With practice set to open Aug. 9, a look at some keys to the season for UConn:
Secondary Upgrade
UConn receivers accounted for 16 of the 46 touchdowns the Huskies had on offense. The UConn defense gave up 17 touchdowns through the air, and the biggest problem with those scores was when they occurred.
The Huskies finished 8-5 in 2009. They lost those five games by 15 total points. Tim Brown scored on a long catch and run in the final minutes to complete a 28-24 come-from-behind win for Rutgers. Pitt's Dorin Dickerson hauled in 27-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 21 (the Huskies had a 21-6 lead at Pitt), and UConn lost, 24-21.
Bottom line: There were countless times when the secondary needed to make a play and didn't. The Huskies lost their friend and brother, Jasper Howard, tragically on Oct. 18. He was a starter and an outstanding cornerback. Three of the close losses came after his death. That along with youth made the Huskies vulnerable in the secondary and became a focus in the spring. There were some bright spots in spring practice, namely sophomore cornerback Dwayne Gratz and redshirt freshmen Tevrin Brandon and Chris Lopes, who was moved from corner to safety, where UConn was weak. Gratz should start at one corner. At the other should be Blidi Wreh-Wilson, also a sophomore, who stepped up admirably in Howard's place. Wreh-Wilson missed spring ball with an injury but is a solid player. There appears to be depth at corner but not at safety, where the Huskies need to improve from a year ago.
Defensive Line Depth
If the offense under Joe Moorhead is always in attack mode ? and seemingly it is ? then it's time for the defense to get there, too, specifically up front. The Huskies must get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks to take pressure off their secondary.
Former defensive end Lindsey Witten started last year hot, among the national leaders in sacks, but he tailed off and no one really picked up the slack.
Witten is with the Pittsburgh Steelers now, so it's up to guys such as Marcus Campbell ? back after missing last season for academic reasons ? Trevardo Williams, Jesse Joseph, Teddy Jennings and perhaps freshman Jonathan Louis.
Greg Lloyd has been moved from linebacker to end as well. It's unclear whether he'll be ready to go this season after blowing out a knee in the Syracuse game last year. Whether he can go or not, the Huskies will have speed and power on the line. The Huskies are probably as deep there as they've been in coach Randy Edsall's 11 years in Storrs. Reserve Ryan Wirth (6 feet 2, 275 pounds) is small for a tackle but is very physical. Kendall Reyes will start at one tackle. Edsall has challenged previous starter Twyon Martin by demoting him in the spring. If he answers the challenge and wins back the job, the Huskies will be that much deeper.
Backfield Versatility
USC transfer D.J. Shoemate is now in Storrs mainly because the Huskies were looking for more versatility in the backfield.
Edsall has already said Shoemate is going to compete for carries right away. But if you look at the UConn offense last season, one aspect that could have been more effective was passing to the backs and letting them get in open space and make things happen.
Shoemate, who was a fullback and receiver at Southern Cal, is coming to UConn as a tailback. Edsall has said he has great hands.
Fullback Anthony Sherman is another solid receiver. He's also a bull of a blocker. Jordan Todman (21 receptions), who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year, is still expected to be the featured back. Edsall will use two if he can, but guys such as Kelmetrus Wylie and Robbie Frey or going to have to hustle to figure into the rotation, and the more versatility they bring the better if they are to have any hope of taking playing time from Shoemate.
Frazer In Charge
There is no quarterback controversy. There is no quarterback competition. Senior Zach Frazer is the guy, and he should be the guy based on the fact the Huskies went 4-1 with him starting the final five games, including the bowl win over South Carolina; based on the fact he was 73 of 129 with seven touchdowns and two interceptions during that stretch ? including a 20-for-30, 225-yard, two-TD effort in the snow at home against South Florida. Perhaps the biggest reason Frazer has a stranglehold on the quarterback position is the confidence, composure and command he showed.
Overall, he was very good throughout the spring. If Frazer doesn't revert back to the guy who struggled with interceptions, he could reach the potential many saw when he went to Notre Dame as one of the most decorated passers in Pennsylvania high school history.
If he does revert back to that guy, not only will Cody Endres be waiting, but a couple of others as well.
Tight Ends Big?
The Huskies had some losses following spring ball, namely Malik Generett and Marcus Aiken, who could have been used as a safety and receiver. Both are out because of academic issues.
Still, the Huskies are OK at receiver with Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore and Michael Smith. The unit has lost Mike Lang, who was switched to the secondary, but Nick Williams showed potential as a freshman. He'll be in the mix along with Dwayne Difton, who struggled on and off the field in his first season. Gerrard Sheppard is a talented receiver and may be ready to play, coming off a good spring. He had a good spring last season as well but didn't play as a redshirt freshman. This will be a good time for him, Difton and Williams to show they belong in the rotation.
To complement them UConn has some nice tight ends in John Delahunt, Corey Manning and Ryan Griffin. All three are sophomores and all three are big with good hands. If they can play more of a role in the offense, the Huskies could be tough to handle. This offense put 405 points on the board last year, among the most for a season in school history, and now these guys have a year under them in the system. The 6-6, 240-pound Griffin (23 catches, 272 yards) was the Huskies' fourth-leading receiver last season. He had no touchdowns but should have. He and Frazer failed to connect on some wide-open opportunities, but Griffin did come through big in many of the opportunities he had. He, Delahunt (6-3, 243 pounds) and Manning (6-4, 255) can all play.
Secondary Upgrade
UConn receivers accounted for 16 of the 46 touchdowns the Huskies had on offense. The UConn defense gave up 17 touchdowns through the air, and the biggest problem with those scores was when they occurred.
The Huskies finished 8-5 in 2009. They lost those five games by 15 total points. Tim Brown scored on a long catch and run in the final minutes to complete a 28-24 come-from-behind win for Rutgers. Pitt's Dorin Dickerson hauled in 27-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 21 (the Huskies had a 21-6 lead at Pitt), and UConn lost, 24-21.
Bottom line: There were countless times when the secondary needed to make a play and didn't. The Huskies lost their friend and brother, Jasper Howard, tragically on Oct. 18. He was a starter and an outstanding cornerback. Three of the close losses came after his death. That along with youth made the Huskies vulnerable in the secondary and became a focus in the spring. There were some bright spots in spring practice, namely sophomore cornerback Dwayne Gratz and redshirt freshmen Tevrin Brandon and Chris Lopes, who was moved from corner to safety, where UConn was weak. Gratz should start at one corner. At the other should be Blidi Wreh-Wilson, also a sophomore, who stepped up admirably in Howard's place. Wreh-Wilson missed spring ball with an injury but is a solid player. There appears to be depth at corner but not at safety, where the Huskies need to improve from a year ago.
Defensive Line Depth
If the offense under Joe Moorhead is always in attack mode ? and seemingly it is ? then it's time for the defense to get there, too, specifically up front. The Huskies must get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks to take pressure off their secondary.
Former defensive end Lindsey Witten started last year hot, among the national leaders in sacks, but he tailed off and no one really picked up the slack.
Witten is with the Pittsburgh Steelers now, so it's up to guys such as Marcus Campbell ? back after missing last season for academic reasons ? Trevardo Williams, Jesse Joseph, Teddy Jennings and perhaps freshman Jonathan Louis.
Greg Lloyd has been moved from linebacker to end as well. It's unclear whether he'll be ready to go this season after blowing out a knee in the Syracuse game last year. Whether he can go or not, the Huskies will have speed and power on the line. The Huskies are probably as deep there as they've been in coach Randy Edsall's 11 years in Storrs. Reserve Ryan Wirth (6 feet 2, 275 pounds) is small for a tackle but is very physical. Kendall Reyes will start at one tackle. Edsall has challenged previous starter Twyon Martin by demoting him in the spring. If he answers the challenge and wins back the job, the Huskies will be that much deeper.
Backfield Versatility
USC transfer D.J. Shoemate is now in Storrs mainly because the Huskies were looking for more versatility in the backfield.
Edsall has already said Shoemate is going to compete for carries right away. But if you look at the UConn offense last season, one aspect that could have been more effective was passing to the backs and letting them get in open space and make things happen.
Shoemate, who was a fullback and receiver at Southern Cal, is coming to UConn as a tailback. Edsall has said he has great hands.
Fullback Anthony Sherman is another solid receiver. He's also a bull of a blocker. Jordan Todman (21 receptions), who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year, is still expected to be the featured back. Edsall will use two if he can, but guys such as Kelmetrus Wylie and Robbie Frey or going to have to hustle to figure into the rotation, and the more versatility they bring the better if they are to have any hope of taking playing time from Shoemate.
Frazer In Charge
There is no quarterback controversy. There is no quarterback competition. Senior Zach Frazer is the guy, and he should be the guy based on the fact the Huskies went 4-1 with him starting the final five games, including the bowl win over South Carolina; based on the fact he was 73 of 129 with seven touchdowns and two interceptions during that stretch ? including a 20-for-30, 225-yard, two-TD effort in the snow at home against South Florida. Perhaps the biggest reason Frazer has a stranglehold on the quarterback position is the confidence, composure and command he showed.
Overall, he was very good throughout the spring. If Frazer doesn't revert back to the guy who struggled with interceptions, he could reach the potential many saw when he went to Notre Dame as one of the most decorated passers in Pennsylvania high school history.
If he does revert back to that guy, not only will Cody Endres be waiting, but a couple of others as well.
Tight Ends Big?
The Huskies had some losses following spring ball, namely Malik Generett and Marcus Aiken, who could have been used as a safety and receiver. Both are out because of academic issues.
Still, the Huskies are OK at receiver with Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore and Michael Smith. The unit has lost Mike Lang, who was switched to the secondary, but Nick Williams showed potential as a freshman. He'll be in the mix along with Dwayne Difton, who struggled on and off the field in his first season. Gerrard Sheppard is a talented receiver and may be ready to play, coming off a good spring. He had a good spring last season as well but didn't play as a redshirt freshman. This will be a good time for him, Difton and Williams to show they belong in the rotation.
To complement them UConn has some nice tight ends in John Delahunt, Corey Manning and Ryan Griffin. All three are sophomores and all three are big with good hands. If they can play more of a role in the offense, the Huskies could be tough to handle. This offense put 405 points on the board last year, among the most for a season in school history, and now these guys have a year under them in the system. The 6-6, 240-pound Griffin (23 catches, 272 yards) was the Huskies' fourth-leading receiver last season. He had no touchdowns but should have. He and Frazer failed to connect on some wide-open opportunities, but Griffin did come through big in many of the opportunities he had. He, Delahunt (6-3, 243 pounds) and Manning (6-4, 255) can all play.
