University of Connecticut Athletics
#16/20 Football Plays Host to Rutgers on Saturday
10/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
THE COACHES
CONNECTICUT HEAD COACH RANDY EDSALL
A veteran in his 25th 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, guiding the Huskies to victory in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. He has compiled a 48-52 career record in his ninth season at UConn, including wins in 37 of UConn’s last 59 games. He is 3-2 vs. Rutgers. 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. Among 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. He was recently inducted into the York Area Sports Hall of Fame.
RUTGERS HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO
Greg Schiano is 35-44 in his seventh year as head coach at Rutgers and is 2-3 against UConn. He has guided Rutgers to each of its first two bowl berths since 1978, including last year’s victory over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. Prior to returning to his native New Jersey, Schiano served as the defensive coordinator at Miami in 1999 and 2000 under Butch Davis. The Hurricanes went a combined 20-5 those years, including a No. 2 national finish in 2000 after a 37-20 Nokia Sugar Bowl win over Florida. Schiano served as an assistant with the Chicago Bears from 1996-98 and worked at Penn State under Joe Paterno from 1990-96, coaching the Nittany Lion secondary. Penn State made six bowl appearances during this time, including the 1992 Fiesta Bowl and the 1995 Rose Bowl, which capped a 12-0 season. He also served as a graduate assistant at Rutgers in 1989 and an assistant coach at Ramapo High School in 1988. Schiano was an All-Patriot League linebacker at Bucknell, from where he graduated in 1988. He is a native of Wyckoff, N.J. and a graduate of Ramapo High School.
RADIO & TV COVERAGE
ESPNU-CONN
For the third time this year, UConn will have a game broadcast by ESPNU. The network also aired UConn’s games at Pittsburgh and Virginia. Dave Armstrong (play-by-play, Mike Gottfried (color) and Melissa Knowles (sidelines) have the call.
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. 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, WXLM, 102.3-FM in New London, WLIS 1420-AM in Old Saybrook, WMRD 1150-AM in Middletown, and WLAD 800-AM in Danbury. UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com.
SERIES NOTES
ANYTHING BUT STRANGERS IN THE KNIGHT
Saturday will mark the 27th meeting between UConn and Rutgers in a series that dates back to 1940. The Scarlet Knights hold a 18-8 edge, but the Huskies have won three of the five meetings in recent years. Four of the five recent meetings have been settled by a touchdown or less. The teams are 1-1 against each other at Rentschler Field. UConn defeated Rutgers, 38-31, on Nov. 8, 2003 in East Hartford but the Scarlet Knights got a measure of revenge with a 26-24 win there on Oct. 22, 2005. The most recent meeting overall was a 24-13 Scarlet Knights win at Rutgers on Sunday night, Oct. 29, 2006. On Sept. 29, 2001, the teams met for the first time since 1983, and the Huskies produced a thrilling, 20-19, win in Piscataway. That win was UConn’s first ever over a member of the BIG EAST Conference. Prior to the 2001 contest, Rutgers had won six straight meetings dating back to a 9-7 UConn win in 1974.
SPRUNG FROM CAGES ON HIGHWAY NINE
The UConn roster features seven players from New Jersey in Donald Brown (Atlantic Highlands), Dan Davis (Plainfield), Andre Dixon (New Brunswick), Alex LaMagdelaine (Rumson), Kashif Moore (Burlington, N.J.), Scott Schultz (Wayne) and Robert Theoudele (Willingboro)...The Scarlet Knights have one player from Connecticut in Kyle Kummer (New Britain)... There are also a combined 30 Floridians between the two teams, most of them hailing from Dade and Broward Counties (metro Miami/Fort Lauderdale)...In addition to the many Florida and New Jersey-based connections, UConn’s William Beatty and Rutgers’ Richard Muldrow both played line at William Penn HS in York, Pa....UConn’s Martin Bedard and Rutgers’ Jonathan Pierre-Etienne both played at Cegep du Vieux Montreal...Amongst coaching staff connections, UConn defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos is a native of Long Valley, N.J. and a graduate of West Morris Central High School who coached at Rutgers from 2001-03...Rutgers offensive coordinator John McNulty was an assistant at UConn from 1995-97 under Skip Holtz...UConn offensive line coach Mike Foley worked alongside RU linebackers coach Bob Fraser at Colgate from 1998-2005. Foley was also offensive coordinator at Harvard from 1994-95 when Rutgers running backs coach Craig ver Steeg was the Crimson’s quarterbacks and wide receivers coach. Ver Steeg was an assistant at Cincinnati in 1993 when Hank Hughes was with the Bearcats as their defensive coordinator...Rutgers associate head coach Darren Rizzi is very familiar with the Nutmeg State having served as the head coach at New Haven from 1999 to 2001 and an assistant there from 1994-97...Rutgers director of speed and skill development Chris Hewitt played at Cincinnati in 1993 when Hughes coached there.
WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T GO HOME?
UConn is in the middle of a three-game home stand as the Huskies play host to Louisville, USF and Rutgers in consecutive weeks. It is UConn’s first three-game home stand since the 2004 season when the Huskies had a run of four straight home games from Sept. 25 until Oct. 23. The Huskies are 5-0 at home thus far in 2007 and are 23-8 all-time at Rentschler Field since its gates first opened in 2003.
SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT
UConn will be playing its 10th game under the lights at Rentschler Field with the Huskies posting a 6-3 record in their previous forays into the East Hartford night, including a 2-0 mark in 2007. UConn's debut was auspicious as on Sept. 30, 2004 the Huskies defeated eventual BIG EAST champion Pittsburgh, 29-17, before a national television audience on ESPN2. Two weeks later, the team was not as fortunate, falling to No. 17 West Virginia, 31-19, on Oct. 13 live on ESPN. The 2005 season saw three night games, two of which were nationally televised, with UConn defeating Buffalo (38-0 on Sept. 1) and Syracuse (26-7 on Oct. 7) while losing to No. 16 Louisville (30-20 on Dec. 3). In 2006, UConn downed Rhode Island (52-7 on Aug. 31) but lost to No. 4 West Virginia (37-11 on Oct. 20). The Huskies beat Maine, 38-0, on Sept. 8 of this year and then topped Louisville, 21-17, on Oct. 19.
SQUAD NOTES
7-1 IS A HISTORIC RUN
UConn’s 7-1 start to the 2007 season is the fastest the team has burst from the gates since 1998 when the team also opened the year at 7-1 en route to the school’s only appearance in the Division I-AA Playoffs. Since making the jump to Division I-A (since renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision), UConn had gone 5-3 through its first eight games in 2003 and 2004 but never better. The Huskies have been 7-1 through eight games only four times previously, coming in 1926, 1944, 1945 and 1998. UConn was once undefeated through eight games, going 6-0-2 in 1924. The Huskies have never been 8-1 or better in their 109-year football history.
HUSKIES HAVE POLL POSITION FOR FIRST TIME
UConn earned its first ever AP ranking at No. 16 on Oct. 28 and made its debut in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll on the same day at No. 20. UConn first received votes this year in the Sept. 23 AP poll when the Huskies received three. The team cracked the coaches’ poll’s votes column the following week. UConn also received votes in both polls at various times during the 2003 and 2004 seasons but has never earned a national Top 25 ranking. Prior to this season, UConn’s last national poll votes came in the final polls of the 2004 season following an 8-4 finish and 39-10 win over Mid-American Conference Champion Toledo in the Motor City Bowl. The Huskies earned their first ever ranking in the three-year old Harris Interactive Poll on . The team also made its first-ever appearance in the BCS rankings on Oct. 21 at No. 23.
BULL RUSHING THE MARSHALL PLAN
With its Oct. 28 AP and coaches rankings, UConn became the second-fastest team to ever make the polls after moving up from what was once called Division I-AA, trailing only Marshall which joined I-A in 1997 and was ranked after two years and four weeks. Ironically, UConn edges past South Florida for second place, the team it defeated to earn a ranking. The Bulls became a full-fledged I-A program in 2001 and cracked the Top 25 earlier this year after six years and three weeks.
SUCCESS IS RELL-ATIVE IN CONNECTICUT
UConn’s success on the gridiron this year has not gone unnoticed by people in high places. Just a few hours after UConn earned its first ever national ranking on Oct. 28 by beating then-No. 11 USF, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell issued a statement congratulating the team saying "The big dogs have hit the big time. Coach Edsall and his team have made all of Connecticut proud. I know the season is not over yet, but the team, the university and state residents should celebrate this tremendous win and this first ever national ranking."
ONE FOR THE MONEY, TWO FOR THE SHOW, THREE TO GET READY...
At 3-0, UConn is the last remaining undefeated team in BIG EAST Conference games this year. The three wins ties for the most the Huskies have had in BIG EAST play since joining the league in 2004. That year, UConn went 3-3 in its inaugural league slate. The three wins matches UConn’s BIG EAST win total for the 2005 (two) and 2006 (one) seasons combined. Prior to this season, UConn had never even started a BIG EAST slate at 2-0. The last time UConn won more than three league games in a year was in 1998 when UConn went 6-2 in the Atlantic 10.
HUSKIES GAIN BOWL ELIGIBILITY
For the third time in the past five years the Huskies are bowl eligible. UConn was also bowl eligible in 2003 when the team went 9-3 as an independent and was not chosen and in 2004 when UConn was 7-4 and went on to win the Motor City Bowl. Although eligible, UConn is not guaranteed a bowl bid and more wins can increase both the likelihood and prominence of a potential UConn bowl game. The BIG EAST Champion receives an automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series. The second selection will go to either the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (Jacksonville) or the Brut Sun Bowl (El Paso) with the other game picking a Big 12 team. The third pick is made by the Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte). The fourth and fifth picks go to the PapaJohns.com Bowl (Birmingham) and the International Bowl (Toronto). Any remaining teams enter into a national pool searching for possible, but not guaranteed, at large bids.
IT AIN’T OVER...
UConn rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Louisville, 21-17, on Oct. 19 getting the game-winning touchdown with 1:32 to play as Andre Dixon forced his way into the end zone. The clinching play came when Danny Lansanah intercepted Brian Brohm with 15 seconds remaining in the game. The contest marked UConn’s seventh win in the FBS (I-A) era (since 2002) where it overcame at least a 10 point deficit. It marked UConn’s eighth win of the I-A era where it came from behind in the final quarter and the third in which it did so while erasing a double-digit deficit. The Louisville game was also the fifth time in this period which UConn won with a score in the game’s final two minutes or in overtime. It was UConn’s second fourth quarter comeback win of the year (UConn trailed Temple 17-16 in the fourth quarter). UConn last had multiple fourth quarter comeback wins in the same season in 2003 when the Huskies had three (vs. Kent State, Akron and Rutgers).
TURNING THE PAGE
One key to UConn’s early success in 2007 has been its impressive +12 turnover margin as the Huskies have created 22 turnovers while giving the ball away just 10 times. UConn’s ratio ranks second in the nation in this critical category. Demonstrating its importance, five of the nation’s top six teams in terms of turnover margin are either 8-0 or 7-1. In 2006 UConn was -1 on the season in turnover margin. UConn has made the most of its opportunities this fall too, holding a 71-14 edge over its opposition in points off of turnovers.
EDSALL ERA HITS THE CENTURY MARK
The win over USF on Oct. 27 was the milestone 100th game in Randy Edsall’s nine-year tenure as head coach at Connecticut. He stands at 48-52 overall and a fairly remarkable 39-28 (.582) through the first 67 games of UConn’s tenure at the FBS (Division I-A) level. Edsall 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 nine-year tenure at UConn is tied for the 18th-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 42nd year as head coach at Penn State. Within the BIG EAST, only USF’s Jim Leavitt at 11 years has been in his current position longer than Edsall. The six 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), June Jones (Hawaii), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Tommy Tuberville (Auburn).
NOVEMBER REIGN
The Huskies are 11-5 in November over the past five seasons combined, its entire tenure in Division I-A. UConn is 7-1 at home in November in the I-A era, posting a 2-0 mark at Memorial Stadium and a 5-1 record at Rentschler Field, the lone blemish being a last-seconds loss to Cincinnati on Nov. 25, 2006. The Huskies won their first seven I-A era November games before losing at Georgia Tech on Nov. 13, 2004.
UNDEFEATED SEASON ALIVE THROUGH FIVE
UConn was 5-0 after five games for the first time since 1995, prior to the team’s move to then-Division I-A status. That season, the Huskies set a school record with six straight wins to open the season. The Huskies do have two longer unbeaten streaks to open a season coming in 1924 (6-0-2) and 1928 (4-0-3). The Huskies had never previously started better than 2-0 in the I-A era. The Huskies also had never previously started better than 2-0 during head coach Randy Edsall’s nine-year tenure at UConn. Edsall though has seen a longer streak in his coaching career as he was the defensive backs coach at Syracuse in 1987 when the then-Orangemen went 11-0 before tying Auburn, 16-16, in the Sugar Bowl.
WINNING FIVE TIES FOR THREE
Winners of each of their last five games before losing at Virginia, the Huskies tied for their third longest winning streak of the Division I-A era with a run of five straight wins from Nov. 20, 2004-Sept. 10, 2005. UConn won seven straight from Oct. 25, 2003-Sept. 11, 2004. The Huskies also have a I-A era streak of six wins (Nov. 2, 2002-Sept. 6, 2003) to their credit. Within the context of a single season, it was UConn’s longest winning streak since closing the 2003 campaign with five straight wins.
HUSKIES ONLY LOSE ONCE IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
UConn finished its 2007 non-conference slate on Oct. 13 with a 4-1 record, defeating Duke, Maine, Temple and Akron but losing at Virginia. It ties for UConn’s best non-league slate since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 2004. The Huskies went 4-1 that year followed by a 3-1 mark in 2005 and a 3-2 record in 2006. UConn was last undefeated in non-conference play in 1998 when the Huskies downed Colgate, Yale and Hofstra to go 3-0. UConn will likely never eclipse the school benchmark for non-conference wins as in 2003, competing as an independent, the Huskies went 9-3 on the year, all of which were non-conference games.
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
UConn went a perfect 5-0 in the month of September marking the first time in school history that the Huskies have ever won five games in a single calendar month. UConn had previously won four games in a month on numerous occasions, most recently in November of 2002 when UConn beat Florida Atlantic, Kent State, Navy and Iowa State. The last time the Huskies completed a full calendar month without a loss was when the squad went 3-0 in November of 2003 with wins over Western Michigan, Rutgers and Wake Forest. UConn’s last perfect September was in 1998 when the Huskies downed Colgate, Maine and Yale to open the season at 3-0. This year was UConn’s fifth perfect September of all-time with a minimum of three games played.
AND THEN THERE WERE 11
Prior to losing to Virginia on Oct. 13, UConn was one of the last 11 remaining undefeated teams in the nation. The others were Arizona State, Boston College, California, Cincinnati, Hawaii, Kansas, LSU, Missouri, Ohio State and South Florida. The list is now down to just five (Arizona State, BC, Hawaii, Kansas and Ohio State).
TAKING THE HARD ROAD AGAIN
Last fall UConn played what the NCAA ranked as the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule, battling seven bowl teams, including two BCS participants and four teams that won 10 games during the regular season. The Huskies are facing another tough slate in 2007 as five of the team’s final six games will come against teams that won bowl games a year ago in Louisville (Oct. 19), USF (Oct. 27), Rutgers (Nov. 3), Cincinnati (Nov. 10) and West Virginia (Nov. 24). All of those teams have been ranked during some point in the 2007 season. While the first half of the slate did not feature any bowl teams from a year ago, it did include a pair of road games in ACC country as the Huskies traveled to Duke (Sept. 1) and Virginia (Oct. 13). UConn is one of just four BCS conference schools this year to play two road games against BCS conference foes. UConn joins Florida State (at Colorado and Florida), Louisville (at Kentucky and NC State) and Pittsburgh (at Michigan State and Virginia).
ONLY THE YOUNG CAN PLAY
UConn has played a total of 17 freshman, including six true freshmen, so far in 2007. The six true freshmen are Aaron Bagsby, Marcus Campbell, Kijuan Dabney, Jasper Howard, Greg Lloyd and Anthony Sherman. Redshirt freshmen Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson both started the first five games at linebacker while fellow redshirt freshmen Mike Cox, Anthony Davis, Doc Goudreau, Zach Hurd, Mathieu Olivier, Kevin Poles, Alex Polito, Derek Rich and Greg Robinson also have all seen action this season.
BRAVE, CRAZY, MOSTLY YOUNG
For the second straight year, UConn is seeing plenty of underclassmen in prominent roles. The 2007 Huskies have just two senior starters on the offensive side of the ball (WR Larry Taylor and RG Donald Thomas) and three on defense (DT Dan Davis, LB Danny Lansanah and CB Tyvon Branch). The youth is especially evident at the offensive skill positions where UConn will likely start a pair of sophomore receivers (Terence Jeffers and Brad Kanuch), a sophomore tailback (Donald Brown) a redshirt freshman fullback (Anthony Davis) and a JuCo quarterback (Tyler Lorenzen). If games truly are won in the trenches, UConn should be in great shape for 2008. Of the 10 offensive linemen on the preseason two-deep, nine are expected back next fall and the same can be said of seven of the eight two-deep defensive linemen.
JUST FOR STARTERS
UConn has been fortunate to have a fairly consistent starting lineup this fall. The same 11 have started all eight games on defense while the core of the offense has remained the same thus far. No UConn player started all 12 games last year at the same offensive position. Conversely, six Huskies started all 12 games at the same defensive position. UConn started a total of nine different offensive linemen last past year, including five players making their first career start. It was tough a season ago but has created a measure of depth that is helping UConn in 2007. Eight different Huskies started a game in UConn’s defensive backfield in 2006. A total of 21 different players started a game on offense, 10 of which were making their first career start. A different offensive line combination started each of the final four games. UConn started 17 different people on defense in 2006 and has used four different place kickers last year.
OUR DOCTORS DID NOT FEEL GOOD
UConn came through its 2007 fall camp and the first month of the regular season with very few injuries of note and, while always a welcome event, it was even more welcome than usual in Storrs after the injury bug hit the Huskies hard in each of the past two seasons. Some of UConn’s busiest staffers in 2006 were its athletic trainers and physicians, much like in 2005. Out for the whole 2006 season from the preseason were WR Seth Fogarty (foot), WR Ellis Gaulden (knee), S Jahi Smith (multiple concussions) and DE Jason Ward (foot). Players who saw action this past year but were knocked out for the season due to injury included OT William Beatty (lower leg), TE Martin Bedard (elbow), DE Cody Brown (arm), C Keith Gray (shoulder), QB D.J. Hernandez, OT Mike Hicks (ankle) and WR Brandon McLean (ankle). TE Dan Murray missed the first three games with a high ankle sprain and was limited by the injury in the first few games that he did play. LB Ryan Henegan missed the first two games with a hamstring injury. TB Terry Caulley played with a broken bone in his hand after missing some action while LB Dontá Moore played through a broken arm suffered on Sept. 30 against Navy. Another pair of contributors to miss some time as the season progressed were S Allan Barnes, who missed a pair of games with a hamstring injury, and CB Darius Butler who missed the Syracuse game with a hamstring injury. WR Larry Taylor did not play against Cincinnati following a concussion suffered at Syracuse and CB Ernest Cole also missed the Cincinnati game due to a knee injury. WR Robert Theoudele was not available for the final four weeks with a shoulder injury. FB Deon Anderson missed the season finale at Louisville with a stinger. This trend, unfortunately, continued from 2005 when 18 different players from UConn’s preseason two-deep missed at least one game due to injury.
THE QUARTERLY REPORT
UConn has significantly outscored its opponents this year in each of the four quarters. UConn has outscored its opponents 41-21 in the first quarter in 2007, 65-38 in the second quarter, 69-19 in the third quarter and 67-26 in the fourth quarter. The four quarters add up to a 242-104 advantage for UConn in scoring margin this year. UConn held a first quarter shutout streak of 87:38 stretching from the opening drive of the season opener at Duke until the final seconds of the first quarter of the Virginia game on Oct. 13.
ROAD WORRIERS
While UConn is 23-8 all-time at Rentschler Field, the results on the road have not always been as joyful for the Huskies although the team hopes that tide is turning. The Huskies won each of their first two road games this year, taking contests at Duke (Sept. 1) and at Pittsburgh (Sept. 22), UConn’s second BIG EAST road win of all-time. UConn won a single road game each year from 2004-06 and 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. Of UConn’s 28 losses in the Division I-A era, 17 have come on the road. During the combined 2004-07 seasons, UConn is 5-12 on the road but 18-7 at home with an 1-0 mark at neutral sites (Motor City Bowl vs. Toledo). UConn is 2-9 in BIG EAST road games with the lone wins coming at Rutgers on Nov. 25, 2004 and at Pittsburgh on Sept. 22.
AFTER BREAKTHROUGH 2006, BIG EAST IS BACK FOR MORE
Following its 2006 reemergence on the national scene after posting a 5-0 record in bowl games, including its second consecutive win in a BCS bowl, the realigned BIG EAST is showing that it is here to stay in 2007.
* The conference has three teams in the top 25 of the polls this week. Overall, six of the BIG EAST’s eight teams (75%) have been ranked at some point this year (all but Pittsburgh and Syracuse).
* Road wins over fellow BCS conference opponents is always a good measure of success and the BIG EAST has four so far this year with Louisville winning at NC State, West Virginia winning at Maryland, USF winning at Auburn and UConn winning at Duke. The four wins by the BIG EAST are the most of any conference. The ACC, Big 12 and Pac-10 each have three BCS road wins while the SEC has one.
* Overall, the BIG EAST has seven wins thus far over teams from other BCS conferences, the four mentioned above plus Cincinnati’s win over Oregon State, USF’s victory over North Carolina and West Virginia’s win over Mississippi State. The BIG EAST’s seven wins matches the ACC’s seven for the most of any BCS league even though the BIG EAST has the fewest teams to accumulate these wins. The SEC has six while the Big Ten and Big 12 each have five wins over BCS conference schools so far this year.
BIG EAST PERFECT IN BOWL GAMES
The BIG EAST Conference tied the record for best bowl record in 2006, going a perfect 5-0 as a group. It was just the third time that a conference has gone 5-0 in bowl games. No league has gone undefeated playing in more than five bowls, but the SEC in 1996 and Big Ten in 1998 matched the BIG EAST’s 2006 accomplishment. Highlighting the five wins were victories over both of the ACC’s division champions as Louisville downed Wake Forest in the FedEx Orange Bowl and West Virginia took down Georgia Tech in the Toyota Gator Bowl. Additionally, Rutgers topped Kansas State of the Big 12 in the Texas Bowl, USF downed East Carolina in Birmingham’s PapaJohns.com Bowl and Cincinnati beat Western Michigan in the inaugural International Bowl at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
HUSKIES EARN HIGH MARKS AT OBEDIENCE SCHOOL
For each of the past three years, UConn has been one of the least penalized teams in the country. UConn was a disciplined squad in 2005 as the Huskies led the BIG EAST in 2005 in fewest penalty yards at 47.2 per game (519 yards in 11 games). This average ranked 23rd in the nation. In addition, UConn’s 68 penalties on the year narrowly ranked second in the league, just one behind Syracuse’s conference-low total of 67 accepted infractions. UConn’s discipline in 2006 was in the same fashion, with just 65 penalties on the year for 511 yards. The 511 yards and 65 penalties were both the fewest in the BIG EAST. The Huskies ranked 33rd and 43rd in the nation respectively in those categories. Thus far in 2007, UConn is second only to West Virginia in the BIG EAST in fewest penalties and is first in the conference in fewest penalty yards against.
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 54 scoring drives of at least 80 yards while the Husky defense has surrendered just 29 such marches. UConn also holds a 14-5 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 59 games, UConn has outgained its opponent 41 times, including four times in 2007. This stretch, like many UConn trends, dates back to a disheartening 28-24 loss at Vanderbilt on Oct. 26, 2002. Over this 59 game span, UConn has averaged 393.6 yards per game of total offense and 318.6 yards per game of total defense.
CONNECTICUT’S SIX CAPTAINS
The UConn team selected a school-record six team captains for the 2007 season, Darius Butler, Dan Davis, Keith Gray, D.J. Hernandez, Danny Lansanah and Larry Taylor. The diverse group features three players on each side of the ball and one player from each of the three defensive positional groups, spreading the leadership roles evenly. The group consists of three seniors and three juniors. Butler, Gray and Hernandez are the first juniors to serve as a team captain at UConn since Roy Hopkins and Jamal Lundy held the honor in 2001. Lundy was reelected as a captain in 2002 but Hopkins was not. UConn had never previously had more than four permanent captains, a sum used in 1979, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2001 and 2006. The six ties for the most nationally with San Diego State while Wisconsin has five permanent captains and one rotating game captain.
NFL ALUMNI WATCH
Three former Huskies have made active rosters for NFL teams on opening day in 2007. Alfred Fincher (2001-04) was the backup middle linebacker for the New Orleans Saints while Dan Orlovsky (2001-04) continues to battle to be the number two quarterback for the Detroit Lions behind Jon Kitna. Fullback Deon Anderson (2002-06) was a sixth round selection of the Dallas Cowboys and has made the 53-man roster for that proud franchise for his work at fullback and on special teams. Additionally, four former Huskies found themselves in preseason training camps Ray Blagman (Arizona), James Hargrave (Detroit), Tyler King (Jacksonville) and Sean Mulcahy (Cincinnati).
EAGLE SCOUTS
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 the dress list for that week’s game. The weekly honorees are listed below.
DUKE: Ellis Gaulden (offense), Harris Agbor (defense), Doc Goudreau (special teams).
MAINE: Gary Bardzak (offense), Scott Schultz (defense), C.J. Marck (special teams).
TEMPLE: Nathan Sherr (offense), Doc Goudreau (defense), John Yurek (special teams).
PITT: Robbie Frey (offense), C.J. Marck (defense), Kendall Reyes (special teams).
AKRON: Zach Frazer (offense), Jarrell Miller (defense), Alex Molina (special teams).
VIRGINIA: Alex Molina (offense), Alex Folson (defense), Glen Mourning (special teams).
LOUISVILLE: Mike Ryan (offense), Jarrell Miller (defense), Jameson Davis (special teams)
USF: Zach Frazer (offense), Johnathan Jean-Louis (defense), Alex Molina (sepcial 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 2007 recipients are listed below.
DUKE: Tyler Lorenzen (offense), Cody Brown (defense), Desi Cullen (special teams)
MAINE: William Beatty (offense), Scott Lutrus (defense), Tyvon Branch (special teams).
TEMPLE: Andre Dixon (offense), Dahna Deleston (defense), Tony Ciaravino (special teams).
PITT: Donald Thomas (offense), Lawrence Wilson (defense), no special teams recipient.
AKRON: Andre Dixon (offense), Dan Davis (defense), Tyvon Branch (special teams).
LOUISVILLE: Andre Dixon (offense), Scott Lutrus (defense), Larry Taylor (special teams).
RUTGERS: Offensive line and TE Steve Brouse, Cody Brown (defense), Tyvon Branch (special teams).
ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS: Larry Taylor (8), Tyvon Branch (3), Cody Brown (3), Darius Butler (3), Andre Dixon (3), William Beatty (2), D.J. Hernandez (2), Danny Lansanah (2), Scott Lutrus (2), Donald Thomas (2), Lou Allen, Steve Brouse, Donald Brown, Tony Ciaravino, Desi Cullen, Dan Davis, Dahna Deleston, Keith Gray, Mike Hicks, Alex LaMagdelaine, Tyler Lorenzen, Lawrence Wilson.
NEW WALK-ONS INCLUDE TWO LITTLE INDIANS
Of the new walk-ons who joined the program prior to the 2007 season, two have a connection to the Cleveland Indians, one of them real and the other fictional. Mike Conroy was a first round draft pick by the Indians in 2001 out of high school and spent six years in the team’s organization, most of them with Lake County of the South Atlantic League. A native of Scituate, Mass., Conroy played for six years at the single A level batting .248 before retiring and going back to school to fulfill his dream of playing college football. Conroy is one of seven former minor league baseball players currently on Football Bowl Subdivision rosters. Meanwhile, Oliver Bernsen is the son of actor Corbin Bernsen who is perhaps best known for his role as Indians third baseman Roger Dorn in the movie Major League. A native of Studio City, Calif., Bernsen’s mother, Amanda Pays, is also an actress while his grandmother, Jeanne Cooper, is the matriarch of the soap opera The Young and the Restless in her role as Katherine Chancellor. Also, his grandfather, Harry Bernsen, produced several movies including Three the Hard Way starring NFL legend Jim Brown. The younger Bernsen was looking for a school in the northeast where he could pursue acting.
YOU KNOW GRAY IS MY FAVORITE COLOR
In an effort to help combat the heat at Duke by avoiding dark colors, the Huskies wore their white uniforms with silver pants in Durham as opposed to the customary national flag blue pants on the road. After defeating the Blue Devils, the team captains decided to keep the same look for UConn’s second road game, Sept. 22 at Pittsburgh, and the combination again resulted in a win. UConn wore this ensemble at Virginia on Oct. 13 as well but lost the game. Prior to this season, only once had UConn ever worn that combination. That other instance was on Oct. 5, 2002 when UConn dressed as such for a game against No. 1 Miami in the Orange Bowl, losing to the Hurricanes, 48-14.
TANGLED UP IN BLUE
For the Louisville game on Oct. 19, UConn wore an all-blue ensemble for the first time in almost exactly a year after last wearing it against West Virginia on Oct. 20, 2006. UConn’s win over the Cardinals marked its first win in an all-blue uniform since downing Temple on Oct. 23, 2004. The Huskies wore their blue pants at home again on Oct. 27 against USF and were once again victorious.
OFFENSE NOTES
TJ, KANUCH AND TYLER TOO
UConn’s offensive unit is a young one as the group features just two seniors on its two deep in wide receiver Larry Taylor and right guard Donald Thomas. Meanwhile, the silver lining to a rash of injuries the past two years is that UConn is youthful yet experienced at the skill positions in particular. True sophomores Terence Jeffers and Brad Kanuch were thrown into the fire last fall and both proved to be dependable pass catchers, starting each of the final eight games of the year. Another sophomore, Donald Brown, will start at tailback after earning All-BIG EAST recognition last fall as a freshman. His backups are a sophomore in Andre Dixon and a junior in Lou Allen, a bruising tailback at 238 pounds. UConn has a pair of freshman at fullback and a quarterbacking corps that features a junior (Tyler Lorenzen), a sophomore (Dennis Brown) and two freshmen (Cody Endres and Notre Dame transfer Zach Frazer). Each of UConn’s top three tight ends will also return next fall yet starter Steve Brouse in particular already possesses a wealth of gameday experience.
HUSKIES WASTING LITTLE TIME TO GET ON TOP
UConn has scored on its opening drive in five of its eight games this year. At Duke, Tony Ciaravino hit a 30-yard field goal on the opening drive. Against Temple, Donald Brown had an eight-yard touchdown run and, at Pittsburgh, Lou Allen had a one-yard plunge. Tony Ciaravino hit a 45-yard field goal at Virginia and a 22-yarder against USF. One exception came against Maine when Ciaravino missed a 51-yard field goal. However, UConn was still on the scoreboard very early against the Black Bears as Scott Lutrus scored a touchdown on a 25-yard interception return on the game’s second play, coming at the 14:12 mark.
LINING THEM UP
The UConn offensive line is in the interesting position of being both young and experienced at the same time. The Huskies have just one senior on the two-deep yet also have eight players with previous game experience at UConn, including seven people who have started games on the offensive line for the blue and white. The lone senior of the group is senior Donald Thomas at right guard, a former walk-on. Entering the 2007 season, William Beatty (9), captain Keith Gray (5), Mike Hicks (10), Alex LaMagdelaine (10), Dan Ryan (7), Donald Thomas (1) and Trey Tonsing (8) had all started games for the Huskies. UConn head coach Randy Edsall has often called this the best line UConn has had since the senior-laden group that pushed the Huskies to the 2004 Motor City Bowl. Better yet, this 2007 edition of the line will be back in near entirety for more in 2008.
HERNANDEZ RECEIVES NEW ASSIGNMENT
D.J. Hernandez started six games a year ago at quarterback and had fair success, highlighted on Nov. 11 against Pittsburgh as he spurred UConn on to 46-45 double overtime victory in one of the program’s most thrilling games as the Huskies erased a 31-17 fourth quarter deficit at Rentschler Field. Hernandez completed 20-of-29 passes for 164 yards with a career high four touchdowns and no interceptions but it was his work running the ball that was more noteworthy. His 17 carries were good for 130 yards while he also scampered in for the game-winning two-point conversion. Hernandez’s on-field leadership was crucial in the rally to win the game. He led UConn on touchdown drives of 98 and 77 yards in the fourth quarter, the latter capped with a touchdown pass to Dan Murray with just three seconds remaining in regulation. Still, with the addition of Tyler Lorenzen and Dennis Brown able to play after redshirting in 2006, Hernandez quickly found himself in the third spot on the depth chart at quarterback midway through spring practice. Too athletic to sit on the bench, Hernandez approached Edsall about playing at wide receiver and the results have been a tremendous positive for the team. Using his athleticism and in-depth knowledge of the offense to his advantage, Hernandez has made a smooth transition to his new role and has been one of the team’s top receiving threats in 2007. The move also allows Edsall to use him on special teams while Hernandez has shown a passion for downfield blocking and participating in some of the contact that he was deprived of when wearing a red quarterback jersey in practice. His smooth transition and the character and leadership he displayed in making it helped get the junior elected as a team captain.
DJ GOES TRIPLE PLATINUM
D.J. Hernandez caught a 57-yard touchdown pass at Duke in the season opener on Sept. 1. It was UConn’s longest passing play since Hernandez threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Young in the 2006 season-opener against Rhode Island. The scoring grab also put him in very elite company as Hernandez became just the fourth player in school history to catch a touchdown, rush for a touchdown and throw for a touchdown in their UConn career, joining Keron Henry (2001-04), Tory Taylor (1995-98) and Ken Sweitzer (1978-81).
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 his beloved Iowa State out of high school but the Cyclones tried to switch him to wide receiver. Wanting to play quarterback, he transferred to Palomar Community College near San Diego where he was named a first-team JuCo All-American last fall 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.
TYLER RE-TRACES HISTORY
In his starting debut on Sept. 1 at Duke, Tyler Lorenzen was very impressive in leading the Huskies to a 45-14 win. Lorenzen earned the offensive game ball and a BIG EAST weekly honor roll mention after completing 22-of-30 passes for 298 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 56 yards, giving him 354 total yards on the day. The 298 yards were the most by a Husky since Dan Orlovsky’s school-record 445 at Syracuse on Oct. 30, 2004 while also ranking as the most by a first-time Husky signal caller since Ryan Tracey threw for 340 on Sept. 2, 2000 in his first start.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Through three weeks, four UConn wide receivers (D.J. Hernandez, Terence Jeffers, Brad Kanuch and Larry Taylor) had over 100 receiving yards on the year. Last fall it took six games for the Huskies to reach that plateau with tight end Steve Brouse going over the century mark against Army to join Kanuch, Taylor and Brandon Young. Through four games, UConn has two receivers (Hernandez and Kanuch) with over 200 receiving yards on the year. Last year, UConn did not have two 200-yard receivers for the season until after game nine with Larry Taylor hitting the plateau on Nov. 11 against Pitt.
DEFENSES DREADING DIXON
Sophomore Andre Dixon saw his first significant action of his career at tailback against Temple on Sept. 15 and made the most of his opportunity. Dixon ran for 129 yards on 21 carries against the Owls. Dixon is now one of four active UConn players who have a 100-yard rushing game to their credit as a Husky, joining Lou Allen (2005 vs. USF), Donald Brown (four 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 wile 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.
A BUNCH OF BALL HOGS
The UConn offense has done a wonderful job thus far in 2007 of maintaining possession of the ball. The Huskies have just 10 turnovers on the year, tying for 12th in the nation. Only four of the turnovers have been interceptions thrown, a sum that ties for fifth nationally.
FINISHING IN THE RED IS GOOD
You wouldn’t want your financial ledgers to be full of red ink, but UConn’s Division I-A era success is in part due to finishing its time in the red zone in style. Since 2002, UConn has tallied on 219 of 256 (86%) of its red zone possessions. Of the 37 non-scoring drives, 24 came as a result of a missed field goal attempt. UConn has gotten off to a solid red zone start in 2007 by going 29-for-33. UConn had a stretch of 20 successful red zone scores from Sept. 1 until Oct. 13.
PITT HAD NO CHANCE TO CATCH UP AT HEINZ FIELD
UConn took control of the team’s game at Pittsburgh early on Sept. 22. The Huskies scored 27 first half points to take a 27-7 edge into the spacious locker room at Heinz Field. It was the most points that UConn had ever scored in the first half of a road BIG EAST game. The previous high was 21 at Rutgers on Nov. 25, 2004. It was the most points that UConn had scored against any Division I-A team in the first half since tallying 30 against Toledo in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. It was the second-most points that UConn had ever scored in the first half of a BIG EAST game regardless of site. UConn scored 31 points in the first half against Temple at Rentschler Field on Oct. 23, 2004.
DEFENSE NOTES
DEFENSE AMONGST THE NATION’S BEST
UConn’s defensive unit has been amongst the best in the nation this year. The Huskies are 10th nationally in total defense yielding just 293.25 yards per game. The Huskies rank third in scoring defense at 13.00 points per game, a sum that would be still lower were it not for a kickoff return touchdown at Duke and a fumble return touchdown by Louisville. UConn is eighth in passing defense (176.00 ypg) and ninth in passing efficiency defense with an 98.89 rating. The Huskies are 26th nationally against the run at 117.25 yards per game. UConn is 18th with 7.38 tackles for loss per game. UConn’s 18 interceptions tie Boston College for first nationally while its 22 total turnovers gained ties for 11th.
PICK-SIX. PICK-12. PICK-18. PICK-24.
The Huskies have already returned four interceptions for touchdowns this season. Darius Butler ran one back 36 yards for a score at Duke on Sept. 1 while Scott Lutrus scored on a 26-yard interception return on Sept. 8. Lawrence Wilson had a 51-yard score on an interception at Pittsburgh on Sept. 22 and Lutrus scored from 23 yards out against USF on Oct. 27. The four touchdowns break the previous the school record of three set in 2002 and matched in 2004. The four interception return touchdowns tie for fourth in BIG EAST history. The league record is six set by Miami in 2000.
PASS DEFENSE=PASS OFFENSE
UConn’s passing defense as generated almost as many points as it has allowed. UConn has surrendered just six passing touchdowns in 2007 while returning four interceptions for touchdowns.
18 AND I LIKE IT
UConn’s defense has intercepted 18 passes through the first eight games of the year. In 2006, UConn intercepted 12 passes all season while the Huskies managed 14 in 2005. The 18 interceptions tie Boston College for the most in the nation. UConn’s four interceptions at Pittsburgh on Sept. 22 tied the Division I-A era school record set at Iowa State on Nov. 23, 2002 and equaled at Army on Oct. 1, 2005. UConn made three interceptions against Louisville on Oct. 19. The Cardinals had been intercepted just four times all year entering the game. The Huskies have recorded at least one interception in each of their last 10 games dating back to the Nov. 18, 2006 tilt at Syracuse.
RUNNING IT IN HASN’T BEEN AN OPTION EITHER
UConn has allowed just four rushing touchdowns through the first eight games of the year, a sum that ties for seventh in the nation. A year ago, UConn yielded two or more rushing touchdowns in six separate games as the Huskies ranked 105th in the nation against the run at 179.58 yards per game. UConn presently ranks 26th nationally at 117.25 yards per game.
I’M ONLY ALLOWING SEVENTEEN
The UConn defense has not allowed an opponent to score more than 17 points in a game so far this year. This is a feat that UConn has not accomplished for a full season since 1944 when the team went 7-1 and yielded just 13 points for the entire campaign. Nationally, UConn and Ohio State are the only two teams that can make this claim in 2007. The Buckeyes have allowed 17 points in a game twice but never more than 17.
THIRD DOWN INEFFICIENCY
A critical element to UConn’s defensive success in 2005 and 2006 was that the team’s opponents found third down to be a tough row to hoe. The 2007 season started off on the same path as Duke converted just two of its 11 third down tries against UConn and Maine just two of 14. At a rate of 29.2% through six games, UConn ranked 11th in the nation but Louisville’s 11-of-18 conversion rate blew that percentage up to 35%. Teams haven’t done much better on fourth down as UConn is tied for 16th nationally with a rate of 33%. In 2005, UConn led the nation in third down conversion defense at 24% (38-for-157). LSU was second in the nation behind UConn with a rate of 28.2-percent followed narrowly by SEC rival Alabama at 28.3. UConn did well in this area as well in 2006. The Huskies ranked 29th nationally with a 33.1% conversion rate.
INTERCEPTIONS ARE VAUGHN’S PRIDE AND JOY
Robert Vaughn has already intercepted five passes on the season through just eight games, snaring an opposing pass in every game except for Maine, Louisville and USF. Midway through the year, Vaughn already has the most interceptions in a season for a Husky since Justin Perkins had five in 2004. The Division I-A era UConn record of six was set by Maurice Lloyd in 2002 and matched by Perkins in 2003. Vaughn is tied for fourth in the nation with his five interceptions.
BAD, BAD CODY BROWN
In the 2007 season opener at Duke, Cody Brown earned UConn’s defensive game ball after making six tackles, including a pair of sacks. It had been two years since a Husky had two sacks in a game, dating back to James Hargrave’s efforts against Syracuse on Oct. 7, 2005. Brown was a disruptive force against Maine and Temple as well making a pair of tackles for loss in each contest. He had a sack at Pittsburgh. He earned another game ball against USF. Brown is tied for 47th in the nation with 1.19 TFLs per game.
DAVIS MOVES INSIDE; ENDS THRIVING
After three strong years at defensive end where he amassed 18 tackles for loss as a Husky, senior captain Dan Davis shifted his 284-pound frame inside to defensive tackle in 2007. The move allows UConn to take advantage of Davis’ speed between the tackles and also helps provide more opportunities for a glut of talented young defensive ends. Juniors Julius Williams and Cody Brown are starting outside while redshirt freshman Mike Cox and sophomore Lindsay Witten rotate in. Williams is a first year starter but is quick for his 261 pounds and is one of the strongest players on the team. In six starts last year before succumbing to a broken arm Brown made 24 tackles including an impressive 7.5 for a loss, a sum that includes 4.5 sacks. Witten started the final six games with Brown out and made 39 tackles on the year as a true freshman, six of them for a loss including 3.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Davis is starting at tackle alongside junior Rob Lunn who has had a very impressive offseason to earn the starting nod.
HE’S BEEN A JEWEL
One of the beneficiaries of Dan Davis’ move inside to tackle has been Julius Williams, a converted linebacker who bulked up and has started every game this year at defensive end. Williams has 6.5 sacks on the year placing him second in the BIG EAST behind only USF’s George Selvie. For the entire 2006 season, no Husky collected more than 4.5 sacks. Williams has 25 tackles on the year, 8.5 of which were for a loss. He has also forced two fumbles.
SIR LANS-ALOT
Linebacker Danny Lansanah turned up his play in 2006 and helped become a defensive leader both on and off the field. The junior led the Huskies with 99 tackles on the season, 9.5 of them for a loss. He also made four interceptions including a spectacular one-handed grab against Army. The four interceptions tied for the team lead and are the most by a UConn linebacker since Maurice Lloyd had four in 2002. Lansanah is off to a great start in 2007 as he is tied for 31st in the nation with 1.25 TFLs per game (10.0 total). His 10.2 tackles per game rank fourth in the BIG EAST.
BRYANT HS GRAD WILSON BEARS DOWN
With Ryan Henegan sidelined for the first month-plus of the season due to injury, redshirt freshman Lawrence Wilson, a graduate of Paul W. Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., stepped in to play solidly at weakside linebacker. Wilson leads the team lead with 83 tackles through eight games while also chipping in 6.5 tackles for loss, recovering a fumble, breaking up a pass and scoring a touchdown on a 51-yard interception return. Hr is second in the BIG EAST with his 10.4 tackles per game. Wilson’s 17 tackles at Virginia at the time were the most by a Husky since Maurice Lloyd made 18 in the 2004 Motor City Bowl.
SKIP TO MY LUTRUS
UConn has also seen a redshirt freshman make an immediate impact at the strongside linebacker post. Brookfield’s Scott Lutrus is third on the team with 63 tackles, six 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. Justin Perkins ran back two interceptions for touchdowns as a Husky, both in 2004. In his short time at UConn he has shown a true knack for intercepting passes as he picked off three passes in UConn’s Blue-White Spring Game, returning two of them for touchdowns. Lutrus made a game-high 18 tackles against Louisville and was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Lutrus’ three interceptions on the year ties for the most nationally amongst linebackers.
HAWAII AND CONNECTICUT HAVE WHAT IN COMMON?
Scott Lutrus’ four interceptions this year tie for the most in the nation by a linebacker. Adam Leonard of Hawaii has also intercepted four passes this year from his linebacking post.
CARD SHARKS
UConn’s defense suffocated the vaunted Louisville offense in the team’s 21-17 win over the Cardinals on Oct. 19. Louisville was held to numbers not seen in extended periods of time by a Husky defense that held its ground right down to Danny Lansanah’s interception of Brian Brohm with 15 seconds to go on the Cardinals’ last gasp drive. Louisville entered the game third in the nation averaging 559.7 yards of total offense but got just 321 against UConn, its fewest since a 2006 loss to Rutgers. Louisville’s 228 passing yards was also its lowest since last year’s Rutgers game and well below its 397.7 average. Perhaps most impressive was holding the Cardinals to 10 offensive points (discounting a fumble recovery touchdown), the U of L offense’s lowest output since a 37-7 loss to Memphis on Nov. 15, 2003. Blanketed by Darius Butler, Harry Douglas’ 19 receiving yards was his lowest total since the 2005 season; meanwhile, Mario Urrutia was held without a reception for the first time since his freshman year of 2005.
THE QUARTERBACK MUST GO DOWN
For the fourth year in a row, UConn not only recorded a high number of tackles for loss in 2007, but the TFLs have been spread out over a high number of players. Already in 2007 a sum of 15 Huskies have contributed to a TFL and 10 have at least half of a sack. A total of 18 different Huskies contributed to a TFL in 2006 and 11 different UConn defenders had at least a half of a sack. UConn was 24th in the nation with its 6.83 TFLs per game and ranked 76th with 1.83 sacks per game, the latter total coming despite the fact that only five teams faced fewer passing attempts than UConn’s 275. A total of 23 different UConn defenders factored in a tackle for loss in 2005 and 14 different Huskies recorded at least a half of a sack.
SECONDARY NOW A PRIMARY OBSTACLE
It should not be a surprise that UConn was ranked 25th nationally last year in passing defense at 178.50 yards per game nor that it stands eighth through eight games in 2007 yielding just 176.00 ypg. The Connecticut secondary a year ago blended youth and experience as well as any team in the nation, as the Huskies returned all but one letterwinner from the 2005 secondary which helped the team rank fourth in the nation in passing defense by yielding just 158.5 yards per game. An astounding six different active Huskies (at 2006 season’s end) had started at least six games as a defensive back in their UConn careers. A total of eight different Huskies started a game last year in the secondary. This glut of talented players was a problem for Edsall, but a good problem to have. The depth has carried over to 2007 as all four of UConn’s starters in the defensive backfield, corners Darius Butler and Tyvon Branch, along with safeties Robert Vaughn and Dahna Deleston, held that role at various times in 2006. As expected, the results on the field have been solid as the Huskies presently ranking ninth nationally in passing efficiency defense (98.89 rating) in addition to the afore mentioned eighth place in passing defense (176.00 ypg).
ZAK ATTACK FROM IRAQ
The Huskies have a rather unique person and a great role model at defensive tackle in Zak Penwell. The fourth-oldest Football Bowl Subdivision player in the county at 27 years and eight months old, Penwell served six and a half years in the U.S. Air Force working as a part of a Tactical Air Control Party in Kuwait, Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq in addition to various domestic deployments. Raised in Alaska, Penwell moved to El Paso, Texas for high school with his father, a missionary, and mother, a mid-wife. The couple now resides in the Philippines. Married with two children, Zoe and Titus, Penwell was drawn to UConn by its acclaimed kinesiology program. He came to the football program as a walk-on but was awarded a scholarship on Aug. 29. Penwell is one of 12 FBS players, outside of the academies, who have actively served in the military. He is one of 12 native Alaskans on FBS rosters.
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 as the curtain rose on the 2007 season. He ended up hitting three of his four field goals at Duke and four of his five extra point attempts with the other one blocked. The three field goals made were the most by a Husky kicker since Matt Nuzie hit four in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. He 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 Ciaravino 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 recently completed a run of nine consecutive made field goal tries, bookended by a 52 yard miss at Virginia on Oct. 13 and a 51-yard miss against Maine on Sept. 8. It is 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 matches David DeArmas’ nine straight in 1994 for the second longest streak in school history. Thanks to this streak, Ciaravino is ranked sixth in the nation with 2.00 field goals made per game. Meanwhile, his 9.00 points per game ranks 13th most nationally amongst kickers.
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. He earned the special teams game ball after the season opener against Duke. For the season, he is averaging 39.4 yards on his 41 punts and ably handling his kickoffs with a BIG EAST-best 10 touchbacks on his 51 kicks. Cullen handled kickoffs in five games last season as a true freshman and was the understudy to senior Chris Pavasaris at punter. The gregarious Cullen also showed a proclivity towards not staying back in coverage as he aggressively made a pair of tackles on the season in his limited action.
TOUCHDOWN ROLL HAS A NEW BRANCH
With Akron scoring to take a 10-9 lead during the second quarter on its game against UConn on Sept. 29, the Huskies needed a quick answer. Senior Tyvon Branch provided it with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was the first of Branch’s career and helped earn him BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Impressively, Branch is now one of three active UConn players who have returned a kickoff for a touchdown in their careers joining Larry Taylor (2004 vs. Temple) and Darius Butler (2005 vs. USF). Branch returned three kickoffs on the day for 150 yards, fourth best for a single game in UConn history.
TAYLOR MADE RETURNS
Larry Taylor reassumed his role as UConn’s top return specialist for the first nine games last year before suffering a concussion at Syracuse on Nov. 18. Taylor was 15th in the nation in punt returns, averaging 12.75 yards per run back. Behind Taylor, UConn was 26th in the nation in punt returns as a team. Taylor’s 25.36 kickoff return average ranked 24th nationally until he fell out late in the season due to a low number of returns for the year. Through the week when he fell out, he was one of two players in the nation ranked in the top 25 of both categories, joining Oklahoma State’s Perrish Cox. Taylor hurt his knee in UConn’s game at Cincinnati on Oct. 15, 2005 and the loss was felt hard in the team’s return game. Taylor ranked 18th in the nation in punt returns (12.30 average) and seventh in kickoff returns (34.2 avg.) when he was hurt, but would fall below the national minimum to be ranked because of time missed due to injury. He started the 2005 season off on the right foot with 118 punt return yards against Buffalo on Sept. 1, marking the eighth-best performance in BIG EAST history and the second-best ever by anyone not wearing either a Miami or Virginia Tech uniform. Taylor was not far off of the UConn record of 145 yards set by Joe Markus at Maine on Oct. 20, 1979. Taylor returned in 2005 after an electrifying true freshman season in 2004 during which he became only the second Husky ever (and the first since 1975) to return both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same
