat out last season due to NCAA regulations and wouldn't have been able to play regardless after injuring his shoulder in a freak weight-lifting mishap. Stewart figures to help fill the void left by the graduation of Sio Moore and Jory Johnson.

"I like his speed, his reactionary athleticism, his instinctive reactionary quickness today," Pasqualoni said. "There is no question that when we sees it he pulls the trigger, he is playing fast and hard so that was great to see but we have to see it over the long haul."

Pasqualoni was also happy with what he saw from starting quarterback Chandler Whitmer especially in the ball security department.


"What I was pleased with today was that we had a couple of turnovers but he didn’t turn it over so that is the other big issue going into spring is that we have to eliminate turnovers, we have to have good judgment with the ball and really take care of the ball," Pasqualoni said. "Coaches are really coaching the ball security thing. He handled things pretty well on the first day, he showed some good judgment and didn’t turn it over."

Casey Cochran did have two turnovers in a span of four plays but the former Masuk High star drew praise from Pasqualoni for being in much better shape than he was a year ago.

Pasqualoni said there is a comfort level with Whitmer returning as the starting quarterback.

"It is a big deal in the sense that Chandler was a first-year player last year," Pasqualoni said. "Obviously he has 12 tough games in him, he has been here now for a solid year and I think that showed with the way that he played. We are looking for Casey to be a little more comfortable as well. I think that part of it is good and I think it is a big deal for us."

Finally, senior running back Martin Hyppolite was at practice although he still needs crutches to get around after he injured his hip as he was the passenger in a vehicle involved in a recent car accident which resulted in the death of a New Hampshire judge.

"I had a long talk with him last night and he said he is feeling a lot better so he is rehab mode and it is going to be a while but he is getting everything mentally," Pasqualoni said. "When you are a running back and it is your hip it is tough because you are always cutting. It’s going to be at least until June until we can say ‘OK, he will be back on this date.’ We want to give it that amount of time."

Tough ending for Huskies

Heading into the fourth quarter UConn was just four points down to a bowl-bound Cincinnati team and if somehow the Huskies could rally for a victory in its regular-season finale, the UConn seniors would have one more game to play.

However, starting quarterback Chandler Whitmer was knocked out of his second straight game with a concussion, tight end Ryan Griffin would also be forced to watch the final minutes after a hard fall on his hip. Record-breaking defensive end Trevardo Williams was limited to a handful of plays due to a tender ankle while kicker Chad Christen was supposed to be limited to short field goal tries and extra point although he attempted neither.

What followed was a meager end to a disappointing season as the Huskies wilted late en route to a 34-17 loss to Cincinnati.


"We were kind of working with a patchwork team," UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "We were certainly far from healthy. We had guys who were playing who were banged up. They are trying to do the best they can do limping around out there."

Whitmer said he was feeling OK after the game although he did not remember getting assistance from the Cincinnati coaches after he was wobbly following his final play of the season.

"I remember getting up and Lyle (McCombs) telling me to go down," Whitmer said. "Other than that I was fine. It was just a headache, they took precautions based on last week and didn’t want me to go back in. I just remember talking to Lyle. I will get some rest and I will be fine. I will do whatever they tell me to do. I'll get back to work and get ready for the offseason."

Not only did the UConn seniors not get the win which would have made them bowl eligible but they had to watch Cincinnati coach Butch Jones and the Bearcats celebrate after earning a share of the Big East title.


"It sucks," UConn senior tight end Ryan Griffin said. "They are dumping Gatorade on their coach and it sucks.

"We can’t complain, it is the team that we are. We finished 5-7 and we are what our record said we are."

That doesn't mean it did hurt.

"Right now in the moment I am playing for UConn and I wanted to play one more with UConn," senior cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson said. "Walking off the field I was thinking ‘this is really happening.’ I remember a couple years ago we played Pitt that was Darius Butler’s (senior season) and it was like an eerie scene. They were fighting trying to get back into the game and the stands were empty and it just came to an end. Now I am in the same situation without a bowl game."

Wreh-Wilson and UConn's nationally-ranked defense would like to have the first drives of the first and third quarters back when Cincinnati QB Brendon Kay when he was 7 of 8 for 119 yards and a pair of touchdowns on those two drives. He was just 12 of 21 for 126 yards for the remainder of the game.

"That was bad," Wreh-Wilson said. "Usually the way we start reflects the way we play. We bounced back after it. We got close, it was 14-10 at halftime and when we started we wanted to start fast. It was a one-possession game, it was a two-possession game and that made it tough for our offense. They got us in it again and they scored again."

Chandler Whitmer cleared to practice

UConn sophomore quarterback Chandler Whitmer has been cleared to practice but whether he starts in Saturday's game against Cincinnati is a game-time decision according to UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni.

Whitmer was knocked out of the Louisville game taking a crushing hit and he had to go through the protocol following head injuries before being allowed to return to practice.

Pasqualoni said that he will have to see how Whitmer looks in practice today and tomorrow before making a decision on whether Whitmer or Johnny McEntee gets the start against Cincinnati.

Whitmer has completed 58.2 percent of his passes and his 2,400 passing yards are the most for the Connecticut quarterback since Dan Orlovsky passed for 3,385 yards during the 2004 season.

McEntee will be ready if called upon

Johnny McEntee, UConn's starting quarterback during the 2011 season, has been pushed into the background as junior-college transfer Chandler Whitmer wrestled the starting quarterback spot away from his during spring drills.

When Whitmer was knocked out of Saturday's game at Louisville after taking a vicious shot, McEntee was asked to lead the Huskies to its first road win against a ranked opponent. While his numbers weren't gaudy, he did throw a TD pass to Shakim Phillips in the second overtime.

McEntee, who could be pressed into duty again on Saturday when the Huskies host Cincinnati in a game UConn needs to win to become bowl eligible, just viewed his role in overtime as simply needing to deliver when given the opportunity.

“It was just a big win for the program and I was happy to be a part of it,” McEntee said.

“It was a good feeling,” McEntee said. “You don’t know if you are helping the team at all or what your role is. To be able to contribute something, the whole offense did a great job during that overtime scoring drive and it was just a great feeling.”

McEntee’s teammates jokingly called him “Johnny Football” which is the nickname of Texas A&M’s Heisman Trophy candidate Johnny Manziel. McEntee was having none of that but it was a sign of the level of appreciation his teammates have for the way McEntee handled losing his starting job.”

“Johnny has handled everything terrific,” UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said. “Johnny is a team guy. Johnny is interested in doing whatever is in the best interest of the team so Johnny hasn’t been anything but a team guy from day one. He is a senior, this is his senior class and it is a program he has worked at for four years. To go on the road in the Big East against a top 20 team and win the game in the end, that is something that is an achievement that is a memory that this team, Johnny McEntee and seniors will have forever. That is something they will never forget ever. They may forget their wife’s birthday but they will never forget that win in Louisville.”

McEntee has toiled in relative obscurity behind the scenes, not making waves even when Whitmer was named the starter on the eve of the start of fall camp.

“At first it was a little tough but I just accepted it,” McEntee said. “I just wanted to have fun with my fellow seniors and guys I came in with.”

Pasqualoni didn’t have much of an update on Whitmer’s status and he would not even confirm if he was diagnosed with a concussion.

“Chandler Whitmer is doing pretty good,” Pasqualoni said. “We are really going to limit his work (Tuesday) and reevaluate it each day and we are optimistic as we go through the week that Chandler will be available. It will be a day to day evaluation process.

“We are going to cut Chandler’s down so at least (Tuesday) Johnny will get reps and of course Scotty (McCummings) will get reps. Chandler will make most of his work (as) mental reps. As we go through the week, we have plenty of time. Chandler has gone through this stuff over and over again and we are just going to work through it and see how it goes during the week and make a decision.”

UCONN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES BIG EAST RUMORS
Following a press conference announcing women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma’s partnership with the university’s school of business for a leadership conference held at Mohegan Sun Casino on Apr. 29-30, UConn president Susan Herbst was asked for an update on the conference realignment rumors.

Herbst had no comment was asked whether the Atlantic Coast Conference was closing in on making an offer for the Huskies to become an ACC school and also offered a no comment when pressed to see if UConn would accept the invite from the ACC.

Herbst talked in general terms about putting the interests of the student-athletes first.
“They are there to work hard, have fun and give us a lot of joy especially in the rough winter and we want (them) to be a success academically,” Herbst said. “I think my role is to try to keep perspective on the student-athletes.

“I don’t know how realignment is going to end or how it is settled but we have to focus on the students and they really everything is going to be OK.”

Update on Chandler Whitmer, Trevardo Williams

In UConn's triple-overtime upset of Louisville, two of the Huskies top playmakers went down with injuries.

UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni said on Sunday's call with the media that he is hopeful that both quarterback Chandler Whitmer and defensive end Trevardo Williams will be able to return to practice on Tuesday.

Whitmer suffered an apparent concussion after taking a vicious hit leaving last year's starter Johnny McEntee to finish the game.


"He (Whitmer) will be out of practice today," Pasqualoni said. "We have a very light walkthrough today. He won’t be involved in that today. We will be off (Monday) so we will have two days and then we will see how he is. We are optimistic but we will see how he is.


"I would rather wait until Tuesday and get the absolute definite (update) on it because I want to be sure about what I am saying."

Williams had one of the best games of his collegiate career highlighted by three sacks and four tackles for losses. But he had a walking boot protecting an injured right ankle.

"We will go very light with Trevardo today and like the other guys we will reassess where he is on Tuesday. He is already in the training room being aggressive with his treatment so we are optimistic there."

Pasqualoni said that running back Lyle McCombs received the offensive game ball, the game ball for special teams went to kicker Chad Christen while the entire defensive unit received the defensive game ball.

UConn showing progress on third downs

One of the things I was struck by in Friday's win over Pittsburgh was how well Chandler Whitmer threw the ball on third down including the key completion to Shakim Phillips that allowed the Huskies to run out the clock.

So I did some checking. In the second half of the Temple game, the entire Syracuse game and in the first half against South Florida the Huskies converted just 6 of 29 times on third down. The Huskies were 5 of 7 in the second half against USF and were 7 of 14 against the Panthers.


"I think a big part of that was the guys up front did a better job holding these guys off," Whitmer said. "They have a good defensive front and they did a good job up front protecting me. Lyle had a great job rushing as well so that kept up balanced. That is what I have been talking about all year that we needed to do to be successful and we did a good job of that."

UConn holds on for first Big East win

It wasn't pretty at the end but there were few complaints coming out of the UConn camp after Friday night's 24-17 victory over Pittsburgh except perhaps the belief that those outside the Huskies' inner circle were counting them out.

“It is a great feeling. We have been in four games this year when we lost the game by seven points or less,” UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said. “It is awfully nice to win under these circumstances.”

Coming into the game on a four-game losing streak and with all four of the games coming in the Big East, the UConn players knew that people outside the inner circle were already predicting that the Huskies would finish the season with seven straight losses and go winless in Big-East play.

“That is what got us motivated,” UConn senior defensive tackle Ryan Wirth said. “Everybody was putting a fork in us.”

The tone was set on the first offensive play of the game as Chandler Whitmer ran a bootleg to his right and hit a wide-open Ryan Griffin for a 12-yard gain. Lyle McCombs would add 29 yards on five carries while Whitmer would hook up with Griffin two more times including a 2-yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead with 8:31 left in the first quarter.

“I think we just came out and answered the call tonight,” UConn junior offensive guard Steve Greene said. “We set the tempo early. It feels great. It showed what we were capable of on national television."

UConn, which had not scored a touchdown in the second half in its first four Big East games, appeared primed to finally hit pay dirt as a 39-yard run by McCombs got the Huskies into the red zone. But on second down and 7 at the 14, Whitmer badly overthrew Griffin. Jarred Holley intercepted the pass in the end zone.Whitmer, who was 19 of 25 for 213 yards, atoned for his mistake with a key third-down completion to Shakim Phillips to allow the Huskies to run out the clock.

Whitmer was 19 of 25 for 213 yards while McCombs ran for 120 yards. Yawin Smallwood had nine tackles including the 100th of the season while Sio Moore had a pair of sacks. UConn senior defensive end 

Trevardo Williams left the game with a shoulder injury but Pasqualoni said the injury was not serious and he doesn’t expect him to miss any time.