University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Football Hosts Media Luncheon
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
November 5, 2002
STORRS, CONN. - The University of Connecticut football team held its weekly media luncheon on Tuesday at the Putnam Dining Hall on the Storrs campus as the Huskies prepare face Kent State in both Senior Day and the final game at Memorial Stadium. Here are some excerpts from head coach Randy Edsall.
"We're really looking to this Saturday. There's a couple of reasons. First and foremost with this being the last game played in Memorial Stadium, it's a special event. Considering all the people who have gone before and played in that stadium,. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of former players back for the game and a lot of nostalgia and a lot of fond memories that those players have had. Hopefully we can close this thing the right way. Secondly it's the last time that the 16 seniors will be playing here in Memorial Stadium. That's going to be a very happy occasion for them. Then the bottom line is that we've got a football game to play with an opportunity to get our team to 4-6. Wish all those other things put aside, we've got to go out and play better this week and continue our climb to where we want to go."
"We're going against a team with an outstanding quarterback (Joshua Cribbs) who's seventh in the country in rushing. They're team is 12th in the country (in rushing) averaging 238 yards. They've got a veteran offensive line so our defensive line and our defensive team is going to be tested. We're going to have to play well and practice well this week in order to contain this outstanding quarterback. Offensively, we're going against a veteran defensive line and one of the most experienced secondaries in the country. We're going to have to make sure that we take advantage of every opportunity, make sure that we take care of the football, and make sure that we go out and execute the way that we're capable of executing. This is a team that presents a big challenge for us."
What problems does Cribbs present?
"When you get a quarterback of his ability and his athleticism, that's just one more guy that you have to defend. If you get a guy who just stands back there in the pocket that doesn't run or doesn't scramble, then it makes it a little bit easier because you know pretty much where they're going to be. The guy who can go make there and make things happen, and also incorporate him into the running game, will put a little bit more pressure on you. And if he does scramble, then your defensive backs have to be disciplined to either stay in their zone or stay on their coverage as he's running around and they just can't come up thinking that he's going to cross the line of scrimmage. You really have to be disciplined."
On Ohio University (a team UConn beat) beating Kent State 50-0:
"We've tried to tell our kids all along that comparative scores don't mean anything. If it did, we wouldn't go out and play at noon on Saturday. It would be decided like they do on the computers. We just have to worry about ourselves and do the stuff that we're capable of doing."
On DE Tyler King's status coming off of the chicken pox:
"Tyler's back in town and he'll be ready to play this week. We'll see how he does today out on the field, but we're planning on him playing and starting. Knowing Tyler the way I know him, he'll be fine."
On this year's seniors:
"It's a special class because when they came here they were asked to come in and do something that's very, very hard. I think they've done an exceptional job of having to go through all the things that this group has gone through. I know that it's made them better people and stronger people because there's been a lot of adversity in the four years that they've been here. They've never backed down. They've never turned the other cheek. They've never gave up. They kept fighting the whole time. You can see that that's all paying off for this program. Those guys will always be very, very special because they were the laborers. They were the cement mixers. They were the guys in the mud taking wheel barrel loads of dirt. They're the construction guys. They're a good group to be around. They're good leaders. They put this program in a better position today than what it was four years ago."
