University of Connecticut Athletics
2000 Football Review
12/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
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As the University of Connecticut Football team concludes its first season of Division I-A football, head coach Randy Edsall and the Huskies can look back on their inaugural season as a Division I-A program with a mixture of positives and negatives. There were good efforts and bad, missed opportunities and standout performances. With a 3-8 final record, a quick assessment might be to say that the season was a disappointment. But a more complete analysis would show a season in which a solid foundation for the future was put in place and, despite a devastating rash of injuries on both sides of the ball, the Huskies battled to the finish and were competitive in all but a few contests.
Several individuals distinguished themselves during the course of the season. Offensively, junior quarterback Ryan Tracey was everything the coaching staff could have hoped for through eight games and a season-ending knee injury. The junior college transfer was on pace to break every single season UConn record in the books and helped UConn put together one of the more potent passing games in the country. Tracey threw for 1,984 yards and 15 TDs in seven- plus games, with only five interceptions. He totaled four 300- yard passing efforts, tying the UConn single season record.
Senior wideout John Fitzsimmons was among Traceys primary targets, catching nine TD passes on the season among his 42 catches for 676 yards, while junior Steve OConnor had a team-high 50 catches for 678 yards and was far and away the teams most improved player in 2000. The running game had its moments in 2000, with junior Taber Small battling injuries to gain 560 yards with eight rushing TDs, while true freshman tailback Evan Benson totaled 230 yards and became only the seventh true freshman in UConn history to run for 100 yards in a game.
Defensively, senior defensive end Jamar Wilkins made a seamless transition from the linebacker position to defensive end, and totaled 74 tackles, 16 for a loss, and a team-best five sacks. Sophomore Jamal Lundy led the team in tackles from his safety position with 102 and registered ten tackles for a loss. Sophomore linebackers Razul Wallace (97 tackles) and Uyi Osunde (87 tackles) were also solid in their second season of college ball. Wallace set a UConn record with his 19 tackles for a loss in 2000, while Osunde led the squad in double-digit tackle efforts with five.
The kicking game was solid, especially considering a pair of first-year performers were the starters. Sophomore Geoff Heyl won the kicking job with a solid pre-season and was steady through the year, hitting on 10-of-16 field goals and 22-of-24 extra points. He connected on the game- winning field goal as time expired UConns win at Akron. Freshman Adam Coles handled the punting duties and the former Australian Rules Football player averaged 40.5 yards per punt in his first season playing the sport. His average is the highest ever for a UConn freshman.
For their efforts in 2000, several individuals earned post- season all-star recognition. Headlining the award winners was Adam Coles, who earned CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American honors. Jamar Wilkins and Razul Wallace were both named to the Division I-A All-Independent Team by CollegeFootballNews.com and Football News magazine, while John Fitzsimmons earned a spot on the Football News magazine Division I-A All-Independent squad.
As UConn opened pre-season camp, they got an early indication of what things might lie ahead in 2000. Senior linebacker Brandon Smith suffered a concussion in the first few days of practice, eventually forcing an early end to his UConn career, and the Husky defense lost its MVP from the 1999 season. The loss of Smith would not only bode poorly for the defensive unit, but also be a sign of things to come in early part of the season.
Other injuries in camp took their toll on UConns depth. A pair of true freshmen, wide receiver Matt Cutaia and offensive lineman Brian Markowski, both suffered significant injuries that affected the depth chart. Cutaia would be lost for the season and Markowski for several weeks after moving into a starting position at the center spot in pre- season. Senior Steve Darby missed the beginning of pre- season due to a knee sprain and was replaced at the center spot by Markowski. When Markowski went down also, senior Corey Derfuss was moved from guard to center. Darby eventually returned to the lineup before the opener and took Derfuss guard spot in starting line-up. Offensive line depth took a further hit when freshman LeAndre Dupree was again sidelined with dehydration problems. Dupree had come off a solid finish to the spring season and would have been a part of UConns rotation on the line.
As the Huskies broke camp, they hoped the injury problems had been left in the Berkshire mountains.
Unfortunately, the first quarter of the opener at Eastern Michigan served as a cruel reminder of the impact that injuries can have on a football season. Junior cornerback Roy Hopkins suffered a torn MCL in his left knee early in the first quarter against the Eagles, ending his season before it had even started.
The Huskies went to Ypsilanti with high hopes and entered the game as a decided underdog. Early in the third quarter, it looked as though the Huskies had run out of gas, as the Eagles took a 24-10 advantage. But a UConn rally produced a field goal and a pair of touchdowns to take a 25- 24 lead with under five minutes to go. The Huskies held the Eagles and took over needing only a first down to ice the win. Unable to sustain the drive, UConn was forced to punt from its own end zone with three minutes to go. Freshman punter Adam Coles miskick traveled only seven yards and allowed Eastern Michigan to go in for the winning score in the final minutes and dash the Husky upset hopes.
With the disappointment of the opening loss still fresh in their minds, the Huskies returned home for the September 9th opener against Colgate, a dangerous team coming off three straight I-AA playoff appearances. The game would feature the return of night football to Storrs and the fans of UConn Football showed their excitement for the move to Division I-A. The game became the first-ever advance sellout in Connecticut Football history and the attendance of 16,632 was a single game UConn record, breaking the old mark of 16,464 set in 1970 against Rhode Island. The Huskies gave the sellout crowd a night to remember, using a 20-point third quarter explosion to blow out the Red Raiders, 37-7. Tracey hit the 300-yard passing mark for the second straight week and tailback Taber Small scored three rushing touchdowns in the rout. Senior Jamar Wilkins led the defensive effort with a pair of sacks on the evening.
With their record back to the .500 mark, UConn hit the road for a dangerous match-up at the University at Buffalo. All signs pointed to a Husky letdown. Buffalo entered the game with a 17-game losing streak and the Huskies had beat up the Bulls in the previous three meetings by a combined score of 98-3. The Bulls had dropped their first two games in 2000 in lopsided fashion to BIG EAST foes Syracuse and Rutgers and entered the game with UConn excited to open their home schedule and exact some revenge on UConn and the BIG EAST. The teams battled through the first half and the Bulls were able to scratch out a 13-10 halftime edge, their first lead at halftime since the 1998 season. UConn burst out of the gate in the third quarter and with nine minutes left in the contest, held a 24-13 advantage. With the game seemingly in hand, the Husky letdown hit full force. UConn had a pair of punts blocked in the final five minutes and needed a pair of huge defensive plays to escape with the 24-21 win. Junior Jamie Lenkaitis made a big interception to stop one Buffalo drive and senior Ronel Jumpps sack in the final minute forced the Bulls to attempt a 58-yard field goal as time expired that fell well short and gave UConn the win.
With the win moving their record to 2-1, UConn returned home for a match-up with another familiar foe, former A10 rival Northeastern. The Family Weekend contest would be UConns second straight advance sellout and the attendance of 16,549 would be second in school history only to the opening night crowd vs. Colgate. Unfortunately the excitement did not help UConn sustain the momentum of two straight wins in dropping a disappointing 35-27 decision to Northeastern. Things looked good when UConn headed to the locker room with a 27-15 advantage, but Northeastern used a solid running game and a defensive touchdown to take the lead and keep UConn off the board in the second half. Tracey was again effective for Connecticut, hitting the 300-yard mark and find senior John Fitzsimmons for a pair of TD passes. Sophomore Jamal Lundy totaled a career-best 17 tackles, while sophomore Razul Wallace made 15 stops.
Adding injury to insult, UConn lost starting middle linebacker Jamie Lenkaitis in the contest vs. Northeastern with a torn right MCL, making Lenkaitis the third Husky starter on defense to be lost for the season. Sophomore wideout Wes Timko then suffered a broken right hand in the week of practice following the Northeastern game, giving the offense its first lost starter of the season.
With a 2-2 mark, UConn headed into its toughest stretch of the season looking to measure itself against a pair of bowl teams from the 1999 season. The first stop was Louisville and the Cardinals entered the game as prohibitive favorites. As the Huskies showed a year earlier in their game at Kentucky, this game would not play out quite as the experts had imagined and certainly not to the liking of the 38,121 on hand at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium. UConn and Louisville tripped through a penalty-filled first half, the teams combining for 22 flags, and Louisville needed a 51- yard field goal at the halftime horn to hold a slim 10-9 lead.
The Huskies got a 44-yard FG from sophomore kicker Geoff Heyl and another connection between Tracey and Fitzsimmons, their seventh TD hookup. The hometown fans were restless, but the Cardinals used a 17-point third quarter burst to put a little distance between themselves and the pesky visitors. UConn would not go away, scoring a pair of fourth quarter TDs and only a late Louisville TD would provide the somewhat deceptive 41-22 final margin. Tracey went over the 300-yard mark for the fourth time in five games, hitting Fitzsimmons, junior Rashad Drayton and junior Ayo Sorrells on TD passes. Wilkins was again a bear on defense, registering a sack and an interception to lead the defensive effort.
The second part of UConns trip against 1999 bowl teams would not go as well. Boston College jumped all over a pair of Tracey first quarter interceptions and turned them and the momentum into a 41-3 halftime edge. Tracey and the Husky offense never got rolling and the Eagles never stopped rolling, scoring on five of its six first half possessions. Junior Steve OConnor was a bright spot for the Huskies, catching nine passes for 129 yards, both career- highs, and Heyl kicked a career-best 48-yarder for the lone UConn points of the day. The loss dropped the Huskies mark on the season to 2-4 heading into their bye week.
With a week off to lick their wounds, the Huskies headed to Akron looking to get back on the winning track. The task was a daunting one and Akron entered the contest as the prohibitive favorite. The Zips jumped all over the underdog Huskies and took a 14-0 first quarter lead. But Connecticut settled down and a pair of Taber Small TDs tied the score at 14-14. The teams traded scores over the next two quarters and the game headed into the fourth quarter with Akron holding a 28-21 advantage. UConn bounced off the mat with a pair of scores to take the lead. Ryan Tracey scored from two yards out to tie the score and then the UConn special teams forced a fumble by the Akron punter. The excellent field position turned into a UConn TD pass from Tracey to Steve OConnor and the Huskies had the lead. Akron responded with a game-tying TD, but the Zips left Tracey and the UConn offense plenty of time. Freshman Evan Benson came in for the injured Small and gained 51 of his 70 rushing yards in the fourth quarter, including several big runs on the game-deciding drive. He carried the ball the final 39 yards of the game and kicker Geoff Heyl kicked the ball 30 yards more at the buzzer, helped by a tremendous hold by junior Luke Richmond, and the Huskies left town with a stunning and improbable 38-35 win over the Zips.
UConn returned home for the first time in a month, ready for a match-up with the Bulls of South Florida on homecoming in Storrs. The contest matched a pair of fledgling I-A programs on this blustery day, but that would turn out to be a mere footnote for Husky fans. UConn trailed 7-3 in the final minute of the first half when Ryan Tracey dropped back to throw for what would turn out to be the final time in 2000. A South Florida defender fell awkwardly into Traceys left knee, leading to a tear of both the ACL and MCL in that knee and signalling the end of his banner season. UConn came out of halftime and with the wind at its back scored ten points to take a 13-7 lead into the fourth quarter, led by Benson, who finished the day with 119 yards and a TD on the ground. But when the teams changed ends for the fourth quarter, USF was able to take advantage for a pair of scores and a 21-13 win.
With Luke Richmond now under center for the Huskies, the squad readied for a match-up with the high-powered offense of Middle Tennessee. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Richmonds stint as starter would not last long. He suffered a thumb injury on his throwing hand in the second quarter and would not return. Adding insult to injury, the Blue Raiders scored on their first seven possessions and rolled to the convincing win. John Fitzsimmons totaled 108 receiving yards and a touchdown, while third string quarterback Chris Willis completed 16-of-26 passes for 163 yards in his first substantial action as a Husky.
Willis would get his first career start at quarterback as the Huskies finished up their home schedule with a match- up against Rhode Island. A banged up Husky squad would face a 13-0 halftime deficit and the prospect of trying to come back with a quarterback woozy from a hit right before the half. Willis actually suffered a concussion on the final play of the half and would play through the entire second half with it. He finished 20-of-28 for 168 yards and a TD, but also threw two crucial interceptions. Trailing 26-14 with under four minutes left, UConn valiantly attempted a comeback, sparked by sophomore Chuck Freelands blocked punt and freshman Terrance Smiths return of that block for a TD. But the Husky comeback fell short when URI was successful on a fourth-and-three run and proceeded to run out the clock.
The 2000 season finale saw the Huskies travel to Muncie, IN for a game against Ball State University another much- improved team out of the Mid-American Conference. Luke Richmond started the contest for the Huskies, despite a badly injured thumb on his throwing hand. Richmond battled for nearly two quarters, but was unable to continue. Chris Willis played the remainder of the game and threw for 213 yards on 17-of-28 passing. Steve OConnor caught five passes for 74 yards, finishing his impressive campaign in good fashion. The Husky defense received valiant efforts from the quartet of Razul Wallace (14 tackles), Uyi Osunde (13 tackles), Jamal Lundy (11 tackles) and Jamar Wilkins (10 tackles, 1 sack), but was unable to hold off the relentless Cardinal running attack, dropping a 29-0 decision.
With the conclusion of the season saw the final appearances in a Husky uniform for 13 seniors on the 2000 squad. Placekicker Jeff Cammuso is a three-year letterwinner who kicked in 19 games for the Huskies in his career. Offensive lineman Mark Campoli was a two-year letterwinner who started 21 of his 22 appearances at Connecticut.
Nick Cannon is a former letterwinner on the offensive line who spent the past two seasons as a student assistant coach. Offensive lineman Steve Darby earned three letters as a Husky, starting 14 of the 33 games he played in and earned 1999 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Star recognition.
Dan Deignan played in all 46 games in his career at tight end and was voted as the 2000 team captain in a vote of his teammates before the season finale. Offensive lineman Corey Derfuss started 34 of his 46 career appearances, playing center, left guard, right guard and long snapping during his tenure.
John Fitzsimmons was a four-year letterwinner who is No. 2 in the UConn career record books for touchdown catches (23) and receiving yardage (2,841) and holds the UConn record with 36 consecutive games with a reception. Ronel Jumpp played in all 46 games in his Husky career on the defensive line, totaling seven sacks and 23 tackles for a loss, fourth all-time at UConn.
Bill Neumann was a two-year letterwinner who appeared in 20 games in his Husky career as a key special teams performer. Luke Richmond was a three-year letterwinner at quarterback, playing in 22 games and starting four. Linebacker Brandon Smith was a two-year letterwinner who missed the 2000 season due to a concussion. He was a Football News magazine 2000 Pre-Season Division I-A All-Independent team selection. Ryan Timko was a four-year letterwinner who played in 37 career contests on the defensive line, starting 14. Jamar Wilkins finishes his four-year Husky career as the all-time leader in tackles for a loss with 31 and totaled 270 tackles in his 45 games played.
