DE/LB Carrezola off to impressive start at UConn and more- from the NHR
On today's practice: " If I were giving out three stars like they do in hockey, Carrezola. DT Foley Fatukasi and RB Ron Johnson would be my picks." "No surprises on the starting defense- On offense Ron Johnson looked very quick at tailback and I do mean very quick while Noel Thomas carries himself as a No. 1 receiver....... It looks very much like it is Bryant Shirreffs' job to lose at quarterback. Brendan Vechery -- ( 6-6/302lbs)-- was the No. 1 center "
{ ...There is no question that Bloom and Myers will play key roles this season and there’s a chance both could start. The biggest question is who emerges as the next options at tight end. Ian Campbell, Zordan Holman, Chris Lee and Dallas Parker are true freshmen pushing for playing time right away. At least one or two of them figure to get that opportunity. “Even if we wanted to redshirt (all) those guys, it would be unrealistic to do that,” Patterson said.....}
and *Shirreffs and Thomas forming bond on and off field...
also from that article: "While some of the freshmen are already making an impact led by Tyraiq Beals, some of the busiest receivers on Saturday were the most experienced ones as junior Brian Lemelle continues to work with the starters and classmate Dhameer Bradley was the most targeted receiver." and " interesting that four of the five players on the second-team offensive line are guys either in their first or second year with the program as sophomore Steve Hashemi is at one guard, sophomore Trey Rutherford is at a tackle, redshirt freshman Dan Oak is the center and true freshman Matthew Peart is at tackle. The lone veteran is redshirt junior Kyle Bockeloh"
NHR- Shirreffs, Newsome and Thomas shine in UConn's 2nd Scrimmage at the Rent * According to my VERY UNOFFICIAL STATS I had Shirreffs was 12 of 17 for 128 yards and two touchdowns while Boyle was 8 of 15 for 76 yards (although he would have been close to 100 yards had the officials counted a pass to Brian Lemelle. Lemelle took a few steps with the ball before losing control and fumbling it out of bounds. Both quarterbacks had two touchdowns with Boyle throwing an interception.
* Other than Summers with the interception, linebackers Graham Stewart and Marquise Vann had sacks as did Cole Ormsby. I was really impressed with what I saw from Kenton Adeyemi, especially early in the scrimmage. True freshman David Ryslik continues to make his presence felt at defensive tackle and he crashed through the line for a TFL as he stuffed Johnson for a 6-yard loss at the 1 to force a punt. With how impressive Luke Carrezola has been and with Julian Campenni and Foley Fatukasi forming a dynamic 1-2 punch up front, seeing Adeyemi and Ormsby look as good as they did today could be a great sign.
Courant- Bryant Shirreffs Looking More Like The No. 1 QB In UConn's Offense
* Head coach Bob Diaco wasn't quite ready to name his starting quarterback following the second scrimmage in a week at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field Thursday, but he was more than ready to make a statement about Newsome: "I see Arkeel as a starter … I don't see him as a No.2. Does it mean he'll be in the first team as much as ( Ron) Johnson? ......The offensive line looked better. As the scrimmage wore on, the group opened holes for Johnson and Newsome no problem.
* Dhameer Bradley didn't compete in the scrimmage because of an undisclosed injury- When he returns to full strength Bradley rejoins a unit that is becoming awfully good led by (Noel) Thomas and bolstered by three fearless freshmen in Tyraiq Beals, Hergy Mayala and Aaron McLean. It looks like all three of are going to play and they should.
* Diaco said both kickers are going to play. Highly regarded freshman kicker Michael Tarbutt (39, 43 and 23) was 3-for-3 on field goals and made both of his extra points even though was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Junior Bobby Puyol made a 30-yarder and missed from 46.
* Courant UConn Notebook: Could Be A Big Season For Jamar Summers
* Next man up to fill the cornerback position left vacant by Byron Jones is talented sophomore Jamar Summers.
* Whatever happened to Dalton Gifford, the 6-4 303-pound senior right tackle who started the first five games in 2014,missed the rest of the season due to injury and is nowhere on the depth chart now?
* Kicker Talk - JR Puyol came to UConn as one of the top 10 high school kickers in the country. FR Tarbutt was a second-team USA Today All-American, and booted 52- and 60-yard field goals at Canisius High in Buffalo, N.Y.
* Some good news: Ball security has been good. Remember, UConn was horrible in this area last season. Not too many teams in the country turned it over more than the 28 times the Huskies did.
