Storrs — Sophomore Devontae Houston’s bright smile lights up a room.

He’s just a happy dude.

“He’s always smiling,” UConn football coach Jim Mora said on Tuesday during his weekly media session. “We love his personality. He doesn't say a lot, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him not upbeat and happy. During the game, it’s a little bit different. But he’d still got that energy about him. When you’ve got that energy about you, it’s infectious. It rubs off on other people.

“If you ask any of his teammates, they’d say he’s an inspiring player to them. And they feed off his energy.”

A reserve running back from Roanoke, Ala., Houston has helped fuel a potent running game.

Through two games, the Huskies (1-1) are averaging 259.5 rushing yards per game. They’ve gone over 240 yards in consecutive games for the first time since 2018.

Sophomore Nate Carter is the featured back, averaging 156.5 yards (second in the nation) on 43 carries in two games. He’s gone over 100 yards in back-to-back games and averages an impressive 7.28 yards per carry.

Houston and sophomore Brian Brewton provide punch off the bench.

In Saturday’s 28-3 home win over Central Connecticut, Houston set career highs for carries (four) and rushing yards (41) while Brewton had career highs for carries (10), rushing yards (62) and receptions (three).

Freshman Victor Rosa, a former Bristol Central star, and graduate Robert Burns also contributed to UConn’s first victory this season. Rosa scored his first career touchdown in his first appearance.

The Huskies are deeper at that position than they’ve been in recent memory. And they’ve taken the pressure off freshman quarterback Zion Turner who’s still learning on the fly. An improved offensive line has opened up some sizable holes.

With a rotation of running backs, UConn is able to give a defense different looks. They all bring different styles.

“We saw the benefits on Saturday and different types of runners, which presents some problems at times,” Mora said. “Nate is running very, very well. And he’s powerful inside and he can get in the open field and make people miss. Then you put Devontae in there and Brian, they’ve got that first step quickness, they can go lateral and put their foot in the ground and hit the hole and get vertical.

“It was good to see Victor in there. … Then the guy who hasn’t carried the ball a lot but has done a really good job is Burnsy. He had a huge play the other day when we ran the quarterback sneak on fourth and one, he basically carried Zion (Turner) for the first down. Plays like that don’t go unnoticed by the staff. We have a ton of respect for Robert Burns.”

Houston is playing a bigger role this year than last when he saw most of his action returning kicks on special teams. He also had 11 receptions for 102 yards.

So far this season, Houston has rushed six times for 44 yards, averaging 7.3 per carry. He brings speed and toughness to the field.

“That’s a tough dude,” Mora said. “He’ll take a hit and pop up. And he never complains.”

While there’s friendly competition within the running back room, they all root for each other and push each other to be better.

On the field, they live by the words, “Pound the rock.”

“There’s a competitive edge in the running back room,” Houston said. “Everybody challenges each other. Everybody has their own strength. Everybody helps each other.”

Running the ball against Syracuse Saturday at Rentschler Field (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network) will be a challenge. Louisville managed just 137 yards on the ground against the Orange, who posted an impressive 31-7 victory in their season opener.

No matter how many carries he gets Saturday, Houston will continue to flash a bright smile, even after he’s tackled.

“I always keep a smile on my face,” Houston said. “I feel like when someone is down, they look at me and I can be that bounce-back. I know my brothers will do the same for me if I’m ever down. I know I can depend on them.”

News and notes

Mora left no doubt that he’s all-in on Turner as the starting quarterback. Turner took over the job early in the season opener at Utah State after Ta`Quan Roberson suffered a season-ending knee injury. “The way I’ve always felt the best way to do it is to commit to a guy and put all your eggs in that basket, and support him like crazy and make sure he understands that he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder,” Mora said. “He just has to go out and play.” … Graduate linebacker Brandon Bouyer-Randle, a transfer from Texas Tech, on why he wears the number zero: “I don’t have any more years of eligibility after this, so this is my last year in college. I just want to leave everything on the field.” He has 11 tackles and an interception through two games. … The Huskies have six turnovers in two games.

g.keefe@theday.com