Storrs — Injuries come without warning in college football.

One moment you're a sideline spectator chatting with your teammates. The next you're rushed onto the field and thrown into the competitive fire.

UConn sophomore Jeremy Lucien, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound reserve defensive back from Moore Township, Pa., has learned to be ready to answer the call.

He's 100 percent focused on the sidelines both during practices and games, so he'll be prepared when his number is called like it was in the second half of Saturday's 38-3 loss at Indiana.

"Honestly, I feel just as prepared as the starters," Lucien said on Tuesday. "Even though we don't get as many physical reps during practice, we're still completely locked in on the sidelines. We get the exact same plays, so we'll see what the (starters) will be getting so we're ready to go by the time we get in. And we're all in shape, so, physically it's fine. Mentally, we're always locked in on the sidelines."

Coach Randy Edsall was forced to turn to some reserves on defense when linebacker D.J. Morgan, safety Tyler Coyle and cornerback Tahj Herring-Wilson all left the Indiana game due to injuries. All three starters are expected to play in UConn's American Athletic Conference opener at No. 22 Central Florida (3-1) in Orlando on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN2).

After starting four games last season and appearing in nine, Lucien is well prepared to fill in on short notice. He's adjusted to the speed of the game and can lean on his experience.

"Coming in, I don't get those same butterflies that I did last year," Lucien said. "I'm more ready and raring to go. Just in general, I'm always ready to go. The first play of the game, if somebody gets hurt or something like that — knock on wood — I can be up right now. I've just got to stay ready at all times."

How does he stay ready during the game?

Lucien, who attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, closely pays attention during a defensive series and talks with his fellow reserve defensive backs. They chat about the opposing quarterback's tendencies. The reserves ask the starters questions when they come off the field. They also soak up what the coaches tell them.

He thinks about what he would do on any given play.

"Who am I going to be covering?" Lucien said. "Where would I line up on this play? I would look at the formation because we go over different formations during the week and what to expect."

The Huskies are better equipped to handle injuries this season. Depth has improved, meaning Edsall has more quality reserves.

Edsall regularly goes deep into his roster on game days, using 55 players against Indiana. He rotates about eight different players on the defensive line.

Injuries forced Edsall to rely on his reserves for longer stretches against the Hoosiers. Freshman cornerback Myles Bell, redshirt sophomore safety Rob King and redshirt freshman linebacker Terrence Gunyi saw extended action.

"We're a lot deeper than we have been," Edsall said. "A lot of it is young, though. That's the thing you look at. On defense one time, we had two juniors out there in Tyler Coyle and Dillon Harris, but Dillon is really a freshman because he's only played three games for us. And everybody else for us is either a redshirt freshman or sophomore, which is good.

"And the same thing on offense sometimes where we didn't have certain guys out there. Building depth is something you're always trying to do. We have more now. We're building that up now. After this year, we should be in really good shape.

"From a roster management standpoint after we add this class this year, then I think it's going to be a little bit easier. We're not going to have the disparity, I don't think, it terms of the classes."

News and notes

• Edsall asked former UConn quarterback Dan Orlovsky to call true freshman Jack Zergiotis, who struggled in his first career road game, completing 14 of 28 passes for 90 yards and having an interception returned for a touchdown. "Call Jack and tell him what it's like to be a freshman playing quarterback and give him some insight," Edsall told Orlovsky. "I talked to Jack about it. That will help him. He's a competitor. ... I'm not worried about him." ... With the Huskies playing as an independent starting next season, Edsall is looking to line up some AAC teams as future opponents. "We've had discussions with UCF. And they are some teams from the AAC you still want to play because it makes sense for what we want to do from a recruiting standpoint." ... The Huskies (1-2) have forced five turnovers, six shy of tying last season's total. ... In attempt to simulate game conditions in Florida on Saturday night, the Huskies practiced inside Tuesday with the heat turned up.

g.keefe@theday.com