Dom Amore: Kalieb Osborne got into the end zone more ways than one in UConn debut: ‘Man, he’s crazy’

EAST HARTFORD — For a moment, Kalieb Osborne's combination of confidence, exuberance and sheer athletic ability could have sent the whole UConn football season going the wrong way.

He was on his way to another touchdown, to extend the Huskies' lead to 42 points, when Osborne went airborne, hurdling defender Dhonte Jackson Jr. inside the 5-yard line and launching himself into the end zone.

"I don't know why he did all that, 'cause he was going to walk in and score," running back Cyncir Bowers said. "Kalieb? Man, he's crazy."

The overmatched Lafayette defense offered Osborne a blank canvas to paint his first UConn artwork, and he finished a museum piece Saturday. The Huskies piled up a school record 671 yards o f offense in their 56-7 season-opening rout, and 10 offensive series, a little more than a half of play. Osborne accounted for more than half of the yardage — 90 yards on eight rushes, 265 on 19-for-26 passing and four touchdowns, two through the air, one on the ground and one with his feet in the air.

"He's a tremendous athlete," said coach Jason Candle, a winner in his UConn debut. "Today, he was one of the better ones on the field, if not the best one. Once the ball is snapped, coaching's overrated, once they've got the ball in their hand. … Look, he's a pup, still. He's going to make mistakes, there are going to be some moments when you scratch your head. But there are going to be some other ones where you scratch your head and say, 'Oh, my God, what did I just see?'

"I would prefer he doesn't try to hurdle everybody from the 5-yard line, that's what I'd prefer. We'll get that figured out and fixed, too."

Earlier this week, Candle and the coaching staff made the decision that Osborne, who followed the head coach from Toledo to UConn through the transfer portal, would be the starter. Jake Merklinger, transfer from Tennessee, has a hand injury and was not available to play vs. Lafayette. Tucker McDonald, who has been in the UConn program four years, was the backup, going 6-for-7 for 105 yards and a touchdown in relief.

The going gets much tougher from here, when Maryland brings its Big Ten chops to Rentschler Field next Saturday, but right now this is Kalieb Osborne's show.

"Our coaches put me in the right spot and mindset going into this week and we had a great game plan," he said. "It was really just the preparation, trusting my teammates to be where they're supposed to be and trusting my O-line."

Osborne, 6 feet 4 and 218 pounds, looks like a true dual-threat quarterback, his running and throwing ability both high-level, which is rare. I will reveal that one scout, better known for developing women's basketball talent, attended a practice several months ago and came away talking superlatives about the plays he saw the kid from Toledo making. And how often is Geno Auriemma wrong? He was, in fact, on the sidelines enjoying the proceedings on Saturday.

Back at Waterford Mott High in Pontiac, Mich., in 2022, Osborne once accounted for nine touchdowns in a game, and it wasn't a meaningless rout; his team needed them all to win 77-63.

"That was a crazy experience," Osborne said. "I ain't going to lie, that was probably the craziest high school experience I had with that team. Such a great team. Today, I was just getting the feel of it, first game, first time out there with the new guys, so just playing every play my hardest."

A few months later, in March 2023, he committed to Toledo. After redshirting, he was a backup last season, getting to start the bowl game against Louisville after Candle left for UConn. So he had the most college game experience as UConn's three-man quarterback competition played out. After the first quarter Saturday, it looked like he could produce as many touchdowns as he wanted.

Right out of the opening kickoff, Osborne led the Huskies 75 yards in six plays, out of six different formations, and finished with a 24-yard laser to Javon Brown . His checked down to running back Kenji Christian for an 18-yard catch-and run on the next series to finish a 71-yard drive. He scored on the run before the end of the first quarter, nine yards through a lane about as wide open as wide open gets.

Osborne might've done even more damage before leaving the game, but the Huskies had an 80-yard touchdown called back for a holding penalty, and Osborne, hammered for one of the few times in the pocket, threw an interception. As it was, they scored on seven of 10 possessions with Osborne in the game.

He left the game after touchdown No. 7. The Hurdle.

"Going down the sidelines at the beginning of the drive I had a little run," Osborne said. "(Jackson) got kind of low on me and I stiff-armed him. I was having a lot of fun out there being away from the game for so long, so it was just instincts, I just jumped. I don't know why."

It's hard to take away much from a blowout against an FCS opponent, now that the days in which such teams gave UConn trouble seem like a distant memory. Next week, the defenders will close faster, hit harder, will be more sure-handed in their tackling. Balls will have to be delivered into tighter coverage. Then we will learn a lot more about Jason Candle's Huskies, and the quarterback he chose.

But we do now the sheer talent here could be something special, if Osborne picks his spots a little better. After the last touchdown, teammates joined coaches in telling him to protect himself.

"I was like, 'Bro, come on now, we got a whole season to play," linebacker K'Von Sherman said. "'Don't be leaping like that.' … We've got to get him over to the baseball team, teach him how to slide a little bit."