D.J. Morgan always knew he could be an impact player on the major college football level.

He just never got a chance to show it at Notre Dame, seeing action in only two games before earning his undergraduate degree in three years and transferring.

UConn coach Randy Edsall convinced Morgan to join the Huskies and the 6-foot-2, 224-pound linebacker is taking advantage of his second chance.

Morgan ranks first in the American Athletic Conference in tackles per game at 11.5.  He owns a team-best 19 tackles in two games and had one of the defensive highlights of the young season, recording a strip sack and fumble recovery against Illinois.

"It's definitely gratifying," Morgan said. "I've known that I can play at this level. Maybe some people thought different, but I knew I could play at this level. Being able to finally prove it has been a blessing. I'm definitely happy."

Morgan will attempt to help the Huskies (1-1) win their first road game since October 2017 on Saturday when they play Indiana (2-1) at noon at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. It's the second straight game against a Big Ten opponent. They lost a competitive battle with Illinois, 31-23, on Sept. 7 before entering a bye week.

The Midwest is familiar territory for Morgan, who arrived at Notre Dame in 2016 after starring for national power St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif.

Morgan learned a great deal about preparing for a long college football season while in South Bend, Ind., but the lack of playing time was difficult.

"It was definitely frustrating," he said.

UConn has become a comfortable and productive home for Morgan, who welcomed the opportunity to play for Edsall and defensive coordinator Lou Spanos.

"From my first conversation with coach Edsall and coach Spanos, they were honest from the jump," Morgan said. "One thing that I heard a lot while I was on my visit is, what you see is what you get. There's no hidden agendas here.

"I knew that coming here I could improve my game a lot learning from coach Spanos because he's been in the NFL ... and he knows what it takes to be a dominant linebacker at the college level as well as the NFL."

Edsall has been impressed with Morgan.

"I see a young man who is playing with really good confidence," Edsall said. "I see a young man who loves the game of football and wants to do well. He's fit in very, very well here with our players and within our program.

"He's somebody that studies the game. He came from a really good high school program in California. I've been impressed with what he's done so far. Now he's just got to continue to improve and keep getting better."

With Morgan on the field, the Huskies are an improved defense. A season after allowing an NCAA record worst 50.4 points and 617.4 yards per game, they've lowered those numbers to 26 points and 271 yards.

"Guys know what they're doing," Edsall said. "Guys have confidence in what they're doing. They're playing 11 as one. We're still making a lot of mistakes in terms of missing too many tackles. But I think everyone is hustling around and flying around. Communication is better."

Playing Indiana on the road represents the biggest challenge thus far this season. It will be the first road game for the Huskies and a major test for freshman quarterback Jack Zergiotis, who made his UConn debut versus Illinois.

"All of us are going to have to take the next step, to elevate our game to a higher level than we did with Illinois," Morgan said.

The Hoosiers are coming off a 51-10 loss to No. 6 Ohio State. Whether starting quarterback Michael Penix, who sat out last game with an injury, plays will be a game-time decision. With Penix, they scored a combined 86 points in wins over Ball State and Eastern Illinois. He's thrown for 523 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 79 yards.

"They're athletic on offense," Edsall said. "We don't know what quarterback is going to play, Penix or (Peyton) Ramsey. ... They've got some really good skills guys. .... They try to spread you out and they give you a lot of different personnel looks, so you've got to be concerned with that."

"Defensively, they're big up front and the linebackers run well. They'll bring some pressure. You've got to recognize what they do. They're very sound and solid in terms of their special teams."

g.keefe@theday.com