Go West, Young Men!
The Story: It’s time to grab the popcorn and grip the bottom of your seats as the Jim Mora era will finally get underway tomorrow afternoon. The football team opens with a game against Utah State at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah (4 p.m., Fox Sports 1).
TIME TO SHINE: An offseason spent cleaning up the messes of last season and preaching about the promise of tomorrow will be put in the past as soon as the Huskies board their flight westward later today.
• What UConn has not had in several years, and certainly is not historically known for, is a dynamic offense. That could change under offensive coordinator Nick Charlton, the former head coach at Maine, who has (not surprisingly) remained coy about how he wants the Huskies to look.
• We know that the Huskies’ haven’t outwardly named a starting quarterback, though we’d be shocked if it wasn’t Ta’Quan Roberson, a transfer from Penn State. Roberson will be in command of a unit that averaged just 15.6 points and 263.8 yards per game last season, among the worst marks in the country. Here’s to hoping he does better than Jack Zergiotis, who is now at Merrimack.
• What the Huskies will do on defense is uncertain, too, as defensive coordinator Lou Spanos, the interim head coach last season, is taking what is being called an indefinite leave of absence and is not expected to return. We don’t know why Spanos, who has a longstanding connection with Mora dating to their time together at UCLA, is departing, but Mora and the defensive coaches will collectively determine plays in what seems like a less-than-ideal arrangement.
DISPROVING MISCONCEPTIONS: Mora, who has not coached since he was fired by UCLA nearly five years ago, has been on the offensive throughout the past 10 months by promoting the university, trying to generate buzz for the program and generally pushing a large boulder up a massive hill.
• “Another one of our objectives is to go out and earn the respect of each other, the players, our students on this campus, our fans and our opponents — and then the nation,” Mora said, so give him credit for trying. “We want to go play that way and I believe we will.”
THE LINE: UConn is, unsurprisingly, a heavy underdog. The Aggies were favored by 27 points as of last night with an over-under set at 59.5. That might be reversed for Utah State the following week, though, as its next game is at Alabama.
• “It’s going to be an amazing test for us,” Mora said. “We’re big, big, big underdogs. We should be at this point in time.”
ABOUT UTAH STATE: The Aggies went 11-3 last season, won their first Mountain West title and finished 24th in the final Associated Press poll with a victory over Oregon State in the L.A. Bowl. They received two votes in the AP poll and have similar conference title aspirations this season.
• Their leading passer (quarterback Logan Bonner), leading rusher (running back Calvin Tyler Jr.), leading receiver (wide receiver Justin McGriff) and leading tackler (safety Hunter Reynolds) all return. In total, 12 starters will be back this season, including four of its starters along the offensive line, and 81 percent of its total offense returns. That’s continuity, folks.
• Utah State averaged 445.6 yards of total offense, 303.4 passing yards, 142.1 rushing yards and 32.6 points per game last season. It allowed 7.9 tackles for loss per game, which ranked sixth in the FBS, and surrendered 230.9 passing yards, 161.9 rushing yards and 24.4 points per game.
• “They like to go fast,” Mora said. “They go at a high tempo. They spread the field well. With that type of offense, I think there’s a misconception that they’re throwing the ball all the time. They’re not. They’re balanced.”
Who’s Who?
THE DEPTH CHART: UConn’s first depth chart was released earlier this week. It’s not a true reflection of playing time, but it’s a guide to who will mostly likely be on the field against Utah State. (The entire roster can be found here.) Here’s how it looks:
OFFENSE
QB: #6 Ta’Quan Roberson, R-So., or #10 Cale Millen, R-So., or #11 Zion Turner, Fr., or #12 Tyler Phommachanh, R-Fr.
RB: #30 Robert Burns, Gr., or #26 Nathan Carter, So.
WR: #16 Kevens Clercius, R-So.; #4 Matt Drayton, R-So.
WR: #1 Keelan Marion, So.; #2 Nigel Fitzgerald, Gr.
WR: #5 Aaron Turner, So.; #8 Dajon Harrison, R-Fr.
TE: #83 Brandon Niemenski, So.; #14 Nick Harris, So.
LT: #71 Valentin Senn, R-So.; #79 Danny Antolovich, R-Fr.
LG: #62 Noel Ofori-Nyadu, R-Jr.; #67 Christopher Fortin, So.
C: #72 Jake Guidone, Gr.; #67 Christopher Fortin, So.
RG: #64 Christian Haynes, R-Jr.; #67 Christopher Fortin, So.
RT: #75 Chase Lundt, R-So.; #79 Danny Antolovich, R-Fr.
DEFENSE
DE: #99 Sokoya McDuffie, R-Jr.; #91 Collin McCarthy, So.
NT: #96 Dal’mont Gourdine, R-So.; #97 Jelani Stafford, So.
DE: #95 Eric Watts, Jr.; #90 Pryce Yates, R-Fr.
LOLB: #11 Marquez Bembry, Gr.; #33 Hunter Webb, R-Jr.
MLB: #6 Ian Swenson, Sr.; #15 Tui Faumuina-Brown, So.
WLB: #8 Jackson Mitchell, Jr.; #29 Jordan Morrison, R-Jr.
ROLB: #0 Brandon Bouyer-Randle, Gr.; #46 John Bechtle, So.
CB: #5 Kaleb Anthony, So.; #10 Chris Shearin, R-So.
CB: #7 Tre Wortham, Sr.; #2 Myles Bell, Jr.
S: #19 Durante Jones, So.; #4 Stan Cross, Jr.
S: #1 Malik Dixon, R-So.; #22 Alfred Chea, So.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: #17 Noe Ruelas, So.
LS: #31 Tommy Zozus, Gr.
P: #16 George Caratan, R-So., or #97 Bruno Perlicki, Fr.
KR/PR: #1 Keelan Marion, So.; #26 Nathan Carter, So.
Morning Reads
• The Chris Gbandi era got off the a tough start as the men’s soccer team lost 3-1 to Charlotte. The Huskies play again at home tomorrow against Holy Cross. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The women’s soccer team had No. 4 South Carolina even at the half before falling 3-0 at Morrone Stadium. The Huskies are 1-1 on the season. (UConnHuskies.com)
