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HUSKIES ENTER 2012 SEASON WITH OPTIMISM The University of Connecticut football team begins the 2012 season with plenty of experience as there are six starters back on offense and eight on defense. At the same time, there are several newcomers and current underclassmen that will push those starters for playing time. As Paul Pasqualoni begins his second year in charge of the Husky program, the goal of preseason camp will be to develop individual skills and also work on various overall schemes on both offense and defense. Connecticut fell just short of bowl eligibility last year as it went 5-7 and the hope is that the 2012 season will be a return to postseason play. Pasqualoni’s coaching staff from last year remained intact with the exception of one position. Former quarterbacks coach Joe Moorhead was named the head coach at Fordham, his alma mater. Joining the Husky staff at that same position is Shane Day, who spent the past two years as the QB coach with the Chicago Bears.
OFFENSE
The biggest losses for Connecticut on offense come on the offensive line and the wide receiver spot. UConn loses center Moe Petrus, who started 51 games over his career and was a two-time All-BIG EAST pick, and Mike Ryan at tackle, a three-year starter who also earned All-BIG EAST honors twice. Although there is experience returning on the offensive line, the Huskies do lose their top two receivers from last year in Kashif Moore and Isiah Moore.
BACKFIELD The competition at quarterback will be wide open between five players. Redshirt senior Johnny McEntee started all 12 games last season while redshirt sophomore Scott McCummings also saw considerable playing time, especially in Wildcat situations. McEntee’s
335 passing attempts in 2011 was eighth in school single-season history while his 172 completions was tenth and his 2,110 net yards was 14th. Sophomore Michael Nebrich returns looking for more playing time in 2012. There are two newcomers in 2012 – redshirt sophomore Chandler Whitmer, a junior college transfer who also played a year at Illinois, and freshman Casey Cochran, a mid-year enrollee, who was the Connecticut Player-of-the-Year for the past two seasons. Both Whitmer and Cochran were January 2012 enrollees and took part in spring practice. Tailback has become a staple of the UConn offense over the years and redshirt sophomore Lyle McCombs leads the way this spring after earning Freshmen All-America honors in 2011 by rushing 1,151 yards. McCombs was named to the preseason watch list for
Wide Receiver Nick Williams
Quarterback Johnny McEntee
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Tailback Lyle McCombs