UConn QB Deshon Foxx (4) fakes the handoff to RB Ron Johnson (3) against Army at Yankee Stadium on November 8, 2014.

Not only does he have a great football acumen, UConn Huskies RB Ron Johnson gets it.

What do I mean by that? He understands the importance of the football family, his brothers on and off the field.

With three games left in the season, the UConn seniors won’t be going to a bowl game. In fact, unless they are a fifth-year senior, they haven’t gone to a bowl game.

So what does Johnson want to see over the final three games besides his own as well as the team’s development? Getting some wins for the seniors, the guys he and other younger players look up to.

Watch and/or listen below as Johnson talks about winning for the seniors.

photo credit: ian bethune

Tim Boyle (14) completes a passing drill during UConn’s preseason practice.

No offense to UConn Huskies QB Chandler Whitmer, who is a great guy, but it is time for head coach Bob Diaco to turn over the keys to the offense to Tim Boyle.

Why?

Boyle was supposed to spend the season learning the new offensive system while Casey Cochran and Whitmer ran the offense. Cochran’s retirement changed that. Since then, it’s been Whitmer with Boyle backing him up getting a series a game.

If Boyle is the quarterback of the future as Diaco has said repeatedly this season since Cochran retired, then he needs to get more than one series per game. When he does get in, it usually lasts three snaps. In the Army game, he got a season-high six snaps.

Diaco has also said he wants to get everyone reps. He’s done that at other positions with freshman players using up their first year of eligibility. Sure at some positions it was necessary to do.

He’s also stated that it’s not about wins and losses. It’s about development.

So why not let Boyle see what he can do these last three games against two solid opponents in Cincinnati and Memphis as well as SMU and prepare himself for the 2015 season.

It makes the most sense to do that and unless something has changed this week, it will be Whitmer, not Boyle, under center when the Huskies have their first offensive possession at what should be a chilly Rentschler Field tonight.

photo credit: ian bethune

UConn head coach Bob Diaco looks up at a replay during the first quarter against the BYU Cougars on August 29, 2014 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

There’s been a lot of things printed this year that UConn Huskies football coach Bob Diaco has supposedly said. I won’t list them all here because if you’re a fan of the team you’ve heard them.

Basically he’s never said anything about wins and losses. And he never said there was nothing there when he arrived 11 months ago.

You’ve probably also seen the Jeff Jacobs article in the Hartford Courant about what Diaco said in response to a question from the Associated Press. I’ve got no issues with any of that either.

I’ll let you be the judge as you watch and/or listen to Diaco as well QB Chandler Whitmer and WR/QB Deshon Foxx responses to the same question.

My only problem with what Diaco said is that he wants respect. It doesn’t seem to me that he was very respectful when he called the players fat and weak. If he wants their respect, he needs to practice what he preaches.

That being said, I can unequivocally tell you this.

Things will be brighter with UConn Football. I’ve seen the changes since the first spring practice we were allowed to see.

I’ve seen the physical and mental part of their growth. I’ve seen their brotherhood become stronger. The framework is continuing to be put up every day. And each day, they are getting better.

I could list a 105 things that I’ve seen grow. But I don’t have three hours to list them all.

photo credit: ian bethune

UConn’s Brimah shuts down Dayton’s Kendall Pollard on this first-half play at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament, the UConn men play Dayton at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Patrick Raycraft – Hartford Courant)

It was the same story as it was on Thursday.

The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team got out to a fast start, then went cold letting their opponent back in. Then they battled back again and tightened their defense up.

The end result, like Thursday, was UConn winning 75-64 against a different team in the Dayton Flyers to advance to the finals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

The Huskies (3-0) will take on former Big East foe the West Virginia Mountaineers in the finals on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The Flyers (2-1) will play the Boston College Eagles in the consolation game.

The Boat Show, Ryan Boatright led UConn with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Rodney Purvis broke out of the slump he was in dating back to the preseason games with 19 points while freshman Daniel Hamilton had 14 points and five rebounds.

The Block Show, Amida Brimah, had five blocks in the game, including three in one possession, and finished with six points and three rebounds.

Jordan Sibert paced Dayton with 18 points while Dyshawn Pierre had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

photo credit: patrick raycraft – hartford courant

In this episode, Huskies All-Access host Erika Wachter talks with Head Coach Bob Diaco, Redshirt Junior Dominick Manco and media personality Kevin Nathan about UConn’s upcoming matchup with the Cincinnati Bearcats Saturday night.

Amida Brimah (35) and Kentan Facey (12) of UConn keep Charleston’s Anthony Stitt off balance in the first half on Thursday in a first-round game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament

The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team got off a fast start once again only to see their lead dwindle down when they went cold.

However, they would recover behind Daniel Hamilton in the first half and Ryan Boatright and Amida Brimah in the second half as they went on to beat the College of Charleston Cougars 65-57 in the quarterfinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic.

UConn (3-0) moves on to the semifinals where they’ll face the Dayton Flyers Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Charleston will play Texas A&M in the loser’s bracket.

Boatright led the way for the Huskies with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Hamilton added 15 points and five rebounds while Brimah had 14 points and four rebounds.

Rodney Purvis officially made his UConn debut and finished with nine points and a team-high four turnovers.

Anthony Stitt paced Charleston with 17 points while Adjehi Baru had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds before suffering an apparent knee injury late in the game.

Joe Chealey chipped in with 12 points as well with Canyon Barry rounding out the Cougars in double figures with 10 points.

photo credit: patrick raycroft – hartford courant

UConn Huskies football coach Bob Diaco has talked at different parts of the season about what phase the team is in.

At the beginning of the season, they were focused on building for the future, then they moved on to the present.

Now for Diaco and the Huskies, the focal point is the past.

Watch and listen below as Diaco explains what that means:

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma gestures to the bench at Roscoe Maples Pavilion Monday night.

Many out there, including myself, thought that the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team would run the table for the second consecutive season. The Stanford Cardinal had other plans though.

Amber Orrange hit the three that tied the game in regulation and then scored the go-ahead basket in overtime to help the Cardinal to an 88-86 win over the Huskies in front of 5,367 and a nationally televised audience at Maples Pavilion on Monday night.

No. 1 UConn falls to 1-1 while No. 6 Stanford improves to 2-0.

Breanna Stewart paced the Huskies with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. Saniya Chong had a breakout game with 20 points while Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 12 points.

Morgan Tuck rounded out the UConn players in double digits with 11 points before fouling out. Kia Nurse also fouled after scoring nine points. Moriah Jefferson led the way with six assists.

Lili Thompson led Stanford with 24 points while Orrange had 17 points. Bonnie Samuelson added 14 points. Kaylee Johnson led the Cardinal with 13 points to go along with her eight rebounds.

UConn is back in action on Sunday when they open their home slate against the Creighton Blue Jays at Gampel Pavilion.

photo credit: brad horrigan – hartford courant

UConn G #11 Ryan Boatright slams home two of his 24 points against Bryant in the second half at Gampel Pavilion on November 14, 2014.

Here is the intro video that will be played before all home UConn Huskies men’s basketball games at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT and the XL Center in Hartford, CT for the 2014-15 season.

photo credit: ian bethune