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

[thesportsguru11]

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














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.

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]

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

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.

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.

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.

-------

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.

[whughes]

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

Dirty Shav' and the boys should have no trouble matching up against Notre Dame's receivers. On the flip side their front 7 isn't anything to scoff at, although I think if Williamson can get through those 2 talented defensive tackles he could have a big day with as weak as their MLB is. It'll be interesting to see if Belichick tries to run it against those stout interior lineman, or tries to bounce it outside more and try to beat the more talented outside linebackers.

[thesportsguru11]

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

Dirty Shav' and the boys should have no trouble matching up against Notre Dame's receivers. On the flip side their front 7 isn't anything to scoff at, although I think if Williamson can get through those 2 talented defensive tackles he could have a big day with as weak as their MLB is. It'll be interesting to see if Belichick tries to run it against those stout interior lineman, or tries to bounce it outside more and try to beat the more talented outside linebackers.

Dirty Shav --- I love it! His stats are certainly speak for themselves .. um.. they're nasty, as the kids say.

Yeah, he and Barnett are back together in the secondary and taking on guys who are a little younger and not as good, so you could be correct in assuming it will be a good day for them. It's the inside receivers and tight end Norwood I worried about before the game -- his overall rating doesn't indicate the fact that he might be the most talented tight end in the country.

Because we run mostly a 3-4, that would mean someone like John Cox needs to cover him, and while he does well with that, it may not be as easy today. That might mean we need to move into some nickel or dime packages as we'll probably see three/four wideouts plus Norwood at all times.

The UConn OL/Notre Dame DL matchup definitely does not favor Williamson. Hopefully Michael Clark can help stabilize the right side, as their impact DE Bumbury and LB Jones both play on the other side. If he plays well, we can run away from them and keep a balanced offense in all likelihood as stretches and counters will be effective. Fingers crossed that's what happens, but with our O-Line I wouldn't bet on anything.

We really need this game, and hopefully we get it! It would be quite a disappointment to be out of the playoff hunt before the calendar flips to October.

[thesportsguru11]

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

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

Byrom, Speier explode for huge days as UConn drops 44 in resurgent rout of Notre Dame; despite being outgained, Willis, secondary pick off Balchiar six times



Ladies and gentlemen of the world, Chamarkelle Byrom.

SOUTH BEND -- Much like his father, new UConn head coach Stephen Belichick seems to have a way of figuring things out. Welcome back to the UConn soul train. Keyword? Back. After being mauled vs. Penn State last week in Philly, UConn paid their “brotherly love” forward to Our Lady at Notre Dame in a must-win for both teams. With a tremendous 470-yard output and 44 points scored by all three units, Belichick had a fun day on the sidelines of South Bend. More importantly, he had no problems reasserting that yes, everything's a-okay in Storrs with a 44-17 pasting of the 18th ranked (now 0-2) Irish in South Bend, running UConn’s record to 1-1.

Leading the way was an explosive offensive performance, beginning right from the get-go. The X-factors? Of course it was super freshmen wideouts Chamarkelle Byrom and Lonte’ Speier in their second career games, inspiring plenty of excitement for this season and beyond. Byrom dazzled, racking up nine catches for 180 yards and a score, while Speier quietly added six grabs, 123 yards and a touchdown of his own. Byrom made more experienced Irish defenders look silly all game long as he pulled off leaping, mid-air catches, while Speier slipped behind defenders all game long and had a big 42 yard touchdown catch on a drag route just six plays into the game, kickstarting the scoring.

While Notre Dame moved down the field efficiently on their first drive en route to a Ritchie McDuffie touchdown run, it was all UConn from there out.

With a 10-7 lead, linebacker Thomas Willis’ interception of Irish QB Steven Balchiar helped swing the game’s momentum in the direction of UConn; five plays later, UConn had a touchdown on the churning legs of star tailback Luke Williamson.

Lonte' Speier, while maybe not as exciting as his freshman counterpart, certainly played a big role in the UConn offense this afternoon.

Williamson would add a second touchdown in the second quarter while true freshman kicker Anthony Ricciardi added a pair of field goals in the first half; he would finish with an impressive 3-for-3 conversion rate.

In large part because of Byrom and Speier, fifth year senior quarterback Isaac Jackson looked much better than he did a week ago. Completing each of his first 14 passes and ringing up 297 yards through the air in the first half alone, Ice-Jax was the man in charge as UConn waltzed out to a 27-10 halftime advantage.

Luke Williamson added two more touchdown runs to the scoring deluge.

Trailing by seventeen, Balchiar and the Irish offense pressed too much in the second half, going to the air on seemingly every play. As such, UConn added seventeen more points in the third quarter for good measure - a third Ricciardi field goal, Byrom’s touchdown catch from fifteen yards out and a 62 yard pick six from Willis, his second robbery of the game. Doubling their lead and now up 44-10, UConn was able to plug in the backups for most of the fourth quarter and coasted to victory.

Willis was one of the many stars of the afternoon on the other end of the ball. After looking gassed at times last week, the defense was whipped back into shape during a long week of practice, according to captain John Cox and Coach Belichick. Seemingly overnight, 2021 UConn looked to have a Diaco-era defense again. Of Balchiar’s six interceptions, Willis was responsible for two (including the aforementioned pick six), while Canadian linebacker Mike Hill and corners Sam Barnett and Kent Newton each tallied INT’s. And of course, it wouldn’t be my report without me telling you that his royal highness, the junior Shav Wade, snatched a duck heaved deep in the third quarter to bring his career interception tally to 17. The All-American and likely first round draft pick this spring now sits just four away from setting a school record.

Led by Barnett (far left, center left), Newton (center right) and Willis (right), UConn victimized Steven Balchiar all game long.

Hill’s INT was the most eventful, coming in the second quarter: after Jon Noel tipped a pass into the..um.. crotch area... of Cox, Hill performed a Jedi mind trick, somehow snaring the falling football in between his legs to secure the INT. More importantly, however, that INT resulted in Williamson’s second touchdown run right before the half.

Despite the six INT’s hindering their progress, Notre Dame actually was not terrible when it came to gaining yards. Balchiar completed 36 of his 52 passes (a 69% clip), for 410 yards. Noel led receivers with eleven grabs for 124 yards, while tight end Chase Norwood added ten for 95 yards and freshman Duke St. Clair chipped in with six for 103. In fact, Notre Dame actually outgained UConn on offense. However, McDuffie only picked up 27 yards rushing for the Irish and the timely secondary play from UConn made all the difference.

Despite the six picks and lack of scoring, Jon Noel (left) and tight end Chase Norwood (right) put up strong numbers in defeat.

“We do have work to do but these guys know what we need and when”, Coach Belichick commented. “If it wasn’t a punt, it was usually an interception. Sometimes it took a few plays to get there, but we played pretty well, I thought. We can always improve but I like what I saw.”

Meanwhile, the Husky offensive line still has work to do as well. They allowed five more sacks, though the play all around was much stronger than last week. Right tackle Michael Clark played a solid game in his first start, but he did give up two sacks. Irish defenders Jon Parham, Darryl Randolph and corner Michael Temple each got into the backfield via the right side too often.

Even with any further questionable performances, it was a great day to be a part of the passing game. Jackson finished a clean 21-30 for 367 yards and the two touchdown passes with no interceptions. Williamson only rushed for 70 yards on 22 carries, but did add the two touchdown runs of his own. This is the second game in a row in which Williamson has not tallied 100 yards on the ground, likely due in part to Belichick’s increasing focus on the short pass game and, today, some shots down field.

“It’s alright”, Williamson mused after the game. “I returned to school to win a national title, and so as long as we’re winning I’ll be alright.”

And as far as I’m concerned, UConn looks alright again. All aboard.


Injury Notes:

- Barnett left the game hurt late in the second half with what was later revealed to be a concussion. He will go through concussion protocol and is questionable for next week’s home opener against Florida State.

- LB Alex Brown left the game favoring his back after a kickoff in the first quarter and did not return. We’ll know more about his status as next week progresses.

Isaac Jackson (center, #9) celebrates the win with Kent Newton (left, #41) and J.D. Rudie (right, #1).

Connecticut Huskies at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Sep 11, 2021	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#21 Connecticut Huskies (1-1, 1-0)	10	17	17	0	44
#18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-2, 0-2)	7	3	0	7	17

Team Stats Comparison
	CONN	ND
Total Offense	470	446
Rushing Yards	84	36
Passing Yards	386	410
First Downs	22	25
Punt Return Yards	9	37
Kick Return Yards	21	28
Total Yards	500	511
Turnovers	1	6
3rd Down Conversion	8-15 (53%)	5-10 (50%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-3-3 (100%)	3-2-0 (66%)
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Possession Time	22:33	13:26

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CONN	ND
7:35	(CONN) Jackson 42 pass Speier (Ricciardi kick)	7	0
5:53	(ND) McDuffie 1 run (Standridge kick)	7	7
1:47	(CONN) Ricciardi 31 FG	10	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CONN	ND
7:49	(CONN) Williamson 1 run (Ricciardi kick)	17	7
6:54	(ND) Standridge 50 FG	17	10
3:30	(CONN) Ricciardi 28 FG	20	10
:49	(CONN) Williamson 4 run (Ricciardi kick)	27	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CONN	ND
5:22	(CONN) Ricciardi 38 FG	30	10
4:23	(CONN) Willis 62 returned INT (Ricciardi kick)	37	10
1:32	(CONN) Jackson 15 pass Byrom (Ricciardi kick)	44	10
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CONN	ND
7:25	(ND) Balchiar 8 run (Standridge kick)	44	17

Connecticut Huskies PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Isaac Jackson 21-30 367 2 0 Jordan Brown 1-4 19 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Luke Williamson 22 70 3.1 2 J.P. Byers 9 44 4.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Chamarkelle Byrom 9 180 20.0 1 Lonte' Speier 6 123 20.5 1 Devin Brown 3 35 11.6 0 Ryne Thomas 3 29 9.6 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Thomas Willis 11 (1) 0 2 1 John Cox 7 0 0 0 Mike Hill 4 0 1 0 Shavlion Wade 3 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Anthony Ricciardi 3-3 5-5 14 38

Notre Dame Fighting Irish PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Steven Balchiar 36-52 410 0 6 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ritchie McDuffie 16 27 1.6 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jon Noel 11 124 11.2 0 Chase Norwood 10 95 9.5 0 Duke St. Clair 6 103 17.1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jon Parham 9 (3) 1 0 0 Alvin Burke 8 (2) 2 0 0 Michael Temple 6 (4) 0 0 0 Darryl Randolph 4 (2) 2 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Parker Standridge 1-1 2-2 5 51

You know you're good when I make a special graphic to track your performance. Shav added another INT to make three in just two games, and 17 over just 31 career games.

[xboxxerx]

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

Nice showing Guru.Hopefully Barnett and Brown don't miss considerable amount of time.

[whughes]

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

There's the UConn squad we expected to see last week against Penn State. Great all around team effort, six interceptions is ridiculous.

I love that you used my given nickname to Ice-Jax in your writeup. Good stuff as always Guru

[thesportsguru11]

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

Nice showing Guru.Hopefully Barnett and Brown don't miss considerable amount of time.

Muchos gracias! It was just one of those games where everything broke our way.. can't complain with the end result! I'm hoping to see a lot more of those big plays and big numbers out of the freshmen wideouts to go with our stingy scoring defense.

Barnett could be a big loss .. unfortunately we all know how it is with concussions, so if it's anything serious we could be looking at up to a couple weeks on the sideline. On the football side.. he's our second best corner. I have no faith in our third corner, Kyler Parks, so it becomes a crapshoot if we need to find a replacement. In that event, I'd keep my eye on Kent Newton in particular (an INT in today's game) and redshirt freshman Tory Greening, who I like a lot.

Brown is our top backup inside linebacker (in the 3-4 package), so on the surface that isn't a huge loss. However, he plays a role on special teams and considering how little depth we have at linebacker, his spot may not be easy to replace. We'll hear more about the statuses of these two soon and discuss what we'll do then!

Lastly.. I greatly appreciate you dropping in bud. I remember you from my very early days on these boards, particularly from your frequent comments in WTNY's original Wyoming report! Neverthless, happy to see you around again and I've seen you left a few likes on the opening page; I understand this is a bear to read for new followers so kudos to you for taking a look at what's gone down in the first seven seasons. I hope you'll continue to drop in!

There's the UConn squad we expected to see last week against Penn State. Great all around team effort, six interceptions is ridiculous.

I love that you used my given nickname to Ice-Jax in your writeup. Good stuff as always Guru

I don't really know what we expected entering the year... Nevertheless, I was not expecting that result one bit. As I said, everything broke our way and the freshmen played huge for us. If that performance is any indication.. we should be ready for some more explosive offensive numbers this year through the air, something we've sorely lacked in the first seven seasons of this dynasty. If the defense can shore up the yardage allowed and the O-Line can work to plug a few holes, we may (much to my surprise) be fielding a playoff contender again this season.

Ice-Jax is fitting at this point. He's always played so well in the big games and under pressure. And plus, I've used GravyBoat's "The Property" for the last two years and when Max DeLorenzo was on the squad, RT's nickname of "Maquise" a few times. It's only fair.

Thanks much as always.. I'll do my best to continue to reward your continued and unrelenting support with quality content!

[RoundingThird]

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

Nice win but I hate those unis so much. They should make a new game just so they can update the UConn uniforms

[thesportsguru11]

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

Players of the Week

--------------------------------

Nice win but I hate those unis so much. They should make a new game just so they can update the UConn uniforms

Actually it's funny you mentioned that. Skulletor created an EA DB editor that was compatible with dynasty files that included teambuilder teams. When I was reading up on it earlier this year, I discovered it could have been feasible for me to re-create UConn on teambuilder and place the team into dynasty mode, with the new uniforms.

I like UConn's new uniforms in real life (the red, white and blue combos as well as the grey ones I've seen over the past couple years), and I would have done that with no hesitation.. alas the teambuilder editor doesn't work for us lowly PS3 users.

So until that day comes, looks like we're stuck with UConn's 2013 unis. I still like them, so that's not a problem, but it's silly how UConn's '13 uniforms have to be acquired through a uniform pack. Nevertheless, I'd much rather have that than the boring 2012 ones.

[thesportsguru11]

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

Week 2 Results

HC Bob Trebell (DrGravyBoat): L (0-2), 30-42 vs. #9 Georgia Tech (2-0)

J. Kililoloka: 9-21, 106 yds, 3 TD
C. Jones-Grice: 13 rush, 84 yds
D. Mills: 3 rec TD
R. Kidd: 12 tckl (4 TFL), sack

HC Sam Freday (RoundingThird): W (2-0, 1-0), 28-24 vs. Colorado State (1-2, 0-1)

C. Rose: 17-32, 319 yds, 3 TD
T. Holloway: 20 rush, 105 yds, TD
J. Phillips: 5 rec, 167 yds

HC Kaelyn Willingham (kswgrad2012): W (1-1), 34-31 (OT) vs. Kansas State (0-2)

D. Davane: 14-27, 170 yds, 3 TD
P. Tuivalea: 24 rush, 116 yds, TD
B. Larson: 8 rec, 110 yds, 2 TD
T. Rawlson: 2-2 FG (long 41), 4-4 XP

HC Quinn Shea (thesportsguru11): L (1-1, 0-1), 27-30 (OT) vs. #10 Cal (2-0, 1-0)

T. Dean-Lowry: 13-19, 219 yds, 2 TD
B. Baggarly: 20 rush, 74 yds
M. Skinner: 8 rec, 142 yds

HC Dale Miller (glunsford): W (2-0), 37-35 vs. Utah (0-2)

J. Larsen: 9-16, 96 yds, TD
B. Breedlove: 27 rush, 215 yds, TD
D. Lawson: 11 tackles (4 TFL), sack

OC Trent Davis (UKWildcat999): W (2-0), 45-42 vs. Indiana (0-1)
R. Harris: 20-35, 288 yds, 4 TD
M. Harper: 29 rush, 172 yds, 2 TD
A. Marshall: 6 rec, 106 yds, 2 TD

OC Brian Woodard (mattynokes): L (1-1, 1-0), 14-42 vs. Kentucky (2-0)

B. Vinson: 5-15,39 yds, 2 TD
D. Jones: 12 rush, 89 yds
Y. Pither: Rec TD

OC Laurence Gilbert (Mike7Vinas): L (0-2), 35-40 vs. #8 BYU (2-0)

S. Parsiany: 20-40, 245 yds, 4 TD
T. Sims: 17 rush, 120 yds, TD
L. Bailey: 10 rec, 81 yds, 3 TD

OC Jordan James (HARLEE23): W (1-0, 1-0), 38-35 vs. Illinois (0-2, 0-1)

E. Robinson: 18-29, 224 yds, 3 TD
R. Miller: 16 rush, 125 yds, TD
J. Rodgers: 9 rec, 144 yds, 2 TD

OC Ricky Jacobsen (slicknick3822): W (1-1), 16-13 vs. Iowa (1-1)

E. Price: 12-33, 105 yds, TD, 18 rush, 69 yds
D. Jones: 13 rush, 98 yds
J. Morris: Rec TD

*Will start true freshman QB Graham Saulsberry next week*

OC Matthew King (ThaBoss18): L (1-1), 35-42 vs. Miami-OH (2-0)

T. Wall: 17-27, 168 yds, TD
N. Mason: 23 rush, 133 yds, 3 TD
M. Kane: 12 rush, 53 yds, TD

OC Emmett Nama (BookWork123): W (1-1, 1-1), 35-17 vs. #19 Marshall (1-1, 0-1)

M. Whitehead: 8-21, 131 yds, 3 TD
C. Madison: 32 rush, 242 yds, TD
N. McCarthy: 13 rush, 67 yds, TD
T. Berg: 6 rec, 63 yds, TD

OC Connor Turley (convict38): L (1-1), 21-35 vs. #1 Oregon (2-0)

A. Houston: 18-26, 217 yds, 2 TD, 73 rush yds
M. Johnson: 11 rush, 84 yds
M. Rodriguez: 10 rec, 138 yds
A. McDonald: 2 rec TD

OC Equanimeous St. Brown Sr. (TheRosterMaster): W (2-0), 31-16 vs. ULM (1-1)

W. Johnson: 20-28, 292 yds, 3 TD
D. Hurst: 13 rush, 107 yds
R. Jordan: 8 rec, 114 yds, TD

OC William Brooks (TheOtherPotterGuy): W (2-0), 48-14 vs. Northwestern (1-1)

W. Mock: 16-25, 189 yds, 3 TD
W. Dotson: 22 rush, 164 yds, TD
R. Williams: 19 rush, 123 yds, TD

OC J.J. Mac (RedRaider10): W (2-0), 49-30 vs. New Mexico State (0-1)

R. Crowder: 22-33, 290 yds, 4 TD
I. Langford: 15 rush, 101 yds, 2 TD
P. Corbett: 10 rush, 181 yds, 2 TD
A. Scott: 8 rec, 81 yds, 2 TD

OC Brian Grant (LadiesAndEdelman): L (1-1), 3-35 vs. Kansas (2-0)

S. Young: 20-42, 207 yds, 50 rush yds
T. Wallace: 10 rush, 56 yds
J. Brown: 5 rec, 77 yds

OC Max Crenshaw (whughes): L (0-2), 35-56 vs. #2 Michigan (3-0)

P. O’Toole: 17-29, 347 yds, 2 TD, rush TD
J. Rooney: 18 rush, 80 yds, TD
A. Richardson: 9 rec, 188 yds, 2 TD

OC Richard Harrison (itsbigmike): L (0-1), 13-45 vs. Alabama (1-1)

C. Thibodeaux: 8-16, 142 yds
R. Dougherty: 19 rush, 102 yds, TD
B. Andrews: 5 rec, 74 yds

OC Jerome Baumann (RaiderAid89): L (1-1), 14-36 vs. Baylor (2-0)

V. Roberson: 12-20, 198 yds, TD
B. Johnson: 17 rush, 66 yds, TD
D. McMahan: 4 rec, 98 yds, TD

OC Ryan Malloy (FootballFanatik): L (0-2), 10-28 vs. Clemson (2-0)

A. Jafar: 8-21, 73 yds, TD
N. Richards: 19 rush, 107 yds
S. Owen: 3 rec, 21 yds, TD

OC Brett Favre (hudso3): L (0-2), 7-10 vs. Oklahoma State (2-0)

G. Moran: 11-35, 158 yds, 2 INT
B. Jackson: 17 rush, 71 yds
P. Hill: 5 rec, 83 yds

Flippin' Burgers!

OC Tyrell Coley (Knickerbocker91) (1-0, ranked #19)

DC Brennan Smith (bryan3169) (1-1)

OC Spanky Westside (Trevor3_2009) (1-0)

OC Caleb Henderson (NewscasterNews4) (1-1)

[thesportsguru11]

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

Barnett (concussion), Brown (back) ruled out against FSU

Starting cornerback Sam Barnett has officially been ruled out and unavailable for UConn as they prep for their home opener against Florida State on Saturday.

The redshirt junior and Portland, Maine native suffered a head injury shortly after his interception in the second half of last week's win against Notre Dame and did not return. Ruled a concussion the next day, Barnett has been undergoing tests all week, but team doctors ultimately decided he was not clear to resume football activities.

"Obviously I'm disappointed I can't be out there for the home opener", Barnett said in a statement this week. "I have the utmost confidence in the guys behind me, though. I'll be back and ready to go real soon."

In Barnett's place, classmate Kent Newton will make his first career start. Newton recorded his second career interception last week as part of the second stringers who played much of that fourth quarter. This move means that Newton has now effectively moved to 3A on the cornerback depth chart, behind Shav Wade, Barnett, and will be the third outside corner option while Kyler Parks plays in the slot.

Additionally, special teams linebacker Alex Brown has also been ruled out of Saturday's contest with back spasms. The junior left the Notre Dame game early last week and didn't return. He'll be out this week but should be ready to go again when UConn hits the road to face Michigan State next week.

[xboxxerx]

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

Ooh. Looking forward to see how this plays out.

[thesportsguru11]

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

Ooh. Looking forward to see how this plays out.

Yeah Barnett's absence could really be interesting.. our pass defense statistics have been atrocious so far and Barnett is our second best corner. And with concussions, you just never know.

Newton has played well in limited action, but it remains to be seen how he'll fare against better wideouts. He's not like Kyler Parks or J.D. Rudie who are better suited for slot play, Newton's coverage skills may be a little better suited for the outside. He'll be tasked with guarding Fisher and possibly John Lake (98 speed) while Shav guards the All-American Young. My expectations certainly aren't tremendously high, so if Newton doesn't cost us the game, his day will be a success in my eyes.

[RoundingThird]

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

Since when does NBCSN carry FBS football games?