It was a nostalgic day for Westports Sean Mulcahy Saturday as he played his last home game as UConnҒs defensive tackle and tri-captain.
Despite the loss of Mulcahy for most of the fourth quarter due to a recurring injury, the Huskies managed to pull out a last-minute 38-31 win over Rutgers thanks to a bungled Rutgers punt return before a sellout crowd of 40,000 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
UConn tri-captain Sean Mulcahy (center) shows off his home team jersey award with (l. to r.) Westport Staples classmates Bob Lynch and Ben Joseloff, and his mother, Liz. WestportNow.com photo
During pre-game ceremonies, each of the 19 senior players, including Mulcahy, was presented with a mounted home jersey. Mulcahys parents, Liz and John, were on the field with him to share in the moment.
Later. Mulcahy celebrated his last home victory with friends who included Staples classmates Bob Lynch and Ben Joseloff, who were his guests at the game.
Mulcahy took a blow to his already sore shoulder early in the fourth quarter and was forced to sit out the remainder of the game. It was his 37th straight start for the Huskies.
UConn coach Randy Edsall later joked to reporters that Mulcahy was just trying to get out of drills this week.
“He’ll be all right,” Edsall said. “Sean gets hurt late in the game because he doesn’t want to practice inside run on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Mulcahy, who doesn’t mind a joke on occasion, responded in kind.
“Put him in shoulder pads. Let’s see him do inside run,” Mulcahy said.
Teammates said it appeared Mulcahy was hurting much worse than he had after suffering similar “stinger” injuries in the past. He will try and sit out a couple days of practice this week so he can play in the season finale against Wake Forest Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“Hopefully I have enough time to rest,” Mulcahy said. “We’ll see.Ҕ
Meanwhile, there was time to savor the moments of the last home game for these seniors something Edsall had sold to them as a dream when he recruited them as high school seniors four years ago.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a gullible guy, but he’s pretty convincing,” Mulcahy told the Hartford Courant. “I’m a dreamer. I’m definitely a dreamer. I always look for good things to happen in tough situations. It makes sense. You keep moving toward better records, and anything is possible.”
