East Hartford — UConn coach Randy Edsall did his best to replicate real game conditions on Saturday.

When Michael Tarbutt lined up to attempt a 54-yard field before halftime, Edsall called a timeout just before the snap to try to ice his placekicker.

Then Edsall called another one.

The old Tarbutt might have been rattled.

The new and improved Tarbutt calmly booted it through the uprights. He showed off his mental toughness and strong leg in the annual spring game, going a perfect 3-for-3. He converted one from 43 yards and his 51-yarder closed out a productive day at Rentschler Field.

Edsall put Tarbutt in similar situations during other scrimmages this spring.

"I'm happy that he was able to go and do what he did there, because he didn't do as well during practice," Edsall said. "To come out here, when it is a little bit bigger stage than it was in practice with fans in the stands on this field, it shows me he did something to block things out and execute the way he did.

"Those are the things as a coach, you have to put young men in those situations to get them to respond if you see that they might have a hurdle that they have to overcome. ... He passed the exam today. Now he's got to take what he did today and do it all the time."

Tarbutt struggled at times last fall, converting 12 of 18 field goal attempts. He missed two extra points.

Since the end of the last season, Tarbutt, a redshirt junior, has focused on the mental side of his game.

"I knew I had the leg," he said. "So I was able to do a lot more mental stuff, read a lot of books, listen to a lot of people talk and just use a lot of things. Kind of pick and find what I like about what people said and what people's beliefs are and their mottos."

Tarbutt found a motto that suited him. And he discovered it from a source close to his hometown in Grimsby, Ontario.

"Bet on yourself," Tarbutt said. "That's the one that I want to believe in. ... It's actually the Toronto Raptors, my home NBA team, that's their motto this year. Bet on yourself. I love the idea that regardless of what people think I'm going to bet on myself and put that thing through."

His confidence is much higher than last season, which ended with Tarbutt missing a 36-yard extra point attempt with no time left in a 22-21 loss at Cincinnati. He also booted a career-best 53-yard field goal in that game.

Tarbutt considers last season's misses "learning experiences." He believes his field goal unit can be the best in the country next season.

"You have to put everything in the dust and move on," Tarbutt said. "I use last year as a huge learning experience coming into this season. It's still a brand new me, but at the same time still the same leg.

"You've got to find your true self, and that's what really did. I kind of got beat down and figured out who the real me was, especially after that Cincinnati game. Once you find out who you are, you're able to restart everything from the base up and just try and build a pyramid that is just higher and higher."

Overall, Edsall was pleased his team's performance in the spring game. He pitted first team offense versus first team defense and did the same with the second team.

Saturday was his team's 15th and final workout of the spring.

"All in all, it's a great day," Edsall said. "Great weather and nice turnout. We've been blessed. We haven't had a lot of injuries and didn't get anybody hurt today. We did things the right way. Now what we've got to do, is we've got to have a great summer. We've got to get bigger, faster and stronger and make sure we pay attention to the little things."

News and notes

• Redshirt junior Brian Cespedes of New London started at offensive guard. He's had his most impressive spring since coming to Storrs. "It was a great feeling," he said of earning a spot with the first unit. "I think I definitely took a major leap toward my future." ... First-team quarterback David Pindell (15-for-27, 268 yards, two interceptions) and backup Brandon Bisack (13-for-22, 142 yards) both threw a pair of touchdowns passes. Reserve Jordan McAfee (5-for-11, 17 yards, two interceptions) struggled. ... Tight end Aaron McLean, a converted wide receiver, had a good day, catching two touchdown passes. ... On the ground, Donevin O'Reilly, a redshirt junior from Glastonbury, capped off a strong spring with a game-high 130 yards and two touchdowns. He added a team-high six receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown. ... Quimonei Bell-Hunter returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown.

g.keefe@theday.com