Connecticut News
BIG EAST FOOTBALL SUMMER SCHOOL: CONNECTICUT
June 8, 2010 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
Huskies looking to take the next step in 2010 on the gridiron
By Raphielle Johnson
The University of Connecticut football program (and campus) went through one of the toughest seasons in recent memory in 2009. The tragic murder of starting cornerback Jasper Howard on October 18th came just hours after one of his best performances as a Husky, and for many programs that would have touched off a downhill spiral that would have been understood. But as a testament to those young men and the program that head coach Randy Edsall has built this was not the case. They lost heartbreakers to West Virginia and Rutgers in the following weeks but a watershed moment took place in South Bend as UConn knocked off Notre Dame in overtime.
From there they lost to just Cincinnati by two points, finishing the season with an impressive 20-7 win over South Carolina in the PapaJohns.com Bowl to go 8-5 on the season. But 2009 on the field was also a season full of “what could have been” moments; UConn lost those five games by a combined fifteen points. This was a young team that went through a lot, learning how to win as the season progressed and players who weren’t counted on as much in 2008 stepping into expanded roles. Considered to be the Huskies’ major weakness going into 2009, the offense was led by quarterbacks Zach Frazer and Cody Endres on a run that few envisioned them being capable of.
PHIL STEELE’S PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAMS
May 28, 2010 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
Phil Steele Releases All-Big East Teams
Daniels, Lewis lead the way for Big East talent in 2010
By Raphielle Johnson
CLEVELAND, OH – May 19, 2010 – Phil Steele sent his Phil Steele’s 2010 College Football Preview to the press. Enclosed is Phil’s preseason All-Big East Team as well as his All-American Team as it will appear in the Magazine, hitting newsstands June 8th.
Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is the nation’s most informative preseason football magazine and has always provided a preseason All-American team as well as preseason All-Conference teams. For more information or to obtain a copy of each of the All-Conference teams, please visit PhilSteele.com
BIG EAST FOOTBALL APPROACHING CROSSROADS?
May 11, 2010 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
Expansion possibilities threaten league’s viability
By Raphielle Johnson
The company line following the BCS meetings in Phoenix last month was that the Big Ten Conference would wait until December to issue invites to possible expansion targets, staying on course instead of accelerating the process as rumored. That may have been thrown for a loop if the report put out by 810 WHB in Kansas City on Monday has any truth to it. According to the Kansas City-based ESPN affiliate the Big Ten will invite four institutions to join the league: Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Rutgers. Is there truth to the report or is it merely speculation from “sources” that could be wrong? That’s the question and the report was followed by denials from those intimately involved with the process.
All four schools issued denials on Monday and with an issue such as this it’s difficult to find the truth in the midst of so many rumors. But well before this day the Big East had a simple decision to make. Is the league proactive, making a move with the idea of beating the Big Ten to the punch and gaining a little leverage for itself? Or does the Big East go the reactive route, acting only after it knows what the Big Ten’s course of action will be? You can’t blame Big East loyalists who’ve had flashbacks to the ACC’s calling of three schools back in 2003-04 when it comes to the latter course of action.
UCONN TAKES PAPAJOHN’S.COM BOWL WIN
January 4, 2010 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
By Raphielle Johnson
Going into the Papajohns.com Bowl the Connecticut defense was a concern due to their struggles in both tackling and execution. Having failed to hold an FBS opponent to fewer than 21 points since a 12-10 loss to North Carolina, the Huskies ran into the perfect tonic at Legion Field. South Carolina, who had struggled all season on the offensive line, was also dealing with the loss of offensive line coach Eric Wolford (he accepted the Youngstown State head coaching position) and his absence was rather apparent. The Connecticut defense limited the Gamecocks to 205 yards of offense in a 20-7 victory.
“I thought we were ready to play,” said South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier after the game. “I thought we’d practiced pretty well but obviously our offense was very sad and our defense not as good as it’s been most of the time.”
South Carolina, who finished the game with just twelve first downs (3-for-15 on third down), didn’t move the chains for the first time until halfway through the second quarter and managed just 2.9 yards per rush (76 yards). Scott Lutrus led UConn defenders with nine tackles and a sack and as a team the Huskies managed three sacks, eight tackles for loss and interception and a fumble recovery. Offensively the Huskies were led by senior running back Andre Dixon, who rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on thirty-three carries. Dixon, who won the Fred Sington Most Valuable Player award, became the 12th back in UConn history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark.
And with Jordan Todman (9 carries, 36 yards) already passing that mark the Huskies are one of just three teams in college football this season with multiple 1,000-yard rushers (Nevada and Georgia Tech). Zach Frazer wasn’t great in regards to his completion percentage, completing just nine of twenty-one attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown, but he did a good job of avoiding the crucial mistake on a day in which neither offense was poised to explode. And his touchdown pass that kicked off the scoring was arguably the play of the bowl season.
Kashif Moore was able to gain enough separation on the sideline in the first quarter, giving Frazer room to drop the ball in which Moore snagged with one hand. From there it was a race to the end zone, with the 37-yard strike giving UConn early control of the game. And thanks to the defense and South Carolina’s struggles (nine drops) control wasn’t relinquished until the end of the game. David Teggart added a pair of field goals in the first half to send the Huskies into the locker room with a 13-0 lead.
There was no more scoring until early in the fourth quarter when Dixon gamboled into the end zone from ten yards out to give Connecticut a 20-0 lead that for all intents and purposes sealed the game. South Carolina got on the board with 3:24 remaining on a 2-yard touchdown run by Brian Maddox but Alex Molina’s recovery of the onside kick shut the door. From there the Huskies ran out the clock, winning their second consecutive bowl game in as many seasons.
Things that went right:
1. Defense! For a unit that ranked 95th against the pass coming into the game to play as well as they did in all phases was a welcome surprise.
2. Running the football: Connecticut was able to control time of possession (35:28-24:32) and the tempo of the game thanks to a rushing attack that accounted for 146 yards against a stout South Carolina defense.
3. Discipline: The Gamecocks killed themselves with some untimely penalties that kept a UConn drive alive early in the third quarter. Connecticut finished the game without being penalized.
What didn’t go right:
1. Passing game efficiency: It wasn’t a big deal due to South Carolina’s offensive issues but Frazer completed less than half of his passes. They were able to get a few big plays through the air, but there were also a couple of missed opportunities that could have led to even more points.
Unit Grades:
Offense: B (the running game got the job done and to be honest there wasn’t much they had to do besides not turn the ball over)
Defense: A (obviously a shutout would have been even better but this unit executed their assignments and made tackles to eliminate the Gamecocks’ big-play opportunities)
Special Teams: A (this was an area that the Huskies held a clear advantage in going into the game and they made sure not to mess that up)
PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL: UCONN/SOUTH CAROLINA PREVIEW
December 29, 2009 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
Gamecock defense poses serious challenges to the Huskies
By Raphielle Johnson
Game week is finally here for the Connecticut Huskies (7-5) with preparations for the PapaJohns.com Bowl well underway. The team will arrive in Birmingham on Tuesday, with Saturday’s kickoff slated to be at 2 PM on ESPN. On the other side of the field will be the South Carolina Gamecocks, coached by one of the game’s iconic figures in Steve Spurrier. Just like the Huskies there are a number of talented youngsters on the roster, and the hope in that regard is that a win on Saturday can be the springboard to an even better 2010.
But South Carolina is also blessed with one of the game’s best linebackers in senior Eric Norwood. Norwood leads a defense that ranked among the SEC’s best this season and if not for Lorenzo Ward (coordinator) and Ellis Johnson’s (assistant head coach) unit it could be argued that South Carolina would be home for the holidays. Other standouts on the defense include safety Chris Culliver and defensive lineman Cliff Matthews.
BIG EAST FOOTBALL 2009 SEASON AWARDS
December 9, 2009 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
Big East Honors Announced with Panthers and Bearcats splitting major awards
By Raphielle Johnson
The Big East Conference announced its 2009 football awards on Wednesday afternoon and there were few surprises with the results. Brian Kelly, who in some circles is rumored to be headed to Notre Dame, was named the Big East Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season. Kelly’s Cincinnati Bearcats finished the regular season 12-0 and will once again represent the league in the Bowl Championship Series, playing Florida in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Bearcats also saw Mardy Gilyard win the Big East Special Teams Player of the Year, the second consecutive award for the senior and third straight for the UC program (Kevin Huber in 2007).
As for the offensive and defensive honors those went to Pittsburgh, with freshman Dion Lewis winning both Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year. Lewis led the Big East in rushing and ranked in the top five nationally in rushing yards per game. Defensively Greg Romeus and Mick Williams shared the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award and as a team Pitt had ten players named to the league’s First Team All-Big East squad. Lastly the conference made late Connecticut cornerback Jasper Howard the honorary captain. Howard was tragically lost in the early morning hours of October 18th after playing one of the best games of his career in a win over Louisville.
“As a family, we wanted to respectfully remember Jasper Howard and honor his memory,” said Big East commissioner John Marinatto in the conference’s release. “In naming him the Honorary Captain of the 2009 All-BIG EAST Team, we have memorialized his name in BIG EAST Conference history.”
2009 Big East Football Awards
BIG EAST MONDAY MORNING QB: FINAL WEEK
December 8, 2009 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
by MICHAEL PINA
Some 940 miles away from the heart of Bearcat country, a 46-yard field goal by Texas’s Hunter Lawrence ended the possibility of a Cincinnati national championship berth. An incredible effort by Mardy Gilyard and the rest of Cincinnati’s undefeated team in a comeback win over Pittsburgh had hopes extremely high heading into Saturday night, but with Texas’s unimpressive 13-12 victory over Nebraska, the Longhorns, and not the Bearcats will be headed to Pasadena.
Regardless the Big East will be well represented in six bowl games, including the Sugar Bowl which is where Cincinnati will face defending national champion Florida.
The other bowl games are the St. Petersburg Bowl (Rutgers vs. UCF), Meineke Car Care Bowl (Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina), the Gator Bowl (West Virginia vs. Florida State), the International Bowl (South Florida vs. Northern Illinois), and the Papajohns.com Bowl (Connecticut vs. South Carolina).
Saturday saw three Big East match ups and thankfully all of them were closely contested, including the Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh instant classic which is where we’ll start.
SOUTH FLORIDA – UCONN FOOTBALL PREVIEW
December 4, 2009 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
Which Bulls step onto the field Saturday in season finale vs UConn?
By Raphielle Johnson
One of the biggest enigmas in the Big East, both this season and in years past, has been the USF Bulls. When fully motivated and focused on the task at hand Jim Leavitt’s team can beat anyone. But on days when they show up flat they can lose to anyone, and sometimes the results can be downright embarrassing. What will their mindset be at Rentschler Field: play out the string or attempt to close the season on a high note? It’s bound to be an emotional Senior Day and the Huskies have played good football the last two weeks. But they’ll have to account for the loss of MLB Greg Lloyd Jr. (knee); Scott Lutrus slides over from the “Husky” to the middle and redshirt freshman Jory Johnson takes his place.
A LOOK AT THE FINAL WEEKEND OF BIG EAST FOOTBALL
December 2, 2009 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
Bearcats and Panthers square off for Big East title in River City Showdown
By Raphielle Johnson
While there are three conference games on the schedule for the final Saturday of the regular season there’s only one that matters nationally. #5 Cincinnati (11-0, 6-0) takes its high-powered offense on the road to take on a Pittsburgh team (9-2, 5-1) coming off of a loss to bitter rival West Virginia. The winner (Noon on ABC) lands the Big East’s BCS bid, with the Bearcats winning the conference outright with a victory while the Panthers would share the trophy but not the most important spoils.
The question for the Bearcats: can they stop the run? It’s been an issue in victories over Fresno State, Connecticut and Illinois and they’re going to have their hands full with the freshman tandem of Dion Lewis and Ray Graham. Not only is Lewis a virtual lock to win the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award but a case could be made for him being Offensive Player of the Year. He leads the Big East in rushing and his emergence has taken some of the pressure off of QB Bill Stull, who’s had a banner 2009 despite his struggles last week.
The problem with first-year defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has been opponents’ ability to run between the tackles against the three-man front. Add to this a Pittsburgh offensive line that many consider to be the best in the conference and this could end up being a costly issue for the Bearcats. But if Cincinnati can take a page out of West Virginia’s book and force Stull into rushed decisions they could end up with the upper hand via turnover margin even if Lewis and Graham combine for a big afternoon.
BIG EAST MONDAY MORNING QB: LOOKING BACK AT WEEK #13
November 30, 2009 by nbesports · Leave a Comment
by MICHAEL PINA
Thanksgiving is officially behind us and Bowl Season is rapidly approaching. The Big East still has a national title contender that seems to dominate its opponents no matter who’s at quarterback and thanks to Notre Dame’s loss at Stanford on Saturday, the Gator Bowl will officially include a Big East team.
The Big East now has six bowl eligible teams (sorry Syracuse and Louisville) and has shaped itself into an extremely underrated, competitive football conference. Given that a few schools were forced to start young, unproven quarterbacks like Tom Savage, B.J. Daniels and Zach Collaros, the conference faired surprisingly well and should only progress over the next few years.
More heralded seasons by youngsters like Dion Lewis only reinforce the notion that the Big East isn’t standing pat, but rising up quicker than ever before.
