Spring Break
The Daily OrangeLindsey Witten has been waiting for his chance to shine
By Ryan Marfurt
Posted: 11/4/09, 2:37 AM EST Section: Sports
Lindsey Witten has been waiting for his chance to shine.
For the past three years, the senior defensive end has sat behind the powerful combination of Cody Brown and Julius Williams on the Connecticut D-line, hoping that he would eventually get his turn.
Brown and Williams can now be found on NFL rosters. Meanwhile, Witten is making the most of his opportunity to make a name for himself on the collegiate level.
"When I came in, I knew that I was going to be behind Cody Brown," Witten said. "I had no problem with that, and I learned a lot from those days. I put a lot of things that I learned from him and Julius into my own repertoire."
With Brown and Williams now in the pros, Witten has become the Huskies' starting defensive end this year. Through just eight games this year, he has already accumulated 10.5 sacks. He leads the Big East and places him in a three-way tie for second in the country.
Not bad for a guy that had little experience when the season began.
Despite the fact that this is Witten's first year as a full-time starter, he saw some starting time as a freshman, when Brown broke his arm midseason. Witten started six games that year and registered 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss on the season.
But over the course of the next two years, Witten made just two more starts, only getting spot duty filling in for Brown and Williams.
"It wasn't aggravating for me, but I did get a lot of questions from my family and friends," Witten said. "I knew I had to get better and work on some of the parts of my game that weren't so well. That's what I worked on, and I'm getting the chance right now to show what I'm capable of doing."
Witten is the only Connecticut defensive end that has starting experience prior to this year, and he has shown his worth with his play so far this season.
"This is really the first year that he has been a full time starter, and Lindsey is a leader by example more than anything," Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall said. "He is doing the best that he can, and he is a guy who is basically more of a leader by how he plays on the field. He is not a real vocal guy."
For the past three years, the senior defensive end has sat behind the powerful combination of Cody Brown and Julius Williams on the Connecticut D-line, hoping that he would eventually get his turn.
Brown and Williams can now be found on NFL rosters. Meanwhile, Witten is making the most of his opportunity to make a name for himself on the collegiate level.
"When I came in, I knew that I was going to be behind Cody Brown," Witten said. "I had no problem with that, and I learned a lot from those days. I put a lot of things that I learned from him and Julius into my own repertoire."
With Brown and Williams now in the pros, Witten has become the Huskies' starting defensive end this year. Through just eight games this year, he has already accumulated 10.5 sacks. He leads the Big East and places him in a three-way tie for second in the country.
Not bad for a guy that had little experience when the season began.
Despite the fact that this is Witten's first year as a full-time starter, he saw some starting time as a freshman, when Brown broke his arm midseason. Witten started six games that year and registered 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss on the season.
But over the course of the next two years, Witten made just two more starts, only getting spot duty filling in for Brown and Williams.
"It wasn't aggravating for me, but I did get a lot of questions from my family and friends," Witten said. "I knew I had to get better and work on some of the parts of my game that weren't so well. That's what I worked on, and I'm getting the chance right now to show what I'm capable of doing."
Witten is the only Connecticut defensive end that has starting experience prior to this year, and he has shown his worth with his play so far this season.
"This is really the first year that he has been a full time starter, and Lindsey is a leader by example more than anything," Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall said. "He is doing the best that he can, and he is a guy who is basically more of a leader by how he plays on the field. He is not a real vocal guy."
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