Football: When Bryant Shirreffs Was Compared to Tim Tebow

Bryant Shirreffs played multiple positions growing up as a football player. It was not until high school he settled on playing quarterback.

There was an issue, though, and it involved the biggest name in college football at the time.

"I had a problem where I was trying to lift too much, trying to be like Tim Tebow," Shirreffs said after throwing for 270 yards in UConn's 22-17 win over Army Saturday afternoon. "For some reason, in high school, I got the No. 15, so everyone was like 'Tebow, Tebow.' Get as big and fast and strong as you can."

That was not the kind of quarterback Shirreffs wanted to be. Tebow was strong and able to destroy teams on the ground, but Shirreffs wanted a healthy combination of running ability and being able to let the ball fly.

"Sometimes you need to lay off the weights a little bit," he said.

Shirreffs was asked if there is a goal-line system UConn fans have not seen yet where he comes out and "Tebows," but the redshirt sophomore said the Huskies would probably send someone else out for that.

The closest Shirreffs will get to "Tebowing" is when the Huskies take the field in victory formation, like they did with about 2:30 to play in Saturday's contest against the Black Knights. If Shirreffs can continue playing like he has in his first two games, it is possible UConn will be able to line up in victory formation several more times this season.

Shirreffs was solid against Army, completing 19 of 25 passes, and he used his feet to get the Huskies a couple big gains. Saturday's performance followed a strong opener against Villanova. The year on the sidelines seems to have been a benefit for the N.C. State transfer, who has UConn fans starting to believe the hype, not to mention believing in a quarterback for the first time in a long time.