Storrs — Kevin Mensah tried to console a distraught Donevin O'Reilly on Monday. But there was little he could do for his UConn backfield teammate and roommate.

O'Reilly broke down and cried after learning that he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during football practice that day, ending his season.

It was a heartbreaking scene inside the Burton Family Football Complex hallway.

"I felt that," Mensah said after Wednesday's indoor practice. "I'm talking to him and I'm making sure that he's all right and has the right positive mind and everything. He's going to get back better and stronger."

It's a tough loss for the Huskies.

O'Reilly, a redshirt junior running back from Glastonbury, is one of the feel-good stories on the team. Through hard work and determination, he went from walk-on status to recently earning a scholarship.

After appearing in just two games last year, O'Reilly fought his way into contention for a starting spot in the backfield. He got the coaching staff's attention by rushing for a Spring Game-best 130 yards in April.

The knee injury happened during a non-contact drill.

"These are the things that you hate," coach Randy Edsall said. "The other day at practice, we were doing a special teams drill. It was a non-contact drill and he tore his ACL. He's going to have surgery on Friday. That's the stuff as a coach, it's like, 'why?'"

"That kid put so much into it and has worked extremely hard. He was really the No. 1 tailback. To see him go down, I just feel for him. As you can imagine, he was heartbroken. But I told him, sometimes we don't have answers for why things like that happen. He'll just come back stronger and he'll have a role on this team and help us and do everything that he can even though he won't be on the field for us."

Depth is starting to become a concern at running back. The Huskies also lost last year's starter Nate Hopkins, who elected to leave the program earlier this month. Last season, Hopkins led the team in rushing touchdowns with seven and ranked second in rushing yards at 343.

In reaction to O'Reilly's injury, Edsall moved freshman Lavarey Banton from linebacker to running back. Banton played on both sides of the ball at Hartford Public High School, rushing for 1,359 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season.

"Other guys just have to step up," Edsall said. "The young kids and everybody else just have to be ready to play."

The bulk of the first-team carries will likely go to Mensah, the top returning rusher, and red-shirt freshman Zavier Scott, who's impressed during camp.

Mensah has made progress since the spring when academic issues put him in Edsall's doghouse and forced him to miss practice time. He called the punishment a wake-up call and life lesson.

It made him realize that he had to grow up.

"I'm working my way back up and trying to get on the coach's good side and everything," Mensah said. "... I didn't take it personal. It's just something that you learn and that you've got to work your way back up. You've just got to find the right priorities. I'm just trying to have the right positive mindset in camp and trying to do what I can do for this team."

Edsall has seen some growth in Mensah, a sophomore.

"I see a more mature guy and a guy that really understands the running back position better," Edsall said. "Kevin is a young man who really wants to get better and he tries very, very hard every day to be the best he can."

As far as Wednesday's workout, the Huskies had a productive day.

"We got a lot of stuff done," Edsall said. "We had a good practice in terms of the number of situations we were able to get in and some of the things that we wanted to stress both sides of the ball with. I thought that was good. It's been a long week for these guys."

g.keefe@theday.com