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EAST HARTFORD – UConn football was back in Rentschler Field on Saturday, holding an open scrimmage before a couple hundred fans on the home field. And it was clear, even without senior starter Pryce Yates, who was held out, that the defensive line won the day.
Jelani Stafford, Dal’Mont Gourdine and company allowed running backs little room to run and quarterbacks little time to throw as the offense went without a score for the first hour of the scrimmage portion.
Freshman quarterback Cole Welliver was the first to get the ball moving through the air, connecting with Kylish Hicks in stride down the sideline for a major gain to set the offense up inside the red zone. Welliver then found Kentucky transfer Shamar Porter, who had a few catches on the day, in the end zone for the score.
The momentum on the offensive sideline was quickly quieted after a missed field goal and an interception by defensive lineman Jevon Banks on a screen pass from redshirt freshman Tucker McDonald. But, in red zone drills, Welliver threw a back shoulder fade to John Neider, who made an impressive effort to get his foot down in bounds and secured the second touchdown of the day.
Saturday’s dress rehearsal was a chance for players to see a new environment, one they ought to get used to after a 1-5 record at home last season. It was also an opportunity for fans to check in on the team’s progress three weeks from the season-opener at Maryland on Aug. 31.
The team will return to The Rent next Saturday with a similar goal, only that practice will be closed to the public.
About an hour before players began warming up on the field, there was a full crowd of season ticket holders up in the club level of the stadium for a question-and-answer session with coaches. The team broke out for positional work before the offensive and defensive skill players…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/defensive-line-wins-day-uconn-225000499.html
Author : Hartford Courant
Publish date : 2024-08-10 22:50:00
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