University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Football Media Day Quotes
9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 1, 2009
STORRS, Conn. - Head Coach Randy Edsall's Opening Statement.
It is great that this week is finally here. I know that our guys want to go and practice a couple of more days but they are anxious to actually play the game because it has been a long time since they have been able to get out and compete against other people. They are looking forward to that and understand that we are going to have quite a challenge going out to Athens, Ohio and take on Ohio.
Ohio is very skilled on offense. They have outstanding receivers and two quarterbacks who have played and have put up good numbers. Both are very athletic. They also have an outstanding running back in Chris Garrett and they also have Vince Davidson and Donte Harden so they also have depth at that position. Ohio is very talented offensively.
Defensively, their experienced at linebacker and in the secondary. They fly around and run to the ball and play aggressively.
Their punter is back and they are breaking in a new kicker and have excellent return guys on special teams. Garrett and JaVon Brazil, their punt returners, have taken balls back for touchdowns so we are very aware of that and understand that we have a difficult challenge as we go out to play Ohio on Saturday night.
Edsall on preparing for the season opener.
This game will tell us a lot about the how the incomers will perform. Some guys that are performing for the first time, how they are going to handle their first game. We have practiced and done things but you really don't know how things are going to go until you go against a different competition other than your own people.
We have to do the things that we are expected to do. We can't turn the ball over, we cant give up the long scores on defense. We have to take advantage of our opportunities offensively when we move the ball into the red zone.
We are going to take a look at who they are and who we are and put a plan together that we think will give us the most success. But one of the things that we would like to do is to be a physical aggressive football team. That has to continue.
That is the thing that you sit here this week and you don't get as much sleep because of the uncertainty. You have film from last year, but you don't have anything to go on this year. Basically when you go through and opener you have to cover everything so that is why you start your preparation a little earlier than a normal game week. We have to be prepared for just about anything and we have to be able to make adjustments during the game in case something occurs that we didn't anticipate.
Redshirt Junior Linebacker Scott Lutrus on UConn's the no huddle offense.
The defense has definitely noticed that the tempo of the offense has worn us down a few times in practice and scrimmages. This season what they are going to do to the opponents is really tire out the defense with tempo, the no huddle offense, just running at them. It will definitely wear them down. We haven't gone four quarters against them in scrimmages but we have definitely been tired at the half.
They do get tired, but that is one thing when we put this offense in during the first spring practice, the linemen were sucking wind. They have become more conditioned now and are doing well with it.
Lutrus on the linebacker core.
A lot of the young guys have stepped up coming into this season, camp and the spring. We might not have realized the depth that we had there but guys like Jesse Joseph and Trevardo Williams, two freshmen that will play this season, have done a great job in the spring and in camp. Mike Cox and Lindsay Witten, both upperclassmen, have played in the past. There is experience here. When you lose guys like Julius Williams and Cody Brown there is a great loss, but everyone has been stepping up it isn't going to be a problem.
Head Coach Frank Solich on UConn's offensive scheme.
Well that causes some problems for us in terms of preparation because when you look at last year, and they were very much a power running football team that had an excellent offensive line that could block downfield, one of the best running backs in the country and guys behind him that could also carry the ball. They posed a lot of problems for people as far as stopping the running game. You look what was done at Akron and you see more versatility in terms of a spread out offense and not as much two-back but some ability to play that type of offense well.
Where they will be this year is a good question. I don't expect that they will just abandon their running game, they have had too much success with it. So they will incorporate that into a game where they use three or four wideouts and throw the ball around a little bit. They will try to do it all to some degree. Usually in that situation when a new guy comes in, takes over, and installs the offense, but I think they will hold onto some of the things that they did last year.
Solich on the UConn quarterbacks.
I did get to view their spring game as it was on television but I couldn't tell a lot. They have the ability to become a good throwing football team. Just how much they want to get into that will depend upon how good a spring their quarterbacks had throwing the ball and how well their camp went. I see them more of guys that come off the play-action pass or drop back type throwers.
Solich on the UConn defense.
They are a team that has good depth though they lost a lot of high quality players in the NFL draft but they are expecting that the people that are taking over those spots are talented guys that won't miss a beat. They play hard and fast and are coordinated from the defensive end of it. They line up and know what they are doing and are physical with what they are all about. They lost some quality players but their program now is such that they are established and been in place and they have been winning long enough now to be able to fill those spots with other quality players. They are not overly big up front but they are tough and do things aggressively. But their whole defensive unit runs well and that is always the key for a defensive football team.
