A healthy McQuillan ready to make an impact

His UConn teammates look on as an injured Sean McQuillan is placed into
an ambulance after taking a huge hit during an Aug. 17 football practice

One of the enduing images of the practices I was allowed to attend during preseason, it was hard to top the scary sight of seeing starting tight end Sean McQuillan being taken from the field in an ambulance after he took a bit hit from cornerback Taylor Mack.

UConn, already thin at the tight end position due to graduation and unexpected departures, were facing the possibility of losing the projected starter.

Thankfully for McQuillan, it was little more than a scary moment. He did miss about 1 1/2 weeks of camp but was cleared a couple days before the Towson game. McQuillan did not record a catch in the game but he was able to play without restriction.

Today was the first time I was able to speak to McQuillan since the day he was injured and he relived the incident.

"It was hard for me and my family," McQuillan said. "My mom was at the practice which I find of wish she wasn’t. It was a scary time and I have never been through anything like that. I’ve had one previous concussion to this point but never been through something like that. Waking up in the ambulance. I was able to wiggle my fingers and toes so it kind of reassured me that things are going to be all right. As the day started progressing, I had a massive headache and I had some whiplash on the hit but as the day started progressing I started to be a little more comfortable just knowing it was probably just a head and neck injury and it wasn’t anything more serious.

"Stuff like that is scary, it is part of the game but you never want something like that to happen to anybody. It is part of the game and I walk out to practice every day knowing that anything can happen, you have to play hard and you can’t really think about it. You know in the back of your mind that injury comes along with the game."

McQuillan believes that he will be more involved in the passing game as the season progresses beginning with Saturday's game against Maryland.

"I think this week and from weeks on I think we will get more involved," McQuillan said. "There are going to be weeks when you don’t get the ball and that is when you have to block and help the team in other areas. I am not really too concerned about it. I am sure we will get more involved and like I told you a few months ago, tight ends will be very involved in the offense this year so I am not really too worried about it."

More than anything else, McQuillan is eager for Saturday's game as it will give him and the rest of the Huskies the chance to show they are a much better team than they looked like in the loss to Towson.

"I can’t wait," McQuillan said. "That is not UConn football, that is not what we are all about. We worked entirely too hard for that be what kind of a team we are. I think we are going to come out this week and show that we can play with anybody. People didn’t realize it is new systems on both sides of the ball and I think we had to work out the kinks. I think that those are gone, the nerves are out and we are going to get to playing UConn football for sure."

McQuillan's injury puts damper on Saturday's practice

UConn players gather around in support of injured teammate Sean McQuillan
at Saturday's practice. McQuillan was injured after being hit by Taylor Mack
and was taken to Windham Hospital for observation.

The most enduring image from Saturday morning's UConn practice was not the back to back 20-yard hookups from Chandler Whitmer to Geremy Davis, freshman fullback Matt Walsh's four touchdowns in short-yardage 11 on 11 drills or Obi Melifonwu's interception which was returned for a score.

Instead, it was Sean McQuillan's teammates gathering near the ambulance that the sophomore tight end needed to be loaded into after a collision with Taylor Mack late in practice.

Whitmer swung out a pass to McQuillan and the ball arrived just before Mack did. Mack delivered a big hit which sent McQuillan sprawling backyards. After crashing to the ground, McQuillan rolled over and was in obvious distress. After being examined for about 15 minutes, a backboard was brought out to stabilize McQuillan and he was taken to Windham Hospital for observation.

"It puts a damper on the day," UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said following practice. "Fortunately he was wiggling everything so we are optimistic that he will be OK."

Pasqualoni said McQuillan, who is projected to be the starting tight end for the Huskies, was communicating when he was being tended to.

"He is in great care, they know exactly what they are doing," Pasqualoni said. "You just don’t like to see stuff like that."

McQuillan was taken to Windham Hospital for observation but was treated and released. CT scan on his head and neck were normal. He is back on campus and being treated for a concussion.

Shortly after the collision Pasqualoni came over to the sideline and told Mack that the hit was "unnecessary." Following practice Pasqualoni was not about to place blame on Mack for causing the injury to McQuillan.

"The corner made a break on the thrown ball and they collided," Pasqualoni said. "It just happens in football and it is part of the game unfortunately. The way it happened, it was a bang-bang play. When you are playing that type of coverage and that player has that zone of the field so he is playing the ball more than the guy so often times you don’t see the guy, you are going for the ball and it has always been part of it."

Mack was clearly shaken emotionally after seeing McQuillan taken from the field in the ambulance.

"I started praying, that is about the only thing I can say," Mack said. "God blesses you every day to come out and play the sport you love and you never take it for granted. I am praying for Sean, we are all praying for him. I am going into the locker room and say a prayer for him after I step off this field.

"It is just a football play. You can’t take it for granted, walk out on the field, smell the grass and thank God that you can play the game."

Starting safety Andrew Adams was also injured during practice. Adams was tangled up with Davis in a receiver/defensive back blocking drill. Davis was able to keep Adams from breaking through Davis' block but the two were still engaged after the drill ended before Adams fell hard to the ground. He immediately was tended to by the medical staff and did not return to practice.