Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky (8) passes during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, in Detroit. (Rick Osentoski/AP)
Quarterback Dan Orvlosky made his season debut this week in the third quarter of the Detroit Lions 42-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. With the game already out of hand and Detroit on their way to an 0-5 record, starter Matt Stafford was pulled in favor of Orvlosky.
Coming into bleak circumstances, Orvlosky went 21/38, throwing for 191 yards and one touchdown as well as one interception. He finished the game with a quarterback rating (QBR) of 50.8.
Despite the benching Stafford, Orvlosky isn’t likely to start in the team’s next game. The Bridgeport native was a fifth-round selection of the Lions in the 2005 NFL Draft and has bounced around with between the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his 11th season in the league, he is the longest-tenured Husky in the NFL. During his time at UConn, he’s renowned for his role in the Husky’s transition to Division I football.
Elsewhere on offense, wide receiver Nick Williams had one reception for 13 yards as well as four targets in the Atlanta Falcons 25-19 overtime victory against the Washington Redskins. New York Giants rookie Geremy Davis had one reception for 16 yards in their 30-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Defensively, linebacker Sio Moore had probably his best game of the year for Indianapolis Colts with four tackles including one tackle for a loss. Cornerback Darius Butler also had one tackle for the Colts in their Thursday night 27-20 win against the Texans.
Defensive back Tyvon Branch had a good game for the Kansas City Chiefs with three tackles as well as two pass deflections in an 18-17 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Linebacker Danny Lansanah and defensive back Dwayne Gratz squared off Sunday when the Buccaneers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 38-31. Lansanah was impressive with nine tackles for Tampa, while Gratz turned in a more modest two-tackle game for Jacksonville.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson turned in only one tackle from his cornerback spot for the Tennessee Titans as they lost to the Buffalo Bills 14-13.
Rookie corner back Byron Jones had his hands full after being tasked to cover Rob Gronkowski for much of the Dallas Cowboys 30-6 loss against the New England Patriots. Jones contributed five tackles while holding Gronkowski to 68 yards receiving and zero touchdowns, his worst performance of the year so far.
Kendall Reyes was the last Husky to see action, recording two solo tackles in a tough 24-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night.
Matt Barresi is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at matthew.barresi@uconn.edu.
