Putterman:
Injuries Continue To Pile Up For Struggling UConn Football Team
>>Coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday that linebacker Eli Thomas, cornerback Tahj Herring-Wilson, linebacker Marshe Terry, receiver Keyion Dixon and running back Khyon Gillespie will all sit out Saturday’s game against Cincinnati with injuries. Herring-Wilson and Terry both hurt their ankles earlier this month against Rhode Island, then missed last week’s loss to Syracuse. Thomas exited the game against the Orange with what Edsall said is a neck injury. Dixon also left Saturday with an undisclosed issue. Gillespie underwent ACL surgery Tuesday and will miss the rest of the season.
This slew of injuries will force UConn to play even more young players than they have already this season. Herring-Wilson and Terry have been replaced on the depth chart by a pair of freshmen (Shamel Lazarus and Ian Swenson), while Thomas’ role as second-team linebacker will go to freshman Hunter Webb. With Gillespie sidelined, fellow freshman Dante Black could see his first game action.<<
>>The coach has repeatedly mentioned an eight-man rotation, which seems to include Jonathan Pace, Darrian Beavers, A.J. Garson and Pierce DeVaughn at defensive end, with Caleb Thomas, Lwal Uguak, Travis Jones and James Atkins at defensive tackle.
The new rotation, which debuted Saturday against Syracuse and was reflected on the depth chart released Tuesday, demonstrates Edsall’s widely apparent preference for talented young players over more experienced holdovers. Five of the Huskies’ top eight defensive linemen are freshmen, two are sophomores and only one (Atkins) is an upperclassman. Junior defensive tackles Kevin Murphy and Ryan Fines, both of whom entered the year as potential contributors on the unit, barely appeared in Saturday’s game and seem to be out of the mix for playing time. Edsall said he and the Huskies’ coaching staff are looking for “speed, athletic ability and quickness” up front and feel this group of eight linemen can provide that. It also doesn’t hurt, Edsall said, to give reps to young players who will be part of the program’s future.<<
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