2001 Fall Football Preview

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Heading into year two of Division I-A competition, third-year head coach Randy Edsall and his staff have plenty of questions about who will make up the nucleus of the Connecticut Football roster for the 2001 season. And it is between August 6th and August 31st that those answers will begin to materialize. With several key performers returning from injury and a slew of youngsters looking to make a first impression, this year’s pre-season practice proves to be as competitive and spirited as any in the country.

OFFENSIVELY, most talk begins and ends with the health of senior quarterback Ryan Tracey. Tracey threw for nearly 2,000 yards in just over seven games before a knee injury ended his season and crippled the Husky offense. Tracey is healthy once again and will look to continue the solid debut that saw him throw 15 touchdowns and only five interceptions in almost 300 pass attempts in those seven full games. Husky football followers also will watch with interest the play of redshirt freshman Keron Henry, who had a solid spring and has impressed the coaching staff with his athleticism and his throwing arm.

The tailback position is one with five qualified candidates, all possessing the potential to be the starter come September 1. Senior Taber Small is a workhorse and is one of the most prolific scorers UConn has ever had at the position. He is the front runner on experience alone. Small started eight games in 2000 and gained 560 yards and scored eight touchdowns. He has gained nearly 1,400 career yards and has 23 overall career touchdowns. He also is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, catching 23 passes in 2000 and 42 in his career. Sophomores Evan Benson, Chandler Poole and Jason Dellaselva all saw bits and pieces of playing time in 2000 and each showed the ability to take over the starting spot. Benson played the most of the trio, starting two games and reaching the 100-yard mark with 119 against South Florida. He finished the season with 230 yards in seven games played. Poole started the season as the back-up tailback, but struggled in four games to get things going. Dellaselva was the most versatile member of the team in 2000, starting the season as a safety, moving to cornerback and finishing the season at tailback. He started the season finale in the offensive backfield and will continue in that position in 2001. Redshirt freshman Chris Bellamy is the fifth member of the group and is a player who got a good hard look during spring ball and will compete for the job in August.

The fullback spot will be manned by sophomore Terry McClowry and redshirt freshman Justin Spence. The position has a limited role in the Husky offense, but with solid play from either or both of the players, that role could expand. McClowry played in nine games in 2000 but did not have a carry.

The tight end position will be one which features a pair of talented and experienced performers, senior Rashad Drayton and junior Tommy Collins. Both have been hampered by injuries over the past two seasons, but, if healthy, will have a major role in the 2001 Husky offense. Drayton has missed the conclusion of each of his first two seasons due to injury, but in 16 games in two years he has 35 catches, one for a touchdown. Collins has moved between the fullback and tight end spots and had three touchdown catches in 2000 out of the backfield.

The wide receiver position is as inexperienced as it has been in many seasons, but don’t confuse lack of experience with lack of talent or speed. This is a group that has speed to burn. Headlining the returnees is junior Wes Timko, a two-year starter and legitimate deep threat. Timko has battled injuries and inconsistency, totaling 35 catches in two years, but does not have a TD catch. He will be joined at the split end spot by senior Ayo Sorrells and sophomore O’Neil Wilson. The coaches will look for steady play out of Sorrells and an improvement over the 42 catches he has in two seasons. The staff likes the size and speed of Wilson and he could see action as a return man in addition to a spot in the receiver rotation. At the flanker spot, sophomore Cliff Hill returns after a solid first season of playing time. Hill is a possession-type receiver who totaled 29 catches in 2000 and also played a valuable role as punt returner. He will be joined by a pair of redshirt freshman with tremendous promise. Matt Cutaia is the fastest Husky on the roster, while Jasen Ridley has a good mix of size and speed. Both players should be factors in the receiver rotation.

The Husky offensive line also lacks much of the experience that it has featured in past seasons, but finally may have some of the talented depth that it has been lacking. Senior C.J. Hessel and junior Steve Cully each started all 11 games in 2000 at the tackle spots and return as anchors on the unit. Sophomore Laurence Oliver was impressive in playing time at the end of the 2000 season and will compete with Cully for the left guard spot. At right guard, redshirt freshman LeAndre Dupree is healthy and ready to contribute after nearly breaking into the lineup a year ago. Redshirt freshman Brian Markowski was another player who would have played a year ago if not for injury and he will compete with redshirt freshman Billy Irwin for the center spot. Redshirt freshman Ryan Krug will man the starting position at left tackle. Sophomore Ed Injaychock and redshirt freshman Bill Chester add to the depth on the offensive line.

DEFENSIVELY, a new defensive coordinator will bring a new look and new energy to the unit, while the return of some key performers from injury will also provide a much-needed boost.

The secondary will welcome the return of junior corner Roy Hopkins. Hopkins is a two-year starter who suffered a season ending knee injury in the first quarter of the first game of 2000. He has played in 25 career games, starting the last 21 in a row. He has 126 tackles and three interceptions in two years. Junior Dwaun Black and redshirt freshman Justin Perkins will battle for the starting position at the other corner position. Black played in ten games in 2000 as a reserve in the secondary. Perkins was impressive in the spring and will battle for playing time. The free safety position will have a pair of sophomores, Terrance Smith and Chris Meyer, who both were starters as true freshmen in 2000. Smith started seven games at corner in 2000 and recorded two interceptions. Meyer started five games at safety and recorded 45 tackles. At strong safety, sophomore Trenton Jones was a starter five games a year ago and is joined by freshman Kinnan Herriott, an impressive newcomer who joined the squad in January.

Junior Jamal Lundy returns to take over a new position in the UConn defense, the Husky, which is a hybrid of the safety and linebacker positions. Lundy is the top returnee on the defensive unit and among the most experienced players on the roster. He led the Huskies in tackles in 2000 with 102 and also recorded ten tackles for a loss.

The linebacking unit returns four other experienced performers, led by junior Razul Wallace. Wallace comes off a standout sophomore season and will compete for the will backer position. In 2000, he totaled 97 tackles and a school record 19 tackles for a loss. Senior Jamie Lenkaitis will return from a knee injury and will add experience that was missing in 2000. Senior Justin Cook will be the starter at the middle backer spot and comes off and excellent spring. He totaled 31 tackles and made three starts in 2000. At the weak side linebacker position, senior Kamari Stroman is a two-year starter who returns and will compete with Wallace. Stroman is a three-year letterwinner who has played in 35 career games and has 120 tackles, while making 19 career starts.

Another new hybrid position for the Husky defense will be the Bandit position. Junior Uyi Osunde will take over this spot, a cross between an outside linebacker and a rush end. Osunde has played in all 22 games in the past two seasons, totaling 135 tackles and nine tackles for a loss. He has started 13 games in two seasons. Redshirt freshman Tyler King will also compete for playing time at this new position.

As for the rest of the defensive line, junior Greg Smoot is a two-year starter who will anchor the unit from one tackle spot. Smoot has started all but one game in his two seasons and has 66 tackles and four sacks. Sophomores Sean Mulcahy and Chris Clarke will be at the other tackle spot, although Clarke missed all of spring practice due to injury. Mulcahy started six games in 2000, totaling 29 tackles at defensive end. Clarke saw action in ten games as a reserve at tackle, making seven tackles. At the defensive end spot, junior Hakeem Kashama missed spring practice as he recovered from a season ending knee injury, but is joined by redshirt freshman Ryan Bushey, a talented transfer from Auburn who sat out the 2000 season. Kashama totaled 25 tackles in seven starts in 2000. Bushey had a solid spring and will battle Kashama for the starting position. Sophomore Ken Wilson and redshirt freshman Warren Spivey will both also be in the mix for playing time among the front four. Wilson played in two games in 2000.

The kicking position appears solid for the next few seasons with the return of junior kicker Geoff Heyl and sophomore punter Adam Coles. Heyl hit on 22-of-24 extra points in 2000 and made 10-of-16 field goals, including a 48-yarder vs. Boston College. Coles earned freshman all-american honors after posting a 40.5 punting average. He had a long punt of 64 yards and was named the UConn Special Teams MVP in 2000. Both players should give the Husky kicking game the stability it has been lacking for the past several seasons.

The return game will have several familiar faces back for the 2001 season. On punt returns, sophomore Cliff Hill handled the bulk of the duties in 2000, returning punts at an 11.1 yards per return clip. In the kick return game, sophomore Jason Dellaselva is the leading returnee from a year ago, having returned 11 kicks in 2000. Redshirt freshman O’Neil Wilson will be one of several individuals who will also have the opportunity to earn a spot in the return game.