UConn sports

UConn linebacker Sio Moore sacks Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith in the second quarter Saturday in Nashville. (AP Photo/John Russell)

A few words from UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni Sunday on the heels of Saturday’s disappointing loss to Vanderbilt:

– For starters, the quarterbacks weren’t very good. Everyone knows that.

“Certainly Johnny McEntee certainly has to play better but it wasn’t, as it usually is, it has a lot to do with (other things),” Pasqualoni said.

The coach mentioned route running and protection as obvious areas that have to improve.

Pasqualoni said he stuck with McEntee for “continuity” reasons in the game. It seems all three quarterbacks, McEntee, Mike Nebrich and Scott McCummings will be in the mix again this week.

“We’ll go back to work with the three quarterbacks this week and have all three ready to go,” Pasqualoni said. “We won’t make any decision, as we don’t each week, until we get to the end of the week.”

– Tailback D.J. Shoemate was apparently 92 percent healthy, but that wasn’t enough to play it seems.

“He wasn’t 100 percent going into this thing. I was going to use him if we absolutely had to use him. Lyle (McCombs) was doing pretty good,” Pasqualoni said. “The urgency of getting him in never really arose, so we stayed status quo.”

– DE Jesse Joseph (knee) might be back soon, though it seems unlikely he’ll play this week against Iowa State.

“Jesse will be back very soon. He’s back into the running and getting involved,” Pasqualoni said. The junior should be back “end of this week or next. We’re optimistic it’ll be within the next 14 days.”

– LB Sio Moore had a big day with 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble but Pasqualoni said he wasn’t perfect.

“I think Sio, like a lot of our defense, made big plays then wasn’t as consistent enough on other plays. I don’t think Sio was any different than other people Saturday night,” Pasqualoni said.

– An early word on this week’s opponent Iowa State (2-0)?

“All I know is they scored a lot of points and they beat Iowa, which is very, very hard to do,” Pasqualoni said.

A game on a carrier? Sounds fun. Here’s the story.

We spent a few minutes on the phone with UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni Thursday afternoon. Here’s a quick recap of the info he had (No major bombshells):

– It looks like RB D.J. Shoemate will play and likely start.

“D.J. Shoemate is doing better. We’re working our way through that one,” Pasqualoni said. “He is very close to 100 percent.”

Shoemate missed the Huskies’ opener with a sprained right ankle. Redshirt freshman Lyle McCombs started and ran for 141 yards and four touchdowns.

Pasqualoni added that a player (such as Shoemate) won’t loose their starting job just because of an injury.

“A player here in our system does not lose his position because of an injury. When that player is 100 percent healthy and comes back, he goes back to where he was when he got hurt,” Pasqualoni said.

– The coaches have been lamenting all the rain this week.

“It’s been rainy here all week. We’d like to have the opportunity to get outside and practice,” Pasqualoni said. “We’ve been indoors all week so that’s a little bit of a concern when you’re playing outside and you have to deal with the wind and the heat.”

– There doesn’t appear to be any other major injuries:

“The two deep is going to make the trip,” Pasqualoni said.

That obviously leaves DE Jesse Joseph (knee) still out. Joseph wasn’t on the depth chart this week.

– The rotation on the offensive line will likely to continue.

“I thought that worked well. We’re still in the process of developing that rotation,” Pasqualoni said.

The perfect scenario, it seems, would be for Jimmy Bennett to win the left tackle spot so Mike Ryan can move back to what the coaches feel is his more natural right tackle.

Vanderbilt defensive end Johnell Thomas (98) sacks Elon quarterback Thomas Wilson (12) in the fourth quarter on Saturday in Nashville. (AP Photo/Donn Jones)

We’re back at the Burton Family Football Complex Tuesday to meet with UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni and the Huskies about a Week 2 matchup with Vanderbilt.

The Huskies (1-0) will be in Nashville Saturday night (7:30, SNY) to take on the Commodores (1-0).

– As we noted yesterday, just a few minor tweaks to the depth chart. Teddy Jennings listed as starter at DE, probably signifying Jesse Joseph’s extended stay on the sidelines. CB Taylor Mack now the top punt returner. Tailback, quarterback and left guard still in the old “OR” situation.

– The quarterbacks will rotate again this week, with Johnny McEntee and Mike Nebrich apparently splitting time as the “main” quarterback and Scott McCummings coming in as the changeup/wildcat guy.

– RB D.J. Shoemate said his ankle was about 75 percent on Saturday and that he’s 90 percent healthy now. It seems almost a lock that he’ll play against Vandy.

– How did DE Trevardo Williams (the Huskies standout from Trelawny via Bridgeport Central) play in the opener in the coach’s mind?

“He played with excellent leverage. He took on blocks very well,” Pasqualoni said. “He got off the ball, had a nice sack in the game. I thought for his first outing (of the season), he played a pretty solid game.

“I know he can get up the field and rush the passer. I was pleased with how he played the run game.”

– The coaches expect more from P Cole Wagner than he showed in Week 1.

“It’s got to improve. Cole knows that. We did not punt the ball well, not nearly as well as he’s capable,” Pasqualoni said.

Some of Wagner’s short kicks were because he was instructed to pooch them, but as Pasqualoni noted one of Wagner’s pooch’s was downed at the 20 _ the equivalent of a touchback anyway.

Pasqualoni said it might be a good idea for the Huskies (or at least his punter) to practice outside more and get more experience in not-so-perfect weather conditions.

“He’s capable of being a top-flight punter,” Pasqualoni said of Wagner.

– Because his team is currently playing a trio of quarterbacks, Pasqualoni was asked what his ideal quarterback looks like.

“He’s a guy that’s extremely productive. He doesn’t come in any particular size, shape or form,” Pasqualoni said. “You can say that Drew Brees is barely 6-feet tall, and he is barely 6-feet tall. But he’s unbelievably productive.”

Pasqualoni likes Brees, but the former Purdue star isn’t his favorite QB right now.

“Right now Aaron Rodgers. If there’s a guy right now that you could say ‘Jeez, I’d love to have a guy like that,’ ” Pasqualoni said. “Aaron Rodgers can beat you dropping back and sitting in the pocket. Aaron Rodgers can beat you avoiding in the pocket. Aaron Rodgers can beat you scrambling and resetting outside the pocket. Aaron Rodgers can beat you scrambling and running with the ball.”

“He’s kind of, in my vision, Mr. Perfect right now at the quarterback position,” Pasqualoni continued. “If we could find one off those…if any of you guys see one of those, give us a call quick. We’ll take that guy in a heartbeat.”

What in the name of Harvey Dent was that?

Maryland's new uniforms, shown here on running back Davin Meggett in College Park, Md., Monday, are obviously creating plenty of talk around college football. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

– Like everyone many of the Huskies had some opinions on the uniforms Maryland sported Monday night. Plenty of the Huskies took notice of the game, in large part because their former coach (Randy Edsall) was making his debut in College Park, Md.

So, about those uniforms…

“I thought those uniforms probably created a buzz on campus and with the team,” Pasqualoni said, trying to be diplomatic.

Said McEntee: “I don’t know. Not my style. They had a lot going on. Too much. Trying too hard, I think.”

– We may have missed this Sunday, but RB Lyle McCombs was given the game ball for the Fordham win. Apparently coach P will be awarding one game ball each week as opposed to the three (offense, defense, special teams) that Randy Edsall used to pass out.

– UConn and Vanderbilt have split a pair of games in their history.

The Huskies broke open a tie game at halftime to win 40-21 over the Commodores last year at Rentschler Field. Jordan Todman had 190 yards rushing and two scores in the win. Blidi Wreh-Wilson also had a 44-yard interception return for a TD.

The only other meeting came Oct. 26, 2002, as Vandy took a 28-24 decision in Nashville. That UConn team, led by quarterback Dan Orlovsky, won its final four games that season after losing to Vandy, including a victory at bowl-bound Iowa State.

– UConn is 2-2 against SEC schools in its history. In addition to the Vandy games the Huskies have a win over South Carolina (Papajohn’s Bowl after the 2008 season) and a loss to Kentucky (1999)

– This Pasqualoni’s second-ever game as UConn’s head coach. In Pasqualoni’s second-ever game as Syracuse’s head coach (Sept. 7, 1991 at the Dome) the Orange beat Vanderbilt 37-10.

– Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has faced teams from UConn many times before in different roles. Shoop met the Huskies as an assistant at Boston College (2002), as a defensive coordinator at Yale (1994-96), as a defensive backs coach at Northeastern (1992), as a graduate assistant at Yale (1989) and as a player at Yale (1984-87).

– Vandy is 10-8-1 in its history against current Big East teams.

– Vanderbilt doesn’t have any players from Connecticut. It does have someone who has probably at least visited the state, however.

Backup kicker Eric Frieman is a sophomore from Scarsdale, N.Y.

– Also, last week’s UConn scout team players of the week: QB Blaise Driscoll (offense), LB Ryan Donohue (defense) and LS Alex Kantor (special teams).

The UConn football team’s depth chart for this week’s game against Vanderbilt has been posted and there are few changes.

– For starters, Teddy Jennings is now listed as the starter at defensive end. This is more of a formality, as Jennings started last week against Fordham in place of the injured Jesse Joseph.

But, it may be an admission by the coaching staff that Joseph will be out for an extended period of time because of his injured right knee (something that is relatively obvious).

Freshman B.J. McBryde, who played a few snaps against Fordham for the first action of his career, is listed as Jennings’ backup.

– The top punt returner on the depth chart has changed. Cornerback Taylor Mack, who handled those duties for parts of last season, is No. 1 and Nick Williams has been moved back to No. 2. Williams, who remains the Huskies’ primary kick returner was perhaps only so-so as a punt returner in Week 1. (He had one punt where he probably should have called a fair catch, but was clobbered, then called a fair catch on his next chance when he appeared to have plenty of running room).

– The tailbacks are still an “OR” between D.J. Shoemate and Lyle McCombs. That’s the same way it was last week before Shoemate got hurt (he’s expected to play this week) and McCombs ran for 141 yards in the opener.

– The quarterback position, too, is unchanged at least from a depth chart standpoint. Scott McCummings, Johnny McEntee and Mike Nebrich all remain atop the depth chart together.

– Steve Greene and Gary Bardzak remain “OR” as starters at left guard. The two split time against Fordham and will probably do the same this week.

We’ll have more info after meeting with coach Paul Pasqualoni and the boys Monday afternoon.

Some news and notes from around the Big East on the heels of Week 1 with a look ahead to Week 2:

Much like Big East brethren, Bulls on parade

Defensive end Patrick Hampton and USF extended the Big East's recent dominance over Notre Dame with a 23-20 win Saturday. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

– South Florida just followed the script Pittsburgh, UConn and Syracuse wrote, right?

OK, so Big East teams have had some fun winning at Notre Dame Stadium in recent years, giving a little back to the program that is “sort-of” one of their conference brothers.

Anyway, the Bulls weren’t thinking about any of that Saturday while holding on for a 23-20 win. Now that it’s over, they’re focusing on doing something they haven’t always done _ keep up the momentum from a major non-conference win.

“I don’t know that we could have written a better script in terms of where we need to go as a program,” coach Skip Holtz said Monday.

The Bulls have knocked off programs like Florida State, Miami and Auburn in the past, only to come up with average efforts in Big East play.

“As a program, as we look to take the next step, is be competitive in the Big East,” Holtz said, noting that USF’s best record in league play has been “only” 4-3.

If South Florida turns over each of its Big East opponents five times as it did to Notre Dame on Saturday, the Bulls will win a lot more than four conference games.

League likes the way results have gone

– The Big East is off to perhaps its best start in history. The conference’s teams went 8-0 in Week 1, which is believed to be the first perfect opening weekend in league history.

“As a league we need to step forward with a big year and we’re off to a good start,” Pitt coach Todd Graham said.

Back to 2000, Big East teams did go 6-0 in non-conference games, but there was also a conference game that opening week (obviously one team had to lose). West Virginia beat BC that week so Big East teams were only 7-1.

“I think it’s great for the league to start out that way, but in sports we tend to draw conclusions way too soon,” Schiano said when asked about the start.

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni says his eyebrows didn’t raise much.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Pasqualoni said.

Yes, many of those wins came over Division I-AA (FCS) opponents but for a league that has taken its share of punches in recent years, this was enough for the Big East to pound its chest a bit.

Orange get their hands around a home win

Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib, left, is sacked by Wake Forest's Nikita Whitlock during the first quarter at the Carrier Dome Thursday. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

– Syracuse fans were getting a little testy (especially on Twitter) as the Orange limped their way through the first half against Wake Forest in their opener.

Syracuse accumulated minus-5 yards of offense in the first quarter. The Orange picked it up slightly in the second quarter, gaining 57 yards and actually scoring a touchdown. Still, the home team trailed 20-7 against a Wake team that wasn’t expected to be THAT good this season.

Despite those early woes, the Orange rallied for a 36-29 overtime win. After not beating a single FBS opponent at the Carrier Dome last season, this one was perhaps big for a lot of reasons.

“Obviously it was a great win for us,” coach Doug Marrone said. “We have not won back-to-back openers in some time. And we have not played, in recent history, very well against an ACC opponent.”

Marrone said the Demon Deacons played a much different defense than the one they had showed on film last season and it took too long for his players and coaches to adjust.

But, the Orange showed some outstanding conditioning it seems.

“We seemed to get stronger as the game went on,” Marrone said.

Schiano on Butch Davis: “A man of integrity.”

Marc Malusis, left, and former Rutgers player Eric LeGrand host the pre-game show on the Rutgers radio network before the game between Rutgers and North Carolina Central on Thursday in Piscataway, N.J. This marked the first time that LeGrand was at a Rutgers game since he was paralyzed making a special teams tackle for the Scarlet Knights against Army last October. (AP Photo/Joe Epstein)

– Rutgers will travel down to take on North Carolina this week. If things had gone differently, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano would have been facing his friend Butch Davis.

But Davis was fired in July amid allegations that Tar Heel players were involved in academic misconduct and received impermissible benefits.

“Butch is a dear friend of mine, a mentor of mine,” Schiano said Monday. “He’s a guy that I would like coaching my sons if they were blessed enough to play the game at the collegiate level.”

Schiano was the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator under Davis at Miami from 1999-2000.

“Butch is a man of integrity and I’m disappointed things went down the way they did,” Schiano said.

Rutgers pounded N.C. Central in its opening game, which probably has given us no clue how it will play in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Quick hits: Gibbs excited; McCombs honored

– Pittsburgh offensive tackle Jordan Gibbs was REALLY excited to start the season, his coach says. Apparently a little too excited. “He got so keyed up he hyperventilated,” Graham said. “He’s got an asthma issue.” Gibbs apparently played only a handful of snaps against Buffalo, and the coaching staff is looking into ways to keep Gibbs a little more calm during pre-game in the near future. Replacing the in Rage Against the Machine tracks in Gibbs’ Ipod with Michael Bolton’s greatest hits might be near the top of the list.

– It was a wacky weekend of weather around college football, and Sunday’s West Virginia-Marshall game (much like Michigan-Western Michigan) was called with a quarter still to play. “It was an unordinary win, obviously,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “Early in the year, you’d like to get as many snaps as you can and play a full game.”

– Pittsburgh running back Ray Graham, who ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Buffalo, was named the league’s offensive player of the week. South Florida safety Jerrell Young picked up the first weekly defensive award after making seven tackles, forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass in the Bulls’ win at Notre Dame. Tavon Auston, a West Virginia wide receiver and return specialist, won the special teams award. Austin had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and amassed 190 all-purpose yards.

– UConn RB Lyle McCombs made the league’s weekly honor roll for his 141 yards and four touchdowns against Fordham on Saturday.

– In case you missed it: Here’s a feature from today’s paper on UConn’s situation in the trenches.

LAST WEEK

UConn 35, Fordham 3

USF 23, Notre Dame 20

Pittsburgh 35, Buffalo 16

Cincinnati 72, Austin Peay 10

West Virginia 34, Marshall 13

Syracuse 36, Wake Forest 29

Rutgers 48, N.C. Central 0

Louisville 21, Murray State 9

THIS WEEK

Friday

Florida International at Louisville, 7 p.m (ESPN)

Saturday

Rutgers at North Carolina, 12:30 p.m. (SNY)

Maine at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. (ESPN3)

Norfolk State at West Virginia, 1 p.m. (SNY)

Cincinnati at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Rhode Island at Syracuse, 4:30 p.m.

Ball State at USF, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)

UConn at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m. (SNY)

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni spent a few minutes chatting with the media Sunday afternoon, some 24 hours after his Huskies opened the season with a 35-3 win over Fordham.

A few notes from the Week 1 win:

– The Huskies’ Sept. 16 game against Iowa State will air on ESPN2, the school announced Sunday. The game, which will kickoff at 8 p.m. at Rentschler Field, had previously been slated for ESPN or ESPN2.

UConn safety Harris Agbor breaks up a pass intended for Fordham's Greg Wilson during the second half at Rentschler Field on Saturday. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

– Redshirt freshman running back Lyle McCombs’ debut was extremely impressive, when compared to those who came before him in Storrs.

Of those players in the top 10 in UConn rushing history only Tony Jordan, who ran for 144 yards against Northeastern in 1978, had more yards in his Husky debut.

– D.J. Shoemate, the likely starter at running back, sprained his ankle Thursday in practice. Still, he was in uniform and warmed up Saturday to play anyway.

But the coaching staff decided to hold Shoemate out as a precaution, tabbing McCombs as the starter less than an hour before the game.

“I told him that I was going to go cautiously with it,” Pasqualoni said of his talk with Shoemate before the game. “I didn’t want to set him back for this week. I wanted him ahead of the rehab for this week starting (Monday) when we start practicing again.

“I said you just have to trust our judgment here, the trainer, the doctor and myself. We’re going to do what’s right,” Pasqualoni added. “If we absolutely have to have you, we’ll put you in for those situations.”

Shoemate wasn’t really needed as McCombs played well and the Huskies rolled.

“He was obviously disappointed that he was a little banged up on his first opportunity to play this year, but he understood the whole thing and was great about it,” Pasqualoni said.

– The Huskies rotated a bunch of different offensive linemen in the game, with Steve Greene and Gary Bardzak splitting time at left guard, and Jimmy Bennett spending some time at left tackle in place of Kevin Friend (Mike Ryan moved over when Bennett entered the game).

Apparently that wasn’t a one-game experiment. There could be a rotation on the line for some time.

“We’re going to continue to work with that number of linemen right now, continue to roll those guys in until we’re satisfied and confident that we’re getting the most we can out of that group and that we have the right pieces in the right place,” Pasqualoni said.

– Unofficially, it looks as if DE Jesse Joseph’s injured right knee could keep him out until Big East play begins.

If that’s the case, the Huskies might be OK with Teddy Jennings in that spot.

“Considering it was a first game start for him with Jesse Joseph being out, I thought Teddy played pretty solid,” Pasqualoni said of Jennings’ effort Saturday. “He was pretty good from an assignment standpoint and I thought took on blocks well, got off of blocks well and had a productive day.”

– Overall, Pasqualoni said he was pleased with the quarterback trio of Johnny McEntee, Mike Nebrich and Scott McCummings.

“What I liked was I thought that each was productive. I thought they each handled the game, being in their first game really for all three of them,” Pasqualoni said.

The coaches would like to see a faster tempo, however (something that’s probably quite difficult with QB’s entering and exiting).

“One of the things we have to do a little bit better with is getting people out of the huddle faster and getting to the line of scrimmage a little faster,” Pasqualoni said.

– UConn had just three penalties in the game, something Pasqualoni was quite happy with.

“Our goal is zero penalties in a game. People think that’s unrealistic but I’ve been on teams that have hit that,” Pasqualoni said.

The Huskies have welcomed officials to practice a number of times during the preseason and were careful to monitor such mistakes during every workout.

“We have to coach the penalties in practice. You just can’t look the other way or ignore them or think they’re going to go away on their own because they don’t,” Pasqualoni said.

UConn running back Lyle McCombs is pursued by Fordham's Justin Yancey (72) and Jake Rodriques (45) while in the midst of a 60-yard run during the first half in East Hartford Saturday. McCombs was eventually caught from behind but scored two plays later nonetheless. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

The UConn football team’s 2011 season got off to a decent start. No major problems in a 35-3 win over Division I-AA (FCS) member Fordham.

The Huskies’ effort and execution were far from perfect, of course, which is about how football coaches like it: an easy win with plenty of teaching points.

A few items that didn’t make it into the notebook for Sunday’s paper:

– The quarterbacks were apparently told on Thursday what the situation would be as far as playing time.

“I think two days ago (Thursday) coach came into our meeting room and told us what the rotation was going to be,” Johnny McEntee said. “We knew we were all going to play and I was happy I could be the starter.”

Even if McEntee or Mike Nebrich becomes “the guy” for UConn, it’s possible Scott McCummings could still be a Wildcat/changeup guy all season.

“Absolutely, no matter how it comes out,” coach Paul Pasqualoni said.

– Redshirt freshman Byron Jones served as the team’s nickel back, though both Gary Wilburn and Ty-meer Brown saw some spot duty at safety too.

– The offensive linemen were shuffled around a bit, with Gary Bardzak and Steve Greene splitting time at left guard, and Jimmy Bennett taking some snaps at left tackle.

From my seat it looked as if Greene played better than his older counterpart, but we’ll see what the coaches thought.

– There may be something of a running back controversy, but that’s a good problem to have according to Pasqualoni.

“I think it’ll make the competition all the more fierce. It’ll be a positive thing, a good healthy thing for us,” Pasqualoni said.

D.J. Shoemate sprained his ankle Thursday in practice. He tried to play but the coaches decided to hold him out after watching warm up.

“I just think we’re fortunate that we’ve got D.J. We didn’t set his progress back at all so we’d expect he’ll be up and ready to go next week,” Pasqualoni said.

As for letting Lyle McCombs carry the ball 24 times, is that possible week-in and week-out?

“I think so. I think that Lyle is in great shape. He’s got stamina,” Pasqualoni said. “Lyle has got the endurance and he’s got the toughness. He’s not real big but he’s pretty tough.”

– How much flack (#@$%&!) did McCombs get on the sidelines after Fordham safety Brendan Melanophy (a former track star at Danbury High, it should be noted) ran him down from behind on that 60-yard jaunt?

“Yeah, enough,” McCombs said sheepishly. “It’s something I can work on.”

– About that booth review that turned McCummings’ goal line fumble into a mere loss of four yards?

“I’m glad my knee was down. I’m really happy about that,” McCummings said.

– McCummings only threw one pass Saturday but made it a good one, a lob to TE Ryan Griffin after a pair of great play fakes.

“It felt like the ball was in the air for five minutes,” said Griffin, who caught three balls for 97 yards. “But I made an adjustment to it _ Scotty threw a nice ball. I got hawked but luckily I was able to get into the end zone.”