MASH Unit Storrs

Is there a worse feeling than seeing your prized redshirt freshman left tackle sitting with a large brace on his knee? UConn freshmen Jimmy Bennett, who was pushing senior Dan Ryan at left tackle, will miss the season with an ACL injury that was suffered during Saturday's scrimmage.

UConn coach Randy Edsall has touted his line depth all camp, but with Bennett out, it looks much less imposing. Dan Ryan may have beat Bennett out for the job for now, but there was going to be a time that Bennett was going to play. The talent is so overwhelming. Because he redshirted last year, Bennett is not eligible to get that redshirt year back. The only way he can get a sixth year of eligibility is if he missed another season with a major injury. So, Jimmy Bennett has lost a full year.

Edsall usually is philosophical about injuries and says things like "injuries are a part of the game." This time, he mentioned twice how much they were going to miss Jimmy Bennett. Big loss.

He wasn't the only one hurt either. Harris Agbor, a DB, is out 5-6 weeks with a shoulder injury and with the suspension of Aaron Bagsby (school violation), the safety spot is thin. To compensate, Kijuan Dabney is moving back to safety and he will backup Robert Vaughn. They also moved frosh receiver Marcus Aiken to safety for the time being. This is all for depth purposes as Bagsby is a swing guy in the defense. Aiken isn't going to play this year, but perhaps the coaching staff likes the athletic depth at wide receiver and feel Aiken can get on the field quicker in future years as a safety. I tell you what -- Marcus Aiken as a safety could be something to watch. Kid is fast and athletic.

Some other thoughts:

*Mike Box is the No. 3 QB, but Edsall is going to take all five QBs on the road. Of course the staff would like to redshirt Box, and the only way I see him playing is if Frazer and Endres get hurt longterm. The staff isn't going to burn Box for one play,one series or one quarter. Walk-on Johnny McEntee and Corey Manning Casey Turner (who is buried) are eligible, and I would assume they could run the offense in a pinch. I like Box a lot, but redshirting him at almost all costs would be a priority for me.

If Frazer and Endres go down to injury for an extended time? Then, you have to play your best player. But, while Box may have earned the No. 3 job, things would have to be really bad for him to burn the redshirt.

* Darius Butler came to practice Saturday and talked to the team. It's good having him around in New England. It helps the profile of UConn in the Northeast, and Darius is comfortable up here.

*Final scrimmage is tomorrow, but Edsall is more concerned with staying healthy. The team breaks camp and will go into game mode next week.

*Depth chart will come out for our purposes on Sunday. Edsall knows who he has at wide receiver and he says he is comfortable with the talent and progression. As far as current players -- Edsall was very high on Michael Smith. Smith has had a tough week. His 54-year old grandmother died last week and he made it back for Saturday's scrimmage from the Houston area.

* That's it for now. Working on a Todman story for the JI and I will have a uconnfan.com story on defensive tackles Kendall Reyes and Twyon Martin.