University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Football vs. North Carolina Quotes
9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 8, 2009
Head Coach Randy Edsall's opening statement.
We have a tough one this week. North Carolina is an outstanding football team that is ranked in the top-25 in the country. They are a team that is well balanced offensively, very physical and runs to the ball extremely well on defense and have a sound, solid kicking game. Again, it is going to be a tremendous challenge for us on Saturday but we are looking forward to the opportunity to go out and continue the season, work to get better and improve on where we were last Saturday. Right now we are the best that we can be at, 1-0, and now we are working hard to try and make sure we can't get to 2-0.
Edsall on Trevardo Williams
He did some things in the game that maybe we didn't expect him to do. I thought he showed that he has a knack for rushing the passer, that he has good ability, and the biggest thing, as a freshman, he wasn't fazed at all in his first game. We aren't going to anoint him after one game, but from where he has started this season, he has put himself on a pace where the expectations are going to be a little bit higher for him to just keep improving and keep working each and every day. That is the good thing about Trevardo, he is a worker.
Edsall on the offensive line
They did a good job, but they could have played better. They did a great job in creating running lanes for the backs, but it is a situation where they could have done more. We give out a sledgehammer award each week if there is one and that is where one of the defenders or offensive guys hits a guy and knocks them where their butt hits the ground before their legs do. Zach Hurd came around the corner and just picked an Ohio player up off of the ground and put him back, but then there are a couple plays where he didn't do that. Productivity wise, when you look at the stats, we did run the ball very well but when you go back and analyze it there was more that could have been done. I stress this and say this because we are going to have to execute at a higher level this week.
Edsall on the "shield" formation
You saw on Saturday night that we went to a different type formation and scheme. It is something where you take a look at the personnel and see what might be best for the team and Lyndon [Johnson] came to me and said that this might be a better scheme for us than we were in before so I endorsed it and that is what we are going with. Regardless of what scheme or formation we use, we still have to go out and execute it. If we do that we will be fine.
For us, this formation fits our personnel a little bit better and you don't have to involve your center in the protection. As long as the snap and the kick get off in time, people should be able to get in there and block without an issue. Athletic Director
Jeff Hathaway on the Husky Honor program
We want to take this opportunity to talk to you about Husky honor. It is something that is near and dear to us. Everything that we do in the football program and our athletic program we try to do in a first class manner that is in the best interest of everybody involved. There is no difference in that respect when it comes to playing at Rentschler or Gampel or the XL Center or any of our venues. We want to make sure that there is a welcome and comfortable environment for our fans, want it to be a safe place for the participants and make sure that everyone has some fun watching UConn win.
Promoting good sportsmanship and mutual respect between participants and spectators is something that everybody in the athletics business is worried about. At the college level, professional level and we have seen it in at the youth level. We are going to work proactively with our constituents to make things as safe as possible.
