University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Ready To Face Georgia Tech
11/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
THE COACHES
CONNECTICUT HEAD COACH RANDY EDSALL
A veteran in his 22nd year of major college coaching with three years in the NFL, Edsall has tackled the challenge of bringing a former NCAA Division I-AA team up to par with the BIG EAST in a six year span head on. He has compiled a 29-37 career record in his six seasons at UConn, including wins in 18 of UConn’s last 25 games. Immediately prior to becoming UConn’s 27th head coach on December 21, 1998, Edsall served as defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech in 1998 under George O’Leary. Edsall began his coaching career at his alma mater, Syracuse, from 1980-1990, working under Frank Maloney and Dick MacPherson in a variety of capacities. Amongst his highlights at Syracuse was being a part of the 1987 team that went undefeated at 11-0-1, tying Auburn, 16-16, in the Sugar Bowl. Edsall moved on to Boston College where he coached defensive backs under Tom Coughlin from 1991-93 before following Coughlin to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, staying on the First Coast through the 1997 season. Edsall is a native of Glen Rock, Pa., and graduated from Susquehannock High School.
BUFFALO HEAD COACH JIM HOFHER
Jim Hofher is 7-38 in his fourth season as head coach at Buffalo and 51-74 in his 12-year collegiate head coaching career which includes an eight-year stint at Cornell. He is 1-2 vs. UConn. Hofher came to UB after spending the 2000 season as quarterbacks coach at Syracuse. He worked at North Carolina in 1998-99 after serving as head coach at Cornell from 1990-97. Hofher led the Big Red to a 44-36 overall record and a 32-24 Ivy League mark, the most league wins for any coach in Cornell history. Prior to landing in Ithaca, Hofher worked as an assistant at Tennessee (1989), Syracuse (1987-88), Wake Forest (1979-80, 1983-86) and Miami, Ohio (1981-82). Hofher played quarterback at Cornell under George Siefert from 1976-78, graduating in 1979. He is a native of Middletown, Conn. and a Xavier High School graduate.
RADIO TV COVERAGE
NO TELEVISION THIS WEEK
The Huskies will have a fourth straight game played away from the televised airwaves this week against Buffalo. UConn will return to the televised airwaves on Nov. 25 at Rutgers when ESPN2 shows the game nationally.
RADIO COVERAGE
For the 13th consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the UConn Radio Network. WTIC is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada. Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Bob Joyce on the sidelines. The UConn pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff, while at home games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air two and a half hours prior to the game with Arnold Dean and Kevin Nathan. The UConn Football Radio Network also includes WILI 1400-AM in Willimantic, WLIS 1420-AM in Old Saybrook, WMRD 1150-AM in Middletown, WICC 600-AM in Bridgeport and WLAD 800-AM in Danbury. UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet, with assistance from Yahoo!, at UConnHuskies.com.
SERIES NOTES
BULLS ON PARADE
In terms of recent history, Buffalo is by far the most familiar face on UConn’s 2004 schedule, its first with a full slate of BIG EAST Conference games. The Huskies and Bulls have met 14 times previously and on Saturday will face each other for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons, the lone exception being 1998. UConn leads the series 10-4 on the heels of a 38-7 win last Sept. 20 at UB Stadium. The Huskies have won six of the last seven meetings, the lone exception being a 37-20 Bull win in Storrs in 2001, the team’s last Nutmeg State appearance. Buffalo will be the only team to play at Rentschler Field that also faced UConn at Memorial Stadium during the career of its active players. UB is slated to return to Rentschler Field on Sept. 3, 2005 to cap an unusual away-away-home-home scheduling agreement between the schools from 2002-05. The two teams split a trio of home-and-home series during the 1939-40, 1951-52 and 1960-61 seasons before letting the series lay dormant until 1995. Buffalo is UConn’s only opponent from the Mid-American Conference for the 2004 season, although Western Michigan did back out of a scheduled season opening game in Kalamazoo. UConn has become quite familiar with the Mid-American Conference, having faced four of its members in both the 2002 and 2003 seasons and going 7-1 in those contests. The lone loss came to Ball State, 24-21 in overtime, on Sept. 28, 2002 at Memorial Stadium in Storrs. UConn will also be facing the Buffalo men’s and women’s basketball teams this weekend at Gampel Pavilion.
BUFFALO CONN-ECTIONS
Buffalo head coach Jim Hofher is a native of Middletown, Conn. and a graduate of Xavier High School...Hofher and Randy Edsall coached together at Syracuse from 1987-88...UB tight ends coach Andrew Dees was a Syracuse teammate of UConn running backs coach Terry Richardson in 1990 and 1991 and was also with the Orangemen during Edsall’s coaching tenure there in 1988-90. Meanwhile, Buffalo safeties coach Andy Rondeau was a team manager at Syracuse during the same time frame, graduating in 1991...UB offensive line coach Roy Istvan is a native of Stratford, a 1990 Southern Connecticut graduate and served as an assistant coach there from 1990-2001...UB defensive coordinator Tom Jones coached at Western Connecticut from 1992-93...The Bulls have three players from Connecticut in Westin’s Jamey Richard, Bloomfield’s Andrae Smith and Southport’s Chad Upshaw. Smith teamed with UConn’s Matt Lawrence in high school...UConn has two western New Yorker in Webster’s Matt Cutaia and Penfield’s Rob Lunn. Cutaia was a teammate of UB’s Michael Schifano at Webster...UConn WR Keron Henry was a teammate of UB’s Stephen Thomas at Brooklyn Tech...Buffalo’s Anthony Adriano prepped at Milford Academy...UConn’s Ernest Cole and UB’s Jamal Chisam are both graduates of DeMatha Catholic in suburban Washington, D.C.
EMPIRE STATE GAMES
UConn faces every Division I-A program in the state of New York this season. The Huskies defeated Army on Sept. 25 and lost at Syracuse on Oct. 30. The Huskies are scheduled to repeat this trifecta in 2005. UConn is 4-1 against teams from the Empire State since officially joining Division I-A in 2002 (2-0 vs. Buffalo, 2-0 vs. Army, 0-1 vs. Syracuse).
SQUAD NOTES
HUSKY WIN TOTAL STANDS STRONG AMONGST NATIONAL ELITE
It has been quite a run for the UConn football program. Since Nov. 1, 2002, the Huskies have posted a 18-7 record. The 18 wins are amongst most regular-season wins of any school in the nation over that span. Oklahoma holds the national lead with 26, followed by Boise State and USC which each have 25.
MOST REGULAR SEASON WINS SINCE NOV. 1, 2002
WINS SCHOOLS
26 Oklahoma
25 Boise State, USC
22 Florida State, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Texas, Utah
21 LSU, Tennessee
20 Auburn, Bowling Green, Iowa, Miami (Ohio), Ohio St., Okla. St., W. Virginia
19 Kansas State, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Toledo
18 CONNECTICUT and three others
HUSKIES NEED ONE MORE WIN FOR BOWL ELIGIBILITY
With one more win, UConn will become bowl eligible for the second consecutive season and the second time in the school’s brief Division I-A tenure. Last fall, UConn went 9-3 but as an independent could not secure a berth. The BIG EAST Conference has four automatic bowl tie-ins (BCS, Toyota Gator, Continental Tire and Insight) while the likely possibility exists that other leagues will not be able to fill their allotted slots creating openings that a BIG EAST team such as UConn could receive. One more win all also clinch a winning season for UConn. The Huskies have never finished below .500 at the Division I-A level, going 6-6 in 2002 in addition to last fall’s 9-3 mark.
NOVEMBER REIGN
UConn’s loss at Georgia Tech snapped a winning streak in the month of November that dated back to 2001, as UConn had osted a perfect 7-0 mark in the calendar’s penultimate month over the the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Last fall, the Huskies were a perfect 3-0 in November with wins over Western Michigan (Nov. 1), Rutgers (Nov. 8) and Wake Forest (Nov. 15). Those wins came on the heels of a 4-0 November in 2002 as the Huskies topped Florida Atlantic (Nov. 2), Kent State (Nov. 9), Navy (Nov. 16) and Iowa State (Nov. 23). UConn’s last November loss came on Nov. 24, 2001 when the Huskies lost to Temple at Franklin Field in Philadelphia in a contest that was rescheduled after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
BIG PLAYS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
The Huskies have shown a propensity on both offense and defense this year to allow “big plays” in which at least 20 yards are gained. The team that is more assertive in this area tends to win the games. UConn is 4-0 this year when gaining more yards than its opponent on big plays and 1-4 when the opponent gains more years in 20-plus yard chunks. The lone exception came on Sept. 30 when Pittsburgh gained 228 yards on six big plays while UConn gained just 137 yards on five of them.
THE SECRET TO THIRD DOWN? FIRST AND SECOND DOWN
One way the UConn offense has been able to sustain drives better than the team’s opposition in 2004 en route to a 5-4 record has been its success on first and second down translating into a better third down conversion rate. UConn has faced 130 third downs this year while its opponents have faced 125. However, UConn has had to convert from seven yards or longer on just 64 of its 130 third down attempts (49%) while the opposition has had to go from seven yards or longer on 74 of its 125 tries (59%). UConn has had to convert from 15 yards or more just 13 times while its opponents have stared down third-and 15 or longer 21 times.
HUSKIES DOMINATING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL
Over the past 25 games, UConn has outgained its opponent 21 times. The first exception came when UConn was outgained by Rutgers 455-321 on Nov. 8 of last year in its home finale, a game the Huskies won 38-31. The other two were on Sept. 17 at Boston College when the Eagles held a 334-291 edge, on Oct. 13 when West Virginia held a 462-365 advantage and on Nov. 13 when Georgia Tech outgained UConn 410-225. The Rutgers contest marked the first time since losing at Vanderbilt on Oct. 26, 2002 that UConn had been outgained. Over this 25 game span, UConn has averaged 454.7 yards per game of total offense and 327.1 yards per game of total defense. In its last 14 games, UConn has eclipsed 500 yards of total offense seven times.
CONN-TROLLING THE FLOW OF THE GAME
A telling sign of UConn’s strong performance on both sides of the ball during its brief tenure as a Division I-A program has been its ability to both record and prevent long drives. Since the start of the 2002 season, UConn’s offense has strung together 28 scoring drives of at least 80 yards while the Husky defense has surrendered just 13 such marches. UConn also holds a 7-2 advantage over its opponents in the number of 90-yard and over drives since becoming a I-A program.
LET’S GET IT STARTED
UConn is 5-0 this year when scoring first and 0-4 when the opponent strikes first.
TURNING OVER THE EXPECTED RESULTS
UConn committed four turnovers against Temple, then a I-A era high, and won. The Huskies didn’t turn the ball over at Georgia Tech, for the first time this year, and lost.
BIG EAST HONORS ABOUND
Over the past few weeks, UConn has claimed each of the BIG EAST’s weekly honors at least once, all of which were first for the program. Dan Orlovsky was named the Offensive Player of the Week after his four-touchdown effort in UConn’s win over Army on Sept. 25. Orlovsky won the award again after UConn’s loss at Syracuse on Oct. 30, making him only the fifth player in BIG EAST history to win Offensive Player of the Week honors outright in a losing effort and just the second since 1996. Orlovsky hit on 39 of his 51 passes for 445 yards in the game with three touchdowns and two interceptions. During the contest he also became UConn’s career passing yardage leader. Following UConn’s historic win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 30, Alfred Fincher (Defense) and Matt Nuzie (Special Teams) earned league recognition. Fincher tied a then-career high with 17 tackles against the Panthers, including 1.5 TFLs, a forced fumble and a pass break up. Nuzie tied his career high by nailing three field goals, including a 49-yarder as time expired in the first half. The kick topped his previous career long of 38 by 11 yards.
SIX MORE YEARS!!!
The traditional battle cry in presidential election years is for four, but UConn and head coach Randy Edsall made it six more years as the two recently agreed on a contract extension through the 2009 season. Edsall will receive a base salary of $200,000 this year, a sum that increases by $25,000 per year. He will also receive $495,000 for other commitments, a sum that increases $50,000 per year. The contract also includes a one month bonus for a bowl appearance and a three month bonus for making a BCS bowl. Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway called the deal “another milestone in the numerous positive developments that the UConn football program has experienced in the past several years.”
GAME BALLS
After each UConn victory, head coach Randy Edsall awards game balls for the team’s top performer on offense, defense and special teams. The 2004 recipients are listed below.
MURRAY STATE: Jason Williams (offense), Alfred Fincher (defense), Keron Henry (special teams).
DUKE: Keron Henry (offense), Alfred Fincher (defense), Keron Henry (special teams).
ARMY: Dan Orlovsky (offense), James Hargrave (defense), Larry Taylor (special teams).
PITTSBURGH: Cornell Brockington (offense), Alfred Fincher and Tyler King (defense), Matt Nuzie (special teams).
TEMPLE: Cornell Brockington (offense), Maurice Lloyd (defense), Larry Taylor (special teams)
Active Career Game Ball Leaders: Cornell Brockington (4), Terry Caulley (4), Alfred Fincher (4), Dan Orlovsky (4), James Hargrave (3), Keron Henry (3), Tyler King (3), Billy Irwin (2), Ryan Krug (2), Maurice Lloyd (2), Brian Markowski (2), Matt Nuzie (2), Justin Perkins (2), Larry Taylor (2), Jason Williams (2), Deon Anderson, Allan Barnes, Chris Bellamy, Matt Cutaia, Jeff Fox, Kinnan Herriott, Tim Lassen, Dan Murray, Grant Preston, Brandon Young.
HUSKIES RECEIVE FIRST EVER PRESEASON DIVISION I-A POLL VOTES
Connecticut received votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches polls, the first preseason Division I-A votes in the program’s history. The Huskies cracked the receiving votes columns of both polls during the 2003 season for the first time at the Division I-A level.
YOUTH IS SERVED
Eight true freshmen have appeared for UConn this season. The biggest area where true freshmen are making an impact is on special teams. Tyvon Branch will serve as one of the team’s kickoff returners while Larry Taylor will field punts with Brandon McLean as his backup. Shane Hussar has won the team’s punting honors and, against Murray State, he became the sixth true freshman to start a UConn game in the Division I-A era. Hussar was joined by another true freshman in the kicking corps as place kicker Tony Ciaravino has seen action on the team’s onside kicks. Afa Anoai and Julius Williams also got into the mix against Murray State, mainly on special teams. Dan Davis made his debut against Army at defensive end and has seen steady action as a resreve. Six true freshmen played for the Huskies in 2003 with the secondary seeing the largest infusion of freshmen.
OUR OWN LITTLE EPCOT CENTER HERE IN STORRS
While the overwhelming majority of the 2004 UConn football team is comprised of players from the northeastern United States, the Huskies have a far greater international influence than a typical college football team with players hailing from three different foreign countries. UConn has three Canadian players, in the Quebecois trio of Dan Desriveaux, Shawn Mayne and Jason Ward. Offensive tackle Aloys Manga is a native of Duana, Cameroon while both defensive tackle Deon McPhee and corer back Cathlyn Clarke grew up in the Bahamas. Wide receiver Keron Henry was born in Guyana and moved to the U.S. when he was very young. Last season, UConn also welcomed Australian punter Adam Coles and two other Canadians (Hakeem Kashama and O’Neil Wilson). Back in his native country, Wilson is a wide receiver for the CFL’s first place Montreal Alouettes.
CONNECTICUT TRI-CAPTAINS
Senior linebacker Alfred Fincher, offensive tackle Ryan Krug and quarterback Dan Orlovsky were named as the team’s 2004 captains in a vote of their teammates on April 16, the day before the annual Blue-White Spring Game.
INDIVIDUAL HUSKIES GET NATIONAL RECOGNITION
In a sign of increasing national awareness and respect for the great things happening at UConn, five different Huskies were named to preseason watch lists for major national positional awards. Dan Orlovsky finds himself on the watch lists for both major quarterbacking awards (O’Brien and Unitas) and both of the major national player of the year honors that produce an official watch list (Maxwell and Walter Camp). Offensive tackle Ryan Krug (Lombardi and Outland) and linebacker Maurice Lloyd (Butkus and Nagurski) were named to two separate lists, while linebacker Alfred Fincher was named to the Butkus list and center Billy Irwin was named to the Rimington Award’s official watch list.
OFFENSE NOTES
DAN-O STILL PUTTING ON A SHOW
Senior Dan Orlovsky, highly-recruited out of high school, continues to live up to the local hype he generated as a high school All-American and the Connecticut Player of the Year in 2000 at Shelton. In 2003, Orlovsky was named the team’s MVP after hitting on 279-of-475 passes (58.7%) for 3,485 yards with 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions for a 137.40 rating. He started off the 2004 season exactly where he left off in 2003, tying his own school record with five touchdown passes against Murray State. His 219.28 passing efficiency rating was also a career high and, through one week, led the NCAA. He also equalled his own career high of 382 passing yards in the game, hitting on 19-of-29 passes (65.5%). He later eclipsed that yardage total by throwing for a school record 445 yards at Syracuse on Oct. 30. Orlovsky has now thrown a whopping 61 TD passes during the last 25 games (2.5 per game) and holds the school record with 78 career TD strikes. He was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for four touchdowns against Army on Sept. 25. He earned the honor again after the Oct. 30 game at Syracuse in which he set a school, BIG EAST and Carrier Dome record by completing 39 passes for a UConn record 445 yards, fifth-best in BIG EAST history.
ORLOVSKY AMONGST THE NATION’S ACTIVE LEADERS
With 78 career touchdown passes to his credit, Dan Orlovsky ranks third amongst all active passers behind only Timmy Chang of Hawai’i and Andrew Walter of Arizona St. Meanwhile, his 9,920 career passing yards ranks seventh amongst all active players.
ORLOVSKY STREAK SNAPPED
Against Duke, Dan Orlovsky rallied UConn from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit by completing 68-percent of his passes in the game (23-for-34) for 290 yards. Much talk after the game though was centered on the fact that he didn’t throw a touchdown pass. The game snapped a school-record string of 25 consecutive games in which Orlovsky had thrown a touchdown pass, dating back to the season finale of his freshman year, Nov. 24, 2001 at Temple.
HOKIE HI
By throwing for 316 yards in UConn’s game at Virginia Tech on Sept. 27, 2003, Dan Orlovsky joined some elite company. Since the start of the 2001 season (45 games), only six quarterbacks have thrown for 300 yards in a regular season game against the Hokies’ stringent defense. In that regard, Orlovsky joins Miami’s Ken Dorsey, Marshall’s Byron Leftwich, Syracuse’s Troy Nunes, Pittsburgh’s Rod Rutherford and Virginia’s Matt Schaub.
HUSKIES IN THE NATIONAL LEADERS
Several UConn players are currently amongst the NCAA leaders. Dan Orlovsky ranks fifth in passing, 11th in total offense and 33rd in passing efficiency. Keron Henry (39th) and Jason Williams (72nd) both rank in the top 75 for most receiving yards per game while Henry (36th) and Matt Cutaia (87th) rank in receptions per game. Cornell Brockington is the nation’s 20th leading rusher, and tops in the BIG EAST despite sparse playing time in the first two games of the year.
SCORING FIFTY IS NIFTY
Between beating Wake Forest, 51-17, to end the 2003 season and racing past Murray State, 52-14, to open the 2004 season, UConn scored at least 50 points in consecutive games for just the third time in school history. In 2002, the Huskies beat Florida Atlantic, 61-14, on Nov. 2 and Kent State, 63-21, on Nov. 9 in the final two games ever played at Memorial Stadium. In 1945, UConn closed the season with a 53-0 win over Maine followed by a 54-0 win over Boston University. UConn has never eclipsed the half-century plateau in three straight games.
THE EAST HARTFORD 500
In seven of its last 14 games, UConn has recorded at least 500 yards of total offense. UConn opened its 2004 season with a 530-yard offensive effort against Murray State and picked up 503 more against Army. The Huskies racked up 512 yards of total offense against Temple and 566 at Syracuse the following week. In the final five games of the 2003 campaign, UConn posted 515 at Kent State (Oct. 18), 568 against Western Michigan (Nov. 1) and 536 at Wake Forest (Nov. 15). Earlier in the 2003 season, UConn had recorded 613 yards of total offense at Buffalo (Sept. 20), a total that was just five yards shy of the school record mark of 618 set on Sept. 30, 1995 at Yale.
FINISHING IN THE RED IS GOOD
You wouldn’t want your financial ledgers to be full of red ink, but UConn’s 2003 late season success was in part due to finishing its time in the red zone in style. UConn entered the Duke game having scored on each of its last 29 possessions in the red zone, dating back to its Oct. 18 game at Kent State. The run included 21 touchdowns and eight field goals but was snapped against the Blue Devils when Matt Nuzie missed a field goal on the game’s opening possession. UConn has currently scored on 23 of its last 24 red zone possessions with 16 touchdowns.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? O-LINE STARTERS SURE ARE
With three seniors in left tackle Ryan Krug, left guard Brian Markowski and center Billy Irwin, junior right guard Grant Preston and sophomore Craig Berry, UConn’s starting offensive line has combined to start an incredible 159 career games. The yin to this yang though is the backup situation. Other than the five starters, UConn’s offensive linemen had combined to appear in a total of just 44 career games entering the season, 35 of which were accounted for by reserve center Jeff Fox’s career-long tenure as the team’s long snapper. Michael Kodish became the first reserve to start a game when an ankle injury to Ryan Krug pressed the junior into a starting role against Army on Sept. 25.
BALANCE ATTACKED
Head coach Randy Edsall preaches a balanced offensive attack, evenly mixing rushing and passing plays throughout his tenure at UConn. The 2004 season though has seen UConn trail late in several games recently and has forced the passing play count to swell for the first time since UConn was fully welcomed into Division I-A. Adjusting the 14 sacks allowed which the NCAA counts as rushes, the Huskies have 368 passing plays to their credit this fall and 289 rushing plays. The 2003 season more closely followed the traditional Edsall offensive pattern. Last year, the Huskies attempted 483 passing plays and 463 rushing plays. In 2002, the sum was exactly even with 421 rushing and passing plays attempted.
LIKE A BROCK
Cornell Brockington earned the start at tailback at Boston College and did not disappoint, turning in a 105-yard effort on 24 carries, including UConn’s lone touchdown. He was also the team’s leading receiver with five catches, good for 40 yards. That effort was followed up in style a week later with a 111-yard rushing effort against Army. Brockington finished just a yard shy of his career high when he carried the ball 31 times for 185 yards with one touchdown against Pittsburgh. After being held to 90 yards by West Virginia, he jumped back up on track and gained 181 on the ground against Temple followed by 123 at Syracuse. Brockington had 216 yards of total offense against the Orange behind the strength of a team-season high 10 receptions. Brockington has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing plateau in six of his eight career starts. In his only start prior to 2004, he was the team’s offensive catalyst, running for 182 yards and four TDs, in UConn’s 51-17 win at Wake Forest on Nov. 15, 2003. He is the BIG EAST’s leading rusher at 104.1 rushing yards per game.
DEEP TAILBACK ROTATION
Helping make the decision to shut down Caulley for the year easier is the fact that UConn started four different tailbacks in 2003 and three of them recorded a game with at least 188 rushing yards. In the immediate wake of the injury, many outside of the team initially doubted UConn’s ability to run the ball without Caulley, but Chris Bellamy, Cornell Brockington and Matt Lawrence all stepped up their play and created a log jam on the depth chart. UConn averaged a productive 159.0 rushing yards per game as a team over the final six games of the 2003 season while the Huskies had a 100-yard rusher in eight of the team’s 12 games last year. The rotation of that potent depth continues into the 2004 season as both Lawrence or Brockington have started games with Brockington leading the BIG EAST and rushing. Bellamy, Brockington and Lawrence have all rushed for a touchdown in 2004
A TOUGH CAULL TO MAKE
With his knee not yet 100% recovered from a serious injury suffered last September 27 at Virginia Tech, head coach Randy Edsall decided prior to the start of this fall’s drills to air on the side of caution and redshirt tailback Terry Caulley for the season. Caulley, who played as a true freshman in 2002 when he was named to the Freshman All-America team, will have two years of eligibility remaining next fall. Caulley was leading the nation with 601 rushing yards last year when he suffered a season-ending knee injury on a non-contact play as he made a cut on just his second carry of the game against the Hokies.
OH HENRY
Keron Henry helped fuel UConn’s win over Duke by making a career high eight receptions for a career high 112 yards while also adding to the team’s success on special teams. For all his good work, Henry earned UConn’s game ball on both offense and special teams. He becomes the first offensive player of the Edsall era to accomplish this double. Uyi Osunde earned the defensive and special teams game balls for his efforts in UConn’s 61-14 win over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 2, 2002 in the penultimate game at Memorial Stadium. With his 117-yard receiving effort against Army on Sept. 25, he became the first Husky to have multiple 100-yard receiving efforts in one year since John Fitzsimmons eclipsed the century mark three times in 2000. Henry presently ranks 36th in the nation in receptions (5.33 per game) and 39th in receiving yards (75.89 per game). He ranks third in the BIG EAST in each category.
WHERE THERE’S A J-WILL, THERE’S A WAY
Speedy wide receiver Jason Williams earned a game ball for his efforts against Murray State when he caught four passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. The junior had just 139 receiving yards all of last season and no touchdowns. Williams’ first TD strike was an 80-yard pass and run, tying for the fifth longest reception in Husky history. Williams is UConn’s second-leading receiver on the season by yardage, making 32 catches for 555 yards with three touchdowns.
EDSALL LETS THE DAN-IMAL LOOSE
The lone switch amongst the starters from the preseason depth chart to the current one on offense is the insertion of sophomore tight end Dan Murray into the lineup. Murray demonstrated his great combination of blocking and receiving ability during the team’s fall drills and will get the starting nod for opening day against Murray State where he did not disappoint. In addition to showing his adept blocking skills, Murray caught four passes for 92 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown grab. All were career highs.
LASSEN LASSOES TOUCHDOWNS
UConn tight end Tim Lassen has made the most of his 14 career receptions. Six of the 14 have been good for touchdowns, including one during UConn’s win over Army on Sept. 25.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Edsall has made a point of having a deep rotation at wide receiver throughout his time at UConn. The plan is the same for this year but it will be interesting to see how the rotation takes hold. Seniors Keron Henry and Matt Cutaia, along with juniors Brian Sparks and Jason Williams, will form the top of the unit entering the season with others fighting for a role. Regardless of who ends up in the mix, Edsall will keep them involved. Through nine games, 13 different Huskies have caught a pass, eight have hit double digits in receptions and eight different UConn players have caught a touchdown pass. In 2003, 15 different players caught a pass for UConn and eight Huskies hit double figures in receptions. The shared receptions also created an even distribution of receiving yardage. Despite the fact that UConn has thrown for 8,834 passing yards over the past two-plus seasons combined (267.7 ypg), the Huskies have had just nine 100-yard receiving games, with five different receivers reaching the plateau (Shaun Feldeisen, Henry, Williams, O’Neil Wilson and Brandon Young). A total of 10 different Huskies caught a touchdown pass in 2003. The stats were similarly diverse in 2002 when seven different Huskies caught at least 20 passes which tied for the fourth in the nation during the regular season.
YOUNG IS RESTLESS
The Huskies will be without one of their top wide receivers for the 2004 season. Junior Brandon Young suffered a foot injury in a bad automobile accident in his native Maryland the weekend before fall training camp started. In addition to his 28 receptions last fall, Young also contributed as a kickoff and punt returner.
GOING THE DISTANCE
UConn’s offense put together some impressive marches last fall. The Huskies made 11 touchdown drives of at least 80 yards, including a pair in the season finale at Wake Forest. This continued a trend from the 2002 season when UConn had 14 drives of 80-yards or more, including four of 90 yards or longer. With the exception of overtime play, UConn’s 53 touchdown drives last year averaged 61.9 yards.
DEFENSE NOTES
WHY LET THE OFFENSE HAVE ALL OF THE FUN?
Thus far in 2004, Husky defenders have found the end zone three times. Alfred Fincher returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown against Murray State on Sept. 4. Seven days later against Duke, Justin Perkins provided perhaps the critical play of the game when he returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown to cut the Duke lead to 20-19 with 10:14 to play. Perkins scored again on a nine-yard interception return in UConn’s win over Pittsburgh. UConn last recorded three defensive scores in a single season in 2002. The school record sum of four was set in 1997. Also, the Murray State and Duke games marked the first time the Husky defense has scored in consecutive games since the 2002 season when Razul Wallace scored on an interception return against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 2 and Chris Meyer did likewise on Nov. 9 against Kent State.
INTERCEPTION TOTALS PERK UP
Senior cornerback Justin Perkins, who missed all but the first half of the season opener in 2002 with a knee injury, regained the form that made him the team’s top cover corner in 2001. Perkins also found his interception knack, snaring a total of six opponent passes last fall, tying for 11th in the nation with 0.50 interceptions per game. He made two interceptions against Rutgers and tied for sixth place on UConn’s all-time seasonal record chart with his six pick-offs in 2003. He has been named to several preseason All-BIG EAST teams in 2004 and is making a case for a spot on the postseason teams as well with three interceptions, tying him for 49th in the nation. His first one came on Sept. 11 against Duke when he returned a fourth quarter interception 27 yards for a touchdown, a play critical to UConn’s last rally to edge out the Blue Devils. He also brought an interception back for a touchdown against Pittsburgh, making him the first UConn player to ever return two interceptions for a touchdown in either a season or his career. Previously, 24 different players had returned one each.
AN INTERCEPTION A DAY KEEPS THEIR OFFENSE AT BAY
The UConn defense intercepted exactly one pass in each of the team’s seven games this fall before failing to record one at Syracuse on Oct. 30 or at Georgia Tech on Nov. 13..
DESPITE LOSSES, DEFENSIVE LINE IS LOOKING FINE
UConn lost three of its four starters from last year’s defensive line in Ryan Bushey and team captains Sean Mulcahy and Uyi Osunde, but rumors of the unit’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. An athletic crew of replacements comprise a formidable starting unit. Deon McPhee and Rhema Fuller had a combined 37 career games played at tackle entering the season, while Shawn Mayne is ably manning the end post vacated by Osunde’s graduation. The backup positions though haven seen a lot of new faces, some of which must now step up at end in the wake of Tyler King’s injury. UConn’s reserve defensive linemen had combined to play five career games entering the season.
LONG LIVE THE KING
As defenses increasingly tried to clamp down on Uyi Osunde in 2003, Tyler King was able to rise to the occasion on the opposite end. After making 66 tackles, 13 TFLs and 6.5 sacks in his first two seasons combined, King recorded 77 tackles in 2003 with 17 TFLs and eight sacks, ranking second only to NFL signee Uyi Osunde for UConn in the latter two categories. The hi-octane son of former New England Patriot Steve King showed no signs of slowing down early in the 2004 season. Through five games he led the BIG EAST in tackles for loss and tackles by a defensive lineman. King though will likely be out for the remainder of the regular season as he fractured his right fibula on a play in the waning moments of UConn’s historic 29-17 win over Pittsburgh while playing the only way he knew how...all out.
SOLID BACKING
The strongest portion of UConn’s 2004 defensive unit has been linebackers where the team returned all three starters from 2003 who entered the season with 91 combined career games played and 64 starts between them. Tri-captain Alfred Fincher leads by example from his middle linebacker post while preseason Butkus and Nagurski Award candidate Maurice Lloyd holds down the weakside and James Hargrave fortifies the strongside. UConn also has several experienced reserves, including Kinnan Herriott (29 games played entering the year) and Taurien Sowell (22).
IT’S FINCH IN A PINCH
Senior linebacker Alfred Fincher didn’t let his final home opener at UConn go by without making an impact. Fincher made seven tackles, tying for second on the team, a total that included 1.5 tackles for loss. Fincher also broke up a pass and intercepted another, returning it 16 yards for his first career touchdown. It was UConn’s first defensive score since Chris Meyer ran an interception back 63 yards for a touchdown on Nov. 9, 2002 against Kent State. He has kept the ball rolling and through nine games, he leads the BIG EAST with 103 tackles. Fincher rose to the occasion when UConn hosted its first ever BIG EAST Conference home game has he tied his career high with 17 tackles against Pittsburgh, on national television, to earn conference Player of the Week honors. He followed that up with 21 tackles against West Virginia to set a career high and 16 more against Temple with three pass breakups in coverage. His 12.11 tackles per game rank fifth in the nation.
SECONDARY MAINLY IN SECOND SEASON
The UConn defensive backfield is receiving great senior leadership from cover corner Justin Perkins and strong safety John Fletcher, however the rest of the unit is almost entirely sophomores. The quintet of second-year performers Allan Barnes, Ernest Cole, M.J. Estep, Donta Moore and Jahi Smith are all featured in the two-deep along with redshirt freshman Marvin Taylor. Though mostly young, they do have some seasoning. Barnes, Cole Estep and Smith all saw action in at least 10 games last fall while Moore appeared in six. Included in that total are nine starts for Cole and three for Barnes. Estep was frequently used as the squad’s top nickel back.
THREE-AND-OUTS BECAME COMMON FOR UCONN FOES
The UConn defense forced Murray State to go three-and-out seven times on Sept. 4, but that is not a new trend to the followers of UConn football. In last year’s season opener, UConn forced Indiana into five three-and-outs and followed that performance up with several similar showings throughout the 2003 season. UConn picked the pace back up against Pittsburgh, stuffing the Panther offense by forcing seven three-and-outs en route to a 29-17 victory. UConn has forced a three-and-out on 30 of 116 chances in 2004 (26-percent). UConn forced its 2003 opponents to go three-and-out 43 times in 162 possessions, also 27-percent. In 2002, UConn forced a three-and-out on 30-percent of opposing possessions, including a season high eight on 12 possessions at Navy.
THEY CALL IT FOOTBALL FOR A REASON
Overall, UConn forced its opponents to punt a staggering 85 times (7.1 per game) in 2003. Although the NCAA does not keep this as a category leader, on the flip side, only Arizona (98), Baylor (93), Iowa State (87) and Stanford (86) were forced to punt more times as a team in 2003. By comparison, the UConn offense punted just 60 times last year. Amongst the seasonal highlights, the UConn defense swarmed over Buffalo’s offense forcing 11 Bull punts out of 13 UB possessions. The lone exceptions came with the end of the first half and a failed fourth-down try late in the game. UConn’s defense was also solid against Virginia Tech in this category. The Huskies forced the Hokies to punt six times in the game, the same number of punts that Virginia Tech had made in its first three games of the year combined. Two weeks later, NC State had to punt nine times against the Huskies, the Wolfpack’s most punts in a game since at least 1999. The trend continued in the 2004 season opener as UConn forced Murray State to punt 11 times on its 15 possessions. Army punted eight times on its 12 possessions against UConn and Pittsburgh eight times on its 16. West Virginia’s six punts against UConn exceeded its season average. UConn has forced 55 punts this season (6.1 per game) while the Huskies have only punted 42 times.
POTENT HOKIES SHUTOUT ON THIRD DOWN
A concern for UConn entering last year’s Virginia Tech game was the Hokies’ startling third down efficiency. Virginia Tech had converted on 67% of its third down tries in 2003 entering the contest (26-for-39) but against UConn the Hokies went 0-for-8. It marked the second year in a row that UConn has held a team without a third down conversion, after stopping Navy on each of the Midshipmen’s 12 attempts last Nov. 16. UConn nearly topped that feat in its 2004 season opener against Murray State, holding the Racers to just 1-for-13 on third down attempts. Army didn’t fare much better against the Husky defense, converting just twice on 13 attempts.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
PUNT AND FIELD GOAL REVERSAL OF FORTUNES
UConn’s punt return, punt coverage and field goal units have shown a dramatic improvement through nine games as opposed to this juncture last fall. The averages entering the 10th game of the season are listed below for both last year and this year.
CATEGORY 2003 Avg. 2004 Avg.
Punt returns 5.4 12.3
Punt coverage 13.2 6.6
Field goals 7-17 (41%) 14-19 (74%)
THESE AREN’T THE RETURNING RETURNERS
One of the soft spots in UConn’s game last fall was its kickoff and punt returns which ranked near the bottom of the nation. Some speedy true freshmen will hope to help rectify that problem in 2004. The shifty yet diminutive Larry Taylor, easily mistaken on the field for Terry Caulley’s little brother, is the team’s punt returner on the heels of a dazzling fall camp. Taylor is averaging 12.7 yards per return on 21 attempts in his young career as a Husky to rank third in the BIG EAST and 27th in the nation. Behind Taylor, UConn ranks 29th in the nation in punt returns after finishing the 2003 season in 116th place out of 117 Division I-A teams. Taylor has also been one of several Huskies to return kickoffs this year and he made his biggest impact as a returned the opening kickoff of the Temple game 97 yards for a touchdown. It was the first UConn kickoff return for a touchdown since 1998 and is believed to be first opening kickoff return for a touchdown in school history. True freshman Tyvon Branch has been the squad’s top kickoff returner, recording a 20.0 average, with both Taylor and sophomores Allan Barnes and Matt Lawrence serving as his partner, but he has been pushed to the bench after some fumbles. The Cicero-North Syracuse product used his blazing speed to capture the 2004 National Indoor Track championship in the 60 meters. Another scholastic track star, Brandon McLean returned punts at Syracuse and Georgia Tech when Taylor could not play.
THE NUZIE IS GOOD
The roller coaster career of place kicker Matt Nuzie is currently on a positive swing. This week he was named a semifianlist for the Lou Groza Award. Nuzie recently capped a school-record streak of 10 consecutive made field goals with a 51-yard boot at Georgia Tech, UConn’s longest since 1998. Nuzie opened the season hot as he was perfect against Murray State, hitting all seven of his PAT tries and a 22-yard field goal. A week later against Duke, he hit the game-winning field goal with 3:40 to play in UConn's 22-20 win. After a key miss at Boston College he rebounded though. Against Pittsburgh he kicked his way to BIG EAST Player of the Week honors and a game ball. Nuzie hit on all three of his field goal tries and both of his extra point attempts. The highlight of the field goals was the 49-yard boot he hit as time expired in the first half after two "icing" time outs called by Pittsburgh. It was the longest of his career by 11 yards, topping the old mark of 38 set last year at Buffalo. Nuzie is second in the BIG EAST, and 11th in the nation, by averaging 1.54 field goals per game. Nuzie proved inconsistent last fall in a roller-coaster ride of a season as he replaced three-year starter Marc Hickok. Highlights included his 27-yard field goal as time expired to give UConn a 38-37 win over Akron on Oct. 25, earning him a lift on his teammates' shoulders off of the field and a game ball in the locker room. He also ended his season in style with a career high 15 points in UConn's win at Wake Forest, hitting three field goals and all six of his PAT tries. But, the then-freshman was a frustrating 11-for-21 overall on the year in his field goal tries. Nuzie retained his position over Graig Vicidomino in fall drills as promising true freshman Tony Ciaravino sat out while healing from a quadriceps injury.
HUSKIES HAVE FIRST ROOKIE PUNTER SINCE 2000
With the graduation of Adam Coles in May, the Huskies had to look for a new punter for the first time since Coles’ freshman year of 2000. True freshman Shane Hussar stepped to the forefront during fall camp and entered the season as the starter. Hussar averaged 44 yards net last fall at American Heritage High School near Fort Lauderdale. A versatile athlete, Hussar also played linebacker and fullback while advancing to the regional wrestling semifinals and the regional final in the discus throw. Hussar had his best performance of the year to date against Pittsburgh when he dropped five of his eight punts inside of the 20. Field position proved critical in the game as UConn started drives at its own 39 as opposed to Pittsburgh beginning its marches at its own 22.
STADIUM/ATTENDANCE NOTES
MOVIN’ ON UP TO THE EAST SIDE
The Huskies moved into brand new Rentschler Field in East Hartford for the 2003 season with the stadium opening its doors on August 30 when UConn defeated Indiana, 34-10. Conveniently located within miles of Interstates 91, 84 and 384, Adriaen’s Landing and downtown Hartford, the new home of the Huskies lies on 75 acres of land donated to the State of Connecticut from the historic Pratt & Whitney Airfield by company founder Frederick Rentschler. The new stadium boasts a capacity of 40,000 with 38 luxury suites in a massive press box tower which helps enclose the natural grass field. The $91.2 million construction project is an integral part of former Governor John Rowland’s economic development program for the Hartford metro-area. While UConn football serves as the primary tenant, the facility also attracts other prominent events to Hartford. Rentschler Field hosted two concerts by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, September 16 and 18 of 2003. A pair of prominent international soccer exhibitions highlighted the stadium’s 2004 summer schedule. Famed British clubs Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic played a match at Rentschler Field in July while the soon to be gold medal winning United States Olympic women’s soccer team played its final state-side exhibition in East Hartford on August 1 when the Americans defeated China, 3-1.
STARTING A COMMOTION
Swelling interest in the Husky football program as it gradually moves up into BIG EAST play is perhaps best evidenced by a rise in attendance. For the 2004 season, UConn has sold approximately 28,000 season tickets at Rentschler Field, a staggering sum considering that the 2001 season ticket base was around 4,000. In 2002, fueled by a season-ticket base of 11,300, UConn ranked 23rd in the nation by playing to 97.58% of Memorial Stadium’s 16,200 seat capacity. The burgeoning season ticket base more than doubled to 24,000 last fall at Rentschler Field.
40,000 HUSKY FANS CAN’T BE WRONG
The Huskies have sold out their Nov. 20 game against Buffalo, meaning that UConn has sold out eight of its first 13 dates at Rentschler Field. Including UB, UConn will have played to 96-percent of capacity all-time in East Hartford, drawing 497,485 fans, or an average of 38,268 per game. UConn finished 2003 ranked 40th in the nation in attendance based on percentage of capacity, just ahead of Clemson, Kansas State and Texas A&M. In fact, UConn will sell more football tickets in 2004 than either men’s or women’s basketball.
DUKE HAS A DEVIL OF A TIME WITH NOISE FROM SELL OUT
The third sellout crowd in the first eight games at Rentschler Field came out on Sept. 11 to see UConn defeat Duke, 22-20 and the crowd’s presence was felt at crunch time. Needing a field goal to win the game, the Blue Devils drove into UConn territory in the waning moments. The drive stalled in part due to noise-induced false start and a delay of game penalties. The lost yardage forced Duke’s Matt Brooks to attempt his would be game-winning field goal from 36 yards. Amidst a final deafening roar, he hooked the kick wide left and UConn escaped with a win.
RENTSCHLER CROWD NOISE STICKS PANTHERS IN A PITT
A few weeks after the Husky faithful took Duke out of its rhythm, the Rentschler Field audience was at it again against Pittsburgh. Early in the second quarter with the score tied 7-7 and neither team in control of the game, Pittsburgh found itself backed up for a first-and-10 at its own six yard line after a tremendous punt by Shane Hussar. Pittsburgh was flagged for two false starts and a delay of game before being forced to punt from its own end zone.
CONNECTICUT HAS NATION’S FASTEST GROWING FAN BASE
With an increase in attendance of 134% or 21,252 fans from the 2002 season to 2003, UConn made the nation’s best improvement in home game attendance. UConn moved from 15,807 fans per game at Memorial Stadium in 2002 to 37,059 fans per game in Rentschler Field’s inaugural season of 2003. The 134% jump more than doubled the next biggest gainer, Troy State, which improved 57% from its 2002 numbers. The 21,252 jump in average attendance was well ahead of second-place Pittsburgh’s 14,515 fans per game surge. Three of the top five teams in the nation in this category are currently members of the BIG EAST Conference. In addition to UConn and Pittsburgh, Rutgers was fifth with a jump of 9,276 fans per game.
RENTSCHLER FIELD PROVES FRIENDLY FOR HUSKIES
With its win over Temple on Oct. 23, UConn has compiled a 5-1 home record at Rentschler Field this year. The five home wins in 2004 ties the school record for a single season. Six times UConn has won five home games in a season. UConn turned the trick last year and also managed the feat five times at Memorial Stadium, going 5-0 in 1986 and 1989 and posting a 5-1 mark in 1987, 1995 and 1998. The Huskies will have an opportunity to break this record Nov. 20 against Buffalo. UConn presently stands at 10-2 all-time at Rentschler Field.
RENTSCHLER FIELD NATION’S NEWEST STADIUM
Rentschler Field is still the newest stadium in the country to open for college football as no team will inaugurate a new home in 2004. Prior to UConn, the last Division I-A team to open a new facility was Pittsburgh which inaugurated Heinz Field, along with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, in 2001. The last opening of a true college football facility came in 2000 when SMU began play at the 32,000-seat Gerald J. Ford stadium after years of using the Cotton Bowl for home games.
UNIVERSITY RECEIVES GOVERNOR’S LEADERSHIP AWARD
The University of Connecticut was presented with the 2003 Governor’s Leadership Award on Dec. 3, 2003 for its efforts in the first year of play at Rentschler Field. The award, presented by former Governor John Rowland, was given at the Ninth Annual Team Connecticut Rally and was accepted by UConn President Dr. Philip Austin and head football coach Randy Edsall. The annual award is given to an individual or group that has done an outstanding job in bringing together a wide spectrum of people and resources to bear on a significant development issue in Connecticut. UConn was cited for working hard to assure that Rentschler Field was a significant economic resource for the greater Hartford region and a point of pride for the high quality of life in the area that business leaders seek.
RADIO/TV COVERAGE NOTES
ESPN’S HOMETOWN TEAM
When ESPN got its start 25 years ago, it began by broadcasting all sorts of UConn events, including soccer games and swimming meets. The Bristol-based cable television titan will return to its roots this fall as it broadcasts four UConn football games on its family of networks. UConn will appear on ESPN on Oct. 13 against West Virginia and ESPN2 thrice (Sept. 17 at Boston College, Sept. 30 vs. Pittsburgh and Nov. 25 at Rutgers).
READY FOR PRIMETIME PLAYERS
Three of UConn’s four ESPN appearances were aired in coveted weeknight slots during the prime-time viewing hours. UConn faced Boston College at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday night, Pittsburgh at 7:00 p.m. on a Thursday night and West Virginia at 7:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night.
THE UCONN HUSKIES: MUST SEE TV
UConn had seven of its 12 games in 2003 broadcast on live television in Connecticut, for a total of 15 live telecasts over the past two seasons, despite not having a conference television package as an independent school. WFSB-TV 3, Hartford’s CBS affiliate, carried five games while the Virginia Tech game aired on ESPN Regional as the BIG EAST Game of the Week. The YES Network broadcast the Akron game live from Rentschler Field to its cable audience in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and eastern Pennsylvania. Also, FOX Sports Net Pittsburgh picked up WFSB’s feed of the Kent State and Rutgers games and rebroadcast them.
PLENTY OF FOLKS ARE TUNING IN
The Nielsen numbers continued to grow as the Huskies set a football school record when the Wake Forest game pulled down an 8.7 rating in Hartford on WFSB despite a very lopsided 51-17 score. WFSB also recorded a 23 share for its coverage of the UConn-Boston College game on Sept. 13, a UConn football record. The previous high for UConn football on WFSB had been set just two weeks prior when the Indiana game garnered a 6.6 rating and 19 share. In all, UConn’s five games on WFSB in 2003 averaged a 6.7 rating and a 17.8 share in the Hartford TV market. Both numbers were increases from 2002 when UConn averaged a 4.3 rating and an 11.6 share, both of which were record highs at the time.
RATINGS BOOM CONTINUES INTO 2004
UConn made its national television debut on Sept. 17 at Boston College and, despite a lopsided final score, America took notice. The game drew a 1.54 national cable rating, the second best ever for Friday night college football on ESPN2. The only Friday game to ever top that on the deuce was the 1999 MAC Championship Game when Chad Pennington rallied Marshall from a 23-0 third quarter deficit to beat Western Michigan, 34-30. The overall record for ESPN on a Friday night (excluding bowl games) is the 2.0 recorded by Minnesota and Michigan last Oct. 10 in a game moved at the last minute due to a conflict with a Twins playoff game at the Metrodome. Locally, UConn-BC got a 5.2 cable rating in Hartford and a 2.9 in Boston which are large numbers for a Friday night, especially since it aired opposite a Red Sox-Yankees game. Numbers are courtesy of NCAA/Nielsen Media Research.
INFORMIN’ NORMAN
The Pittsburgh game was the 1,000 broadcast by Wayne Norman on the UConn Radio Network. Norman made his on-air network debut on Sept. 22, 1979 for UConn’s 21-10 loss at Navy and is calling his 260th Husky football game on Saturday. He has also been on the air for 717 men’s basketball games (including both national championships) and 28 women’s basketball games, including the 2001 and 2003 title games. He worked that Navy game alongside Rick Benjamin and has called the action with a total of nine broadcast partners, including Marty Glickman, Bob Heussler and the current voice of the Huskies, Joe D’Ambrosio. He has also called about 20 baseball games for WILI and worked many games for WHUS from 1966-70 while an undergraduate at UConn. Norman was honored several times during the night, including the presentation of a commemorative microphone on the field at halftime and an authentic uniform jersey from his beloved Boston Red Sox bearing his name and the number 1,000.
SCHEDULE NOTES
HOME SWEET HOME
The April switch from opening the 2004 season on the road at Western Michigan to at home against Murray State is significant in Husky history. For the first time ever, the Huskies will play seven home games in 2004. The Huskies have often played six home games but in 2004 they are hardly alone in playing seven at home. A total of 16 teams play at least seven home games out of their 11 in 2004, seven of which are members of the Southeastern Conference. Hawai’i will play eight, although this is boosted because mainland teams receive an exemption for scheduling games there. UConn is the lone BIG EAST team with seven home games on its 2004 schedule and the Huskies will hope to take advantage of Rentschler Field, where they went 5-1 last fall in the facility’s inaugural season.
FALL IN NEW ENGLAND
Rentschler Field became a familiar setting for the Huskies quickly in 2004. UConn played six of its first seven games at home, the most of any team in the nation. The team plays its second road date on Oct. 30 at Syracuse. The closest any other teams came to matching this season-opening homestand were from the south. Florida and Georgia both played five of their first six games at home before hitting the road on Oct. 23 for Mississippi State and Arkansas, respectively. Easing the early-season situation further was that the lone road game was at Boston College, allowing UConn to remain in New England until Halloween weekend. The four-game homestand that spans from Sept, 25 to Oct. 23 was the longest in school history.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The flip side of playing so many early season home games is a lack of late season home games. After playing host to Temple on Oct. 23, UConn will take to Rentschler Field just once more, Nov. 20 when the Huskies welcome Buffalo to East Hartford. The Huskies are one of 22 teams in the nation that play just one home game after Oct. 23. UConn and Pittsburgh are the lone BIG EAST teams amongst the group.
JET AIRLINERS WON’T CARRY US TOO FAR AWAY
By playing six of its first seven games at home, a string disrupted solely by a short bus trip to Boston College, UConn did not step on an airplane until October 29 when the Huskies made their Bradley International Airport debut en route to Syracuse. The fact is somewhat ironic for a team which plays its home games on a converted airfield. Only three teams in the nation go later into the 2004 season before flying than UConn. Ohio flew for the first time on Nov. 5 for a game at Central Florida and Wake Forest takes to the skies first on Nov. 19 en route to Miami. Central Michigan will not fly in 2004, busing to all of its road games.
PLAY FOOTBALL ON A SATURDAY?????????
This season, members of the UConn coaching staff will have ample opportunity to attend to their “honey do” lists at home. The team will have six Saturdays off during the 2004 season. UConn has a pair of bye weeks (Oct. 9 and Nov. 6), while four weekday games create four more open Saturdays during the season (Sept. 18, Oct. 2, Oct. 16 and Nov. 27). The scheduling is a sharp contrast to the 2003 season when UConn was one of just eight teams in the nation to play its 12 regular season games consecutively with no byes.
WHO ARE YOU? WHO? WHO? WHO? WHO?
As a part of their move to Division I-A status the Huskies have been facing revamped schedules. In 2002, the UConn football slate featured six first time opponents for UConn and 2003 the Huskies faced four more. UConn went 6-4 in those games. The 2004 schedule presented five new faces for the Huskies when UConn plays Murray State, Duke, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Syracuse. Entering the 2004 season, UConn had faced its opponents just a combined 59 times all-time. UConn’s longest active rivalry in 2004 is Rutgers at 23 games prior to the season. During this three-year span, UConn has also opposed its first member of the Big Ten (Indiana), Big 12 (Iowa State) and SEC (Vanderbilt) while facing ACC competition for just the third through fifth times.
WISHING IT WAS A DIRTY DOZEN
The NCAA schedule reverts back to 11 games for the 2004 season, news which may not be welcomed by the Huskies. In both the 2002 and 2003 seasons, UConn used its 12th game to post a monumental win. On Nov. 23, 2002, UConn posted a 37-20 win over bowl-bound Iowa State on Senior Day in Ames. On Nov. 15, 2003, the Huskies found more Week 12 magic with a 51-17 rout of Wake Forest, again on the road. The Huskies would of course gladly welcome a 12th contest added to the 2004 season as it would come in a bowl game.
HUSKIES BEAT THE BCS FIELD
Over a 13-game span from Nov. 23, 2002 to Nov. 15, 2003, UConn defeated teams from four different BCS conferences, topping members of the ACC (Wake Forest), BIG EAST (Rutgers), Big Ten (Indiana) and Big 12 (Iowa State). Nationally, UConn was one of just 12 teams to beat teams from three different BCS conferences during the 2003 regular season. In addition to the Huskies, the impressive list also included Florida State, Iowa, Miami (Fla.), Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
THANKSGIVING WITH THE FOOTBALL FAMILY
UConn will wrap up its regular season on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, at Rutgers with a 10:00 a.m. kickoff live on ESPN2. The game will be UConn’s fourth national television appearance of the year and its fourth weekday game. The Huskies are 1-2 this year in those contests, beating Pittsburgh but falling to West Virginia and Boston College. The Scarlet Knights will be looking for revenge after dropping a pair of close games to UConn in recent years as part of a home-and-home series. The Huskies took a 20-19 decision on Sept. 29, 2001 in Piscataway and a 38-31 decision last Nov. 8 at Rentschler Field, both of which were settled in the final seconds.
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