Box Out, Frazer to Start

Photo: Autumn Driscoll / Connecticut Post

After suffering a head injury during the Louisville game last week, QB Mike Box was unsure about his playing status for this Friday night’s contest against the West Virginia Mountaineers. We found out today that in fact Mike Box is out for this week's game and Zach Frazer will return to the field and take snaps under center once again. After starting the first 3 games for the Huskies in 2010, Frazer was replaced by Cody Endres during the Buffalo game. Since that point, Frazer fell to 3rd on the depth chart and is now returning due to suspension and injury. There was a report that Frazer was dropped on the depth chart due to his poor attitude when he was benched on September 25th, but regardless, he now needs to step up and lead this team to victory.

One of the issues with Frazer before he was benched was his immobility and poor decision making in the pocket. Frazer has only completed just over 53% of his passes this season and has only thrown 2 TDs and 1 INT on the season. He struggled to make the big play when the team needed it the most and will need to be more aggressive and controlling with the ball on Friday to throw off the West Virginia defense. At this point, Frazer has everything to gain and nothing to lose because he only has a handful of games remaining in his college career. The ball is his to own, the offense is his to own, now he just needs to go out and grab it. Who doesn’t want to go out with a bang?

Box isn’t the only player out or probable for Friday. The UConn special teams’ crew is taking a hit with return man Nick Williams out with an upper extremity injury and Robbie Frey probable with a leg injury. Frey’s injury along with a head injury for D.J. Shoemate that has him out and Kelmetrius Wylie’s season ending knee injury, the Huskies are still crazy thin at RB. Edsall and his coaching staff would prefer not to use Jordan Todman as much as they have, especially given his arm injury this season, but they really haven’t had much of a choice. The injuries at RB make an even bigger case for a more aggressive passing game to open up the lanes for the run inside and relieve some of the pressure on Todman.

The West Virginia defense has allowed just 13.3 points per game so far in 2010. That is good for 5th in all of the FBS, posing a tough test for a struggling offense with a new, old QB under center. UConn is a run-first offense, but has yet to really settle in to a comfortable feel and rhythm, which is a source of concern. It will be almost impossible to beat West Virginia and then Pitt without a strong offensive identity and efficiency on that side of the ball. In the same vein, the Mountaineer offense scores over 26 points per game, which is troubling for the defensive squad of UConn that has lacked the hard-hitting style that we have seen over the past few years. If the Huskies are going to win Friday, they need to play strong bend-don’t-break defense and gain and offensive rhythm from the 1st play any carry it through with 40,000 fans cheering at their backs.

I can feel the excitement and nervous energy mounting…Let’s Go Huskies!

UConn Goes Hunting for Mountaineers

With their season on the rocks after 2 tough losses in the Big East, the UConn Huskies have an opportunity to jump right back to .500 overall and 1-2 in the conference on Friday night. The catch? West Virginia is coming to town and in the 6 years these 2 teams have matched up, UConn is a whopping 0-6. Not a great omen for a team that is struggling at the moment and is currently starting their 3rd different QB this season, but a home game on a Friday night on national TV (ESPN2) may be just the right recipe for their 1st victory against the West Virginia Mountaineers and their 1st victory in the conference in 2010. Long shot? Perhaps, but if the team comes in with the relaxed, have fun attitude I keep hearing about this week, they have a chance.
Let's look at the Huskies' opponent for a minute. The Mountaineers began the 2010 season with hopes of a BCS bid and another Big East championship and with the absolute embarrassing play in the conference this season, they sit at 5-2 and 1-1 in the league. Their record is good enough for 3rd in the Big East behind Syracuse and Pitt. Pitt is no surprise to anyone, but Syracuse at 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference? (Check back soon for my full report on the Orangemen) Back to Friday night's opponent. The biggest concern if you are a West Virginia fan is their recent play, scoring just 14 points in a losing effort against the Orangemen this past weekend at home. Either it is a sign that Syracuse is that good, or proof that WVU has some glaring weaknesses that were exposed.

What gives me hope for Friday night's game are the holes in the play of the WVU QB Geno Smith. On Saturday he threw for 178 yards and 1 TD, while essentially handing the game to Syracuse with 3 interceptions. In their 2 losses this season, Smith threw 3 TDs and 4 INTs and had a completion percentage of 48.3 and 54.1 in each contest. The UConn secondary has 9 INTs this season in their 3 victories and 0 in their 4 losses. An even greater disparity comes with yards allowed, no surprise. DB Blidi Wreh-Wilson is licking his lips as we speak, as he looks to add to his 2 INTs and 1 fumble recovery on the season. Another big indicator of success is yards allowed per game. The UConn defensive unit has allowed 409+ yards per game in their 4 losses and just 287+ yards in their 3 victories. It's common sense, but if UConn can take care of the ball and force a few turnovers, they can compete with any team in the Big East, including WVU and their interception-prone QB.

The big issue for me surrounds offensive output. QB Mike Box got thrown into the fire last week in his 1st collegiate start after QB Zach Frazer was benched and QB Cody Endres was suspended indefinitely and Box only attempted 12 passes, 4 completed for just 35 yards before being knocked out of the game. If he plans to be the starter for this club in the future, he needs to settle his nerves and be more intelligent and patient with his decision making. He has the legs to pick up a few yards if nothing is available and if he can use that to his advantage, can be dangerous. UConn is historically a run-first offense, but they have had some of their greatest success this year when Endres was moving around in the pocket and taking some shots mid-field and down-field to WR Michael Smith and WR Kashif Moore. A team must have the balance of a strong running game and short and long passes to open up the defense if they want to be successful. If the opponent's defense is looking run, use play-action and put pressure on the opponent down-field.

Personnel has certainly also been an issue for the Huskies in 2010, with LB Scott Lutrus being limited by his stinger and clearly not being the force Randy Edsall had hoped as well as a plethora of RB injuries and the afore mentioned QB issues. It is extremely difficult for a team to gain rhythm and momentum when there is a new face under center seemingly each week and the offense is purely based on timing. Edsall has been taking a lot of heat lately because of the high expectations this season, but many of his players have not been playing up to their abilities and although the coaching staff is partially responsible, they can't go out on the field and play for their guys. There has been a lack of leadership, I think partially because there has been a lack of a consistent offensive leader at QB, and without a vocal leader in the locker-room and on the field, the team will never reach the next level. Frazer was supposed to be the leader, but was disappointing both in that respect with his attitude and on the field.

Friday night will be a fun atmosphere at The Rent almost guaranteed. Personally, I think most of the UConn home games should be at night, because their is a more electric feeling and the team seems to be more amped-up. If the Huskies are planning on making a bowl game this season, their turnaround has to start Friday, because their next game only gets bigger and more difficult with another prime-time match-up on ESPN against Pitt on November 11th. This is a tough test and after the butt-kicking shutout last week they endured, it is a gut-check time for this UConn squad.

I'm Back! Who's Excited?

It's been a long time since I post unique content here on The Life of a Sportsaholic. I have been, and still am, writing over at BoSoxInjection.com focusing on the Boston Red Sox, but felt a void in my life. Being a fan of many different sports and teams, just writing about 1 team or 1 sport wasn't enough. Recently, I began to dabble over at Orble.com and have a Dallas Cowboys blog that I am testing out, but am also a passionate college sports fan and hockey fan. For now, my focus here at The Life of a Sportsaholic is simple. I am going to write about topics in sports that I find interesting. Most of my focus now will be on UConn athletics, with a hint of Boston Bruins hockey and maybe even some unexpected sports happenings. No matter the content, my pledge to you is that I will not post anything unless I find it interesting or somehow amusing. Fair? Let's start...


Just briefly let's recap a tough season for the UConn Huskies football team thus far in 2010. Being the season with their senior leader Zach Frazer at QB, my wife, college roommate and I hoped in a Trailblazer and set our sights for the 700+ mile journey to Ann Arbor, MI. The 2010 UConn season began against a Big Ten historic powerhouse in the University of Michigan in front of the largest crowd ever to witness an NCAA college football game, 113,000+. The atmosphere was incredible, but the game was disappointing for UConn, with mistakes and a weak defense leading to a tough loss. It was great exposure, but started the year in the hole, 0-1. Following a beat-down of Texas Southern, the Huskies lost a tough game on the road in PA against Temple.

Games 4 and 5 of the 2010 season were wins against Buffalo and Vanderbilt at home. The Buffalo game was a season changer, because Cody Endres Replaced Zach Frazer mid-game and gave the UConn fans something to cheer about: an effective offense. Endres became the starter, with Frazer being dropped to 3rd on the depth chart and young Mike Box moving into the back-up role. After a big win against an SEC opponent Vandy, the Huskies lost a tough game against Rutgers, blowing a lead late. Later in the week following their Big East opener, the announcement came that Cody Endres was suspended indefinitely and the little offensive spark the Huskies had was gone that quickly. Mike Box started this past week against Louisville and it resulted in an embarrassing 26-0 loss.

Hopes of a BCS berth are now gone, it is all about saving the season. During the Louisville game, Mike Box sustained a concussion, but is still listed as the starter for Friday night's game against the Mountaineers from West Virginia at the Rent in East Hartford, CT. Being a Red Sox and a Cowboys fan, injuries have seemed to be the norm lately with my teams and it is hard to watch a talented group of guys struggle due to injuries. Friday night will be a huge contest for the Huskies and if they have any hopes at making noise in the Big East, it is a must win. They currently sit at 0-2 in the conference and 3-4 overall. The clock is ticking as we have already passed the halfway point to the season.

That's it for now, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Check back for more content as the season progresses and into the off-season, because I always have something to say.