There seems to be some confusion out there about USF's defensive lineup for Sunday's Connecticut game, so just to clarify, defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said Thursday that senior Carlton Williams' role against the Huskies will not be any different than it was against Rutgers: as USF's nickel defensive back.

USF will likely open against the Huskies in a nickel defense -- with five defensive backs and two linebackers -- as they have in each of the past two games and in three games earlier this season. Even when USF is in a standard 4-3 defense with three linebackers, Williams will not be the strongside linebacker -- he'll be at strong safety, with Sabbath Joseph or Chris Robinson at strongside. At practice Wednesday, Williams was practicing with the defensive backs, as he has all season, not with the linebackers.

The nickel defense has essentially been USF's base defense -- against a top running back like Connecticut's Donald Brown, a team might be more likely to play a conventional 4-3 defense, but the nickel plays to USF's strengths, preferring an experienced third safety like Louis Gachette to a comparably inexperienced third linebacker such as Joseph or Robinson. You might see Joseph listed as the starting strongside linebacker on the depth chart, but he's not on the field on the first play, and USF will spend only a fraction of the game with three linebackers in the game -- that's why Gachette, with one start this season, has 24 tackles, more than Joseph (18) or Robinson (14).

If the opposing offense doesn't line up with three or more receivers, which drops the nickel into pass coverage, there isn't that much difference between a nickel defensive back and an outside linebacker. Williams was used in blitzes against Rutgers, getting one of the team's two sacks. Against some formations, he'll be close to the line of scrimmage, as in covering a tight end, and given that Brown has more carries himself than Connecticut has pass attempts this season, Williams will be working to contain Brown. By USF's terminology, that would not make him a strongside linebacker, however.

"That's wrong," coach Jim Leavitt said Wednesday night. "He's playing nickel. We take the Sam (strongside linebacker) out, we put the nickel in."