Connecticut Notes
Quick Hits
The UConn Huskies kick-off a new era for the program on Saturday afternoon in Logan, Utah taking on the Utah State Aggies in head coach Jim Mora’s debut on the UConn sidelines. The Huskies also begin their second season competing as an FBS Independent.
Coach Mora returns to the college sidelines for the first time since 2017, after leading UCLA for six season while posting a 46-30 record and four bowl appearances. His 31 years of coaching experience also included head coaching stints with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.
For the second-straight season, the Huskies will open on the road in Week Zero at a Mountain West opponent after heading out to Fresno State to open 2021. This will be the second-ever match-up between UConn and Utah State and first since the 2001 campaign. The Aggies traveled to Memorial Stadium in Storrs on November 10, 2001 and hung on for a 38-31 win over the Huskies.
UConn had four Huskies named to college football award watch lists this preseason. UConn linebacker Jackson Mitchell has been named to the watch list for the 2022 Butkus Award while sophomore running back Nate Carter has been named as one of the preseason candidates for the 2022 Doak Walker Award UConn running back. Grad student Robert Burns has been named to the watch list for the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy, college football’s premier award for community service and long snapper Tommy Zozus was announced as a preseason candidate for the Patrick Mannelly Award.
The Huskies return their leading rusher from last season in sophomore Nate Carter. In 12 games, Carter finished the season with 578 yards on 125 carries. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and had a pair of touchdowns. Carter had a two 100-yard efforts as a freshman, rushing for a season-high 136 yards on 20 carries with a score in a loss at UMass. Carter’s first career 100-yard effort came a week earlier on the road at
Vanderbilt, carrying 24 times for 123 and a touchdown.
UConn’s offense also returns four of their five top-receivers from last season. Sophomore Keelan Marion led the receiving corps 474 yards on 28 catches, a 16.9 per catch average. He also led all Huskies with five touchdowns last fall. Sophomore Aaron Turner led the team with 33 catches for 232 yards while r-sophomore Kevans Clercius caught 27 balls for 283 yards and a score. Out of the backfield, Nate Carter hauled in 19 catches for 127 yards.
Junior linebacker Jackson Mitchell is back in the middle of the UConn defense after leading the team in tackling last fall. Mitchell started all 12 games and totalled 120 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and also recorded three forced fumbles, one interception and two pass breakups. The UConn junior ranked among the top 15 players in the country in total tackles, he ranked fourth in assisted tackles (73), and his 10.0 tackles per game ranked 11th in the nation
NEWS & NOTES —
The Huskies have not named a starter at quarterback heading into the season opener at Utah State. The Huskies have four quarterbacks on the roster with the only returner being r-freshman Tyler Phommachanh. Last season, Phommachanh saw action in three games before an injury cut his season short. He completed 35 of 72 passes for 321 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. On the ground, Phommachanh carried it 24 times for 92 yards and a pair of scores. UConn has a pair of transfers on the roster in r-sophomore Ta”Quan Roberson, who played in two games in two seasons at Penn State, and r-sophomore Cale Millen, who spent last season at Northern Arizona, where he appeared in seven games and completed two of three passes for a touchdown. Millen was at Oregon previous, playing in three games in 2020 playing on special teams. The lone true freshman signal caller is Zion Turner who led St. Thomas Aquanis to three state championships, a national championship and finished with 37-2 overall record.
UConn will be without a pair of key offensive contributors as sophomore place kicker Joe McFadden and r-sophomore receiver Cam Ross will be out after suffering season-ending injuries this preseason. McFadden was the Huskies top-point producer last season, scoring 55 points in 2021. He hit 12 field goals on 17 attempts with a long of 47 yards. Ross saw his 2021 season cut short due to injury, playing in just two games, catching eight passes for 60 yards. In 2019 as a freshman, Ross hauled in a team-best 60 passes for 723 yards and four scores, all team-bests.
UConn sophomore running back Nate Carter has been named as one of the preseason candidates for the 2022 Doak Walker Award, presented annually by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum to the nation’s top college running back. Carter was UConn’s leading rusher last season, playing all 12 games, carrying the ball 125 times for 578 net yards, averaging 4.6 per carry with two touchdowns. He also added 19 receptions for 127 yards. Carter’s best two games came against UMass, when he gained 136 yards and Vanderbilt, when he rushed for 123 yards. The award is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
UConn linebacker Jackson Mitchell has been named to the watch list for the 2022 Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker. Mitchell is one of only 51 players from 43 schools across the country named to the watch list for the award, now in its 38th year. Named in honor of the legendary Chicago Bears linebacker, the Butkus Award focuses on recognizing linebackers who consistently play off the ball on their feet in a two-point stance in traditional linebacker form. Mitchell started all 12 games for the Huskies last season, and led the team in tackles, totaling 120 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and also recorded three forced fumbles, one interception and two pass breakups. The UConn junior ranked among the top 15 players in the country in total tackles, he ranked fourth in assisted tackles (73), and his 10.0 tackles per game ranked 11th in the nation.
UConn running back Robert Burns has been named to the watch list for the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy, college football’s premier award for community service. Named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy honors college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society and inspire greater service in the world. Burns, a UConn graduate student pursuing his master’s degree in business administration, played in 10 games for the Huskies last year, rushing for 45 yards and returning three kicks for 58 yards. Off the field, Burns is the co-founder of Second Spoon, a non-profit organization that provides excess food from college dining halls to those in need. He is one of 115 college players on the watch list.
UConn long snapper Tommy Zozus was announced as a preseason candidate for the Patrick Mannelly Award. The award, which is granted to the top FBS senior long snapper and is named after 16-year NFL veteran Patrick Mannelly, includes Zozus and 24 other players across college football. Zozus, who transferred to UConn from Florida International University, has appeared in 31 college football games as a long snapper.
Last Meeting vs. Utah State…
- November 10, 2001 – Utah State 38 UConn 31 – Storrs, Conn.
Utah State quarterback Jose Fuentes completed 20 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns, and tailback Emmitt White had a touchdown catch and run as the Aggies held off the University of Connecticut 38-31 at Memorial Stadium. After falling behind 38-10, UConn scored 21 unanswered points, but came up short of completing the comeback win. UConn quarterback Dan Orlovsky finished the day with 19 completions on 51 attempts for 245 yards and two touchdowns while throwing three interceptions. The UConn defense came up with seven sacks as it was led by Maurice Lloyd who had 13 tackles, and Jamal Lundy who had 12 stops, which included four tackles for losses. USU built their lead to 35-10 lead with 12:03 in
the third and at the 6:06 mark, Dane Kidman added a 28-yard field goal to make it 38-10. The Huskies got a touchdown back in the third as Orlovsky found Wes Timko for a 34-yard score. At the start of the fourth quarter, the UConn QB capped a drive with a four-yard TD to Cliff Hill to pull the Huskies to within 38-24. With 5:18 left, Orlovksy capped a drive himself with a quarterback keeper on fourth and goal from the one to end a 13 play, 85-yard drive as the score stood a 38-31. UConn had a chance to tie it after Utah State turned it over on downs, but was faced with fourth and ten from the 12 when a miscue on the snap from center gave the Aggies the ball back and the game.
UConn vs. the Moutain West…
The Huskies head into Saturday’s match-up looking for the program’s first win against a team from the Mountain West program. UConn is 0-5 all-time against the league after losses at Fresno State (45-0) and at home to Wyoming (24-22) last fall. The Huskies are 0-2 all-time against Boise State, 0-1 against Fresno State, 0-1 against Wyoming and 0-1 against the Aggies. UConn will take on Fresno State again this season on October 1st. The Huskies have a home return day with Utah State next season and a road game at Wyoming in 2026 and a home date with the Cowboys in 2029.
Scouting the Aggies…
Utah State is coming off an 11-3 season and a 6-2 record in the Mountain West and a win over Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl. The Aggies return their starting quarterback from last season in Logan Bonner who played in all 14 games and set five single season records during the 2021 season with 3,628 passing yards, 36 touchdown passes, four touchdown passes in three-straight games, four touchdown passes in six games in a season and 2.57 touchdown passes per game. Utah State received votes in both national polls to start the 2022 season as the Aggies received 12 votes in the Coaches poll and two votes in the AP poll. Junior Running back Jordan Wilmore played against UConn in the 2021 season as a running back for Fresno State where he had five carries for 28 yards and two receptions for 15 yards.
Utah State Notes
KICKOFF COVERAGE
• Utah State begins its 125th season of football this weekend as it hosts Connecticut on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 2 p.m., in a game that will be televised on Fox Sports 1 (Xfinity Ch. 265/HD691, DirecTV Ch. 219, DISH Ch. 150) with Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
on the call.
• Utah State is receiving votes in both national polls to start the 2022 season as the Aggies garnered 12 votes in the Coaches’ poll to rank tied for 38th and two votes in The Associated Press poll to rank tied for 43rd. This is the first time USU has garnered preseason recognition since the 2019 campaign, when it received 32 votes in the coaches’ poll and eight votes in the AP poll.
• Utah State’s season opener on Aug. 27, is the earliest it has ever played a football game, bettering the previous record of Aug. 28, 2003. Overall, this will be just the 13th game ever played by the Aggies in August, as USU is 1-11 (.083) in its previous 12 outings, with its lone win being a 34-3 home victory against Southern Utah in 2012.
• Utah State has won eight of its last 10 non-conference home games and is 20-5 in its last 25 non-conference home games at Maverik Stadium. Overall, USU is 43-17 (.717) in its last 60 home games and 155-113 (.578) all-time inside Maverik Stadium.
• Utah State is playing a home game to start its season for the first time since 2016 and for just the 15th time since the 1959 season as USU is 9-5 in those games. Overall, USU has won each of its last three season openers with a 45-6 win against Weber State in 2016, a 12-9 win against Southern Utah in 2015 and a 34-3 win against Southern Utah in 2012.
• Utah State is 12-1 in its last 13 home openers, which includes a current 12-game winning streak against non-conference opponents. USU is also 4-6 in its last 10 season openers overall with five of those six losses coming on the road to Power 5 opponents.
SCOUTING CONNECTICUT
• Connecticut returns 12 starters (O-6, D-6) and 57 letter-winners (O-29, D-25, S-3) from last year’s team that went 1-11 on the season, including an 0-6 road record. Two of those losses were against the Mountain West as the Huskies began the year with a 45-0 loss at Fresno State and lost at home to Wyoming, 24-22, while its only win was a 21-15 home victory against Yale. Overall, UConn has lost eight-straight road games with its last win coming at Massachusetts (56-35) on Oct. 26, 2019. Highlighting UConn’s returners for the 2022 season are four players who are on various watch lists this fall in junior LB Jackson Mitchell (Butkus Award Watch List), sophomore RB Nate Carter (Doak Walker Award Watch List), graduate RB Robert Burns (The Wuerffel Trophy Watch List) and graduate LS Tommy Zozus (Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List). In 2021, UConn averaged 15.6 points and 265.1 yards of total offense per game (163.8 passing, 101.3 rushing) and allowed 38.5 points and 451.8 yards of total offense (258.0 passing, 193.8 rushing). Jim Mora is in his first year as the Huskies head coach and is 46-30 (.605) in six seasons as a collegiate head coach.
AGGIES AND HUSKIES SERIES HISTORY
• Utah State and Connecticut will play one another for just the second time this weekend as USU won the first meeting, 38-31, on Nov. 10, 2001, in Storrs, Connecticut.
UTAH STATE vs. FBS INDEPENDENTS
• Utah State is 71-58-3 (.549) all-time against current Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Independents with a 37-50-3 record against BYU, a 32-8 record against New Mexico State, and 1-0 records against both Army and Connecticut. USU went 1-1 against FBS Independents during the 2021 season with a 34-20 home loss to No. 13 BYU and a 35-13 road win against New Mexico State.
LAST MEETING vs. CONNECTICUT
• Senior RB Emmett White ran for 117 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead Utah State to a 38-31 win at Connecticut on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001. The Aggies (3-5) held on as UConn (2-7) rallied from a 38-10 deficit in the second half. White, the Aggies’ leader in all-purpose yards, had a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and caught a 6-yard scoring pass from junior QB Jose Fuentes in the third. Fuentes completed 20-of-31 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. UConn’s Dan Orlovsky threw two touchdown passes and finished with 245 yards, completing 19-of-51 attempts. He also ran for a score. The Aggies scored on their opening drive, moving 65 yards in under two minutes, on a 10-yard reception by junior TE Casey Poppinga. USU extended the lead to 14-0 when senior CB Tony Walker intercepted Orlovsky’s pass on the Huskies’ first possession and ran it in from 31 yards. USU built a 28-10 lead at the half on sophomore WR Chris Stallworth’s 10-yard reception and White’s 3-yard run. UConn got its only touchdown of the first half from its special teams, with Jamal Lundy recovering a fumbled punt in the end zone. The teams combined for 222 yards in penalties. Pass-interference calls against Utah State in the second half kept alive two UConn scoring drives, allowing the Huskies to get back in the game. With a sore right knee and the Aggies up by 28 points, White was sidelined for much of the second half until UConn began to rally, scoring on three straight possessions. Orlovsky hit Wes Timko for a 34-yard strike with 4:57 left in the third quarter. After an Aggies’ punt, Orlovsky found Cliff Hill on a 4-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter to cut the Aggies lead to 38-24. With just over five minutes left in the game, Orlovsky scored from the 1, capping a 13-play, 85-yard drive. Utah State relied on White and ball control in the closing minutes to seal the win. White ran for 34 yards in the Aggies’ final possession before Utah State was forced to punt with under a minute left. Sophomore DT Jorge Tapia intercepted Orlovsky’s pass on the UConn 30 and ran it back to the 7 with 25 seconds left to play to seal the win. Junior LB Jesse Busta had a team-high 11 tackles, which included 1.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss, to go along with a fumble recovery for the Aggies.
