Nation’s leading tackler visits as UConn football looks to go 3-0 at home vs. Buffalo: What to know

STORRS — As UConn football bids for a 3-0 start at home, to get over .500 for the season, the Huskies’ offense will make sure to keep an eye on Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac, the nation’s leading tackler.

Dolac has 62 total tackles this season, nine more than anyone else at the FBS level, averaging 15.5 per game. A graduate student, he began his career as a walk-on with the Bulls and has played a significant role in what has been a stifling defensive unit to start the season.

Buffalo (3-1) enters Saturday’s game against the Huskies (2-2) after a ranked win over the Huskies of Northern Illinois and is ranked fourth in the country in team tackles for loss – another stat Dolac leads the nation in (9.5 TFLs per game). The Bulls have also recorded at least one interception in each of their games this season and lead the MAC with five total, while holding opponents to just 18.5 points per game.

Game planning against Dolac, UConn head coach Jim Mora says his team needs to be aware of the standout tackler, but his presence doesn’t necessarily change anything in the offensive operation. Last week, quarterback Nick Evers used his legs to open things up for the Huskies’ offense, and the team’s dominance at the line of scrimmage opened the door for a record rushing game.

“He’s really fun to watch. He plays with a tremendous motor – I mean, he runs and he goes – and he’s smart and he anticipates well, but that’s how they play on defense. I mean, the whole defense plays like that,” Mora said. “You just have to do what you do. You have to anticipate that he may react faster than guys you’re seeing in practice or you’ve seen weeks before, and you’ve just got to make sure that you’re technically sound and fundamentally sound and assignment perfect.”

Asked to come up with a comparison, Mora said…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nation-leading-tackler-visits-uconn-171600992.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2024-09-27 17:16:00

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