The 5 Scariest Defensive Threats UConn Has Yet to Face

For the remaining four conference games for UConn (1-6, 0-4 AAC), and in the spirit of Halloween, the Huskies’ offense is in for a trick or a treat with scary defensive threats left on their schedule.

Even with their best offensive display of the year coming against the conference’s top team in East Carolina, Chandler Whitmer and company have their hands full with some tough defensive units, and here are five individual players that will give the Huskies nightmares before they even take the field.

1. Terrance Plummer – UCF Knights

UConn is already familiar with the 6-foot-1 236-pound linebacker, as UCF not only gave the Huskies their most lopsided loss of the 2013 season, but Plummer also haunted the offense with a tipped pass that turned into an interception and led his team with seven total tackles.
This year, Plummer has recorded 2.5 sacks to match his total from last year’s campaign. Plummer’s dominance against BYU earlier this year earned him multiple Defensive Player of the Week awards as he tallied 17 tackles, 4.5 of them for a loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

2. Tank Jakes – Memphis Tigers

Jakes led the way in our midseason All-AAC team, and for good reason, too. Jakes is tied for the conference lead in sacks with six. Add four forced fumbles and an interception, and you have a possible candidate for the Butkus Award given to the nation’s top linebacker.

Somehow, Jakes was left off the list of semifinalists, but that won’t stop him from putting up career-best numbers and being the one of the most standout defenders in the country. Bronterrious (his real first name) couldn’t lead Memphis to a win in the season finale against UConn last year, but he added five tackles and the Tigers have already surpassed their three wins from last season.

3. Thomas Niles and Jaryl Mamea – UCF Knights

These two are a package deal — like Halloween falling on a Friday this year. This two-headed monster anchors the defensive line for the Knights. Niles and Mamea have combined for nine sacks and 29 total tackles. The duo made our midseason All-AAC team and will be the scariest defensive line pair that UConn will face this season.

Whitmer will have a long day ahead of him with Niles’ pass rushing abilities and Mamea’s 6-foot-1, 283-pound frame will manhandle any offensive lineman the Huskies put in the trenches. Two heads are better than one, and for UConn, it’s a scary matchup.

4. Terrell Hartsfield – Cincinnati Bearcats

Sharing the conference lead for sacks with Tank Jakes is Terrell Hartsfield, a 6-foot-3, 246-pounder whom will be happy to go up against a UConn team he feasted on last season. The Bearcats racked up eight sacks in last year’s contest with Hartsfield accounting for 1.5 of them.

Tim Boyle was under center for the Huskies in that game, but that won’t matter with four or five rushers swarming to the pocket like trick-or-treaters going to the house on the street that hands out the king-size candy bars.

Whether it’s Boyle or Whitmer taking the snaps for UConn, you can mark Hartsfield down for at least one sack and a Halloween hangover for the Husky offensive line.

5. Jacoby Glenn – UCF Knights

This scary good list of defenders wouldn’t be complete without a defensive back. UCF cornerback Jacoby Glenn was selected as the AAC Defensive Player of the Week thanks to his four tackles, an interception and a forced fumble against Temple. Glenn has five interceptions on the team, and will be looking to add on to his stats Saturday when he will cover Geremy Davis who is listed as probable for the contest.

The fourth UCF Knight on the list shows how much of a threat UCF is on defense. UConn will host the Knights in their homecoming game this weekend, and will hope to shake things up in the AAC with a competitive game against another top team in the conference.