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| Monday, August 13 Updated: August 14, 8:45 AM ET Questions linger as UConn starts second I-A season By Adam Rittenberg Special to ESPN.com |
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Connecticut Huskies 2000 record: 3-8. Coach: Randy Edsall (3rd year, 7-15). Starters returning: 7 offense, 8 defense, 2 kickers. Outlook: Although Connecticut enters its second season in Division I-A, several top performers will be getting their first taste of play at the premier level. Injuries to several key players crippled the Huskies down the stretch last season, as Connecticut dropped its final four games. The injury bug did not skip over Huskies' starting QB Ryan Tracey, who had major knee surgery following the season. Tracey passed for 1,976 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. While Tracey's two favorite targets are gone, speedy wideouts Wes Timko and Ayo Sorells lead a young receiving corps into 2000. The Huskies' defense welcomes back CB Roy Hopkins, LB Jamie Lenkaitis and DE Hakeem Kashama, a standout trio all hampered by knee injuries last season. Leading LB Razul Wallace should spark UConn after setting a school-record for tackles for a loss with 19 in 2000. Keep an eye on: LB/DE Uyi Osunde. Osunde will start the season at the Bandit slot, a combination of run-stuffing linebacker and quarterback-crunching DE. Along with the Husky, a safety/linebacker combination, the Bandit is a spot -- and nickname -- that suits Osunde, who has amassed 135 tackles in only 13 starts over the past two seasons. Key game: While both teams only have one year of Division I-A experience combined, Connecticut and South Florida could quickly become rivals. Aside from their common bond as independents, UConn signed seven recruits from Florida. It will be a second homecoming for the recruits -- and six Huskies upperclassmen from Florida -- when UConn travels to Tampa on Oct. 13. It's a good year if... UConn notches a .500 record. With a strong arm and big play capabilities, Tracey could keep Connecticut in several tough games -- but he'll need help. If the Timko-Sorrells receiving pair can equal last year's star combination of Stephen O'Connor and John Fitzsimmons (12 TD's, 1,337 yards receiving), UConn will put up points. Production is also needed from tailback Taber Small, a 5-foot-9 scrapper with 22 career-rushing touchdowns. With several defensive players back in uniform, the Huskies could post four or five wins this season. |
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