UConn sports

UConn and state police have scheduled a news conference for 12:30 p.m. today to announce “significant developments” in the stabbing death of Jasper Howard.

Of course, there’s also the regular UConn football press conference at 11:30 a.m.

We’ll do our best to be in two places at once for you today and get all the news.

- Neill

Some news from the Big East:

– We’ll have to wait for the TV coverage information for UConn’s Nov. 7 game at Cincinnati. ABC/ESPN is holding it for a “six-day selection.” We’ll get the official word after this week’s games.

It will either be seen on ABC (Ch. 8), ESPN or ESPN2.

The start time is also not set, though it’s going to be either a 3:30 p.m. kick or an evening one. It won’t be a noon game.

Also on that day Syracuse-Pitt will start at noon and be seen on ESPNU; Louisville at West Virginia is also at noon and is the Big East game of the week.

– Rutgers coach Greg Schiano on wide receiver Mark Harrison, a 6-foot-3 freshman from Bunnell:

“He’s really doing well,” Schiano said. “He came in and he had a little injury that I think slowed him down quite a bit. But he’s feeling better now and getting more involved in the offense and learning more every day.”

Harrison caught two passes for 48 yards last week against Army, the first receptions of his career.

– West Virginia’s Bill Stewart with a few more poignant words on his team’s game against UConn.

“It was shame there had to be a loser. That was one for the ages,” Stewart said.

– Cincinnati fell three spots to 8th in the latest BCS rankings but coach Brian Kelly isn’t overly concerned.

“There’s a lot of football left and this thing is pretty fun. Nobody has a clear ride or a clear path,” Kelly said. “Just look what happened on Saturday. A couple of seconds here or there and Iowa’s gone and Alabama’s down. It’s pretty exciting stuff.”

- Neill

The weekly award winners from the Big East. I never question these things but how does Marcus Easley not make at least the honor roll?

Oh well.

BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Noel Devine • Jr. • RB • West Virginia • Fort Myers, Fla.

Devine ran for 178 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in the Mountaineers’ 28-24 win against Connecticut, keeping West Virginia unbeaten in Big East play. He had 171 rushing yards in the second half, including the deciding touchdown on a 56-yard run with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter. Devine registered his fifth 100-yard game of the season and enters this week’s game at USF ranked third nationally at 130.3 yards per game.

BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Dom DeCicco • Jr. • SS • Pittsburgh • Jefferson Hills, Pa.

DeCicco had a team-high 10 tackles, including nine solo stops, to key a Pittsburgh defense that limited USF to 212 yards of total offense in a 41-14 Panther win. USF entered the game averaging 379.4 yards and 30.9 points per game.

BIG EAST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tavon Austin • Fr. • WR • West Virginia • Baltimore, Md.

Austin returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in West Virginia’s 28-24 win against Connecticut. He finished with 118 yards on two kickoff returns and became the first West Virginia player to score on a kickoff return since Darius Reynaud had a 96-yard TD against Maryland Sept. 14, 2006.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati — Completed 15 of 17 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns and had 52 rushing yards in his first career start in a 41-10 win against Louisville.

Walter Stewart, LB, Cincinnati — Had 10 tackles and an interception in a 41-10 win against Louisville. Helped hold the Cardinals to 275 yards of total offense.

Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh — Had six receptions for a career-high 144 yards and a touchdown in a 41-14 win against USF.

Joe Martinek, RB, Rutgers — Ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in a 27-10 win at Army.

Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse — Had 30 carries for 170 yards and three touchdowns — all career highs — in a 28-14 win against Akron.

- Neill

A few notes and quotes from UConn football coach Randy Edsall’s Sunday chat:

– Edsall and the Huskies preach the old “one-game-at-a-time” mantra and the “last-week-doesn’t-matter-this-week” chant. They’ll be tested this week because the sting of the West Virginia loss might linger.

“You feel very, very empty because you had a chance to win the football game,” Edsall said Sunday.

Although the Huskies played welll…

“We have to practice for perfection. That’s what we have to do,” Edsall said.

– Injuries of note:

DE Lindsey Witten (right leg) is questionable. WR Alex Molina (head/neck) is doubtful. LB Scott Lutrus (shoulder) is out.

LB Sio Moore is still out, as is RB Meme Wylie.

DE Beau Brunelli is back practicing, Edsall said.

– Jasper Howard’s funeral is Monday in Miami. The entire team will fly down in the morning (and back the same night) to pay their last respects.

“I can’t even tell you what the feelings are going to be,” Edsall said. “I’m the last person who saw Jazz.”

Edsall said he hopes the funeral brings some closure for his players and for Howard’s other friends and relatives. And Edsall said that he, his assistant coaches and the team’s support staff will watch the players closely today on what will be a rough day emotionally.

“I’m not sure exactly what’s going to happen. I think it’s going to be a difficult day for some of these young people,” Edsall said. “But this is a lesson for them in life. These are the things you have to deal with in life.”

– Remember how Donald Thomas got to the NFL?

He went from not playing football in college to walking onto the UConn football team to practicing a bit with the scout team to playing some on special teams and spot duty on offense to earning a scholarship late in his career to starting for one season on offense to getting drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

Except for that last part doesn’t that bio sound familiar?

It’s pretty much the same route WR Marcus Easley has taken. If you told someone a month ago that Easley would be playing football on Sunday’s when he got out of UConn, the answer would be ‘Wow. The rec leagues in Stratford just got some talent.’ But with the way Easley has played lately for the Huskies, it’s not a stretch to think he might have a shot in the NFL.

OK, he’s still got a long way to go and it’s not as if it’s sure thing. But stranger things have happened (or at least one thing just as strange).

Edsall, who has jokingly said that he and his coaches missed the boat by not playing Easley more before the Pittsburgh game, says the senior from Bunnell High is just doing his job in the offense the way it’s supposed to be done.

“He’s running the routes he’s supposed to be running,” Edsall said. “And based on what we see, the ball gets to go his way.”

In case you missed it Easley caught five passes for 157 yards Saturday against West Virginia. It was his third-straight 100-yard receiving day. This on a team that last year sometimes didn’t look like it would have a 100-yard passer in some games.

Easley’s 88-yard touchdown catch from Cody Endres was the fourth-longest pass play in school history. And his 157 yards represented the 14th-best total by a receiver in UConn history (tying the 157 Dak Newton had against UMass in 1996).

– In case I didn’t mention it yesterday (I didn’t), UConn is now 1-14 against ranked teams.

– No kicker controversy yet but the coaches obviously want Dave Teggart to improve.

“I’m worried about what happened from last year to this year with him,” Edsall said. “I don’t know. Maybe I have to create some competion for him. When he had the competition, he was a lot better.”

Teggart beat out veteran Tony Ciaravino in the middle of last season and made his first 11 field goals. He was 13-of-15 in total in 2008.

This season Teggart is just 7-of-12 with two misses from 27 yards and the others from 42, 44 and 44.

“He’s just got to stop worrying about stuff and just go kick the ball,” Edsall said. “It’s more between the ears with him.”

Sounds a little like the old Matt Nuzie speech Edsall used to give, no?

I’m still convinced Nuzie had more leg than anyone ever has at UConn, but we all remember how he struggled at times with the ‘between the ears’ stuff. Or maybe he struggled with the coaches’ comments about his ‘between the ears’ stuff. Chicken or the egg, I guess.

- Neill

Still kind of can’t believe what I saw here.

For one, it’s kind of hard to believe UConn played this well given the week the team has had.

And then it’s kind of hard to believe the Huskies wilted when they nearly had the game in the bag.

Let’s take a quick look at some reactions, stats and notes:

– Jasper Howard was on the minds of nearly everyone, chiefly UConn coach Randy Edsall.

“I think he’s proud of us. And he’s disappointed we didn’t come out on the right side of the column today,” Edsall said after the game. “But I know this: he’s going to give us more strength.”

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart almost apologized for beating the Huskies in such dramatic fashion (Almost, of course, because their isn’t a coach in this world who would give away a victory).

“I would like to say that this is what epitomizes what these young men strive for and strain for each and every game,” Stewart said. “I am glad we were the winner, but it is a sad shame for what has happened to our opponent.”

The fans in the stands were seemingly gracious to the Huskies all day. They cheered when they took the field and clapped when they exited, too.

“I thought the fans from West Virginia were very gracious,” Edsall said. “It’s very humbling. I’ve come down to West Virginia when I was at Syracuse and Boston College and even here in Connecticut. I know what type of fans they have and how they root so hard for their team. But the sportsmanship and the love and the concern that they showed for our team, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that in sport.”

– Kashif Moore was glad he got a chance to honor Jazz with a touchdown. It was the sophomore’s first TD of the season and the second of his career.

“It felt real good,” Moore said. “I told myself if I found a way to get into the end zone I’d throw up a Little Haiti sign like Jazz always did.”

– The moment of silence was different for everyone. What was Marcus Easley thinking?

“It still doesn’t seem so real,” Easley said. “It’s hard to believe we’re actually suiting up and getting ready to play a game without Jazz. That moment of silence meant a lot for me and I guess for the rest of the team.”

– West Virginia RB Noel Devine had 10 carries for seven yards in the first half. SEVEN!

How many yards did he have after halftime? ONE-SEVENTY-ONE!

“That type of offense, you can stop it and stop it but if one person misses a gap, doesn’t do his assignments, it can break just as easy as you could stop it in the backfield,” UConn safety Robert Vaughn said.

– UConn’s 501 yards of total offense represented its best output since gaining 506 against Virginia Sept. 13, 2008.

– Cody Endres is the first UConn quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards since Dan Orlovsky threw for 445 against Syracuse Oct. 30, 2004. (Been waiting to use that stat for three weeks now)

– Marcus Easley is the first UConn player to gain more than 150 yards receiving since Carl Bond racked up 175 against New Hampshire Nov. 22, 1997.

Easley on his timely, 88-yard touchdown catch and run.

“Cody gave me an opportunity to make the play,” Easley said. “I caught the ball and then I just saw the end zone.”

On his strip of West Virginia’s Sidney Glover, which followed Glover’s interception:

“It was on an interception so if somebody doesn’t make a play that pretty much seals the game for them,” Easley said. “I was fortunate enough to strip the ball and give my team another chance to make another run for it.”

- Neill

Sorry a little late. First posting failed.

By Neill Ostrout

STAFF WRITER

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. _ Jazz would have been proud.

Playing its first game since the death of cornerback Jasper Howard, the UConn football team gave one of its best efforts in years.

It wasn’t enough, however, as West Virginia staged a dramatic rally to help the Mountaineers beat UConn 28-24 before 58,106 fans at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Seeking their first-ever victory over the perennial Big East power, the Huskies (4-3, 1-2) instead suffered a painful defeat.

Noel Devine’s 56-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left in the game was the back-breaker for the Huskies, who had dramatically taken the lead only moments before. UConn safety Jerome Junior tried to shove Devine out of bounds near the 25 but the officials, including the one in the replay booth, ruled the speedy junior stayed in the field of play.

Marcus Easley’s 88-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Cody Endres _ which came on a third-and-8 from deep in his own end _ positively stunned those in attendance and at first appeared to be the difference in the game.

Just moments before Easley’s grab it looked as if the Huskies had thrown away their chances at pulling an upset.

On third-and-12 from his own 36 with just over five minutes to play, Endres was intercepted while trying to hit Brad Kanuch deep over the middle. West Virginia’s Kent Richardson picked it off and returned it 45 yards all the way to the UConn 15. But a hustling Easley stripped the ball from Richardson, and Ryan Griffin recovered at the 10.

Huskies down four points with one quarter to go.

The game turned on two plays late in the third quarter. Jordan Todman, on his way to a key first down on third-and-2 at the WV 33, fumbled as he was being tackled and West Virginia’s Sidney Glover fell on it.

After a short gain on first down, West Virginia RB Noel Devine ripped off a big one. He was contained at the line of scrimmage but cut it back to the left sideline and, with help from a block by quarterback Jarrett Brown, ran 63 yards down to the UConn 1.

The Mountaineers scored a couple plays later to make it 21-17.

The UConn offense came up with another solid drive to open the second half but it stalled at the 10. To make matters worse, Dave Teggart missed a 27-yard field goal wide to the left.

West Virginia then did a copycat, driving easily down the field before getting bogged down in the red zone…and missing a field goal.

- Neill

Wild finish to the first half.

First West Virginia goes 81 yards on the two-minute drill (when the UConn defense appeared to have Jarrett Brown sacked five or six times) and scores to make it 14-10 with 48.7 seconds left in the half.

It looks like the home team has all the momentum and is back on track.

But a long return by Robbie Frey sets the Huskies up and they score their own touchdown three plays later: a 16-yard pass to Marcus Easley, a 9-yard run by Jordan Todman, and a 17-yard TD pass to Kashif Moore.

Bang-bang-bang and the Huskies show they’re here to play today.

17-14 UConn with one more half to go.

Fullback Anthony Sherman (after catching three passes for 20 yards and doing some nice lead blocking) left the game in the second quarter with an injury.

Sherman tried to come off the field before a third-and-1 but appeared to get woozy. He eventually laid on the turf as UConn’s medical staff looked him over. Sherman walked back to the locker room to get examined further but sprinted back out of the same tunnel a few minutes later and was begging to get back in the game.

He was back in action before the first half ended.

- Neill