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Archive for 2010Jordan Todman 2nd team AP All-AmericaUConn running back Jordan Todman picked up another honor Tuesday as the junior was named second team All-American by the Associated Press. Todman was similarly honored last week by the Walter Camp Foundation. Also Tuesday Todman was named a first team All-American by Sports Illustrated. LB Lawrence Wilson and OG Zach Hurd were honorable mention All-Americans according to SI. Todman ran for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns in the regular season, helping the Huskies win the Big East title and earn a spot in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma. He was the Big East’s offensive player of the year. UConn coach Randy Edsall said Monday that Todman is exploring an early jump to the NFL. - Neill The full list: FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback — Cam Newton, junior, 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, Auburn. Running backs — LaMichael James, sophomore, 5-9, 185, Oregon; Kendall Hunter, junior, 5-9, 200, Oklahoma State. Tackles — Gabe Carimi, senior, 6-7, 327, Wisconsin; Nate Solder, senior, 6-9, 315, Colorado. Guards — Rodney Hudson, senior, 6-2, 282, Florida State; John Moffitt, senior, 6-5, 323, Wisconsin. Center — Chase Beeler, senior, 6-3, 285, Stanford. Tight end — Michael Egnew, junior, 6-6, 235, Missouri. Wide receivers — Justin Blackmon, sophomore, 6-1, 205, Oklahoma State; Ryan Broyles, junior, 5-11, 183, Oklahoma. All-purpose player — Randall Cobb, junior, 5-11, 186, Kentucky. Kicker — Alex Henery, senior, 6-2, 175, Nebraska. DEFENSE Ends — Da’Quan Bowers, junior, 6-4, 275, Clemson; Ryan Kerrigan, senior, 6-4, 263, Purdue. Tackles — Nick Fairley, junior, 6-5, 298, Auburn; Stephen Paea, senior, 6-1, 311, Oregon State. Linebackers — Luke Kuechly, sophomore, 6-3, 235, Boston College; Greg Jones, senior, 6-1, 240, Michigan State; Von Miller, senior, 6-3, 243, Texas A&M. Cornerbacks — Patrick Peterson, junior, 6-1, 222, LSU; Prince Amukamara, senior, 6-1, 205, Nebraska. Safeties — Tejay Johnson, senior, 6-1, 212, TCU; Quinton Carter, senior, 6-1, 200, Oklahoma. Punter — Chas Henry, junior, 6-3, 222, Florida. ___ SECOND TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback — Andrew Luck, sophomore, Stanford. Running backs — Jordan Todman, junior, Connecticut; Mikel Leshoure, junior, Illinois. Tackles — Lee Ziemba, senior, Auburn; Derek Sherrod, senior, Mississippi State. Guards — Stefen Wisniewski, senior, Penn State; Justin Boren, senior, Ohio State. Center — Jake Kirkpatrick, senior, TCU. Tight end — Lance Kendricks, senior, Wisconsin. Wide receivers — Alshon Jeffrey, sophomore, South Carolina; Julio Jones, junior, Alabama. All-purpose player — Damaris Johnson, junior, Tulsa. Kicker — Dan Bailey, senior, Oklahoma State. DEFENSE Ends — J.J. Watt, junior, Wisconsin; Jeremy Beal, senior, Oklahoma. Tackles — Drake Nevis, senior, LSU; Jared Crick, junior, Nebraska. Linebackers — Tank Carder, junior, TCU; Justin Houston, junior, Georgia; Lavonte David, junior, Nebraska. Cornerbacks — Jayron Hosley, sophomore, Virginia Tech; Cliff Harris, sophomore, Oregon. Safeties — Mark Barron, junior, Alabama; Ahmad Black, senior, Florida. Punter — Drew Butler, junior, Georgia. ___ THIRD TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback — Kellen Moore, junior, Boise State. Running backs — Vai Taua, senior, Nevada; John Clay, junior, Wisconsin. Tackles — Anthony Castonzo, senior, Boston College; Nate Potter, junior, Boise State. Guards — Barrett Jones, sophomore, Alabama; Caleb, Schlauderaff, senior, Utah. Center — Ryan Pugh, senior, Auburn. Tight end — D.J. Williams, senior, Arkansas. Wide receivers — Greg Salas, sophomore, Hawaii; Titus Young, senior, Boise State. All-purpose player — Denard Robinson, sophomore, Michigan. Kicker — Dannny Hrapmann, junior, Southern Mississippi. DEFENSE Ends — Adrian Clayborn, senior, Iowa; Sam Acho, senior, Texas. Tackles — Billy Winn, junior, Boise State; Marcell Dareus, junior, Alabama. Linebackers — Mason Foster, senior, Washington; Nate Irving, senior, North Carolina State; Akeem Ayers, junior, UCLA. Cornerbacks — Reggie Rembert, senior, Air Force; Stephon Gilmore, freshman, South Carolina. Safeties — Rahim Moore, junior, UCLA; Eric Hagg, senior, Nebraska. Punter — Kyle Martens, junior, Rice.  Wolf officially joins HuskiesEnosch Wolf, a 7-foot-1 center from Goettingen, Germany, has officially been added to the roster of the UConn men’s basketball team. Wolf will begin practicing with the team Sunday, according to a UConn official, and he is eligible to play Monday when the Huskies host Coppin State. Wolf, who spent the fall semester at Wilbraham and Monson (Mass.) Academy, is now the seventh member of UConn’s freshman class and the second German national (joining Niels Giffey in the latter category). He’s listed as 7-1, 260 pounds by UConn. The coaching staff obviously would like to see the latter number drop slightly. - Neill Focused on FiestaUConn football coach Randy Edsall spent a few minutes with the media Monday afternoon at the Burton Family Football Complex. In addition, a few folks from the Fiesta Bowl were in Storrs to talk about the upcoming party in Glendale. – TICKET UPDATE: UConn officials reported Monday evening that the school has so far sold 4,000 tickets to the game. The school is responsible for 17,500. – For starters (as you might expect) the coach wasn’t too keen on talking about Miami’s recently filled head coaching position and the chance that Edsall might have interviewed or even been offered that job. Miami hired Al Golden away from Temple on Sunday. “The only job I talk about is the job I have here,” Edsall said. He says he’ll leave the speculating to other people. “I don’t know why people mention it or people bring it up,” Edsall said. “It’s more of a distraction.” Edsall says he obviously likes his current job. “I’ve been here 12 years. It’s my job to talk about the job I have and the job I do,” Edsall said. He can see why people are somewhat interested in his servies. “We’ve built something here from the ground floor, from scratch in my opinion,” Edsall said. As for his longevity: “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side,” Edsall said. – The Huskies handed out a number of awards at their annual banquet Sunday: Kendall Madison Award (hard work, citizenship, etc.) _ OG Zach Hurd Brian Kozlowski Award (courageous, productive, etc.) _ FB Anthony Sherman Football Alumni Award (leadership, dedication, team player, etc.) _ LB Scott Lutrus John Toner Scholar-Athlete Award _ S John Yurek Joe Gianelli Unsung Hero Award _ OG Matt Olivier Jasper Howard Award (best exemplifies a battle-to-the-end spirit) _ RB Kelmetrus Wylie Special Teams Player of the Year _ K Dave Teggart, LS Derek Chard Offensive Player of the Year _ QB Zach Frazer Defensive Player of the Year _ LB Lawrence Wilson Team MVP _ RB Jordan Todman – Edsall said Todman and DT Kendall Reyes are exploring their options of leaving early for the NFL. “I’m in the process of finding out where he (Todman) stacks up,” Edsall said – A few Huskies have been added to the rosters for various all-star games. Wilson and Lutrus will play in the East-West Shrine. Hurd and Sherman will play in the Texas vs. Nation game. – The Huskies are obviously big (17 points) underdogs. That’s OK, it seems. “We’re going to go play hard. We’re going to play the way we always play,” Edsall said. “We’re going to have to play our A game…our A-plus game,” Edsall said. Has the coach ever been part of a big upset like this could be? “I’ve been a part of one,” Edsall said, referring to Jacksonville’s upset of the Denver Broncos in the AFC playoffs. – The Fiesta Bowl reps brought with them the bowl “gifts” that the players get to choose from. “There’s a department store set up in the team meeting room,” Edsall said. There’s a point system set up to allow the players to pick what they want. “It’s Christmas in Storrs,” Edsall said. – The injury situation looks good. OT Mike Ryan and DT Twyon Martin should be OK for the game. “I think everybody will be available,” Edsall said. Edsall said C Moe Petrus had surgery on his hand (he was wearing a cast around Gampel Pavilion the other night for the basketball game) but should be able to play too. – The Huskies practiced Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Now they’re off for finals until Saturday. The players leave for Phoenix on Dec. 26, some directly from their homes, some on the team charter from Bradley. – Edsall reflected slightly on his interview with former UConn AD Lew Perkins and his instructions for the job. “He kind of said ‘Here’s the keys. Go drive the car. There’s really no owner’s manual,’ ” Edsall said. – Much like Jim Calhoun in the 1999 Final Four, Edsall says this bowl experience is for all the former players who built the foundation here in Storrs. “This is for all those guys,” Edsall said. – Calhoun and UConn basketball associate head coach George Blaney both sent Edsall notes of congratulations. “You know their coaches and you know they get it, because of what they said in those two notes,” Edsall said, not revealing too much of the content. – How has recruiting gone since the Fiesta Bowl berth? “We didn’t have 25 people jump in the boat,” Edsall joked. He added that interest in the program is obviously up. – Edsall points out that UConn is the first team from New England and only the second from the Tri-State area (Syracuse) to make a BCS bowl. – Edsall said he hopes that former UConn AD Lew Perkins will be able to make the Fiesta Bowl. – A few stories from the last few days, in case you haven’t been paying attention. UConn should make money, though perhaps not a ton from its BCS entry. - Neill Jordan Todman second team All-American (Walter Camp)UConn RB Jordan Todman was named a Walter Camp second team All-American Thursday. He’s the first Husky to be so honored since former teammate Donald Brown was on the second team after the 2008 season. Todman finished the regular season ranked second nationally in rushing, averaging 143.1 yards per game. He ran for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the Big East in both categories, and went for at least 100 yards nine times in 11 games. Following the 2010 regular season, Todman ranks third in the UConn record books with 3,058 career yards and tied for third with 31 career rushing touchdowns. Todman, who was recently named the Big East offensive player of the year, helped the Huskies to an 8-4 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the league. The Huskies will face Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 1. 2010 Walter Camp All-America Teams First Team Defense Second Team Offense Second Team Defense - Neill Well, that was Fairleigh excitingAnother adventurous day covering a few of the UConn athletic teams. It’s a new era in Storrs. Today is the day a UConn football player and his coach were named the Big East’s best. Unfortunately it’s also the day a UConn football player was arrested on child pornography charges. Oh, and there was actually A GAME Wednesday, too. Almost forgot that I cover athletic contests for a minute. Here are a few of the particulars from UConn 78, Fairleigh Dickinson 54: – It was UConn’s final game before a 12-day break from game competition for exams. “It’s a little difficult for them _ not for me, certainly _ to concentrate as well as I would like,” coach Jim Calhoun said. “It’s usually a little bit of a catch game.” – Kemba Walker had 21 points. Roscoe Smith had 10 and 10. – UConn took 32 3-pointers, three shy of the school record. Of course, that record (35) was set in the six-overtime affair with Syracuse. In reality, the 32 shots set the record in a regulation game. Calhoun didn’t have a problem with the number of attempts, though. “Maybe two of the 32 three’s weren’t good three’s. Roscoe’s particularly wasn’t my favorite,” Calhoun said of a deep effort by the freshman forward immediately after which the coach signaled for a time out. “But generally speaking we need to shoot those shots. All we have to do is make them, and we’re capable of that.” – So UConn is 8-0. That’s pretty good, right? “We’ve played eight games. You can’t be better than 8-0,” Calhoun said. Later the coach added “…what am I going to say? Be eight-and-a-half and 0?” – Count FDU coach Greg Vetrone among those impressed with Walker. “There’s no ifs, ands or buts. He’s the best guard in the country,” Vetrone said. “If anybody is debating that, let them come up here to Storrs one night and watch him It’s not even close.” – Shabazz Napier is an exciting player to watch. The problem, at least Calhoun says, is that Napier sometimes gives away as many good plays as he makes. And the flair he displays? Well, it’s good and bad. “We have to eliminate some of the showmanship,” Calhoun said. “I don’t mind some of it _ I really don’t _ because I think he does get his team excited. “But the over-dribbles? High school-ish. Prep school-ish, whatever you want to say,” Calhoun said. Say what you will, Napier’s inbounds-pass-off-the-other-guys’-butt play in the first half did get the crowd and the Huskies going. – C Charles Okwandu had a rough night, and it had little to do with his very poor line (0 points, 1 rebounds, 1 block, 0-for-2 FT’s in 10 minutes). He had what looked like a heated discussion with Calhoun near the end of the first half. “Charles just said that he got fouled. And I took exception to that,” Calhoun said. Calhoun appeared to mouth the words “Go home!” to Okwandu as he walked off the court at halftime. The coach said he wasn’t upset with his senior center, however, and spoke to him about the issue he was having. “If I was upset with him, he wouldn’t have played in the second half,” Calhoun said. Calhoun said he simply wants Okwandu, along with all of his players, to start going up strong with the ball. – FDU guard Terence Grier, the team’s third-leading scorer, did not play due to injury. The transfer from URI obviously would have helped the Knights’ cause. – The Huskies held a moment of silence for Art Quimby, the former UConn great who died Tuesday. – Walker was presented with a commemorative ball before the game for his 1,000th point. – St. Thomas More C Andre Drummond, a Middletown native, was here again. – The UConn football team was honored at halftime for its Big East championship. The players took the trophy and paraded it through the student section in Gampel Pavilion and around the concourse. – One more note: From the department of ‘I don’t freakin’ believe it’ the attendance Wednesday night was announced as 8,241. Now, that number might be close to accurate (for tickets sold, of course, not fannies in the seats) but it’s a little too perfect. 8,241 is the old capacity of Gampel Pavilion before it’s most recent renovation. It’s hard to believe that exact number of tickets were sold for Wednesday’s game. - Neill Some reaction from the MVPHad a moment at halftime of the men’s basketball game Wednesday night to talk to UConn RB Jordan Todman, the recently named Big East offensive player of the year. Todman and the rest of the Huskies were honored by the fans at Gampel Pavilion (loudest ovation of the evening, really). “It was great. I didn’t know I was going to get it,” Todman said of the league honor. “It’s an individual award but I have to thank my offensive linemen, my fullback, my wideouts for allowing to me to get as many rushing yards and touchdowns.” Most of his offensive line was honored, too. OG Zach Hurd and OT Mike Ryan made the all-league first team. C Moe Petrus was on the second team. “That’s big,” Todman said of his offensive linemen receiving recognition. “It shows how good our offense is, not just one player in particular.” Todman was asked if he reached all of his individual goals this season. “To be honest I pretty much met my goals,” Todman said, mentioning 1,500 yards as a target. He did say his primary goal for his team was an undefeated season, and they fell short of that. So is the NFL in Todman’s immediate future? “The award might change my decision but right now it’s not my focus,” Todman said. “I’m really, really trying to focus on getting this win here at the bowl game,” Todman added. - Neill |
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