Help Wanted! Mora Searching Deep Into Roster
The Story: The football team returns to Pratt & Whitney Stadium for the first time in a month and will host Fresno State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. decimated but not deterred.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: We aren’t going to talk about injuries. Enough with the woe-is-me stuff that is permeating ahead of Saturday’s game. The Huskies are big underdogs at -24 and +1267 on the money line. Jim Mora isn’t having anything about it. the Huskies are not only in a next-man-up scenario, they are scouring the roster looking for players who can fill in at running back and wide receiver.
• At running back, where sophomore Devontae Houston is splitting time with freshman Victor Rosa, the Huskies have moved defensive back Cam Edwards to the backfield to join sixth-year senior Robert Burns.
• Edwards was a running back at Norwalk High last year and one of the top offensive players in the state.
• Nate Carter (shoulder) and Brian Brewton (finger), UConn’s most explosive talents, are injured and Mora sounds pessimistic when asked about their chances to return this year.
• The Huskies are in even worse shape at wide receiver. They are down four players, including their two most explosive options in Cam Ross and Keelan Marion, and are looking for explosive playmakers far and wide.
• What does that mean? Freshman cornerback Lee Molette Jr. is pulling double duty by playing on offense for the scout team against the defense to see if they can find another option, albeit temporary.
WHAT DID MORA SAY? “Sometimes it’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. We don’t have a lot of depth at most of our positions right now. We’re a little bit decimated, so guys are doing dual roles and what’s great is they’re excited about doing it. I think it makes it kind of fun for them, takes them back to their old high school days.”
BIG MAN RUNNING BACK? Perhaps the most amusing idea Mora had was moving Jelani Stafford, a 6-foot, 300-pound defensive tackle, to running back. Incredibly, Stafford was a massive running back in high school and at 263 pounds he ran for 2,700 yards and 42 touchdowns in high school.
• He has Hudl videos of him as a running back, and we absolutely love it. We want Stafford obliterating some poor linebacker in the hole in short-yardage situations. We don’t think that’s going to happen, but when Mora says he is leaving no stone unturned, he means it.
BOTTOM LINE: The schedule will get easier in October, though beating Fresno State will be a formidable task even at home. UConn should be competitive with the likes of UMass and FIU, though there is still a Power 5 game at home with Boston College on tap.
• Mora’s going to be tested trying to keep the team motivated and is going to have to push young players into the rotation likely before they are ready. Mostly, Mora has to start figuring out what he has and go back to recruiting and the transfer portal and fill the gaping holes that have been exposed already this season.
Morning Reads
• The Toscano Family Ice Forum is rounding into form as the media took its first tour of the latest facility. (The UConn Blog)
Top photo: Defensive tackle Jelani Stafford could be an answer for the Huskies at running back. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
