2011 Connecticut Football Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The Connecticut Huskies are coming off a memorable 2010 season. Connecticut tied Pittsburgh and West Virginia on top the Big East standings with a 5-2 conference record. With wins over both the Panthers and Mountaineers in the regular season, Connecticut won the Big East Title and the right to play in a BCS Bowl. The Huskies went on to lose 20-48 against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to push their overall record to 8-5, but it was still a very successful season.

Connecticut must now show they can win without head coach Randy Edsall, who left town to become the new head coach at Maryland. The Huskies replaced Edsall with Paul Pasqualoni, who was the head coach at Syracuse from 1991-2004 and most recently a defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Pasqualoni steps into a decent situation with 16 starters back from the 2010 season, but many wonder if he will be able to get the same kind of effort and production that Edsall routinely got out of his players.

To give you a better idea of what the Huskies will look like in 2011, here is a quick breakdown of what they will be sending to the field on both sides of the ball.

Offense:

The first step thing Pasqualoni must do is find a new starting quarterback, as both Zach Frazer and Cody Endres have graduated. Neither Frazer or Endres put up great numbers in 2010, leaving a ton of room for improvement at one of the most important positions. It is believed that Pasqualoni wants to use a more mobile quarterback to run the offense. Heading into the fall it looks likes a three way battle between true freshman Michael Nebrich, sophomore Michael Box, and redshirt freshman Scott McCummings.

Another challenge awaiting Pasqualoni is replacing 2010 Big East leading rusher Jordan Todman, who finished with 1,695 yards and 14 touchdowns. Not only do they lose Todman, but the also lose backup Robbie Frey, who finished second on the team with 389 yards and four scores. Senior D.J. Shoemate looks to have the edge in 2011, but it will be hard for the Huskies to come anywhere close to the production they got in 2010.

While Connecticut has to replace their starting quarterback and running back, they return all three starting receivers and junior tight end Ryan Griffin. Michael Smith and Kashif Moore were the top two threats in 2010. Smith had 46 catches for 615 yards and two touchdowns, while Moore hauled in 36 passes for 452 yards and four touchdowns.Even with all the talent back, how well this unit produces will depend in large part on what they get from the quarterback position.

The strength of the offense comes up front on the offensive line, as the Huskies return three of five starters. Senior left tackle Mike Ryan is one of the best tackles in the conference, and the Huskies also bring back talented junior right tackle Adam Masters and senior center Moe Petrus. The two spots up for grabs come at the two guard spots, where senior Gary Bardzak and sophomore Steve Greene are expected to take over.

Defense:

With a lot of question marks on the offensive side of the ball, the Huskies are going to have to rely on their defense to help them win games in 2011. The strength of this unit will be on the defensive line, where the Huskies return all four starters from 2010. Inside they will feature two talented senior defensive tackles in Kendall Reyes and Twyon Martin, who combined for 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. On the outside they bring back one of the top defensive ends in the conference in junior Jesse Joseph, who led the Huskies with 8.5 sacks last year.

At linebacker the Huskies bring back one of the best outside linebackers in the Big East in junior Sio Moore. In 2010, Moore finished second on the team with 110 tackles and had a team best 10 tackles for loss. Moore is going to have to repeat that production in 2011, as he will be joined by two new starters in redshirt freshman Yawin Smallwood and junior Jory Johnson.

In the secondary the Huskies have one of the best corner duos in the conference with juniors Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz. Wreh-Wilson tied for the team lead with four interceptions, while Gratz had two picks and was third on the team with 63 tackles. At safety Connecticut returns junior strong safety Jerome Junior and senior free safety Harris Agbor. Junior tied Wreh-Wilson with four interceptions in 2010.

2011 Prediction: 7th Big East – Even with all the starters coming back, I think the Huskies are in for a big drop off in wins in 2010. This team was outgained by 86.1 ypg in conference play, benefited from a number of turnovers (+12), and had two wins by three points or less. Offensively this team looks like it is really going to struggle in 2011, and it is going to be hard for the defense to carry them for four quarters.

Big East Football Predictions by Team
Cincinnati Football Predictions	Connecticut Football Predictions
Louisville Football Predictions	Pittsburgh Football Predictions
Rutgers Football Predictions	South Florida Football Predictions
Syracuse Football Predictions	West Virginia Football Predictions

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions	Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions	Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions	SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions	Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions	Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions	WAC Football Predictions

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