We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

[thesportsguru11]

Off On the Wrong Foot

Despite yardage edge, pair of Wade INT’s, UConn flat in Belichick’s debut, lose 35-14 at the Linc ---- Penn State tees off on new-look offensive line as questions loom large for Huskies with Irish on deck

The Penn State D was all over UConn in this one - LaDorian Sullivan (left) set a school record by sacking Isaac Jackson five times, while Rohan Moss (right) added a sack and an INT - one of three in total for the Nittany Lions.

Eight months after a painful National Title loss, you would have expected a little fire in the few returnees that UConn boasted entering the 2021 campaign.

Fire, however, was something they sorely lacked, as UConn was dealt consecutive losses for the first time since 2018 to kick off the new season. In a flat performance all around, the 25th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions soundly defeated Stephen Belichick’s Huskies 35-14 on Saturday night.

If you were to attempt to suss out a primary reason for the defeat, look no further than the offense. Despite the Huskies holding an edge in total yardage and time of possession, all UConn could do was muster 14 points as star quarterback Isaac Jackson tossed three interceptions and star tailback Luke Williamson had an uncharacteristic day; The Heisman runner-up a year ago lost a fumble early while only tallying 84 yards on the ground.

The two stars in the backfield were ran into the ground all night long, along with the rest of the young and inexperienced offense. Solid games from mega-freshmen Chamarkelle Byrom (5 catches, 73 yards) and Lonte’ Speier (3 grabs, 74 yards), were not enough to bail out the horrific performances of center Lawron Leak, guard Korey Davis-Love and right tackles Joe Sykes and Michael Clark.

It was a trying day for the UConn offense.

Leading the charge on that tenacious Nittany Lions defense was edge rusher LaDorian Sullivan. The junior had a field day against the green UConn line, tallying 14 tackles (seven for loss) and two fumble recoveries while scooting past Sykes for four sacks and Clark for another. Sullivan’s five QB takedowns in total set a school record as Penn State pummeled I-Jax to the tune of eight sacks as a unit.

Coupled with a solid performance out of junior quarterback Jonathan Silas (17-26, 242 yards and two touchdowns), and three rushing touchdowns as a team, the Nittany Lions did more than enough to supplement the fantastic defensive showing. As a result, they led from start to finish and ran their record back to an even 1-1.

Williamson’s fumble came early, the first drive of the game, in fact, right as UConn was pulling into scoring range. Safety Rhad Whiten knocked the ball loose and Sullivan scooped up the loose ball, returning it to their 43 yard line. Penn State had all the momentum from there.

A screen play to tailback Jaryn Gorman netted the Nittany Lions a first down, and then QB Jonathan Silas fired a 45 yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to Davon Young. To get there, Young beat Kyler Parks off the line in press coverage; with Parks’ shaky play at corner over the years, that one play was enough to warrant an immediate benching in favor of last year’s primary second corner, Sam Barnett.

QB Jonathan Silas threw three INT’s but accounted for three touchdowns, which was more than enough to win given UConn’s poor offensive play.

UConn’s second offensive drive ended in a much similar fashion; after nice runs from Williamson and first down passes to both Speier and Byrom, Rohan Moss drilled I-Jax on a corner blitz and popped the ball loose again. Once more, it was Sullivan who got past Sykes in time to scoop up the fumble and this time nearly brought it back for a touchdown.

With the ball 10 yards away from the end zone, Gorman ran in a touchdown immediately thereafter to give Penn State a two score lead early in the proceedings.

Later in the second quarter, UConn looked to right the ship a bit as I-Jax connected with Speier for a 26 yard gain and former walk-on Johnny Williams for 13 more before Williamson punched in the first Husky score of the season on a six yard dive play.

Penn State answered, however, with Silas converting a couple big third down plays to tight end Adam Craighead and backup tailback Brandon Jann; their drive finished out with a one yard pass to Marquelle Osborne. Linebacker Calvin Clancy intercepted I-Jax to finish out the first half with a 21-7 Penn State advantage.

Marquelle Osborne (left) and Davon Young (right) both had receiving TD’s from the hand of Jonathan Silas. Plus, Tony Rush apparently can’t tackle (that fool on the ground wearing #6 in white).

UConn threatened to claw back into the game after halftime as UConn’s all-universe cornerback Shavlion Wade picked up right where he left off after his near-record breaking 2020 season; he intercepted Silas and set up Williamson for a two yard touchdown plunge to pull UConn back within a score. Additionally, safety Vic Castalanetta contributed by ending consecutive Penn State scoring threats midway through the third, breaking up a pass on one third down and intercepting another attempt by Silas. However, none of those stops led to Husky points, and UConn continued to play from behind.

Right before the end of the third, Silas connected with Craighead again for a sizeable first down gain, and a few plays later the Nittany Lions were celebrating in the end zone after Young walked in the end zone on a triple option pitch.

Despite another Shav Wade INT on the next Penn State drive (why are people throwing anywhere near this man!?!), Penn State started to put their foot to the floor as they neared victory. After Sullivan brought down I-Jax for the fifth time (with Michael Clark now in the game in favor of Joe Sykes), Penn State started to pull away. Moss intercepted Jackson, and on that ensuing Nittany Lion drive it was Silas this time who contributed on the ground with a short touchdown option run.

Why on earth do people try to throw on #3? Shav Wade added two more INT’s to his almost inconceivable career total, now up to 16 in just 30 games. A more mind-boggling stat? Wade held Penn State's top wideout Marquelle Osborne to just one yard - he wasn't guarding the senior on his first half touchdown.

Chaylen Hollish wrapped up the game nicely with a third interception of Jackson, and a desperate UConn offense was foiled for good. Penn State walked out of the Linc 35-14 victors in convincing fashion to get their season back on track, while UConn is left with many more questions as they go right back on the road with Notre Dame awaiting next week in their first ACC game. Is I-Jax going to be okay? Who in the hell is going to play right tackle? Is Sam Barnett going to stay at the second corner spot? Can Tony Rush tackle anything? Is Stephen Belichick going to figure out this team before it’s too late? Coach himself said not to panic -- they're on to Notre Dame.

But the clock is quickly ticking.

The much-hyped freshman wideouts Chamarkelle Byrom (left) and Lonte’ Speier (right) showed promise, but both struggled with a couple drops apiece in their debuts.

Connecticut Huskies at Penn State Nittany Lions
Sep 4, 2021	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#13 Connecticut Huskies (0-1)	0	7	7	0	14
#25 Penn State Nittany Lions (1-1)	14	7	7	7	35

Team Stats Comparison
	CONN	PSU
Total Offense	319	316
Rushing Yards	68	74
Passing Yards	251	242
First Downs	21	14
Punt Return Yards	39	24
Kick Return Yards	31	48
Total Yards	389	388
Turnovers	5	3
3rd Down Conversion	7-15 (46%)	5-10 (50%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-2-0 (66%)	4-4-0 (100%)
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Possession Time	25:32	17:15

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CONN	PSU
6:19	(PSU) Silas 45 pass Young (McCoy kick)	0	7
3:19	(PSU) Gorman 10 run (McCoy kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CONN	PSU
5:15	(CONN) Williamson 6 run (Ricciardi kick)	7	14
1:31	(PSU) Silas 1 pass Osborne (McCoy kick)	7	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CONN	PSU
8:26	(CONN) Williamson 3 run (Ricciardi kick)	14	21
2:10	(PSU) Young 7 run (McCoy kick)	14	28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CONN	PSU
4:26	(PSU) Silas 1 run (McCoy kick)	14	35

Connecticut Huskies PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Isaac Jackson 19-32 251 0 3 Jordan Brown 0-1 0 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Luke Williamson 24 89 3.7 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Chamarkelle Byrom 5 73 14.6 0 Devin Brown 4 40 10.0 0 Lonte' Speier 3 74 24.6 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Mike Hill 8 (2) 0 0 0 John Cox 7 (2) 0 0 0 Vic Castalanetta 5 0 1 0 Shavlion Wade 3 0 2 0 James Mandrell/Altarri Gardner 3 (2) 2 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Anthony Ricciardi 0-0 2-2 2

Penn State Nittany Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jonathan Silas 17-26 242 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jaryn Gorman 17 78 4.5 1 Brandon Jann 4 17 4.2 0 Davon Young 1 7 7.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jaryn Gorman 5 60 12.0 0 Adam Craighead 4 96 24.0 0 Davon Young 3 64 21.3 1 Marquelle Osborne 3 2 0.6 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD LaDorian Sullivan 14 (7) 5 0 0 Chaylen Hollish 5 0 1 0 Mason Perali/Harmen Wheeler 4 (1) 1 0 0 Rohan Moss 4 (1) 1 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Anthony McCoy 0-0 5-5 5

[whughes]

Well, that sucks. Not at all how we hoped the Belichick era would start out. Glad to see Byrom and Speier both snag a couple balls in their debut though. Hopefully you guys can get that offensive line figured out, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say not all 3 of I-Jax's picks were poor throws. More than likely he was being rushed and tried to force something. 5 turnovers is hard to overcome even if you've got the best defense in the country (just take a look at the Michigan vs. Michigan State game 2 weeks ago). Alas, onto the next. Gotta set the tone early here in ACC play against Notre Dame

[thesportsguru11]

NCAA Players of the Week

Quote: Originally Posted by whughes

Well, that sucks. Not at all how we hoped the Belichick era would start out. Glad to see Byrom and Speier both snag a couple balls in their debut though. Hopefully you guys can get that offensive line figured out, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say not all 3 of I-Jax's picks were poor throws. More than likely he was being rushed and tried to force something. 5 turnovers is hard to overcome even if you've got the best defense in the country (just take a look at the Michigan vs. Michigan State game 2 weeks ago). Alas, onto the next. Gotta set the tone early here in ACC play against Notre Dame

I played way too much MLB 06 The Show back in the day... Matt Vasgersian saying "Well.. you can't win if you can't score" is emblazoned in my mind for all eternity, and that absolutely holds true here. The three INT's were awesome, but if we can't finish drives, the path to victory gets much harder.

That's an accurate assessment of I-Jax -- the third was definitely an "oh crap, we're trailing by three scores with two minutes left" sort of thing where we needed to force passes. Despite him being a solid runner, I want him passing the ball first and being under pressure like that does not help.

I was pleased to see some of our younger guys do well.. Byrom and Speier were alright, considering they played some very good corners. I predict much better games in coming weeks. The O-line and Tony Rush, however, were very concerning. We have very little depth on the line, so the fact that Sykes struggled as much as he did is .. well... . Clark did okay to neutralize Sullivan later in the game despite giving up one sack, so maybe we'll give him the start against Notre Dame and hopefully that helps. I could always insert Sykes at center (his position last year) if Lawron Leak continues to struggle, but hopefully right tackle is the only one that needs fixing.

Lucky us, last year after eight weeks or so, there were no more unbeaten teams, so all is not yet lost. If there's ever a right time to lose a game -- early in the season and out of conference is exactly it. Next week's game is going to be huge in determining the fate of our season, though. With 16 teams in conference, I'm highly expecting at least one or two unbeaten records, so our path to the ACC Title Game will be much more difficult with a loss next week.

Thanks bud!

[young22]

Tough loss. Shav Wade crazy tho.

Sent from my SM-G386W using Operation Sports mobile app

[thesportsguru11]

Other Week 1 CAC Results

Connor Turley (OC, UCF, convict38)
W (1-0), 31-10 vs. Florida A&M

A. Houston: 20-35, 250 yds, 3 TD, rush TD
W. Alexander: 13 rush, 115 yds
J. Edwards: 8 rec, 116 yds, TD


Equanimeous St. Brown Sr. (OC, Middle Tennessee St., TheRosterMaster)
W (1-0), 45-24 vs. Tulane (0-1)

W. Johnson: 18-32, 285 yds, 4 TD
D. Hurst: 17 rush, 79 yds, 2 TD
R. Jordan: 8 rec, 161 yds, 2 TD


Matthew King (OC, Memphis, ThaBoss18)
W (1-0), 38-28 vs. North Texas (0-1)

T. Wall: 8-20, 81 yds, 2 TD, rush TD
N. Mason: 18 rush, 121 yds
M. Kane: 13 rush, 86 yds, TD


Caleb Henderson (OC, Eastern Michigan, NewscasterNews4)
W (1-1), 41-10 vs. Villanova

J. Bryant: 8-11, 147 yds, TD, 13 rush, 86 yds
C. Dukes: 13 rush, 133 yds, 3 TD
J. Price: 4 rec, 87 yds, TD



Ryan Malloy (OC, Bowling Green, FootballFanatik)
L (0-1), 17-21 vs. Oklahoma State (1-0)

C. Pomaray: 20-32, 235 yds, 2 TD
N. Richards: 15 rush, 66 yds
S. Maxwell: 6 rec, 78 yds, TD


Brett Favre (OC, South Alabama, hudso3)
L (0-1), 26-28 vs. Southern Miss (1-0)

G. Moran: 17-33, 182 yds, TD
S. Bonner: 21 rush, 125 yds, TD
J. Stephens: 5 rec, 65 yds


Kaelyn Willingham (HC, Washington St., kswgrad2012)
L (0-1), 35-42 vs. #2 Michigan (2-0)

D. Davane: 11-16, 196 yds
P. Tuivalea: 23 rush, 101 yds
B. Horne: 2 rush TD
T. Seward: 7 rec, 134 yds


Spanky Westside (OC, UAB, Trevor3_2009)
W (1-0), 31-21 vs. Alabama A&M

J. Goddard: 23-36, 230 yds, 4 TD
R. Wilcox: 19 rush, 58 yds
I. Fitch: 14 rec, 130 yds, 4 TD


Bob Trebell (HC, Hawai’i, DrGravyBoat)
BYE (0-1)


Tyrell Coley (OC, Rutgers, Knickerbocker91)
W (1-0), 68-16 vs. Monmouth

S. Parker: 29-44, 462 yds, 3 TD
J. Wheelock: 31 rush, 124 yds, 3 TD
T. Ardois: 16 rush, 73 yds, 2 TD
D. Anderson: 7 rec, 142 yds, TD
R. Griffith: 5 rec, 116 yds, 2 TD



J.J. Mac (OC, UTEP, RedRaider10)
W (1-0), 28-9 vs. Texas Southern

R. Crowder: 20-38, 181 yds, TD
I. Langford: 21 rush, 144 yds, 2 TD
P. Corbett: 9 rec, 103 yds, TD


Jordan James (OC, Maryland, HARLEE23)
BYE (0-0)


Brennan Smith (DC, Purdue, bryan3169)
W (1-1), 45-13 vs. Indiana State

K. Summers: 9 tckl (4 TFL), 2 sck
T. Edmunds: 6 tckl (TFL), sck
A. Malone: 4 tckl, INT


William Brooks (OC, Texas State, TheOtherPotterGuy)
W (1-0), 35-28 vs. Sam Houston State

W. Mock: 13-26, 151 yds, TD, rush TD
W. Dotson: 17 rush, 157 yds, 2 TD
I. Meliloka: 3 rec, 47 yds, TD


Laurence Gilbert (OC, Virginia, Mike7Vinas)
L (0-1), 21-24 vs. Louisiana Tech (1-0)

S. Parsiany: 18-37, 224 yds, 3 TD
M. Rodgers: 12 rush, 65 yds
L. Bailey: 5 rec, 67 yds, TD


Brian Grant (OC, Kent St., LadiesAndEdelman)
W (1-0), 28-23 vs. Youngstown State

S. Young: 17-44, 279 yds, 2 TD, 71 rush yds
T. Wallace: 2 rush TD
J. Simmons: 7 rec, 165 yds, TD


Max Crenshaw (OC, Central Michigan, whughes)
L (0-1), 23-45 vs. Clemson

P. O’Toole: 17-41, 203 yds, 2 TD
J. Rooney: 10 rush, 74 yds, TD
A. Richardson: 6 rec, 80 yds


Quinn Shea (HC, USC, thesportsguru11)
W (1-0), 41-24 vs. Cal Poly

T. Dean-Lowry: 20-30, 296 yds, 3 TD, rush TD
J. Lewis: 15 rush, 94 yds, TD
M. Skinner: 10 rec, 166 yds, 2 TD
G. Long: 11 tckl, sack


Jerome Baumann (OC, Ball St., RadierAid89)
W (1-0), 55-0 vs. Dayton

V. Roberson: 22-41, 360 yds, TD
A. Wagner: 18 rush, 116 yds,2 TD
B. Johnson: 16 rush, 85 yds, 2 TD
J. Russell: 7 rec, 120 yds


Emmett Nama (OC, Cincinnati, BookWork123)
L (0-1), 35-28 vs. Navy (1-0)

M. Whitehead: 13-27, 170 yds, 2 TD
C. Madison: 33 rush, 230 yds, 2 TD
D. Ross: 12 rec, 167 yds, 2 TD


Ricky Jacobsen (OC, Iowa St., slicknick3822)
L (0-1), 14-20 vs. UNLV (1-0)

G. Saulsberry: 4-6, 83 yds
D. Jones: 15 rush, 82 yds, TD
J. Morris: 4 rec, 83 yds


Richard Harrison (OC, Western Michigan, itsbigmike)
BYE (0-0)

Quote: Originally Posted by young22

Tough loss. Shav Wade crazy tho.

Certainly not how I had hoped to start the year and the Stephen Belichick era, but so it goes. There's a lot of time left in the season so one loss won't kill us, but a win against Notre Dame this week is imperative. We'll need a lot of improvement on offense to get there, but I'm optimistic. I don't think the Irish are as talented and deep on defense as Penn State was.

We'd have to create a new word to describe how good Shav is because I've used every word already. His ability to absolutely eliminate star wide receivers week after week is simply mind-boggling.. In my years playing NCAA and Madden I've never had a corner dominate as much as he does and I'm amazed that people actually continue to throw near him.

It's definitely within the realm of possibility that Shav breaks the career INT record in just three years, which would be awesome because I doubt he stays for his senior year. If he does break the record (I think he needs six more), it's likely safe to call him the best defender in dynasty history, maybe for all time.

[young22]

Quote: Originally Posted by thesportsguru11

Other Week 1 CAC Results Connor Turley (OC, UCF, convict38) W (1-0), 31-10 vs. Florida A&M A. Houston: 20-35, 250 yds, 3 TD, rush TD W. Alexander: 13 rush, 115 yds J. Edwards: 8 rec, 116 yds, TD Equanimeous St. Brown Sr. (OC, Middle Tennessee St., TheRosterMaster) W (1-0), 45-24 vs. Tulane (0-1) W. Johnson: 18-32, 285 yds, 4 TD D. Hurst: 17 rush, 79 yds, 2 TD R. Jordan: 8 rec, 161 yds, 2 TD Matthew King (OC, Memphis, ThaBoss18) W (1-0), 38-28 vs. North Texas (0-1) T. Wall: 8-20, 81 yds, 2 TD, rush TD N. Mason: 18 rush, 121 yds M. Kane: 13 rush, 86 yds, TD Caleb Henderson (OC, Eastern Michigan, NewscasterNews4) W (1-1), 41-10 vs. Villanova J. Bryant: 8-11, 147 yds, TD, 13 rush, 86 yds C. Dukes: 13 rush, 133 yds, 3 TD J. Price: 4 rec, 87 yds, TD Ryan Malloy (OC, Bowling Green, FootballFanatik) L (0-1), 17-21 vs. Oklahoma State (1-0) C. Pomaray: 20-32, 235 yds, 2 TD N. Richards: 15 rush, 66 yds S. Maxwell: 6 rec, 78 yds, TD Brett Favre (OC, South Alabama, hudso3) L (0-1), 26-28 vs. Southern Miss (1-0) G. Moran: 17-33, 182 yds, TD S. Bonner: 21 rush, 125 yds, TD J. Stephens: 5 rec, 65 yds Kaelyn Willingham (HC, Washington St., kswgrad2012) L (0-1), 35-42 vs. #2 Michigan (2-0) D. Davane: 11-16, 196 yds P. Tuivalea: 23 rush, 101 yds B. Horne: 2 rush TD T. Seward: 7 rec, 134 yds Spanky Westside (OC, UAB, Trevor3_2009) W (1-0), 31-21 vs. Alabama A&M J. Goddard: 23-36, 230 yds, 4 TD R. Wilcox: 19 rush, 58 yds I. Fitch: 14 rec, 130 yds, 4 TD Bob Trebell (HC, Hawai’i, DrGravyBoat) BYE (0-1) Tyrell Coley (OC, Rutgers, Knickerbocker91) W (1-0), 68-16 vs. Monmouth S. Parker: 29-44, 462 yds, 3 TD J. Wheelock: 31 rush, 124 yds, 3 TD T. Ardois: 16 rush, 73 yds, 2 TD D. Anderson: 7 rec, 142 yds, TD R. Griffith: 5 rec, 116 yds, 2 TD J.J. Mac (OC, UTEP, RedRaider10) W (1-0), 28-9 vs. Texas Southern R. Crowder: 20-38, 181 yds, TD I. Langford: 21 rush, 144 yds, 2 TD P. Corbett: 9 rec, 103 yds, TD Jordan James (OC, Maryland, HARLEE23) BYE (0-0) Brennan Smith (DC, Purdue, bryan3169) W (1-1), 45-13 vs. Indiana State K. Summers: 9 tckl (4 TFL), 2 sck T. Edmunds: 6 tckl (TFL), sck A. Malone: 4 tckl, INT William Brooks (OC, Texas State, TheOtherPotterGuy) W (1-0), 35-28 vs. Sam Houston State W. Mock: 13-26, 151 yds, TD, rush TD W. Dotson: 17 rush, 157 yds, 2 TD I. Meliloka: 3 rec, 47 yds, TD Laurence Gilbert (OC, Virginia, Mike7Vinas) L (0-1), 21-24 vs. Louisiana Tech (1-0) S. Parsiany: 18-37, 224 yds, 3 TD M. Rodgers: 12 rush, 65 yds L. Bailey: 5 rec, 67 yds, TD Brian Grant (OC, Kent St., LadiesAndEdelman) W (1-0), 28-23 vs. Youngstown State S. Young: 17-44, 279 yds, 2 TD, 71 rush yds T. Wallace: 2 rush TD J. Simmons: 7 rec, 165 yds, TD Max Crenshaw (OC, Central Michigan, whughes) L (0-1), 23-45 vs. Clemson P. O’Toole: 17-41, 203 yds, 2 TD J. Rooney: 10 rush, 74 yds, TD A. Richardson: 6 rec, 80 yds Quinn Shea (HC, USC, thesportsguru11) W (1-0), 41-24 vs. Cal Poly T. Dean-Lowry: 20-30, 296 yds, 3 TD, rush TD J. Lewis: 15 rush, 94 yds, TD M. Skinner: 10 rec, 166 yds, 2 TD G. Long: 11 tckl, sack Jerome Baumann (OC, Ball St., RadierAid89) W (1-0), 55-0 vs. Dayton V. Roberson: 22-41, 360 yds, TD A. Wagner: 18 rush, 116 yds,2 TD B. Johnson: 16 rush, 85 yds, 2 TD J. Russell: 7 rec, 120 yds Emmett Nama (OC, Cincinnati, BookWork123) L (0-1), 35-28 vs. Navy (1-0) M. Whitehead: 13-27, 170 yds, 2 TD C. Madison: 33 rush, 230 yds, 2 TD D. Ross: 12 rec, 167 yds, 2 TD Ricky Jacobsen (OC, Iowa St., slicknick3822) L (0-1), 14-20 vs. UNLV (1-0) G. Saulsberry: 4-6, 83 yds D. Jones: 15 rush, 82 yds, TD J. Morris: 4 rec, 83 yds Richard Harrison (OC, Western Michigan, itsbigmike) BYE (0-0) Certainly not how I had hoped to start the year and the Stephen Belichick era, but so it goes. There's a lot of time left in the season so one loss won't kill us, but a win against Notre Dame this week is imperative. We'll need a lot of improvement on offense to get there, but I'm optimistic. I don't think the Irish are as talented and deep on defense as Penn State was. We'd have to create a new word to describe how good Shav is because I've used every word already. His ability to absolutely eliminate star wide receivers week after week is simply mind-boggling.. In my years playing NCAA and Madden I've never had a corner dominate as much as he does and I'm amazed that people actually continue to throw near him. It's definitely within the realm of possibility that Shav breaks the career INT record in just three years, which would be awesome because I doubt he stays for his senior year. If he does break the record (I think he needs six more), it's likely safe to call him the best defender in dynasty history, maybe for all time.

I've had one corner be as good as Shav Wade. Dudes name was Xavier Stevenson, back on Madden 12. I ran with the Seahawks.

In the 10 seasons of his career that I played, he played every game and had 67 picks, and 22 of them went back for scores. He retired 2 years later with 75 career picks. Was a great return man too. 6'2, 205 pound corner out of Michigan. To this day, the GOAT defender I've had in any sports game.

Might even be the greatest player. Only ones to challenge him are Joey Williams, from my Westlake dynasty, and Zach Favors, a tailback from that same Seahawks franchise. Favors ran for 22000 yards, and had a 2150 yard season.

Wish I would've known about dynasty reporting back when I did that franchise. Had tons of free time, that would've been a legendary report. Went 16 years in that franchise, played 12 of them.

Sent from my SM-G386W using Operation Sports mobile app

[thesportsguru11]

UConn Flasback: UConn played now-Irish QB Steven Balchiar in 2019, while he was a member of Ohio State. It didn't go well for Balchiar.

Quote: Originally Posted by young22

I've had one corner be as good as Shav Wade. Dudes name was Xavier Stevenson, back on Madden 12. I ran with the Seahawks. In the 10 seasons of his career that I played, he played every game and had 67 picks, and 22 of them went back for scores. He retired 2 years later with 75 career picks. Was a great return man too. 6'2, 205 pound corner out of Michigan. To this day, the GOAT defender I've had in any sports game. Might even be the greatest player. Only ones to challenge him are Joey Williams, from my Westlake dynasty, and Zach Favors, a tailback from that same Seahawks franchise. Favors ran for 22000 yards, and had a 2150 yard season. Wish I would've known about dynasty reporting back when I did that franchise. Had tons of free time, that would've been a legendary report. Went 16 years in that franchise, played 12 of them.

Wow. Those are some gaudy stats (22,000 rush yards is handily the NFL record, 75 INT's is close). I'm always in awe at how some folks are capable of putting up these crazy stats (sim style player for a long time), but if your players are that good, it's hard to restrain them.

I'm with you on the "I wish.." thing... I'd bet we all do. Away from the site last year, I had a Madden PS2 franchise going with the Browns; three straight Super Bowls, IIRC (though I do remember losing one to Andrew Luck and the Bears, LOL). Chase Daniel was the QB and is probably one of the best of all-time.. Got eight seasons into that one, I think. And then several years ago I did multiple different dynasties with Massachusetts State that would've been fun to report. But so it goes!

Thanks for checking in as always bud.

[thesportsguru11]

UConn Pre-Game Notes: Barnett, Clark in; Parks, Sykes out



Sam Barnett has re-gained his starting job.

In his pre-game press conference, UConn coach Stephen Belichick has announced a few small tweaks to his lineup in preparation for Notre Dame this afternoon.

To start, fourth-year junior Sam Barnett will start in place of senior Kyler Parks at the second cornerback spot. Parks allowed a touchdown last week and was promptly benched; he has struggled as an outside corner and Belichick decided his services would be best used in nickel packages.

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach Belichick

Sam is our second-best outside corner, and the change in the lineup reflects that. Sam played well last year and he'll start unless he really under-performs or gets hurt.

Further, to try and patch up the right tackle problem from last week, sophomore Michael Clark from New Jersey has been inserted into the lineup in place of Illinois native Joe Sykes. Sykes allowed four sacks last week and was benched midway through the third quarter.

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach Belichick

We're going to give Michael a shot and see what happens. If he plays well, he may win that spot. With the Patriots, I've seen firsthand how important a right tackle is.. my dad had good ones in Marcus Cannon and Nick Kaczur, among others, and it helped the offense a lot. It's imperative I do the same here.

Elsewhere in the lineup news, free safety Tony Rush will remain a starter despite a horrible day against Penn State last week, while center Lawron Leak and guard Korey Davis-Love will also remain in the lineup, with depth thin up front.

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Further Note from the Author: I've been using the Rutgers playbook the first two games (possibly subject to change). Inspired by Deegeezy's post this morning (and realizing I used it as I played the game last night), thought this would be a good time to bring it up.

Belichick attended Rutgers and worked with Greg Schiano.. while Schiano was not in college at the time the game was released, we'll assume that Belichick had ties to Rutgers and their playbook. I may go with more of a shotgun look at some point to better emulate what the Patriots run in real-life, but the Rutgers PB has a lot of passing plays out of the shotgun and split back sets, the latter of which I like to utilize with the depth I've got there.

I'll keep you posted if I make any further changes in coming weeks.