Coach Paul Pasqualoni heads into Saturday night's matchup with Michigan sounding optimistic that a handful of injured starters will be able to suit up. Wide receiver Shakim Phillips (hamstring), tackle Kevin Friend (ankle), and linebacker Graham Stewart (ankle) are all listed as questionable. The good news: There's a 50 percent chance they won't play. The bad news: There's a 50 percent chance they won't play.
"They're moving around," Pasqualoni said via the Hartford Courant. "Kevin's moving a little better, Shak's moving a little better, Graham is coming along. … Considering that we've got all day Saturday, we have our meetings and all that. We'll get a real good evaluation of them by Saturday game time. … We're working those guys. It's just a matter of how we get them [ready], what they can get ready to do by Saturday."
If Phillips can't go, not only would the offense be without its most explosive playmaker, but he would also be replaced in the lineup by redshirt freshman John Green. Whatever happens, and whomever is on the field, the bottom line remains the same: The Huskies have to play better. It sounds obvious, but through two games -- both losses -- we haven't seen many signs of life from this team.
"I really think what we need to do is be more consistent," senior guard Steve Greene told the Courant. "It's as simple as that. We show great things at times and there are times when we just look, you know, bad. I've said before the thing about offense is you need all 11. You sit down and watch film and we just haven't had that. We have one guy with a breakdown here, another guy with a breakdown there. It's not necessarily one guy all the time. When we need consistent play out of everybody, consistently, we're just not getting it.
"For example, in the run game, say, if all four guys get their blocks and I happen to miss mine, we're not going anywhere. That's what we need to get fixed and that's why I say the biggest thing is consistency. … We've got to get there."
