In a drill reminiscent more of a gladiatorial battle than a
football game, the offensive and defensive player launch themselves toward each
other, each one trying to push the other out of the circle.
Redshirt freshman tackle Jimmy Bennett explodes toward defensive
end Mike Cox, accelerating so hard he loses his footing and falls to both
knees. Even at a leverage disadvantage, Bennett keeps fighting, rising back to
his feet and proceeding to build up momentum. He eventually shoved Cox to the
ground to the cheers of his teammates.
"Way to keep your feet moving," shouts Foley
encouragingly. "That's what we need to do out there."
Bennett, a three-star recruit out of Alexandria, Va., was the
41st-best offensive tackle in the 2007 class and the Huskies' highest rated
recruit a year ago. Bennett received offers from seven Division I programs but
finally decided on UConn.
After redshirting his freshman year, Bennett is ready to make an
impact this season for the Huskies.
"There's a couple of guys ahead of me so I'm really just
looking to get a whiff of the playing field," Bennett said. "But I
guess you could say I'm really excited about getting out there and making a
statement."
The position battle at offensive tackle is one of the more
heated battles this spring. As of Tuesday, Edsall was reluctant to name who
would be the starter heading into Saturday's Blue-White Spring Game, let alone
the rest of the season.
"Every position is still open," Edsall
said. "We'll talk some personnel as we head into the game Saturday, we
talk personnel every day. For any kind of finalization, that won't come until
at least Tuesday of next week. You got four months before we play a game, so
the starters can change spring to fall."
Howard back in check
After being thrown out of Saturday's practice for diving into
the end zone after an interception return, cornerback Jasper Howard was back in
attendance at practice on Tuesday.
Less than five minutes into practice during special teams
drills, Howard found daylight on a kick return and accelerated up the middle.
Realizing that nobody was in pursuit, Howard put on the brakes and pitched the
ball back to special teams coordinator Lyndon Johnson.
"You ain't gonna take that one to the crib, are ya?"
joked a teammate.
Coaches named for spring
game
Four alums of the UConn football program have been named
honorary coaches for the 2009 Blue-White Spring Football Game.
Former head coaches will include Walt Nadzak (1977-1982) and Tom
Jackson (1983-93). Nadzak led the Huskies to a 24-39-2 record in his five years
at the helm. Jackson took over the reins from Nadzak and helped lead UConn to a
share of the Yankee Conference Championship in 1983. Jackson was also
instrumental in helping linebackers John Dorsey and Vernon Hargreaves become
the first teammates in UConn football history to earn All-America honors.
Former players will include Ken Sweitzer of Madison, who played
from 1978-1981, was a captain as a senior and was named the 1981 Yankee
Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Rick Jackson, who lettered four years
for UConn from 1988-1992, was also named.
Todman a no-show, Meme steps
up
With Jordan Todman absent from practice, Kelmetrus
"Meme" Wylie once again made a statement to be a premier back come
fall.
After being sent out of practice early on Saturday for what
would have been an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in a real game, Todman was
once again absent on the field Tuesday. Edsall attributed it to Todman missing
class.
"I guess he lost his GPS because it looks like he couldn't
find his way to class," Edsall said.
Meanwhile, Wylie was all business. The redshirt sophomore looked
as fast as ever, taking a 20-yard toss to the right, shedding two would-be
tacklers and racing off into daylight.
Just a few plays later, Wylie caught a Zach Frazer slant across
the middle and maneuvered his way through the linebackers and easily into the
secondary.
Edsall has reiterated his confidence in UConn's stable of backs
and made it clear that he will find a way to work everyone in on the offense if
they show the dedication in practice and excel when they get touches in games.
The shoe's on the other foot
In the middle of practice on Tuesday, Edsall switched the
special teams positions, with Dave Teggart handling punting duty and Desi Cullen
taking field goals.
When asked if he was considering switching their duties, Edsall
made it clear that he would do whatever was in the best interest of the team.
"If Desi turns out to be better at field goals he'll be out
there on the field goals and if Teggart can handling the punting better he'll
be our punter," Edsall said. "I think a lot of guys don't realize how
these little things can help the team as a whole."
Quick hits
Bennett will not be playing in the Blue-White
game on Saturday, as he has a funeral to attend … In addition to Todman, Marcus Campbell and Dwayne Gratz sat out Tuesday due to academic lapses … Scratches
for the Blue-White game due to injuries include Anthony Sherman, Robbie Frey,
Yianni Apostolakos, Jesse Joseph, Billy Ferrier and Alex Polito … Beau Brunelli
and Brad Kanuch both left practice with injuries and didn't return.