University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Central Connecticut
Huskies Face CCSU With New Starter At QB
9/2/2022 12:03:00 AM | Football
Home Opener On Saturday
UConn Athletic Communications / Sept. 2, 2022
TV: CW20, fox61.com, Fox61 News app, Fox61+ (Amazon Fire, Roku)
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield - ESPN 97.9
Live Stats: UConn.StatBroadcast.com
STORRS – There's no question that Zion Turner will feel much differently going into the second game of his college football career than he did going into his first.
As the UConn football team opened its season last Saturday at Utah State, the freshman quarterback was set to play a reserve role on the sidelines as redshirt sophomore Ta'Quan Roberson took control of the Huskies' offense.
Just 10 offensive plays later, Roberson was out with a knee injury and Turner was unexpectedly thrown into the fire of FBS football competition. It wasn't the easiest way to make a college debut.
After a 31-20 loss to Utah State which was a four-point game until the final 6:00, it promises to be a different Zion Turner who leads the Huskies (0-1) Â into their home opener Saturday (noon) against intrastate opponent Central Connecticut State University (0-0) at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.
The game can be seen on linear channel CW20 or streamed on fox61.com or the FOX61 News app. It will also be available on Fox61+ through Amazon Fire TV or Roku.
"When you know you're going to play, the feeling is different," Turner said.
It's not as if Turner was overwhelmed when he took over for the injured Roberson, even though his first pass resulted in an interception. His second pass was a 13-yard touchdown toss to Keelan Marion. For the game, the freshman completed 12 of 31 passes for 109 yards and two interceptions.
"Obviously, it was an up-and-down performance," offensive coordinator Nick Charlton said, "but Zion handled the operation really well and kept us in the game."
However, the performance was not up to Turner's personal standards.
"I definitely was upset after the first game," Turner said. "Certain things didn't go our way and I definitely could have played way better. I know what I'm capable of and I know all the mistakes that I made. The situation doesn't really matter to me – if I get on the field as a quarterback, I have to do my job."
The Huskies had plenty of positive performances to build on. Sophomore running back Nate Carter rushed for a career-high 190 yards, sophomore Aaron Turner caught five passes for 32 yards, sophomore placekicker Noe Ruelas had successful field goals of 47 and 54 yards, junior linebacker Jackson Mitchell had 16 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
After a full week of preparation as the starting quarterback, Turner is looking forward to an improved performance against Central. He clearly has an impressive resume to lean on, leading powerhouse high school program St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla,) to three state championships.
"Zion has played big-time ball with great players and against some great competition," Charlton said. "He's very coachable. He knows the mistakes that he makes as he's making them and he corrects them right after. He wants to get better. He's had strong days of practice this week."
The freshman quarterback is confident in his abilities.
"Last week, I wasn't taking a lot of reps," he said. "Now, I got to rep a lot of the plays we're going to run. It means getting comfortable with my reads, knowing where my outlets are, where I can go with the ball. It means being on the same page as my coaches, knowing how we want to attack the defense. That should help us a lot.
"As a quarterback, I'm very decisive. I can use my feet to extend plays. I have a strong arm. I can get the ball where I need to. As far as decision-making, once I'm comfortable with the offense, I can play freely. I don't have doubts in my head. I can do anything I put my mind to. The only person who can stop me is me."
UConn head coach Jim Mora said his team was disappointed after its season-opening loss, but not discouraged. Despite losing his starting quarterback and to of his top receivers – Marion and Cam Ross – to injury, it hasn't dampened his optimism.
"Thought our effort was good at times and not good at times," Mora said. "We have to have relentless effort on every play. The guys have bounced back very well and practice has gone well. Â
"This week, Zion will have a more complete understanding of the game plan because he has had so many more reps. But he is very smart, very mature and he handles his emotions well. He takes things seriously and he's a winner – all the intangibles you want in your quarterback."
It will be the fourth time UConn and Central have met on the football field, with UConn holding a 3-0 edge, including a 54-9 win the last time the two team met in 1995. The Blue Devils are coming off a 4-7 season in 2021, and will be led by returning quarterback Romelo Williams, who threw for 1,452 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
