It's a good thing that outward demeanor is the face because inside there is a lot of changing on the team. Cody Endres is anointed the starter at quarterback, there are more changes on the offensive line, Jory Johnson is going to get some time at husky linebacker, and Edsall called on his stud defensive lineman for more plays.
Change is a foot for the Huskies. Louisville is a much win.Let's get to the big news and the implications.
Cody Endres is now the official No. 1 quarterback. That's really not a surprise considering the numbers Endres has put up. He hasn't been prolific, but Endres isn't throwing INTs and he has a high percentage. He is managing the game nicely and he is getting the ball to receivers (who aren't making enough plays, Easley's long TD notwithstanding. Get more into that later).
How is Zach Frazer taking it? As well as could be expected, which is not well. He isn't crying about it our whining and plans on preparing like he is playing. But he wants to play. Frazer was a stand-up guy this week and came into the cafeteria to speak with reporters. Frazer is a fiery and emotional guy and he isn't going to lie to you.
Frazer said he is healed and that there is no problem with the knee. When asked if he was surprised by the fact he was supplanted by Endres, Frazer said "no comment on that." He also no commented when asked his evaluation of Endres' play.
Quarterback is a tough position to win back once you lose it, but Frazer is determined to get back into the starting lineup.
"It's another bump in the road. (Edsall) is the coach and I have to respect his decision. Going from starting and playing as a player...yeah, I want to be on the field. Everyone wants to be on the field. I understand my role now and will be prepared and ready to go at all times."
The thing that is tough for Frazer to take is he didn't lose the job for performance reason per se.
"The injuries were something I couldn't control. I have no control over that. I understand my role, I am still a team leader, I love being a part of this team, I love playing for UConn. I got to respect my role I am in now and encourage the team and be ready to go in case something happens."
Endres on the flip side isn't going to apologize for playing. He has played well and taken advantage of the opportunity.
"It's a tough situation to be in. But, this is a performance based profession, and whoever goes out there and does the job is going to be out there on the field. I want to continue to play well and win games, and hopefully things turn out that way."
More Cody:
"Life is about taking advantage of opportunities. I knew I could get out there and perform well and I got a chance to do that. I think I capitalized on it pretty well. But, we lost last week and we go to improve and that's on me too. I got to go out this week and get a W."
Why did Edsall not flip back to what he saw in training camp? Here is Edsall on why Endres now.
“There were times in the fall when Cody ran with the 1s during the preseason,” Edsall said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of separation there. Zach was ahead of him, but again, to me if you have an injury and someone else comes in plays better than you were before you got hurt, or he is really playing well, it’s tough to take that guy out of there.
“Cody has gone in and done a good job and the other guy (Frazer) is a little bit rusty. You take a lot of factors into consideration when you make decisions not just at quarterback, but every position on the football team.”
On more depth chart notes. The move of Mike Ryan and Erik Kuraczea was inevitable in my opinion. Both are highly regarded and were pushing for playing time. After working them into the mix as backups, the staff decided to make them official starters. Add in the injured Jimmy Bennett, and the longterm future of the line looks good.
*Marcus Easley is on the 2-deep replacing Mike Lang. Staff loves Easley's speed and size. What they are trying to do is get Easley to be that fast to get open, not just when he catches the ball. He opened up the gap on the defensive back quickly once he made his 79-yard TD catch.
*Andre Dixon is the official starter. This is just house keeping. Dixon has had more carries in every game this season and they staff is going to use him and Todman the same way. Dixon has moved ahead of Todman, but Todman is going to get plenty of carries.
*Lutrus is doubtful. Instead of the media vs. Randy Edsall on the Lutrus issue, Edsall is joining our side and demanding answers from his medical staff. He wanted to know definitively if Lutrus was going to be out with the stinger and pushed for an answer. The result "He's doubtful." So much for that. Edsall doesn't expect him to play this week.
*Edsall challenged Lindsey Witten on Tuesday. He wants Witten to be the playmaker that Cody Brown was. The Huskies needed a sack and some pressure on Saturday and Witten was silent. Witten feels he has to be that player to make a play.
"Big-time players make big-time plays when they need to be made. Credit Greg Romeus (Pitt D-End, he made the big strip and the sack. That's what his team needed. I know that's what I can do when it needs to be. I didn't do that this past weekened. I have to step that up this week."
That's it for now. Back later with some.
Gotta pay some bills.
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