2011 Huskie s S e a s o n P r e v i e w
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here is an air of excitement and freshness as the University of Connecticut football team enters the 2011 season. The Huskies are coming off their second BIG EAST Conference Championship in the past four years and their first-ever appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game. In addition, the program is experiencing a new energy with the debut of head coach Paul Pasqualoni. A Cheshire native returning to his home state, Pasqualoni has been a collegiate head coach for 19 seasons and has led teams to nine bowl games. He has extensive experience on all levels of football – from being an NFL coordinator to the high school level. Pasqualoni has built an incredibly experienced coaching staff for the UConn program. New offensive coordinator George DeLeone has coached for 40 seasons on all levels of football, including experience in 12 bowl games. Defensive coordinator Don Brown has had great success as a collegiate head coach at three different New England schools – leading them all to postseason play. Clayton White, a former NFL player and a standout performer at North Carolina State, has been brought on to be the special teams coordinator and work with the running backs. The UConn coaching staff also has six assistant coaches returning from last year to ensure continuity for the program. The group has an amazing 196 season of collegiate coaching and 42 seasons of head coaching.
OFFENSE
BACKFIELD
The UConn offense will have plenty of new faces looking for playing time at some key positions. The Huskies return five starters on the offensive side of the ball that will play in 2011 and lose five. All-
Isiah Moore 42 UConnHuskies.com
American tailback Jordan Todman declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year and dependable quarterback Zach Frazer has graduated. In addition, veteran fullback Anthony Sherman and experienced offensive guard Zach Hurd and Mathieu Olivier have all graduated. The quarterback spot looks to be a wide-open race for playing time. Redshirt sophomore Mike Box has the most experience out of any QB on the team as he played in five games last year and started one contest.
Adam Masters
Ryan Griffin