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Big East Preview: UConn Huskies
By Jason Collette | June 30, 2008
Ah, the paper lions of 2007. This team got way too much run last year for being part of the competitive Big East. They started off the year 2-0, defeating I-AA teams Duke and Maine (be honest - Duke doesn’t belong in the FCS ). They then hosted Temple and won the game because the officials blew the call as Temple scored the game winning touchdown at the end. The dream ended when Virginia beat them mid-year but they bounced back to defeat USF at Storrs in disastrous weather. It helped that the Huskies were undefeated last year at home. They finished the season on the road with two of the final three at Cincinnati and West Virginia where they lost by a combined score of 93-24. The Huskies are returning nearly everyone from 2007, but the squad was 90th overall in total offense last year (66th in scoring) so that is not necessarily a great thing.
QB Tyler Lorenzen (left, Icon SMI) came in as a juco transfer last year to take over a passing game that has struggled since Dan Orlovksy’s graduation. He led the team to wins, but 2,971 total yards and 14 touchdowns with six interceptions is not exactly fantasy gold. If Lorenzen goes down, Notre Dame transfer (does anyone stay there?) Zach Frazer is next in line. He’s a load at 6′4″ 230 lbs. but has no live playing experience.
The runningback position is in great shape as the Huskies return their top two performers from last season in Andre Dixon and Donald Brown . The tandem combined for 1,746 yards and eleven rushing touchdowns while averaging 4.9 ypc . The team was 49th in the country in rushing offense with 161 yards a game but produced only 17 rushing touchdowns. This is not a prolific offense by any means so guys like Dixon and Brown can only be considered as RB2 or lower options. The club does like utilizing a fullback and Lou Allen scored five touchdowns in that role last year. However, that may change this year as the club has fireplugs Anthony Sherman and Anthony Davis at the position who have six career carries between them.
Wide receiver is a mess for the Huskies, much like it always has been. They haven’t produced anything that would have been considered for WR 3 on a fantasy team since their I-AA days. Last year’s leading receiver, Terrance Jeffers , took his 582 yards and five touchdowns elsewhere. The top two returning receivers are Brad Kanuch and former quarterback D.J. Hernandez who combined for 837 yards and three touchdowns last season. Steve Brouse at tight end can offer production as he had 286 yards and four touchdowns last year. Also in the wide receiver mix this year is senior Ellis Gauldin (4 catches) and sophomore Kashif Moore (0 receptions). If you have to roster a Connecticut wide receiver on draft day, you have clearly done something wrong.
The kicking game is solid with senior Tony Ciarvino coming back. He was 34-38 on extra points and 22 for 27 on kicks last year where he missed three of five beyond 50 yards.
The Defense returns eight starters from last year. The Huskies were 37th in overall defense last year and an impressive 14th in scoring defense, holding teams to 19 points a game. They also tied for 4th in the country in interceptions. The two seniors they lost came out of the defensive backfield, so the interceptions might come down. However, their entire front seven returns so the Huskies should have another productive defensive year. The schedule is once again favorable as the out of conference games include Hofstra , Temple, Baylor, and North Carolina. They have to travel to USF and Rutgers this season but get Cincy and West Virginia at home. Last year’s co-Big East champs will be hard pressed to repeat last year’s success with a limited offense that produced nearly 90 yards less per game than their opponents. That type of thing tends to catch up on teams the following season.
Topics: Big East, College Football, Jason Collette, Preview |
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