Changes in store for Huskies

University of Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall usually plays it close to the vest when discussing the state of his Huskies during any particular week of the season, parceling out information careful line by guarded statement throughout each of his Tuesday media luncheon press conferences.

But before Edsall had even walked confidently to the podium on this particular Tuesday at his customary 11:29 a.m. arrival, always one minute before the scheduled 11:30 a.m. start, the scribes and electronic media types knew that something would be different on this day.

The 2-deep depth chart included in the media handouts provided more than a hint that Saturday’s high noon Big East Conference match-up (Channel 59, WILI 1400-AM, WTIC 1080-AM) between his Huskies (3-2 overall, 0-1 league) and visiting Louisville (2-3, 0-1) at Rentschler Field at East Hartford is of paramount importance to the 11th-year head coach of Connecticut.
Red-shirt freshman Erik Kuraczea will start at left guard ahead of red-shirt junior Mathieu Olivier this Saturday after Olivier started in each of UConn’s previous five games this season.

Red-shirt sophomore Mike Ryan, who started at left tackle last weekend against Pittsburgh on the road, will make his second start of the season on Saturday as red-shirt senior Dan Ryan, who started the first four games of the season, will serve as the back-up against the Cardinals.

Red-shirt sophomore wideout Isiah Moore, who has lined up as a starter in UConn’s last four contests, is listed as an either/or choice for Edsall this week with red-shirt sophomore Kashif Moore.

On defense, red-shirt freshman Jory Johnson is listed as the starter at the Husky linebacker position ahead of junior Jonathan Jean-Louis in the wake of red-shirt junior linebacker Scott Lutrus re-injuring his left shoulder in last week’s 24-21 loss at Pitt.

And red-shirt sophomore Aaron Bagsby could make his second straight start at one safety position after beating out red-shirt freshman Jerome Junior during practice sessions last week in another either/or situation for Edsall.
Stung by a late-game collapse in which Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0) rallied to score the final 18 points of the game after UConn eased away to a 21-6 lead in the third quarter, Edsall served notice that every job is up for grabs as he looks to light a fire under his Huskies as they approach the midway point of a long 12-game season.

“Mike Ryan has done a good job [at left tackle] and we’ve alternated Mike and Dan there,” said Edsall. “As we evaluated that position, we think Mike Ryan is the better football player. Same situation at left guard. We feel that Erik Kuraczea gives us the best opportunity overall and for the future.

“But again, Matt and Dan have to be ready to go. As a coaching staff, you always want to get your best people on the field and we feel like we’ve done that for this week.”

Add in the fact that senior wideout Marcus Easley, a former walk-on who recently received a scholarship from Edsall, is now one of the six wide receivers on the depth chart after not even cracking the top seven a week ago and it’s apparent that UConn’s head man is looking for a leader, any leader, to emerge from the pack that allowed Pitt to chase and pass the Huskies in the home stretch a week ago.

And even though red-shirt junior Zach Frazer, Edsall’s No. 1 choice to start at quarterback coming out of spring ball and on into the pre-season summer workouts, is now healthy after recovering from a right knee injury, red-shirt sophomore Cody Endres will make his fourth consecutive start on Saturday.
“I spoke to both Cody and Zach [on Monday] and it’s unfortunate, Zach was No. 1 coming and got injured, but Cody has performed well,” said Edsall. “Better than Zach has. Just look at his numbers.

“But Zach is one play away and he has to know that. It’s not personal. It’s just an evaluation of games and practices and doing what’s best for our team.”