University of Connecticut Athletics
Football Prepares To Meet Baylor Friday Night
9/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
STORRS, Conn. (Sept. 16, 2008) – Here are the UConn football notes for the Huskies game this Friday night at 8:00 p.m. against Baylor at Rentchler Field.
THE COACHES
CONNECTICUT HEAD COACH RANDY EDSALL
A semifinalist for the 2007 Bryant and Munger Coach of the Year Awards, Randy Edsall has tackled the challenge of bringing a former NCAA Division I-AA team up to par with the BIG EAST in a brief 10-year span head on, guiding the Huskies to the 2007 BIG EAST Championship and its first two bowl games.
He has compiled a 53-55 career record in his 10th season at UConn, including wins in 41 of UConn’s last 66 games.
Immediately prior to becoming UConn’s head coach in 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. 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. He was recently inducted into the York Area Sports Hall of Fame.
BAYLOR HEAD COACH ART BRILES
Art Briles is in his first year year as the head coach at Baylor after serving as the head coach at Houston from 2003-07.
He posted a 34-28 with the Cougars and led the school to four bowl game apperances. He was the running backs coach at Texas Tech from 2000-02 and was a high school coach and athletic director in the state of Texas from 1979-99.
He is a 1979 graduate of Texas Tech, but played his college ball at Houston, where he was a wide receiver.
RADIO & TV COVERAGE
TV COVERAGE
Friday’s game with be televised nationally by ESPN2 with Sean McDonough on play-by-play with Chris Speielman on color and Rob Stone is the sideline reporter. UConn graduate Josh Hoffman is the producer.
The game can also be seen live online via ESPN360.com -- ESPN's signature broadband sports TV network. The game is available completely free to any student on campus (in fact, to any student on any U.S. college campus -- nearly 18 million people). This season, ESPN360.com will feature more than 300 college football games.
RADIO COVERAGE
For the 16th 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 Kevin Nathan on the sidelines and Eric Davis on production.
The UConn pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff and is hosted by Bob Joyce, while at home games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air two and a half hours prior to the game with Arnold Dean.
The UConn Football Radio Network also includes WILI 1400-AM in Willimantic, WINE 940-AM in Danbury and WPUT-1510 AM in Brewster, N.Y. UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com.
SERIES NOTES
HUSKIES VS. BAYLOR ALL-TIME
Friday’s game is the first meeting ever between UConn and Baylor in the sport of football. It is also just the second game the Huskies have played against a current member of the Big XII Conference.
That contest was a 37-20 win at Iowa State on Nov. 23, 2002 to conclude the season. It marked the first time that the UConn program had beat a bowl-bound team.
The game also marks just the second time UConn has played a team from the state of Texas in football. The only other game was a 31-30 loss at Southern Methodist in Dallas on Sept. 16, 1989.
BAYLOR CONN-ECTIONS
UConn has four players on its team from the state of Texas -- Harris Agbor (Mesquite), Kijuan Dabney (Houston), Keith Gray (Allen) and Michael Smith (Houston).
Baylor does note have any Connecticut players on its roster and only has 17 non-Texas players on its roster.
Dabney and Baylor redshirt freshman wide receiver Stacy Williams both went to Yates High School in Houston.
HUSKIES VS. NON-CONFERENCE FOES SINCE 2002
Connecticut boasts a 32-14 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to Division I-A in 2002.
The Huskies have won seven of their last eight non-league games overall with the only blemish coming via a one-point loss at Virginia (17-16) in 2007.
UConn has posted the following records in non-conference games: 6-6 (2002), 9-3 (2003), 4-1 (2004), 3-1 (2005), 3-2 (2006), 4-1 (2007), 3-0 (2008).
HUSKIES UNDER THE LIGHTS
Connecticut enters Friday night’s game vs. Baylor boasting an all-time mark of 9-3 when playing under the lights at Rentschler Field.
The Huskies have won each of their last five night games played at Rentschler Field with wins over Rutgers, Louisville, Hofstra, Maine and Virginia during the stretch.
Connecticut last dropped a home night game on Oct. 20, 2006 against West Virginia.
LOOKING TO OPEN 4-0
The Huskies will be looking to open the season with four consecutive wins when they play against Baylor on Friday night.
Since Connecticut made the move to the FBS in 2002, last season was the first time the Huskies started the year 4-0.
Previous to 2007, the last time Connecticut was 3-0 was in 1997 -- before joining the FBS.
HUSKIES IN SEPTEMBER
Connecticut boasts a record of 18-8 in games played during the month of September dating back to the 2002 season.
The Huskies enter Friday’s meeting against Baylor having won each of their last seven games played in September by an average margin of 23.7 ppg.
Connecticut last loss in the month of September came on Sept. 30, 2006, when it dropped a 41-17 decision against Navy at Rentschler Field.
UConn’s last road loss in the month of September came during the 2005 campaign, when it slipped up 28-13 at Georgia Tech (Sept. 17, 2005).
HOME SWEET HOME
The Huskies are presently riding an nine-game winning streak at Rentschler Field and have won those games by an average margin of 20.8 ppg.
The Huskies joined the 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers in 2007 as the only teams in BIG EAST history to ever record a perfect 7-0 home record.
UConn’s streak is amongst the longest active ones in the nation as the 2008 season enters its fourth week.
LONGEST ACTIVE FBS HOME FIELD WINNING STREAKS
19 Oklahoma (Oklahoma Memorial Stadium)
16 Wisconsin (Camp Randall Stadium)
16 Boise State (Bronco Stadium)
14 BYU (Lavell Edwards Stadium)
11 Kansas (Memorial Stadium)
9 Tennessee (Neyland Stadium)
9 CONNECTICUT (Rentschler Field)
9 Missouri (Memorial Stadium)
HUSKIES ON THE ROAD SINCE 2002
The road has not always been kind to the Huskies as they have put together a 13-19 road record since 2002.
In non-conference road affairs over that same span, Connecticut has posted a mark of 12-8 and has won four of its last five such games after Saturday’s win against Temple.
The Huskies posted a 1-1 mark in non-conference road games in 2007 with a win at Duke and a loss at Virginia. In 2006, the Huskies won at Indiana and in 2005 they defeated Army and lost at Georgia Tech.
HUSKIES IN ROAD OPENERS
Connecticut’s win over Temple on Setp.6 gave the Huskies a record of 4-3 in the first road game of the season, dating back to 2002.
The Huskies have won each of their last three road openers, having recorded a 14-7 win at Indiana in 2006 before posting a 45-14 win at Duke in 2007.
UConn dropped its road opener in both 2004 (at Boston College) and 2005 (Georgia Tech).
The Huskies also lost to Boston College in 2002 before winning at Army in 2003.
HUSKIES IMPROVE TO 6-1 SINCE 2002 IN SEASON OPENERS
UConn’s 35-3 win over Hofstra on August 28 improved its mark to 6-1 in season openers since making the jump to then-Division I-A in 2002.
UConn is perfect in its five season openers at Rentschler Field (2003-Indiana, 2004-Murray State, 2005-Buffalo, 2006-Rhode Island and 2007-Hofstra).
The Huskies also downed Duke, 45-14, on the road in Durham, to open the 2007 season. UConn’s only I-A era opening day loss was also its only road opener in that span, a 24-16 defeat at Boston College on Aug. 31, 2002 in UConn’s first game as an official member of Division I-A.
Overall, UConn is 49-58-2 in season openers dating back to 1896.
HUSKIES TIE RECORD FOR SEASON-OPENING WINS
UConn has won each of its last six season openers. That marks the most that UConn has won since a string of five straight season-opening wins from 1985-89.
The streak also matches the school record of six straight season-opening wins from 1923-28 under head coach Sumner Dole.
Nationally, only 12 schools have a longer active streak of opening day wins than the Huskies.
LONGEST ACTIVE OPENING DAY WINNING STREAKS
23 Nebraska
19 Florida
12 Georgia
11 USC, Wisconsin
9 Ohio State, South Carolina, Texas
8 Iowa
7 Alabama, Missouri, Penn State
6 CONNECTICUT, Arizona State, LSU, TCU, Texas Tech
HUSKIES CONTINUE DOMINANCE OVER I-AA FOES
UConn has played one Division I-AA school (now called the Football Championship Subdivision) in each season since joining Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) in 2002. 
UConn has won all seven of these games defeating Florida Atlantic in 2002, Lehigh in 2003, Murray State in 2004, Liberty in 2005, Rhode Island in 2006, Maine in 2007 and Hofstra in 2008.
The closest of these games has been a 35-17 win over Lehigh in 2003. Overall, UConn has won the seven games by a combined score of 332-55.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY COACH EDSALL
Wednesday, August 27 marked head coach Randy Edsall’s 50th birthday. Much like his team the past few seasons, Edsall is young but experienced as he enters his 10th year at the helm of the UConn program at just 50 years old.
He is tied for the 12th longest tenured FBS coach at his current job.
In addition to Edsall, Clemson’s Tommy Bowden, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (a UConn graduate), Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville were all hired for their current jobs heading into the 1999 season.
The entire nation of course trails Joe Paterno who embarks on his 43rd year as head coach at Penn State.
LONG ROAD AHEAD
For the third time in four years, UConn is playing on both the first and last permissible playing dates in a season.
The Huskies started off the Thursday before Labor Day (Aug. 28) with a 35-3 win against Hofstra and will finish up on the first Saturday of December (Dec. 6) when they play host to Pittsburgh.
UConn in one of three teams nationally facing this type of schedule along with Cincinnati and Troy.
Several teams can join the Huskies, Bearcats and Trojans if they reach their respective conference championship games.
UConn is also went the distance in 2005 and 2006. In each case UConn won its opener, defeating Buffalo in 2005 and Rhode Island in 2006, but lost its finale, falling twice to Louisville.
TOUGH SLATE IN 2008 FOR HUSKIES
Three of UConn’s non-conference opponents this fall are members of BCS Conferences as the Huskies will face North Carolina and Virginia of the ACC and Baylor of the Big 12.
UConn is one of just three schools who are members of a BCS conference to play three fellow BCS conference members out of league, joining Baylor and Wake Forest.
HUSKIES EARN POLL VOTES
In the polls for the week of Sept. 14, UConn received 13 points in the Associated Press poll (for 35th overall) and 27 points (for 34th overall) in the USA Today/Coaches poll. UConn has been in the also receiving votes category for all four weeks of the national polls this year.
Last fall, the Huskies were ranked for four weeks in the AP poll and three weeks in the coaches poll, peaking at No. 16 in both on Nov. 4.
SQUAD NOTES
BIG EAST COACHES TAB HUSKIES SIXTH
Despite UConn earning a share of the conference title in 2007 and returning a total of 35 lettermen and 19 starters from that championship squad, the BIG EAST coaches have tabbed the Huskies to finish sixth in the preseason poll.
Connecticut garnered a total of 97 points, just one shy of fifth-place choice Cincinnati (96) and 28 in front of seventh-place Louisville (69).
West Virginia (189), USF (149) and Pittsburgh (128) were ranked 1-3 according to the preseason list.
UConn will be hoping for a repeat of 2007, when it was able to prove the prognosticators wrong by capturing a piece of the league crown after being selected to finish seventh in the conference in the preseason by the coaches.
HUSKIES IN THE NFL
UConn currently has five former players that are currently on NFL rosters.
The veterans of the group are both entering their fourth year in league. Quarterback Dan Orlovsky is in his fourth year with the Detroit Lions while linebacker Alfred Fincher is in his first year with the Washington Redskins after playing his first three years with New Orleans.
Fullback Deon Anderson is entering his second year with the Dallas Cowboys after starting four games for the team last year before an injury ended his season.
UConn currently has two rookies on NFL rosters: offensive lineman Donald Thomas with the Miami Dolphins – a sixth round draft pick who is currently starting for the team and defensive back Tyvon Branch of the Oakland Raiders – a fourth round pick who injured his thumb during an exhibition game. Danny Lansanah (Green Bay Packers) – a free agent signee who played in the first two exhibition games was signed to the practice squad; and defensive tackle Dan Davis (Indianapolis Colts) – was released.
HUSKIES IN THE CFL
In addition, there are six former Huskies currently playing in the Canadian Football League – O’Neill Wilson (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) and Jordan Younger (Edmonton Eskimos), who are both in their fifth year in the league.
Maurice Lloyd (Saskatchewan Roughriders) who is in his third year with the team after earning a Grey Cup ring with the team last year; Terry Caulley (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) is in his second year; Shawn Mayne (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), in his second year and Larry Taylor (Montreal Alouettes) enters the season as a rookie.
SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Each week head coach Randy Edsall issues an award for the Scout Team Players of the Week.
In recognition of their often-overlooked hard work, those players earn a spot on the Husky travel squad and then dress list for that week’s game. The weekly honorees are listed below.
HOFSTRA
Ben Chapman (offense), Dwayne Gratz (defense), Sio Moore (special teams).
TEMPLE
Corey Manning (offense), Ryan Worth (defense), Jerome Williams (special teams).
VIRGINIA
Erik Kuraczea (offense), Blidi Wreh-Wilson (defense), Jerome Junior (special teams).
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 2008 recipients are listed below.
HOFSTRA
Donald Brown (offense), Cody Brown (defense), Robbie Frey (special teams).
TEMPLE
Donald Brown (offense), Darius Butler (defense), Jasper Howard (special teams).
VIRGINIA
Will Beatty, Moe Petrus, Keith Gray, Mike Hicks, Zac Hurd, Steve Brouse, Anthony Sherman, Anthony Davis (offense), Scott Lutrus (defense), Desi Cullen (special teams).
ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS: Cody Brown (4), Donald Brown (4), Darius Butler (4), Andre Dixon (3), Scott Lutrus (3), William Beatty (3), Steve Brouse (2), Desi Cullen (2), Keith Gray (2), D.J. Hernandez (2), Mike Hicks (2), Terry Baltimore, Tony Ciaravino, Anthony Davis, Dahna Deleston, Robbie Frey, Jasper Howard, Alex LaMagdelaine, Tyler Lorenzen, Rob Lunn, Moe Petrus, Anthony Sherman, Lawrence Wilson.
UCONN ASSISTANTS KNOW HOW THE “HEAD” GUY FEELS
Three members of Connecticut’s coaching staff boast head coaching experience from previous stops in their coaching career.
Offensive Coordinator Rob Ambrose was the head coach at Catholic University (Washington, D.C.) in 2001 just prior to his arrival at UConn in 2002.
Offensive line coach Mike Foley was the head man at Colgate from 1987-92 and current Director of Football Operations Tim Pendergast served as head coach at Cornell from 2001-03 and Hamilton College (N.Y.) in 2000.
HUSKIES IN AUGUST
The Huskies are 3-1 in August since 2002, its entire tenure in Division I-A. UConn is 3-0 at home in August in the I-A era. UConn’s lone blemish in the month of August since its move to I-A was a 24-16 setback at Boston College in the 2002 season opener.
UConn’s season-opening win over Hofstra on Aug. 28 marked the first time that Connecticut has played a game in the month of August since it defeated Rhode Island 52-7 on August 31, 2006.
VIRGINIA POSTGAME THOUGHTS
UConn did not allow a touchdown in the first quarter for the fourth consecutive game...UConn posted a touchdown on its opening drive of the game for the first time this season...Tyler Lorenzen’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Sherman marked Lorenzen’s first of the season...Tyler Lorenzen was a perfect 11-fo-11 in the air for 122 yards and one touchdown during the first half...Anthony Davis’ 3-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter marked his first of the season and the second of his career...UConn’s 28 first-half points marked the most it has scored in the opening half since scoring 31 against Rhode Island in the first half on Aug. 31, 2006...UConn’s 28 first-half points also marked the most the Huskies scored in the opening half against a Division I-A opponent since totaling 31 points in the opening half against Temple on Oct. 23, 2004...UConn did not punt until the 6:28 mark of the third quarter after scoring on each of its first four offensive possessions of the game (not including UConn’s 1-play possession at the end of the first half)...True freshman tailback Jordan Todman’s 14-yard rushing TD in the third quarter marked the first of his collegiate career....UConn’s 35-point margin of victory marks its largest against an opponent from a BCS Conference since it moved to Division I-A in 2002...Jordan Todman’s 48-yard rush in the fourth quarter marked the longest of his career...UConn did not commit its first penalty until the 10:56 mark of the fourth quarter...Virginia’s touchdown at the 10:24 mark of the fourth quarter marked the first touchdown the UConn defense has allowed in 2008 - a span of 11 quarters...C.J. Marck’s fourth quarter interception marked the first of his career...UConn’s 506 yards of total offense marked its highest output against a Division I-A opponent since registering 566 at Syracuse on Oct. 30, 2004...UConn’s 506 yards of total offense also represented its highest overall output since totaling 567 yards vs. Rhode Island on August 31, 2006.
HUSKIES WHEN RANKED
UConn is 2-2 all-time when it is ranked nationally.
UConn made its debut as a ranked team on Nov. 3, 2007 when the Huskies downed Rutgers, 38-19, at Rentschler Field. At the time, UConn was ranked No. 16 by the AP and No. 20 by the coaches.
The Huskies lost, 27-3, on Nov. 10, 2007 at Cincinnati when they were ranked No. 16 in both polls.
UConn was ranked No. 25 by the AP for its win over Syracuse on Nov. 17, 2007 and was ranked No. 20 entering its loss at West Virginia on Nov. 24, 2007.
HUSKIES NINE WINS IN 2007 NEAR 109-YEAR MARK
UConn’s 9-4 record in 2007 tied for the second-winningest season in the school’s 109 years of football.
UConn won a school-record 10 games in 1998 as it advanced to the Division I-AA Quarterfinals.
The Huskies also won nine games in 2003. UConn had previously won eight games in a season six times (1901, 1973, 1986, 1989, 1995 and 2004).
SWEET 16! HIGHEST AP POLL DEBUT IN 43 YEARS
UConn earned its first ever AP Poll ranking on Oct. 28, 2007 when it checked into the poll at No. 16. That marked the highest debut ranking for a school since Florida State, led by All-American Fred Biletnikoff, first broke into the AP rankings at No. 10 on Oct. 12, 1964.
The AP Poll was just a Top 10 ranking from 1961-67. In the 43 years since Florida State’s AP debut, the closest that any school has come to debuting at No. 16 was when San Diego State debuted at No. 17 on Oct. 24, 1970.
FASTEST FROM DIVISION I-AA TO THE POLLS
SCHOOL I-A DEBUT FIRST RANKING
Marshall 1997 Two years, four weeks (9/12/99)
CONNECTICUT 2002 Five years, 10 weeks (10/28/07)
South Florida 2001 Six years, three weeks (9/9/07)
Boise State 1996 Six years, 13 weeks (11/10/02)
THE QUEST FOR A BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
With a 5-2 record last season in BIG EAST play, the Huskies earned a share of the 2007 BIG EAST Title with West Virginia.
The five wins were just one shy of the six total BIG EAST wins by the Huskies since joining the league in 2004.
In 2004, UConn went 3-3 in its inaugural league slate while the Huskies won two league games in 2005 and just one in 2006.
Prior to 2007, when the Huskies stood at 4-0 in league play heading to Cincinnati on Nov. 10, UConn had never even started a BIG EAST slate at 2-0.
The last time UConn won more than five league games in a year was in 1998 when UConn went 6-2 in the Atlantic 10.
The Huskies have not won a league championship outright since taking the Yankee Conference crown in 1973. UConn last shared in a conference championship in 1989 when it was YanCon Tri-Champion.
HUSKIES PAY THE RENT ON TIME EVERY TIME
UConn went a perfect 7-0 in 2007 at Rentschler Field. UConn joins the 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers as the only teams in BIG EAST history to complete a season with a perfect 7-0 record at home.
The seven home wins topped the previous school record set in 2004 when the Huskies went 6-1 in East Hartford.
UConn’s best undefeated home season before 2007 was a 5-0 mark in 1989 at Memorial Stadium in Storrs.
HUSKIES GAIN BOWL ELIGIBILITY ONCE AGAIN
For the third time in the past five years the Huskies were bowl eligible in 2007 and earned a berth in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte where they dropped a 24-10 decision to Wake Forest. UConn was also bowl eligible in 2003 when the team went 9-3 as an independent but was not selected for a bowl bid. In 2004 when UConn was 7-4 and went on to win the Motor City Bowl.
HUSKIES ON THE REBOUND
UConn is now 17-10 in games following a loss since Oct. 26, 2002, with its 35-3 win over Hofstra on August 28.
The Huskies posted a 3-1 in such games in 2007. The Huskies downed Duke to open the 2007 season on the heels of a three-game losing skid to end the 2006 campaign.
The team later beat Louisville six days after losing at Virginia on Oct. 13. The Huskies downed Syracuse, 30-7 on Nov. 17 a week after losing at Cincinnati. UConn went 4-4 following a loss in 2006.
ROAD WORRIERS
While UConn is 27-8 all-time at Rentschler Field, the results on the road have not always been as joyful for the Huskies.
Of UConn’s 31 losses in the Division I-A era, 19 have come on the road. During the combined 2004-08 seasons, UConn is 6-14 on the road but 21-7 at home with a 1-1 mark at neutral sites (Motor City and Meineke Car Care Bowls).
UConn is 2-11 in BIG EAST road games with the lone wins coming at Rutgers on Nov. 25, 2004 and at Pittsburgh on Sept. 22, 2007.
UConn won a single road game each year from 2004-06 before winning a pair in 2007.
The Huskies last won multiple road games in 2003 when the Huskies took four games away from Rentschler Field with victories at Army, Buffalo, Kent State and Wake Forest.
EDSALL ERA HITS THE CENTURY MARK
Connecticut’s win over USF on Oct. 27, 2007 was the 100th game in Randy Edsall’s 10-year tenure as head coach at Connecticut. Edsall (106 games) is the fourth coach to lead the Huskies into 100 career games, joining J.O. Christian (121), Tom Jackson (119) and Robert Ingalls (106).
On a national level, his 10-year tenure at UConn is tied for the 13th-longest tenure at his current school of any coach at an active FBS school. The longest active tenure is Joe Paterno who is in his 43rd year as head coach at Penn State.
Within the BIG EAST, only USF’s Jim Leavitt at 12 years has been in his current position longer than Edsall.
The five members of the coaching hire class of 1999 who are still at those schools is an especially strong one, also including Tommy Bowden (Clemson), UConn graduate Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Tommy Tuberville (Auburn).
EDSALL HITS 50-WIN MARK - AND COUNTING....
Randy Edsall currently owns a 52-55 career record at UConn, including a 43-30 (.589)mark through the first 73 games of UConn’s tenure at the FBS (Division I-A) level.
By beating Syracuse on Nov. 17, 2007, for his 50th win at UConn, Edsall became just the third Husky mentor to ever win 50 games at the school, joining J.O.Christian (66) and Tom Jackson (62).
BALL CONTROL IS THE KEY
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 59 scoring drives of at least 80 yards while the Husky defense has surrendered just 32 such marches.
UConn also holds a 16-5 advantage over its opponents in the number of 90-yard and over drives since becoming a I-A program.
HUSKIES DOMINATING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL
Over the past 67 games, UConn has outgained its opponent 45 times, including all three games in 2008.
This stretch, like many UConn trends, dates back to a disheartening 28-24 loss at Vanderbilt on Oct. 26, 2002.
CONNECTICUT’S FOUR CAPTAINS
The UConn team has selected four team captains for the 2008 season, Darius Butler, Donald Brown, Tyler Lorenzen and D.J. Hernandez.
Butler and Hernandez will be serving as captains for the second season, after also holding the responsibility during their junior campaigns.
OFFENSE NOTES
TOUCHDOWN BROWN WASTES NO TIME SETTING OFF 2008
UConn junior running back Donald Brown has had a highly productive start to his 2008 season.
He had carried the ball 79 times this season for 566 yards and eight touchdowns. He is the leading rusher in the BIG EAST Conference and the second leading rusher in the country.
Brown’s rushed for 206 yards in the win over Virginia on Saturday: marked his third consecutive game with 100-yards rushing and the ninth of his career. He also has two 200-yard rushing games and three for his career.
Against the Cavaliers, he also scored thee touchdowns and has now scored multiple touchdowns in six games over his 27-game career.
His 23 career touchdowns rank in a tie for seventh place on the UConn career rushing TD list – tied with Vinny Clements (1968-70).
Brown’s career rushing total of 2,283 marks the fifth highest career rushing total in UConn history – 44 yards (2,327) shy of Vinny Clements (1968-70) for fourth place overall. Amazingly, he was not even on the career top 10 list when the season started.
His eight rushing touchdowns over the first three games of 2008 mark the highest total by a UConn player over the first three games of a season since the program moved to the FBS in 2002.
Against Temple on Sept. 6, he carried the ball 36 times for 214 yards -- both career highs.
He scored the game-winning touchdown as he gained 25 yards on three-straight carries in the overtime period.
His 214 yards were the ninth-highest single-game total and his 36 carries were tied as the fourth-highest.
The 214 yards were second in school rushing history since the Huskies moved to the FBS in 2002.
Brown is currently the second-leading rusher in the country in the FBS at 188.67 yards per game trailing only Shun White of Navy at 196.0 per game. He is also eighth in the country in all-purpose running.
In the opener against Hofstra he had 23 carries for 146 yards and four touchdowns.
Brown has now rushed for multiple touchdowns in six games during his career, the four TDs vs. Hofstra in the season opener marked the third-highest total in school history, having been accomplished nine previous times.
The four rushing touchdowns also tied the Husky record since the program moved to the FBS in 2002 – joining Cornell Brockington with four at Wake Forest in 2003.
Brown has now rushed for 100 yards or more nine times in his career – four as a freshman in 2006 and two last year.
BROWN HONORED BY BIG EAST
For his effort against Virginia, Donald Brown was honored by the BIG EAST as the league’s offensive player of the week. In the first two weeks of the season, Brown was named to the weekly honor roll.
TWO-WAY DARIUS
UConn senior cornerback Darius Butler had been working with the Huskies’ offensive unit during spring drills and also through fall camp. He saw his most time on offense Saturday and made the most of it.
He carried the ball one times for a 13-yard TD run the second quarter. Butler also had two receptions for 40 yards, including a 29-yarder.
On defense, he made four tackles with half a tackle for a loss.
He was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll.
GAULDEN BACK IN ACTION
UConn senior wide receiver Ellis Gaulden tallied a career-high 62 yards against Hofstra on four catches. He was also tied for the team lead in receptions with two against Temple.
Gaulden has had an often-injured career with knee issues as he missed the first three games of 2007, the entire 2006 season and played in just one game in 2005.
Gaulden entered the Hofstra game with five career receptions for 29 yards. He almost doubled his reception number and did double his yardage number.
A versatile athlete, Gaulden is a two-time BIG EAST Conference high jump champion.
HUSKIES AND THE RED ZONE
The Huskies made six trips to the red zone against Virginia and scored five touchdowns and had a field goal on those possessions.
Since 2002, UConn has scored on 244 of 288 (84.7 percent) of its red zone possessions. Of the 41 non-scoring drives, 25 have been missed field goals.
FROM IOWA TO CONNECTICUT VIA SAN DIEGO
Tyler Lorenzen took a circuitous route to being named UConn’s starting quarterback. The native Iowan and first-team All-State quarterback signed with Iowa State out of high school.
The Cyclones tried to switch him to wide receiver, Lorenzen, wanting to play quarterback transferred to Palomar Community College near San Diego where he was named a first-team JuCo All-American in 2006 after completing 229-of-332 passes (69-percent) for 2,960 yards with 26 touchdowns and three interceptions. Lorenzen joined UConn in January after carrying a 4.0 grade point average at Palomar and was named the starting quarterback on August 14. At Duke, he became the fourth different starting quarterback for UConn in the past four opening days. D.J. Hernandez started last year’s opener, Matt Bonislawski was under center when the 2005 season began and Dan Orlovsky started the third and final opening day contest of his illustrious UConn career in 2004.
DIXON BACK AFTER BREAKTHROUGH 2007
Tailback Andre Dixon, who enjoyed a coming out party in 2007, saw his first action of the 2008 season with a brief appearance in the Temple game. He has missed the first three games with an ankle injury.
He saw the most significant action of his career at tailback against Temple on Sept. 15, 2007, and made the most of his opportunity.
Dixon ran for 129 yards on 21 carries against the Owls. Dixon is one of three active UConn players who have a 100-yard rushing game to their credit as a Husky, joining Donald Brown (five times) and D.J. Hernandez (2006 vs. Pitt).
He continued to shine against Akron on Sept. 29 rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries while catching four passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. On Oct 19 against Louisville, he enjoyed his third 100-yard rushing game, gaining 115 and scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:32 to play. He made it four 100-yard games out of six with a 167-yard rushing effort against USF.
DEFENSE NOTES
DEFENSE DOESN’T LET TURNOVER PAY
Although the UConn offense committed five turnovers in the opening win over Hofstra, the Husky defense only allowed three points to be scored off those turnovers.
The UConn defense forced a punt, got the ball back on downs, had an interception and the game ended on the other turnovers.
In the Temple game, the Husky defense only allowed three field goals.
The defense buckled down in certain situations against Temple. In the Owls’ opening drive, the Husky defense gave up a 46-yard pass play to put the ball at first and goal at the UC nine, but only allowed a FG.
Temple also had a 44-yard pass in the second quarter to make it first and 10 at the UC 26 and again the Husky defense only gave up a field goal.
Those were the only points scored that Temple had in regulation.
The UConn defense has still not allowed a touchdown all season.
In the win vs. Virginia, UConn gave up its first TD of the year in the 12th quarter of the season.
DEFENSE AMONGST THE NATION’S BEST
UConn’s defensive unit was amongst the best in the nation in 2007. In 2008, the UConn scoring defense is ranked eighth in the country and is 15th in total defense, giving up just 229 yards per game.
The Huskies ranked 37th nationally in total defense yielding just 351.38 yards per game in 2007.
UConn is seventh in passing efficiency defense with a 87.24 rating.
LUTRUS LEADS THE WAY
UConn sophomore Scott Lutrus currently leads the Huskies in tackles with 22 and also had an interception and a pass break-up this year.
He had 12 tackles vs. Temple and was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll. Lutrus also led UConn in tackles in the win vs. Virginia with six.
As a redshirt freshman last year, he make an immediate impact at the strongside linebacker post in 2007. He was third on the squad with 107 tackles, eight of which were for a loss.
He also has four interceptions on the year, returning two for touchdowns to tie both UConn’s season and career records. Lutrus’ four interceptions in 2007 tied for the most in the nation by a linebacker.
Lutrus made a game-high 18 tackles against Louisville and was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. He won the honor again a week later against USF.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
TONY TONY TONY HAS DONE IT AGAIN
Tony Ciaravino edged out true freshman Dave Teggart to serve as UConn’s extra point and field goal kicker in 2007.
His 22 field goals made broke the UConn single-season record and represent the fifth-most in BIG EAST history.
Ciaravino ended up hitting three of his four field goals in the 2007 season opener at Duke and has not looked back. The three field goals made were the most by a Husky kicker since Matt Nuzie hit four in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. Ciaravino matched that total two weeks later in UConn’s win over Temple when his three field goals included career-long boots from 47 and 50 yards, earning him the special teams game ball and BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week accolades.
Ciaravino handled UConn’s field goals and extra points as the 2006 season drew to a close, the third Husky to serve in that role last season. Ciaravino hit both of his field goal tries last fall and went 12-for-13 on extra points on the year.
NINE TIMES FOR CIARAVINO
Tony Ciaravino tallied a run of nine consecutive made field goal tries during the 2007 season, bookended by a 52 yard miss at Virginia on Oct. 13 and a 51-yard miss against Maine on Sept. 8.
It was the longest streak by a Husky since Matt Nuzie’s school-record string of 10 consecutive field goals during the 2004 season.
Ciaravino’s run matched David DeArmas’ nine straight in 1994 for the second longest streak in school history.
KENTUCKY HAMMER NAILS HIS AUDITION
Louisville native Desi Cullen, the self-proclaimed “Kentucky Hammer,” solidified his role as the team’s starting punter and kickoff specialist with a steady fall camp.
In 2007 he earned the special teams game ball after the season opener against Duke and then picked one up last Saturday vs. Virginia.
Last season, Cullen averaged 40.7 yards on his 75 punts and also handled kickoffs with 11 touchbacks on 74 kicks.
Cullen handled kickoffs in five games in 2006 as a true freshman and was the understudy to senior Chris Pavasaris at punter.
Cullen has also showed a tendency towards not staying back in coverage as he has aggressively made five tackles on the season.
STADIUM/ATTENDANCE NOTES
RENTSCHLER FIELD
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, the home of the Huskies lies on 75 acres of land donated to the State of Connecticut from the historic Pratt & Whitney Airfield.
The stadium, like the former airfield, is named for that company’s founder, Frederick Rentschler. The stadium boasts a capacity of 40,000 with 38 luxury suites in a massive press box tower which helps enclose the natural grass field. 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, one by the Rolling Stones and one by The Police. Several prominent international soccer contests have been played on the pitch at Rentschler Field, most notably a World Cup Qualifier between the United States and Trinidad & Tobago on Aug. 17, 2005.
A HOT TICKET
Swelling interest in the Husky football program as it gradually moved up into BIG EAST play can perhaps be best evidenced by the rise in attendance.
UConn sold 28,000 season tickets in 2008 and sold its entire allotment of student season tickets at 4,700. The opening game against Hofstra saw over 5,000 Husky students attend the game.
These figures are staggering sums considering that the entire 2001 season ticket base was around 4,000. In 2002, the number reached 11,300 in the final season of Memorial Stadium. The burgeoning season ticket base more than doubled to 24,000 for the inaugural season at Rentschler Field and rose to 28,000 a year later in 2004. UConn reached an all-time high of 32,000 season tickets in 2005.
SELLOUTS THE NORM
The Huskies have sold out 23 of their first 35 dates at Rentschler Field, including a stretch of 12 in a row.
UConn has played to 96-percent of capacity all-time in East Hartford, drawing 1,306,179 fans, or an average of 38,417 per game.
RENTSCHLER FIELD PROVES FRIENDLY FOR HUSKIES
The Huskies went 7-0 at home in 2007 at Rentschler Field and 4-2 in 2005 after compiling a 6-1 home record in 2004.
UConn’s 3-4 mark at home in 2006 was its only sub-.500 record at Rentschler Field.
The seven home wins in 2007 set a school record for a single season which was previously set in 2004. In the process, the Huskies joined the 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers as the only BIG EAST schools to ever post a perfect 7-0 home record.
UConn presently stands at 26-8 all-time at Rentschler Field including a 17-3 mark in non-conference games.
Due to the crowd noise, UConn’s opponents have been flagged for a total of 56 false starts and delay of game penalties in the past 25 games at Rentschler Field.
UP NEXT
UConn continues Friday night action next week as it opens BIG EAST Conference action at Louisville. Game time is 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
