Smallwood's Pick-6 perfect way for UConn's losing streak to end

It would be pretty hard to find a player in the country who has the respect of admiration of his teammates more than UConn junior middle linebacker Yawin Smallwood.

So when it was Smallwood stepping in front of a P.J. Walker and racing 59 yards for the winning touchdown in Saturday's win at Temple, for his teammates it was the perfect way for the Huskies to end the season-long losing streak.

"That was perfect," said cornerback Tyree Clark, who saw action as the nickel corner due to injuries to David Stevenson and Jhavon Williams. "That is how the game should have ended. My man goes in motion and I see him breaking, I plant, look over and I can see Yawin coming and know we had this play. I had to make sure I blocked my man so he couldn’t catch him."

Senior defensive end Tim Willman, who had two sacks and two fumble recoveries, was not shocked to see Smallwood step into a starring role when the Huskies needed him the most.

"When the game is on the line, your best players have to make plays and he is clearly one of our best players," Willman said.

Smallwood had a chance to intercept a pass earlier in the game and showed some frustration when he couldn't hold onto the ball. Given a second chance, he made sure history did not repeat.

"We’ve been going over that route concept all week in practice," Smallwood said, "I was geared up for it and I was waiting for it. I dropped one earlier and I just missed it so the scoreboard was 21-21 and I knew a play had to be made. I am not the type of guy who is going to wait for somebody else to make it, I needed to make the play myself. I am the leader of this defense, leader of this team so I have no problem stepping up and doing it."

This has not been the easiest of seasons for Smallwood even if he has recorded his second straight 100-tackle campaign. A year ago he was flanked by veteran linebackers Sio Moore and Jory Johnson, senior playmakers Trevardo Williams and Ryan Wirth were up front with Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwyane Gratz at cornerback. Injuries and graduation led to Smallwood playing alongside a relatively inexperienced defensive unit. The losses ate away at Smallwood.

"It definitely has been rough for me," Smallwood said. "I am a competitive guy and I don’t like to lose and especially since we’ve been working really hard and putting in a lot of effort but there is nothing else I can do except keep grinding, keep pushing to get better and get this team better. That has been my focus all season."

The biggest question with Smallwood is whether he will be back for his senior season. There have been multiple reports from NFL draft insiders speculating that Smallwood is going to make himself available for the 2014 NFL draft and he has been rated among the top 50 players on multiple draft databases. He said he will put his focus on his pro future at the appropriate time.

"Right now I am a college football player. I owe my respect to my team, to my coaches to focus on college football right now so that is what I am going to do," Smallwood said.

ONE FINAL GAME FOR MARCHI
When I did a feature on UConn commit Logan Marchi in the preseason, he said his No. 1 goal was to lead his St. Paul team to the playoffs as a senior. That is not going to happen as St. Paul has been eliminated from postseason contention. So tonight's game against Xavier will be the final one of his remarkable high school career.

Marchi has had an outstanding season season. His 3,220 passing yards is the seventh highest total in state history. Marchi would need to throw for 489 yards to set the state single-season record set by Cromwell's Anthony Morales in 2011. It's more likely he moves into at least the No. 3 spot (currently held UConn starting quarterback Casey Cochran) or perhaps even into the second spot. Marchi does already hold one state record with 1,182 career passing attempts.

Speaking of records, Marchi is currently tied with Cochran for the state career record with 112 passing touchdowns and he needs nine completions to break Cochran's state career record in that category. Marchi also needs 298 yards to join Cochran as the only players with 10,000 career passing yards.

Casey Cochran quietly taking leadership role at UConn

When UConn interim coach T.J. Weist reflected back on the scene at halftime in Saturday's win at Temple, he mentioned two players who displayed remarkable leadership in the locker room as the Huskies faced a 21-0 deficit at halftime.

The first name is hardly a surprise as team captain and leading tackler Yawin Smallwood gathered the defense around him and acted like the leader that he is. An offensive player did the same thing but it was not one of the veteran players but redshirt freshman Casey Cochran.

Cochran was quick to spread the credit around when he recalled that scene at halftime before the offense had three scoring drives in the second half of at least 50 yards en route to a come from behind 28-21 victory.

"It is important to get everybody on the same page," Cochran said. "It is more than just yelling at the guys. I don’t do that as a quarterback of the offense. I try to get the offense more cohesive, try to get everybody on the same page and I think that is how I lead the offense. The leadership is thee on every single guy, I don’t do that much it revolves around everybody else on the offense.

"The thing that was weird was at halftime it didn’t feel like we were down 21-0. (A) 21-0 (deficit) to some people is a big deal and not a lot of people come back from that but I didn’t feel like we were out of the game at all. I think everybody on the team knew we were going to win that game even in the first half, we just had a bad half. The second half we came out and won it and that was a big deal for us."

National honor for UConn's Yawin Smallwood

Getting the Defensive Player of the Week honor from the American Athletic Conference wasn't the only accolade for UConn junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood.

Smallwood was named the College Football Performance Award's National Defensive Performer of the Week and the Linebacker Performer of the Week after recording eight tackles, scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 59-yard interception with 4:20 left and registering a sack on the final drive in UConn's 28-21 win over Temple. Smallwood went over the 100-tackle mark for the second straight season and more importantly, helped the Huskies snap a 10-game losing streak.

Also, senior defensive end Tim Willman was one of eight defensive linemen given honorable mention recognition after recording two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

In other news, none of the players who missed Saturday's game are listed on the two-deep chart for the Rutgers game although interim coach T.J. Weist said he hopes to have OT Kevin Friend, CB Jhavon Williams and WR John Green back.

Also, Rutgers has made a switch at quarterback as Chas Dodd will start in place of Gary Nova.

Veterans come through to lead UConn to first win

Since being elevated to interim coach T.J. Weist has walked into the visiting locker room at halftime on the wrong side of the scoreboard and knew he had to play the role of cheerleader and self-help guru as much as a football coach.

However, when Weist stepped into the locker room at halftime of last night's game at Temple, he saw a different scene. There were few bowed heads but a sense of  "enough is enough" from the leaders of the winless team.

"What did we say at halftime?" Weist said on a Sunday afternoon conference call. "Everybody wants to know ‘what did we say at halftime?’ I got a little (ticked) off and kind of challenged them a little bit but the players came together, Yawin (Smallwood) grabbed the defense and really Casey (Cochran) did a good job at halftime and really grabbed the offensive guys and brought the offense together in the locker room and challenged them. That was good to see some of our leaders challenge the team at halftime to get back to playing smart football, tough physical football. I was proud of their second half effort, shutting those guys out. Really everything came together for us in all three phases in the second half and that is what we have to do."

UConn trailed 21-0 against Temple at halftime but did not allow the Owls to score another point and had three offensive scoring drives of at least 50 yards to rally for a 28-21 win. Fittingly, it was the Huskies' veteran players who delivered many of the key plays. Junior linebacker and team captain Yawin Smallwood scored the game-winning TD on a 59-yard interception return and also had a sack on Temple's final drive. Defensive end Tim Willman had two sacks and two fumble recoveries, Geremy Davis opened the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown catch.

"That is what makes some of the (plays) special," Weist said. "Yawin, a team captain, makes the plays in the end. Tim Willman guys that the players really respect, comes through and the character shows through in the end and he makes a play when you need it. That is what you have to have. You want to win games you have to make plays and somebody’s got to make them, it is the guys who work the hardest, guys who are the starters and the team leaders those are the guys who usually come through and that is what we have been missing. It is really good for this team to see Yawin and Tim make those plays. Geremy only had four catches but they were four critical catches, every one of those catches made a difference in the game and the players trust him when he gets the ball that he does what he is supposed to do and make plays. The same thing with Yawin and that is what good teams and that is why I said we just have to learn how to win and they only learn how to win by making plays, making them at critical times and we finally did last night."


Weist had to deal with the frustration after returning home with losses following road games against Central Florida, Cincinnati and SMU so there was a different feel when the team headed back to Connecticut this time.

"There is no comparison because winning solves so many things," Weist said. "It makes everybody feel better, there is no comparison to it. This kind of win is so sweet because these players have put in so much work, the players and staff have put in so much work, so much time and so much effort to get a victory that this one is that much more special and means that much more. It may not mean anything to anybody in the country that a winless team won a game but this is one of our best victories, one of my best victories as a coach just because of how much it means to the players, to this program, to this university to come back and finally put it together. There is no comparison to the feeling you have, the satisfaction of coming back after a bad first half, coming back and getting a victory like this – there is just nothing like it."

On Thursday's conference call Weist said he brought cigars a while back with the intention of breaking them out for the staff following the first win of the season. He just didn't think it was going to take this long.

"Right after we met as a team (he broke them out)." Weist said. "We sang the fight song, we prayed, the assistant coaches got to meet with the offense and defense and we (had) a nice victory cigar. We have been waiting to do that a long time and it was a little something special."

Weist said wide receiver Shakim Phillips turned an ankle early in the game but he is hoping that Phillips can play on Saturday against Rutgers. He said he hopes to have offensive tackle Kevin Friend, DB Jhavon Williams and WR John Green back as well. Friend and Williams are dealing with concussions and Green had a quad issue. He was able to practice a little bit last week but not enough for him to play.

.

Milestones in reach for UConn's Smallwood, McCombs

Two of UConn stars figure to reach some milestones tonight for UConn.

Junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood needs seven tackles to become the 16th UConn player with 300 career tackles and first since Scott Lutrus in 2010 while junior tailback Lyle McCombs needs 23 yards to become the sixth UConn player with 2,500 career rushing yards.


Here are the lists
300 TACKLES
1. John Dorsey (80-83)        495
2. Lawrence Wilson (07-10) 449
3. Troy Ashley (86-89)         428
4. Maurice Lloyd (01-04)     412
5. Mike Jansen (85-87)       394
6. Vernon Hargreaves (81-83) 393
7. Alfred Fincher (01-04)    357
8. Paul Duckworth (90-93) 344
9. Scott Lutrus (07-10)       341
9. Dennis O'Connell (76-78) 341
11. Chris Meyer (00-03)      332
12. Jamal Lundy (99-02)     320
13. Jim Reppi (90-93)        314
14. Paul Zenkert (91-94)    312
15. Brad Keatley (94-97)   311


2,500 RUSHING YARDS
1. Donald Brown (06-08)   3800
2. Terry Caulley (02-06)     3187
3. Jordan Todman (08-10)  3179
4. Wilbur Gilliard (92-95)    2624
5. Ed Lojng (91-94)            2515

Smallwood named Butkus Award semifinalist

UConn junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood was named one of 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which is presented annually to the nation's premier linebacker.

Smallwood leads the Huskies with 79 tackles and also has 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He has scored double-digit tackles in five of UConn's seven games this season.

The Butkus finalists will be announced on Nov. 26 with the winner be revealed on Dec. 10.

Ty-Meer Brown receives CFPA honor

UConn junior safety Ty-Meer Brown was one of nine defensive backs to earn honorable mention recognition from the College Football Performance Awards site.

Brown had eight tackles,one of the Huskies' season-high 10 tackles for loss, forced a fumble and returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown in Saturday's 24-21 loss to Michigan.

Iowa's B.J. Lowery was named the national FBS Defensive Back of the Week after returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in a span of 3:34 in a 59-3 win over Western Michigan.

Brown is the second UConn player to earn CFPA honors this season as receiver Shakim Phillips was an honorable mention selection after his big game against Maryland.

Linebacker Yawin Smallwood was named to the American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll after recording 13 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble against Michigan.

Linebacking instincts have served Yawin Smallwood

In the process of doing a feature on UConn star linebacker Yawin Smallood I ran across some highlight videos on YouTube during his days at Doherty High in Worcester, Mass. While there were clips of him hitting opposing running backs and quarterbacks but he also ripped through opposing defenses as an option quarterback.

Smallwood had three 150-yard rushing games as a senior and touchdown passes of 54 and 67 yards during his junior season.

“It was definitely fun. I feel like that was where I got my leadership role from,” Smallwood said. “I think that has helped me out on the defensive side and I would love to play it again if I have a chance.”

As much as Smallwood enjoyed playing quarterback, he always considered himself to be a linebacker first.

“I like making the big hits and stuff like that,” Smallwood said. “I think defense just fits me, guys are intense, fired up and I just love that.“I always knew I was going to play defense because of my size and I was always ready for that role.”

With Lawrence Wilson, Sio Moore and Scott Lutrus manning the linebacking positions, Smallwood redshirted in 2010. Following the graduation of Wilson and Lutrus, Smallwood worked his way into the starting lineup in 2011. Foreshadowing things to come, Smallwood made the tackle on the Huskies’ first defensive play. He finished second on the team with 94 tackles. During the 2012 season despite playing on a team featuring three players who would be taken in the third round and another who went in the fourth round, Smallwood led the Huskies with 120 tackles. The impressive sophomore season was highlighted by back to back 14-tackle games against North Carolina State and Maryland. Perhaps even more noteworthy than making at least 10 tackles nine times in 25 career starts is that Smallwood has five tackles or more in every game he has played.

“Some people are just born to be a football player and I really think Yawin was born to be a football player,” UConn sophomore linebacker Graham Stewart. “He has unreal instincts and he is always around the ball and that is something you can’t always teach and he has the intangibles that you just can’t teach.”

Graham Stewart happy to be home

If Graham Stewart wondered whether he made the right decision when he left Florida to transfer to UConn so he could be closer to home they disappeared late last week.

Stewart's sister was getting married on the same day that UConn opened its preseason camp. As passionate as Stewart is about football, he knew that this is one day that football was second on his list of priorities so he missed the opening practice with the blessing of UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni.

“That was tough for me,” Stewart said. “I told her ‘look, I am just not going to be there.’ All jokes aside, I am so happy for my sister. I did miss the first practice which did suck but I am here now and I am not going anywhere.

“It was awesome. You never know how it is going to go until you see you sister or your brother walking down that aisle but it was an emotional, happy time.”

Stewart admits it would have been a tougher scenario if he were still enrolled at Florida,

“Would I have been able to come all the way back if I was in Florida, the chances behind that are probably slim to none,” Stewart said. “It meant a lot for me to be there and be a groomsman and just see my sister being wed.”

It didn’t take long after Stewart hit the practice field for him to earn a spot with the starting unit alongside All-American candidate Yawin Smallwood and Ryan Donohue as UConn tries to move on after losing Jory Johnsn and Sio Moore (who combined to start 59 career games) to graduation.

“Being able to sit out last year, watching them and watching film the good thing was I was able to pick up the good traits from both of them,” Stewart said. “They are both guys who can play in the NFL and Sio is excelling (with the Oakland Raiders). I see myself fitting into Sio’s old role but putting my own stamp on the position.“I feel strong being able to pass rush and blitz but at the same time being able to cover a lot of ground.”

As much as Stewart is eager to make impact plays for the revamped UConn defense, he is driven even more by helping UConn shake off the frustration from back to back 5-7 seasons. Winning is nothing new to Stewart as he came out of the highly-successful Xavier program. Stewart joins redshirt freshman defensive end Sean Marinan and true freshman quarterback Tim Boyle to give the Huskies three Xavier graduates on the roster. The strong-armed Boyle has made an immediate impression during the first week of preseason camp.

“We are proud of that,” Stewart said. “We come from a program that is used to winning and we want to win. Sean is my closest friend and Tim is out slinging the ball and looking like Tom Brady which I know he wants to. I have a long extensive history with Tim, I know the type of person Tim is and Tim is the kind of guy who is always in the film room studying and he is a football junkie. He is going to do what it takes to get the job done at the end of the day.”

Another prestigious honor for UConn's Yawin Smallwood

Add more preseason recognition for UConn rising junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood who was named to the watch list for a national award for the fifth time in the last 12 days.

This one is the most impressive of the bunch as he was one of 11 defensive players named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list.

Smallwood has been on the watch list for the Butkus, Bednarik and Nagurski Awards which are all presented exclusively to defensive players and to the Lombardi Award which considers offensive and defensive linemen in addition to linebackers.

Smallwood led UConn with 120 tackles as a sophomore including 15 tackles for losses and four sacks. Smallwood had six games with at least 10 tackles during the 2012 season including back to back 14-tackle efforts against North Carolina State and Maryland. He had nine tackles for loss and four sacks in the first three games of his sophomore season.

The other defensive players named to the Walter Camp Awards, which is presented annually to the national player of the year, are UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, Rice defensive back Phillip Gaines, Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley, Notre Dame defensive end Louis Nix III, Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton, Notre Dame defensive Stephon Tuitt and BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

Ten semifinalists for the Walter Camp Award will be named in mid-November with the winner being announced on Dec. 12.

Smallwood named to Butkus, Lombardi watch lists

A year ago at this time Yawin Smallwood was one of the best-kept secrets in college football as his more experienced teammates were the ones receiving all the national recognition.

Well, those days are over.

Following up a rock solid freshman season when he was UConn's second-leading tackler, Smallwood recorded a team-high 120 tackles as one of the stars on the Huskies' nationally-ranked defense.

People are obviously taking notice as he was named to the Butkus and Lombardi Award watch lists on Monday after previously earning the same honor for the Bednarik and Nagurski Awards.

The Butkus Award, named in honor of Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, honors the nation's best lineman while linemen and linebackers are eligible for the Lombardi Award.

Since earning the starting middle linebacker spot at UConn as a redshirt freshman Smallwood has had at least five tackles in every game. He returned a fumble 64 yards in his second career game and before the end of his fifth game he had a fumble recovery, forced fumble, sack and interception. In his 24 career collegiate games Smallwood had recorded at least seven tackles 21 times including a career high 14 stops in back to back games against North Carolina State and Maryland during the 2012 season.

With the graduation of linebackers Sio Moore and Jory Johnson, defensive end and career sacks leader Trevardo Williams and cornerbacks Dwayne Gratz and Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Smallwood is the unquestioned face of the UConn defense.

UConn's Smallwood a candidate for Nagurski Award

Another day brings more national recognition for UConn linebacker Yawin Smallwood as the rising junior was one of 81 players named to the Bronko Nagurski Award watch list.

Smallwood led UConn with 59 solo tackles and 120 tackles during the 2012 season. He also had four sacks, 15 tackles for loss, two forced fumble and four pass breakups.

In his two seasons as the Huskies' starting middle linebacker Smallwood has 214 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for losses.

The award for the Nagurski Award, presented annually to the nation's top defensive player, will be announced on Nov. 21 with the winner be revealed on Dec. 9.

Smallwood was previously named as a candidate for the Bednarik Award and was on the College Football Performance Award watch list for linebackers. With the Butkus and Lombardi Award watch lists being announced on Monday, more recognition could be coming Smallwood's way.

Smallwood named to Bednarik watch list

UConn rising junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood was one of 75 players named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list.

Smallwood led UConn with 120 tackles during the 2012 season to go with 15 tackles for loss, four quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles. Smallwood had five games with more than 10 tackles including season-high totals of 14 tackles in back to back games against Maryland and North Carolina State.

Semifinalists with the Bednarik Award, presented annually to the nation's  best defensive player, will be announced on Oct. 29, three finalists will be revealed on Nov. 25 with the winner being named on Dec. 12.

Smallwood a preseason All-American

UConn rising junior linebacker Yawin Smallwood was named a fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele.

Smallwood led UConn with 120 tackles during the 2012 season. He had six double-digit tackle games as a sophomore including back to back 14-tackle efforts against North Carolina State and Maryland. Smallwood also had four sacks, forced two fumbles, 15 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble.

Smallwood, running back Lyle McCombs and cornerback Byron Jones were all named to the American Athletic Conference preseason first team, offensive tackle Jimmy Bennett and kick Chad Christen were third-pick pick while offensive guard Steve Greene, linebacker Graham Stewart and punter Cole Wagner were fourth-team selections.

What's next following impressive draft haul

With a program-record five players drafted and three others heading into NFL training camps, it's been a rather productive few days for the UConn football program.

The question now is what are the draft prospects for UConn in 2014?

At first glance the answer is that it will be nowhere like it was this year.

Dwayne Gratz, Sio Moore, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Trevardo Williams and Ryan Griffin came into their seniors seasons as known commodities since they have been making plays since they were freshmen or sophomores. It's not a huge shock that they caught the eyes of NFL scouts. Nick Williams, Michael Smith and Ryan Wirth, who are heading into training camps as undrafted signees, all had the talent and enough impactful moments to get invites from NFL teams.

Looking at the current group of UConn football seniors and it seems to be a different story.

Many of the seniors in line to start next season would be players like Taylor Mack, Tim Willman and Ryan Donohue who have been role players in the past. The most experienced seniors are defensive end Jesse Joseph and offensive linemen Jimmy Bennett, Kevin Friend and Steve Greene.

I took a look at the www.nfldraftscout.com site's 2014 NFL draft database and the players at the top of the positional rankings are Greene (the No. 61 rated offensive guard) and Cole Wagner (the 24th rated punter) which would make both of them free agents at best. Defensive end Tim Willman, defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, offensive linemen Friend and Tyler Bullock and running back Martin Hyppolite also are in the database. Obviously there's plenty of time for the UConn players to create waves but I would have to think that if the Huskies have a year similar to the one they just had that not too many scouts will be pursuing the veteran offensive linemen. However, if they turn the corner and emerge into a dominant offensive line, that will only help their chances to getting into NFL camps in 2014.

Recent history has shown that UConn's best showings in the NFL draft have come in odd numbered years with four players taken in both the 2009 and 2011 drafts and the five taken this season. That trend could be continuing in 2015.

I would have to think that linebacker Yawin Smallwood will be a sought after prospect with NFL prototype size. Defensive backs Ty-Meer Brown and Byron Jones and receivers Geremy Davis and Shakim Phillips could also emerge into NFL prospects.

It's Spring Game day

Spring practice will come to an end this afternoon with the spring game. It's going to be interesting to see how the event gets run because on Tuesday head coach Paul Pasqualoni made it sound like the squad was going to be split in half and it will resemble the Blue-White Game of the past. A couple of days later a press release was sent out stating it was going to be more of a controlled scrimmage due to a lack of healthy bodies at certain positions.

Linebacker, defensive line and running back seem to be the positions hit the hardest by injuries.

Yawin Smallwood hasn't practiced all spring while Omaine Stephens and Jon Hicks are other linebackers out of action which leaves five linebackers able to go today. The good news is that the healthy linebackers seem to have made an impact this spring.


"Ryan Donohue is having a really good spring," Pasqualoni said after Tuesday's practice. "He is a leader capable of directing his teammates which is a big prerequisite of the linebacker position. He is doing a very good job and has a clear understanding of what the concepts are, what he is seeing and his instinctiveness and reactionary stuff is really good. Brandon Steg is having his best spring since I have been here so that is very encouraging. He has been on the scout team for my two years here, Graham Stewart is learning the position but you can see the explosiveness so he has the skill set, Jefferson Ashiru is playing more consistently, Marquise Vann is playing more confidently, more assuredly so I am encouraged with that group."

On the defensive line, probable fall starters Jesse Joseph and Shamar Stephen have spent more time riding the stationary bike while promising sophomore tailback Joe Williams suffered an ankle injury in a scrimmage a week ago that will keep him out of action today. Martin Hyppolite, a passenger in a car involved in a fatal accident in New Hampshire, is still recovering from those injuries and will also be sidelined.

"He is walking around," Pasqualoni said of Hyppolite. "(UConn trainer) Bob (Howard) said he has a ways to go to get it healed but there is no way of us knowing until we get to June or July. He is in all the meetings learning everything."

Pasqualoni said the returners will catch punts and kickoffs but there will be no returns in the game/scrimmage.

Here is how the UConn press release described what fans can expect today.


Saturday’s Blue vs. White Spring Game will not have a typical team vs. team format due to the fact that the Huskies have a limited amount of healthy players in certain position areas. The UConn offense will scrimmage against the UConn defense in various situations, including standard gameday, “back to the wall” starting at the one-yard line and having to move downfield and red zone.

Parking lots opened at 9 a.m. today with Rentschler Field gates set to open at 10:30 a.m. The game/scrimmage will begin at noon. WTIC-1080 will broadcast the game live and while SNY is expected to have a crew at the game, it will not be televising the game live as it did last year.

Trevardo Williams unanimous All-Big East selection

The Big East announced its all-conference teams today. Senior defensive end Trevardo Williams was one of the three players named as unanimous selections and he was joined on the first team by sophomore linebacker Yawin Smallwood and senior linebacker Sio Moore.

Williams had 11.5 sacks as a senior and finished his career with a program-record 30.5 sacks. Smallwood led the Huskies with 59 solo tackles and 120 total tackles while adding four sacks, 15 tackles for losses and two forced fumbles. Moore had 15.5 tackles for losses including eight sacks.

Senior tight end Ryan Griffin and senior offensive guard Adam Masters were second-team selections as was return specialist Nick Williams while senior cornerbacks Dwayne Gratz and Blidi Wreh-Wilson were named to the second-team as well.

Griffin led the Huskies with six touchdown receptions and an average of 16.7 yards per catch as a senior. Griffin hauled in 29 passes for 484 yards as a senior. Masters was named to the all-conference squad despite playing in just seven games in an injury-shortened senior season. Williams returned two punts for touchdown, averaged 12 yards per punt return and 20.4 yards per kickoff return. Gratz led the Huskies with three interceptions and 14 passes defended. Wreh-Wilson, a two-time captain, broke up 10 passes and his lone interception came in overtime in the upset win over Louisville.

Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was named the Big East offensive player of the year while the defensive player of the year honor when to Rutgers' Khaseem Greene. The Big East Rookie of the Year was given to Stratford native Tyler Matakevich out of Temple.

Greene and Syracuse receiver Alec Lemon joined Williams as the only other unanimous All-Big East selections.


2012 BIG EAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville (So., Miami, Fla.)

BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers (Sr., Elizabeth, N.J.)

BIG EAST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Matt Brown, RB, Temple (Sr., Baltimore, Md.)

BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple (Fr., Stratford, Conn.)

BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR
Charlie Strong, Louisville
Kyle Flood, Rutgers

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM 
OFFENSE 
Pos. Player School Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
WR Alec Lemon * Syracuse Sr. 6-2 204 Crofton, Md./Arundel
WR DeVante Parker Louisville So. 6-3 205 Louisville, Ky./Ballard
OT Eric Lefeld Cincinnati So. 6-6 287 Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater
OT Justin Pugh Syracuse Sr. 6-5 297 Holland, Pa./Council Rock South
OG Austen Bujnoch Cincinnati Jr. 6-5 285 Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder
OG Antwan Lowery Rutgers Jr. 6-4 305 Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus
C Mario Benavides Louisville Sr. 6-4 280 Los Fresnos, Texas/Los Fresnos
TE Travis Kelce Cincinnati Sr. 6-6 260 Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights
QB Teddy Bridgewater Louisville So. 6-3 218 Miami, Fla./Northwestern
RB Ray Graham Pittsburgh Sr. 5-9 190 Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth
RB Montel Harris Temple Sr. 5-10 207 Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian
K Maikon Bonani USF Sr. 5-10 176 Lake Wales, Fla./Lake Wales
RS Matt Brown Temple Sr. 5-5 165 Baltimore, Md./Peddie School/Milford Academy
             
DEFENSE
Pos. Player School Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
DL Dan Giordano Cincinnati Sr. 6-4 260 Frankford, Ill./Lincoln-Way East
DL Trevardo Williams * Connecticut Sr. 6-2 233 Bridgeport, Conn./Canterbury 
DL Aaron Donald Pittsburgh Jr. 6-0 275 Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills
DL Scott Vallone Rutgers Sr. 6-3 275 Central Islip, N.Y./St. Anthony’s
LB Greg Blair Cincinnati Sr. 6-2 252 Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley/Lackawanna CC
LB Sio Moore Connecticut Sr. 6-2 229 Apex, N.C./Apex 
LB Yawin Smallwood Connecticut So. 6-3 235 Worcester, Mass./Doherty 
LB Khaseem Greene * Rutgers Sr. 6-1 230 Elizabeth, N.J./Avon Old Farms
CB Adrian Bushell Louisville Sr. 5-11 184 DeSoto, Texas/Cedar Valley CC
CB Logan Ryan Rutgers Jr. 6-0 190 Berlin, N.J./Eastern
S Duron Harmon Rutgers Sr. 6-1 200 Magnolia, Del./Caesar Rodney
S Shamarko Thomas Syracuse Sr. 5-10 206 Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes
P Brandon McManus Temple Sr. 6-3 190 Hatfield, Pa./North Penn
* unanimous selection
                                                                                                                                                   
 ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM 
OFFENSE 
Pos. Player School Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
WR Mike Shanahan Pittsburgh Sr. 6-5 225 North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin
WR Devin Street Pittsburgh Jr. 6-4 190 Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty
WR Brandon Coleman Rutgers So. 6-6 220 Accokeek, Md./Bishop McNamara
OT Alex Kupper Louisville Sr. 6-3 298 Louisville, Ky./Trinity
OT Kaleb Johnson Rutgers So. 6-4 300 Jacksonville, Fla./Edward H. White
OT Martin Wallace Temple Sr. 6-6 300 New York, N.Y./Beacon School
OG Adam Masters Connecticut Sr. 6-4 298 Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman 
OG Mark Popek USF Sr. 6-7 299 Plant City, Fla./Plant City
C Ryan Turnley Pittsburgh Sr. 6-6 320 Hopewell, Pa./Hopewell
QB Ryan Nassib Syracuse Gr. 6-3 227 West Chester, Pa./Malvern Prep
TE Ryan Griffin Connecticut Sr. 6-6 247 Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry 
RB George Winn Cincinnati Sr. 5-11 210 Southfield, Mich./Detroit Jesuit
RB Jawan Jamison Rutgers So. 5-8 200 Stark, Fla./The Bolles School
K Brandon McManus Temple Sr. 6-3 190 Hatfield, Pa./North Penn
RS Nick Williams Connecticut Sr. 5-10 184 East Windsor, N.J./The Hun School 
             
DEFENSE 
Pos. Player School Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
DL Walter Stewart Cincinnati Sr. 6-5 249 Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley
DL Cory Grissom USF Sr. 6-2 316 La Grange, Ga./Troup County
DL Brandon Sharpe Syracuse Sr. 6-1 255 Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes
DL John Youboty Temple Sr. 6-4 250 Houston, Texas/Klein
LB Preston Brown Louisville Jr. 6-2 255 Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest
LB Sam Barrington USF Sr. 6-1 230 Jacksonville, Fla./Terry Parker
LB Tyler Matakevich Temple Fr. 6-1 220 Stratford, Conn./St. Joseph’s/Milford Academy
CB Dwayne Gratz Connecticut Sr. 6-0 198 Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway 
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson Connecticut Sr. 6-2 190 Edinboro, Pa./General McLaine 
S Calvin Pryor Louisville So. 6-2 213 Port St. Joe, Fla./Port St. Joe
S Hakeem Smith Louisville Jr. 6-1 187 Jonesboro, Ga./Riverdale
S Jason Hendricks Pittsburgh Jr. 6-0 180 Brooklyn, N.Y./Hudson Catholic
P Pat O’Donnell Cincinnati Jr. 6-5 222 Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central
P Justin Brockhaus-Kann USF Sr. 6-2 214 Winter Springs, Fla./Winter Springs
Additional players added to the All-BIG EAST teams due to ties in the voting