A weight was lifted off of everyone's shoulders Tuesday afternoon as the UCONN football team took the field for their first ever practice under new head coach TJ Weist. There was life, there was fun and there was music? Practice opened with tunes blaring during warm-ups, a move by Weist that most unboubtedly signals not only change, but they will have fun implementing it.
Standing on the podium Monday afternoon, it was hard not to notice the confidence that Coach Weist possesses and with it came a presence that drew anyone in the rooms' attention. Hanging around with the likes of the Harbaugh's, Les Miles and Cam Cameron will do that. Learning from the best will most definitely create a sense of confidence within one self, but it remains to be seen if this will flow down to the players on the field.
Having a new leader, a true leader at that, bodes well as the Huskies prepare to open up conference play next Saturday. He has a voice, demands the best out of his players both on and off the field and most defintiely has the support of athletic director Warde Manuel, president Susan Herbst and everyone associated with UCONN and the program.
Tuesday's practice was step one in distancing the program from the Pasqualoni era. Changes have already rocked the depth chart and expect more to come. True freshman quarterback Tim Boyle will be leading the offense when it hits Rentschler Field against South Florida. The offensive line will be using a new scheme, reverting back to new and former offensive line coach Mike Foley's tactics that was oh so successful during the Randy Edsall days where Jordan Todman, Donald Brown, Andre Dixon, Cornell Brockington and Terry Caulley all made names for themselves that had some calling UCONN, running back U.
Should the line be able to pick up quickly on what Foley is installing, UCONN fans could see an entirely different identity from the offense come next Saturday.
Boyle is a flame thrower and is much more comfortable and mobile in the pocket than the ousted Chandler Whitmer. Standing at 6' 5" the Xavier product will have no trouble seeing over the line compared to the well-documented difficulties that Whitmer had.
Should holes begin to open up for running back Lyle McCombs in the running game, his numbers could resemble those of his true freshman days, when he ran for over 1,000 yards.
Health is another factor that is in the Huskies corner as they open up conference play. Wide receiver Shakim Phillips should be back to once again solidify a receiving corp that is without question the best the Huskies have ever put on the field.
On the other side of the ball defensive coordinator Hank Hughes may be looking to make some changes of his own. Whether its schematically, with personnel changes or just plain creating a new mentality, Hughes will be looking to put a stamp on what could be his last hurrah in a 14 year career in Storrs.
Manuel had one simple message to Weist and his staff, 'just win.' The coaches will be fighting for their jobs the rest of the way and Tuesday was just the beginning of creating a new mentality around UCONN's football program.
One thing is certain, I was dead wrong about the leaders at the University of Connecticut. Warde Manuel and Susan Herbst do care about the football program and for that, I applaud them in taking action, when action was necessary. Making change, when change was necessary. Now it's time we see it on the field.
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