Connecticut Huskies 2010 NCAA Football Preview

Connecticut Huskies

Big East Conference

2009 Record: (8-5, 3-4)

2009 Bowl: Papajohns.com Bowl vs. South Carolina (W 20-7)

Coach: Randy Edsall (66-65 at Connecticut, 66-65 overall)

Offensive Coordinator: Joe Moorhead

Defensive Coordinator: Todd Orlando

Returning Leaders

Rushing: Jordan Todman, RB, 1,188 yards

Passing: Zach Fraser, QB, 1,461 yards

Receiving: Kashif Moore, WR, 370 yards

Tackles: Lawrence Wilson, LB, 140

Sacks: Lawrence Wilson, LB, 5.0

Interceptions: Jerome Junior, S, 1; Twyon Martin, DT, 1; Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, 1

Other Key Returnees: TE Ryan Griffin, G Zach Hurd, DE Jesse Joseph, DE Greg Lloyd, LB Scott Lutrus, DT Twyon Martin, C Moe Petrus, DT Kendall Reyes

Key Losses: RB Andre Dixon, WR Marcus Easley, OT Mike Hicks, WR Brad Kanuch, CB Robert McClain, S Robert Vaughn, DE Lindsey Witten

The nation is finally starting to notice what Coach Randy Edsall has done at Connecticut. Time and time again the Huskies football program does not get the respect it deserves, only to surprise everybody and have another solid season. The 2009 campaign may have been their best yet. They only ended up with an 8-5 record, but Uconn beat South Carolina in their bowl game and that is a huge win for a team that has only beaten MAC schools in their two previous bowl victories. Expect the good times to keep going in 2010.

Strengths:

Even without Andre Dixon, the Huskies will rely heavily on their ground game. Jordan Todman split carries with Dixon last year and tallied 1,188 yards on the ground and 14 trips to the end zone. With four starters returning to the offensive line, Todman should be in for a big year. The 5-9 junior is a speedster , but he has proven that he can run between the tackles too and is not afraid to throw his weight around despite his relatively small size. Still, Uconn will need backups Robbie Frey and Kelmetrius Wylie to shoulder some of the load. On the other side of the ball the strength is in the front seven. Linebacker Lawrence Wilson is coming off of a great season in which he led the team with 140 tackles. Scott Lutrus struggled in 2009 due to injuries, but he was an all-conference performer in 2008. Replacing Lindsey Witten is the only issue for the front seven. Greg Lloyd is moving from linebacker to help and fellow defensive end Jesse Joseph tallied 2.5 sacks last season. Add Marcus Campbell, who missed the 2009 season for academic reasons, and there are plenty of pass rushing options.

Weaknesses:

It is the passing game on both sides of the ball that may be the undoing of the Huskies. The secondary was not a strong spot as it was last year and the absence of cornerback Robert McClain and safety Robert Vaughn will not make things any better. Corner Blidi Wreh-Wilson and safety Jerome Junior are decent players to build around, but this is a team that needs to find another corner and safety or their pass defense will be last in the Big East yet again. The team lost their top two receivers in Marcus Easley and Brad Kanuch and that leads to some more concerns. Easley was easily the Huskies biggest receiving threat last year and somebody needs to take over that role. Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore and Michael Smith all have some experience and should be capable of stepping up this season.

The Bottom Line:

Zach Frazer proved himself during the spring and, barring another injury, will get the starting nod over Cory Endres. Before getting hurt last season Fraser was not putting up great numbers by any means, but he did a decent job of avoiding mistakes and letting the ground game and defense do what it does best. However, that might be different this year if Fraser keeps playing like he did during spring practice. He could go from a quarterback who tries to avoid mistakes to a quarterback who can win games for his team and that will be the difference between another mediocre bowl game for Connecticut and a shot at a Big East title.

2009 Team Stats:

Rushing Offense: 170.69 (39^th in nation, 4^th in conference)

Passing Offense: 216.54 (61, 2)

Total Offense: 387.23 (57, 3)

Scoring Offense: 31.15 (27, 3)

Rushing Defense: 132.85 (45, 5)

Pass Defense: 235.95 (88, 8)

Total Defense: 368.77 (62, 6)

Scoring Defense: 23.62 (48, 6)

Turnover Margin: .23 (47, 4)

Sacks: 2.54 (28, 5)

Sacks Allowed: 1.62 (45, 3)