McEntee the future of Husky offense

Rooting for UConn football is two parts crushing disappointment and one part optimism for the future.

Last year, for instance, UConn knocked off the Big East's BCS representative at home; they then cornered the markets on interceptions, dumb turnovers and special teams mistakes in games against North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and so on.

As always, though, April is the time for unbridled optimism. Saturday, The Huskies put a newish offense on display in the Blue-White Spring Game. And given the circumstances (and limitations) of spring football, they performed well, according to the delightfully esoteric Modified Edsall Scoring System.

That said, it became quickly clear that the battle between starting quarterbacks-to-be, Cody Endres and Zach Frazer was a dud. Neither was all that impressive Saturday, though they both had high points.

Endres was decent in the first quarter, but finished 9-for-19 for 68 yards; Frazer was shaky early, but picked it up to finish 13-for-22 for 115 yards and a nifty TD pass to Marcus Easley. Both quarterbacks - facing no threat of being hit by large gentlemen on the defensive line - overthrew wide-open receivers with frightening regularity.

Decent. Nothing earth-shattering. Pretty much what we've come to expect from UConn quarterbacks. Given April's status as the month of optimism, I spent some time Saturday trying to figure out exactly how I would rationalize another year of inconsistent play under center.

"Man, that Jordan Todman's pretty good … offensive line looks pretty strong … Hey, look - Desi Cullen hit a couple of field goals!"

And then, in a flash of light, the answer to all of our hopes and dreams stepped onto the turf at Rentschler Field. The alleged crowd of 7,000 didn't take much notice. Neither did I. But Johnny McEntee had arrived.

Suddenly, as the second half began, competence flooded the field. McEntee, a walk-on from Fullerton, Calif., took the snap, dropped back, passed the ball to the area in which a wide receiver would eventually be. The wide receiver caught it.

On another occasion, McEntee performed the same routine. The receiver, freshman Gerrard Sheppard, ran toward the middle of the field a staggering 25 yards from the line of scrimmage. Where in past years, UConn quarterbacks might have shied away from such brash attempts at defying the football gods, McEntee was not deterred. He fired the ball over the middle of the field, toward Sheppard, and away from the defensive back covering him.

A catch. A glorious, glorious catch. I nearly teared up. Even in my wildest dreams, I would have never pegged a UConn quarterback for such proficiency. Four years of youthful, inexperienced and handcuffed play from that position had left me numb to the possibilities.

McEntee hit Easley on a neatly-timed hook route near the sideline. First down. Shortly after that, a deep, accurate long ball from McEntee to Easley would have been the highlight of the day, season and century for me, had it not been interrupted by a defensive pass interference penalty.

And finally, just in case my eyes were not yet convinced, McEntee launched a gorgeous ball over the shoulder of Easley in the end zone. Touchdown. At 30 yards, this would have been one of the 10 longest passes completed by a UConn quarterback last season, and the second-longest touchdown pass.

By that point, I was considering founding a new religion based on McEntee's play (I'd never do that, though - way too expensive to build a church). All I have been asking for is a UConn quarterback that can identify UConn receivers, target them, calculate the approximate distance and trajectory they will need for a throw, and then execute that calculation.

I know it's possible. I've seen people do it before - people like West Virginia's Pat White, Baylor's Robert Griffin and Pittsburgh's Bill Stull. Saturday, Johnny McEntee made me believe that one day, UConn might pass for more yards per game than Western Kentucky.

Now, here's where you come in and burst my bubble with your caveats. This performance came in the spring game, against the second- and third-team defense, while McEntee wore the red jersey of non-contact.

McEntee is likely not in contention for the starter's job, as the Frazer-Endres battle will continue for a little while. So what? I'm very easy to please. Show me that somewhere on UConn's roster, there is a quarterback who can get the ball to his receivers, and I'm happy.

If everyone is complaining about the passing game in September again, I can offer solutions. Because Saturday, I saw the light. Now, if UConn could just fix their punt protection scheme.