UConn sports

Have to get home for some Halloween fun (7-week-old’s can go trick or treating, right?) but here are a few words and numbers from UConn’s absolutely stunning 28-24 loss to Rutgers Saturday:

– As we know, QB Cody Endres is out for the season. A separated left shoulder will cause him to have surgery Sunday morning.

RB/KR/special teams star Robbie Frey also hurt his shoulder but coach Randy Edsall says it’s not as serious.

“I don’t think his was as bad as Cody’s,” Edsall said.

– Safety Aaron Bagsby’s missed tackle/bad angle on the 81-yard Tim Brown score looms big but he’s hardly the only one who messed up Saturday for the Huskies.

For the record, here’s Edsall’s explanation.

“It was the coverage we were playing pretty much all day long,” Edsall said. “We put our best guy (cornerback Robert McCLain) on their best guy. The guy (Brown) makes a good play but the guy over the top (Bagsby) has to come up and make a play.”

At first I wondered aloud why UConn wasn’t in more of a “prevent” defense (although Edsall swears he doesn’t know what that is). But when you’re up three, you’re mainly guarding against a field goal and I think the UConn coaches were right in calling the usual two-deep look.

Now, the execution of that call by the guys on the field….well….

– Think about this one. Rutgers led from start to finish but had only 241 total yards before Brown’s final catch.

In the second half Rutgers had gained just three first downs before Brown’s catch. The Knights had forced three-and-out by UConn four times in the second half.

In fact, Rutgers punted 10 times. That’s the most punts UConn has forced since the win over Buffalo in the International Bowl.

– It ended up counting for exactly zero points, but tackle Mike Ryan’s near two-point conversion play was impressive.

The over-the-shoulder catch was awesome and the dive into the end zone was even better.

“When he called it my heart dropped,” Ryan said. “I was like ‘uh-oh.’ But I caught it, turned around and saw the guy waiting at the goalline. I sort of know they’re going to go low. You have to figure 6-5, 320 pounds they’re going to go low on you. I just figured I’d jump over him.”

Of course the long review resulted in a reversal and UConn was forced to kick the PAT anyway.

Ryan thought it was a backward pass (lateral). Edsall really thought it was a backward pass (he got a 15-yard penalty for arguing).

Me, I was stupid enough to think the review was to determine whether or not the ball crossed the goal line before the 324-pound Ryan went down. I didn’t even get a good look.

– Frey’s return was the third 100-yard KO return in UConn history. Gary DuBose took one back 100 yards against Yale in 1983 and Nick Giaquinto did it to New Hampshire in 1975.

It was UConn’s first kickoff return for a TD of any kind since Tyvon Branch returned one 97 yards against Rutgers Nov. 3, 2007.

- Neill

UConn quarterback Cody Endres injured his left shoulder during Saturday’s loss to Rutgers and will miss the rest of the season.

Endres will have surgery Sunday morning to repair the shoulder.

- Neill

By Neill Ostrout

STAFF WRITER

EAST HARTFORD _ Just when it appeared the UConn football team would finally break through in a close game, the Huskies somehow found a way to lose.

Rutgers wideout Tim Brown caught an 81-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Savage with 22 seconds left in the game. It was the first play of a drive following a UConn score, and gave Rutgers an unbelievable 28-24 win over the Huskies Saturday afternoon at Rentschler Field.

On fourth-and-goal from the with just 43 seconds to play, Jordan Todman scored on a two-yard touchdown run around the right end to give UConn’s its first lead of the game at 24-21.

In their first home game since Jasper Howard’s death, the Huskies (4-4, 1-3) were obviously stunned by the result.

Down by four in the closing moments, quarterback Zach Frazer drove the Huskies 87 yards for the winning score. They converted three fourth downs on the drive, including the game-winner.

Rutgers (6-2, 1-2) had just 241 total yards prior to Brown’s final catch but led for almost the entire game.

UConn quarterback Cody Endres left the game in the first quarter after taking a hit from Rutgers’ Blair Bines and landing on his left shoulder. Endres spend the rest of the game with his arm in a sling.

Frazer finished 21-of-47 for 333 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in relief.

Just as they did last week in their loss to West Virginia, the Huskies allowed a touchdown on the opening kickoff and missed two field goals.

The Huskies were down 11 in the fourth quarter when Frazer hit Marcus Easley across the middle for a modest gain that Easley turned into a 32-yard touchdown.

The home team briefly pulled within three thanks to a two-point conversion that saw Frazer throw to 324-pound Mike Ryan on a tackle eligible play. But after an official’s review _ presumably to determine if Frazer’s pass was forward or backward _ the referee announced that Ryan was an ineligible receiver on the play and that by him catching the ball it was illegal touching.
UConn coach Randy Edsall was livid with the decision and received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing with referee Tom Tomczyk.

After the review Edsall opted to kick the PAT and had to settle for a 21-17 deficit.
–30–

UConn’s still only down 11 but it doesn’t look good for the Huskies.

A wheel route by RB Jordan Todman and a nice toss by QB Zach Frazer seemed to finally got the UConn offense in gear. The 41-yard gain set the Huskies up with a first down at the Rutgers 24.

But Frazer was picked off three plays later, his third of the game. Frazer has thrown six straight incompletions at this point.

– C Moe Petrus got hurt on Frazer’s third interception. Looks like he’s OK, though. He’s back in.

– FYI: Robbie Frey (left shoulder) is out of the game.

Robert McClain (left hamstring) has returned.

– Just a quick review:

QB Zach Frazer’s first pass of the game was an incompletion, albeit a drop by UConn TE Ryan Griffin.

His second throw was an interception by Rutgers’ Damaso Munoz.

His third throw was a completion to Brad Kanuch for six yards.

His fourth throw was a completion to Griffin for 28 yards.

His fifth throw was an incompletion.

His sixth throw was an interception by Rutgers’ Joe Lefeged.

So that would be a start of 2-for-6 with two picks.

Right now he’s 9-of-25 for 139 yards with three interceptions.

- Neill

Halftime in East Hartford and the Huskies are in trouble.

A late drive by Rutgers has the visitors up 21-10.

A third-down pass from quarterback Tom Savage to Tim Brown on Rutgers’ first scoring drive was called incomplete on the field but reversed (correctly so, it looked like) by the replay official. Savage hit Brown again four plays later with a 37-yard touchdown pass over the middle.

But UConn’s Robbie Frey returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to make it 14-10. A nice cutback by Frey near midfield and an impressive block by Jordan Todman leading the way sprung the sophomore.

Great hustle by Rutgers’ Devin McCourty (who has his own KO return for a TD today) to almost keep Frey out of the end zone.

But Rutgers came right back down and scored again. Mark Harrison (Stratford’s own) hauled in his first career TD pass from Savage.

– UConn CB Robert McClain (left hamstring?) left the game late in the half.

– Frey (left shoulder, too?) also walked off gingerly following a late kickoff return.

- Neill

UConn QB Cody Endres is back on the field. But he has his pads off and his left arm is in a sling.

Looks like a separated shoulder at this point but we’re not sure.

- Neill

Do you want the bad news or the really bad news?

The Huskies are down, QB Cody Endres hurt his left arm, the special teams looks shaky and the run game isn’t setting any records.

That being said, it’s only 7-3.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:

Rutgers’ Devin McCourty returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

It was pretty much a repeat of last week against West Virginia. This time the return came up the middle, instead of outside. And this time it was punter/kickoff specialist Desi Cullen looking kind of foolish trying to make a tackle. But the result was the same: the Huskies were down 7-0 in a flash.

McCourty’s previous best kickoff return this year? Twenty-nine yards.

But as my neighbor in the press box, the esteemed Phil Chardis of the Manchester J-I, pointed out McCourty’s job was easy. Chardis said he could have returned the same kick (with a heart attack near the 20, of course) the distance.

In addition to kickoff coverage, another of UConn’s problems from last week came back. Kicker Dave Teggart (after hitting from 37) missed on a 36-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter.

– Looks like DT Ryan Wirth will get a little playing time today.

- Neill

A few toga-wearing fans (it was Halloween, after all) pay tribute to Jasper Howard in their own way.

Greetings from Rentschler Field as we get ready to watch the Huskies and Scarlet Knights.

Quite an impressive Husky Walk. More people were along the route than I’ve ever seen for the event.

– Plenty of Jasper Howard tributes on deck. It should be an emotional start to the game. (We’ll see if the locals get their rear ends in the seats in time.)

– No lineup changes to report (yet).

Looks like LB Scott Lutrus is ready to go,

DE Lindsey Witten is in uniform, too, and seemingly OK. He has a brace on his right knee.

– In case you missed it, here’s a story on Marcus Easley and his surprise sprint to stardom. It seems like years ago (it was) that the Stratford native survived an open tryout with Joss Tillard, Khaliyl Lane, Zak Penwell and Erik Muschette.

- Neill