Many people know UConn as a basketball school, but did you know they play football too? Well, they do, and the Huskies are primed for a big season.
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| Jordan Todman in action. Photo credit here. |
A few minutes ago, ESPN.com ran several UConn football headlines on its front page. Head coach Randy Edsall is front-and-center, as he should be. The must-read item is
this article discussing how unconventional -- yet refreshing and inspiring -- Edsall's path to success has been at UConn. Couldn't agree more. The man does everything right. He sticks with his assistants. He never says the wrong thing to the media. He chairs the NCAA's Football Rules Committee. He has
persevered through tragedy. He has increased the number of Huskies in the NFL from 1 to 13. He has negotiated huge road games against teams like Notre Dame, Michigan, and Tennessee, all of which gets the UConn program onto the national stage.
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| Coach Randy Edsall. Photo credit here. |
Oh, and how Edsall has succeeded on the field at Connecticut. He brought the team from Division I-AA to Division I-A, then into the Big East, then to a co-Big East championship....all in a span of eleven seasons. He has put 13 players in the NFL, including 4 in the first two rounds in 2009. He has produced a 3-1 record in bowl games, including a 20-7 win over South Carolina in 2009. (He has done all this, by the way, while maintaining an impeccable public image. He has kept himself and UConn completely scandal-free...unlike certain other college football coaches.) Last, but certainly not least, he squashed Notre Dame
in South Bend on national TV last year.
Want more to get excited about? In the last three years, Edsall's Huskies have been 9-4, 8-5, and 8-5. This year, they return 16 starters, including 1000-yard RB
Jordan Todman and first-round-pick-to-be ILB
Lawrence Wilson. They get to open the season on a national stage by playing Michigan in the Big House. And they get to play the preseason top three Big East teams (WestVa, Pitt, Cincinnati) at home in East Hartford. All of this has caused at least one blog to predict that
UConn will go undefeated in 2010. Considering that UConn's five losses last season were by a
total of 15 points, it's not so unreasonable.
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Sidenote: did anyone catch former UConn KR/PR Larry Taylor on Hard Knocks last night? Reminded me of all those La-rry Tay-lor chants when he'd line up to receive a kick. I really hope he makes the Jets.
For more Big East coverage, here are
5 things to watch in the Big East this season, which more than ever before is a
ground-and-pound conference. UConn is well-suited to play that game. Before featuring two 1000-yard backs last season in Andre Dixon and Jordan Todman, UConn featured a 2000-yard back in Donald Brown, who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts. I think UConn knows how to run the football, and I think the Big East is ready to shed its Big Least reputation.
Personally, I don't think UConn is going to go undefeated. But is 9-3 in the regular season out of the question? No. I think they have a real chance of upsetting Michigan in the season opener, and I think they can go 2-1 against WestVa, Pitt, and Cincy. Vanderbilt, South Florida, and Rutgers don't scare me. So my prediction is 9-3 and yet another bowl bid.
College football fans, fire away in the comments about UConn or whatever team you follow!
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Randy Edsall is a good coach and I have to hand it to him what he's done. The only note about ND is who hasn't beaten them at home on national T.V.?? (This is a crack on ND, not Uconn!)
ReplyDeleteUndefeated? Whoever wrote that has to calm down a little bit as this is NCAA football. The interesting game though is Michigan. The Wolverines play ND the following week so will they overlook the Huskies. I think they probably will. And they really aren't that good so UConn should win this game. Interesting way to start out the season!