Casey Cochran Gets the Nod at QB for UConn

Casey Cochran gave the UConn Huskies a glimmer of hope to end last season and he’ll get a chance to build on that in 2014.

First-year UConn coach Bob Diaco announced Monday evening that the redshirt sophomore will be the starting quarterback for the Huskies when they open the season on Friday, Aug. 29 against BYU at Rentschler Field. Redshirt senior Chandler Whitmer is the the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart.

“This was a long hard choice,” Diaco said. “It was an incredible and fierce battle dating all the way back to winter conditioning. Winter conditioning went into the process of the evaluation. Spring football went into the process of the evaluation, summer conditioning and then camp. Nothing was left out.”

Cochran played in eight games 2013, including starts in the final four games of the season. Cochran went 3-1 in those four starts and helped build some optimism after the Huskies started the year 0-9 and dismissed coach Paul Pasquloni. Cochran finished the season 111-for-175 for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. He added one rushing TD and set the UConn single-game record for passing yards with 461 against Memphis (Dec. 7).

Cochran was 36-of-54 with four touchdowns in that game, finishing with the second-most completions and third-most attempts in a game in UConn history.

“It’s been an unbelievable nine months since Coach got here,” said Cochran. “We have put in so much work as a team – especially in these last two weeks. We have a solid set of guys in the quarterback room. We have a lot of experience in the room and within the competition. We were all with each other and we stood together and we will help each other along and continue to do that.”

While Cochran got the nod to be the started, Diaco certainly left the door open for Whitmer to see plenty of action. Whitmer started all 12 games for UConn in 2012 and started the first four games of the 2013 season before being replaced by freshman Tim Boyle. Whitmer has thrown for 3,560 career yards as a Husky and 14 touchdowns.

“Casey Cochran will be the starter for the fall 2014 and I say that specifically because I have said this before in the past in here. We have key starters, starters, key backups, backups and squad men. Those are our evaluation levels,” Diaco said. “We do not have a key starter at the quarterback position. We have a starter and a key backup.”

Diaco went as far as to say he considers Whitmer better physically, although Cochran has closed the gap in that area. One thing Cochran has shown so far in Storrs is an attitude and belief in himself that carries over to his teammates and that was the difference when the decision on a started needed to be made.

“Casey has improved his physical traits to try to catch up the physical traits of Chandler Whitmer. Chandler is still better in those areas. In terms of just being a player and what that means, you would have to give the edge to Chandler,” Diaco said. “In the intangible area, leading, communicating, mobilizing energy, creating unit power and team power over the course of time, Casey Cochran has edged out Chandler in that area. It is an exceptional trait that Casey has.”

UConn has two other quarterbacks in sophomore Tim Boyle, who started four games last year, and redshirt freshman Bryanst Shirreffs, a transfer from North Carolina State, who will sit out this season due to NCAA rules. If all goes according to plan, it appears that Boyle will get a redshirt year and a chance to further develop.

“I appreciate what the coaches are doing in trying to protect me. I am here to help Chandler and Casey prepare for games, and help them improve their game so they can perform on Saturday,” Boyle said. “I have my role this year and I am 100 percent ready to do it. I respect these guys and will push them from week to week.”

With the quarterback situation settled, the Huskies can now fully prepare for a season-opening three-game home stand. BYU will be a tough test before Stony Brook visits on Sept. 6. The Huskies will then get a chance to see where they really stand on Sept.13 when Boise State comes to town.