UConn placekicker is displaced

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, October 23, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

When you think about it, Tony Ciaravino has nothing to kick about.

Going 9 for 15 would be cause for applause if he were a third baseman or outfielder in a Connecticut Huskie uniform. Unfortunately, Ciaravino is a placekicker -- and, as of this week, a displaced one.

The last straw for UConn coach Randy Edsall was Ciaravino's 3-for-4 (three misses, that is) performance in a 12-10 loss to Rutgers. With the Scarlet Knights swarming over Huskie running back Donald Brown and new quarterback Zach Frazer feeling his way, the Huskies needed a steady barrage of field goals. It didn't happen, so redshirt freshman David Teggart will take over against Cincinnati at home on Satruday.

Ciaravino didn't appear to suffer from a specific mechanical problem against Rutgers, missing wide left once and hitting the right upright on two other occasions. In all fairness, a foot to the left on the last two kicks, and the senior from Boca Raton, Fla., would have left the field a hero.

After four years in the pressure cooker, Ciavarino probably knows the drill -- you're only as good as your last kick. Last season, he was 22 of 27. Which was nice, people say, but what have you done for us this year?

"It would be no different than any other position," Edsall said when announcing the change.

Well, maybe. But nowhere else is the failure to produce so glaring.

As for Teggart, he was 18 for 24 as a senior field goal kicker at Algonquin Regional High in Northborough, Mass.

He also hit .458 on the baseball team.

Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (1)

About Darrell Laurant

...Sorry, Darrell Laurant's bio is currently not available. Please check back soon!
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report