UConn's football season ended on December 3 with a loss to Cincinnati. There wasn't much to talk about for the next month or so, but in the few weeks since, the team has added transfers at key positions and now that the 2011 college football season is officially over, we can all look to spring practice and 2012.
Based on just how important he was in the fall, running back Lyle McCombs will continue to be a big part of the Huskies' offense next season. Fans have known this for some time. On Tuesday, the Football Writers Association of America recognized McCombs for his contributions by naming him to the Freshman All-American Team.
The Staten Island, New York native rushed for 1,115 yards on 275 carries (4.2 YPC) and seven touchdowns. The team's second-best rusher? Freshman quarterback Scott McCummings (74 carries, 285 yards), which reinforces just how important McCombs was to the Huskies' running game. His 1,115 total was the ninth highest in school history, and No. 2 all-time for freshman.
Nationally, he ranked 29th and second in the Big East. McCombs, also named second-team all conference, was one of two running backs on the Freshman All-American squad along with UNC's Giovani Bernard. McCombs was also the nation's second-leading freshman rusher, trailing Bernard by 0.4 yards per game.
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Other Huskies receive honors
Via UConnHuskies.com:
Senior defensive tackle Kendall Reyes (Nashua, N.H.) and senior kicker Dave Teggart (Northborough, Mass.) have both been named to the 2011 ECAC Division I Football Bowl Subdivision All-Star team.
Reyes was a First Team All-BIG EAST Conference pick for the second time in a row this season. He started 41 games during his UConn career and was third on the UConn team with 13.5 tackles for loss while making 46 total tackles in 2011. For his career, he had 32.5 tackles for a loss - tenth in school history.
Teggart was also a First Team All-BIG EAST pick. Teggart was a four-year standout and holds the UConn career records for field goals (74), extra points (128) and points (350). Teggart kicked a field goal in 22 of his final 25 collegiate games and had multiple field goals in eight games this year and had 11 career games with three or more field goals.
In November, we wrote that Reyes was UConn's best NFL prospect. That hasn't changed. At the time, he was considered a first- or second-round pick. That too hasn't changed (though it seems that at this early stage of the process he's more likely to go in Round 2 than Round 1).
But there's still much sort out -- there's the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine, individual workouts and pro days, team visits and then, at the end of April, the draft. The next few months could be busier for Reyes than his final college season.
