Tuesday presser

The first 20 minutes of Randy Edsall's weekly media day press conference had one subject -- Zach Frazer. From my quick notes on the presser that I will expand on later, a lot of it we already know.

Frazer is a better thrower than Tyler Lorenzen, though not as athletic. Frazer impressed Edsall with his poise and makeup against Louisville.

"I liked his poise in the game,"Edsall said. "He did a good job of going in the game and having fun. He was showing good leadership on the field. Any quarterback wants that opportunity and he wanted to make the most of it."

The offense is going to change some, but Edsall wasn't letting on how much. Edsall thought the Butler TD throw was outstanding as the one he caught on the sideline.

Butler had a great quote on that throw:

"It was tight, I think even if the defender got a finger on it, it wouldn't have stopped the spiral,"Butler said.

The kid can throw the ball, that's for sure. Frazer is not available for interviews this week. Sorry to disappoint everyone. Trust me, it didn't go over well, but I won't bore any of you with inside machinations of the beat. It's not about Edsall vs. the press. If that is the focus this week it's a win for Edsall.

Edsall explained his thoughts on shielding Frazer from the press this week.

"I will tell you what, it's unbelievable. Everyone will want to do a story on it and that is the big thing...


The young man is making his first start this week. The only thing he needs to focus on is getting himself ready for the game. To play the best game he can. It's my prerogative to protect my players and allow them to prepare the best way I feel possible for them to be successful. That is what I am doing. I told him that and he appreciated that, very much so.

"This is what I feel is best for him and our program. It isn't a slight to anyone. Just like you make decisions, you write what you want to write. I am making decisions on what's best with young man and best for the program. He was all for it when I told him about it.

"If I thought 10 minutes would have been good, I would have done it. It will be all over newspapers and blogs this week. I can take some of the tension off him. I like this."

I think Frazer should be available. We aren't the White House Press corps and Edsall is giving me too much credit if he thinks my questions can have any impact whatsoever on the psyche going into the game. Frazer could have handled the 15 minutes.

Anyhow, not having Frazer available to talk to me is a distraction of the real issue:

Is Frazer good enough to step in and lead this team?

That's the important question. I guess we will find out Saturday.

Other notes:

* Rob Lunn, Kendall Reyes, and Alex Polito will all play this week. Good news.

* We are going to see more of D.Butler on offense. His playing only on third downs and only in the red zone rule was broken. Edsall had a heart attack moment against Louisville when his star corner went down injured. Edsall thought Butler hurt a knee (he got kneed in the back). Edsall said an increased role of Butler is "to be determined." I would determine the answer is yes. Butler is the team's most dangerous wideout.

*Donald Brown and Knowshon Moreno of Georgia were Pop Warner football teammates. Brown and Moreno would alternate as the running back and the wing back. Brown said Moreno seems like the same guy, a ton of energy. He hasn't talked to Moreno since they went to college, but Brown expects to see him at the Downtown Athletic Club in December (okay, I asked Brown that and he started to laugh, but it's still a good line). Anyhow, South Jersey has become tailback central for college football.

*Brown laughed when I asked him if he had 4.29 40 speed as was reported in an SI article on him. No he doesn't. Edsall said if anyone has that speed they should be trying for gold medals.

Be back for more later.

Gotta to pay the bills.

Late to the party

Tyler Lorenzen out 6-8 weeks. No surprise. I think he could return for the bowl game, especially if it's after Christmas. The later the better. 8 weeks would take the Huskies to Dec.6 against Pittsburgh. I can't imagine him playing for the rest of the regular season. But, with 3 weeks of practice for a bowl game they may be able to get get him some package of plays in. That would be a nice send off.

Lawrence Wilson was BE defensive player of the week. I know he returned the INT 45 yards to win the game, but the Huskies gave up 508 yards of offense and the Cardinals had two 100 yard rushers.

How does any UConn player win defensive player of the week honors?

If that was a good week, I would hate to see a bad week.

Huskies 23 in Coaches, 24 in AP

I had UConn 19 on my ballot by default. Lots of losses from 15-25 and I had UConn 22 last week. Wasn't much to choose from this week.

UConn is No. 24 in the AP poll and Huskies 23 in the coaches poll.

FYI, I voted Alabama No. 1.

Huskies makes an appearance for the second time in school history. It's still a muted entrance to the Top 25. If UConn wins next week at UNC they will get a ton more on the bandwagon. I will be interested in how many voters left UConn unranked in the APpoll, coaches poll is secret ballot. Check out pollstalker.com (fixed link) for breakdowns.

UConn was ranked for three weeks last year.

Huskies are on the Deuce!

UConn's game next week at North Carolina will be on ESPN2 at 7 pm.

Huskies are 5-0 after a 26-21 win over Louisville and UNC just slipped past Miami 28-24 (take a look at the final play, Miami player had a TD in the endzone just go off his hands and it was intercepted).

It's the third straight week the Huskies are going to have a primetime game on ESPN2. Now, coming on Saturday night, that's good national exposure the last several weeks.

This game was either going to be ESPN2 or ESPNU. What's the difference besides the fact no one in CT gets ESPNU?

ESPN2 is in 97 million households. ESPNU is in 20 million households. Do the math.

Update: The surgeries on Tyler Lorenzen (right foot) and Steve Brouse (right leg) went without a hitch this morning. No word on a timetable for a potential return. It won't be soon however.

Santini on Louisville

No QB controversy here

Saturday update. Got home from the Ville 45 minutes a go and back to work. It's a good thing I love football and sports...

The news of the day.

Right off the bat, there is no QB controversy for the Huskies. Zach Frazer is going to be the No. 1 QB while Cody Endres (who was the backup through the first four games) will be the No. 2. No shot at Casey Turner dressing, John McEntee (had to look him up on the roster) is the No.3. McEntee is a walk-on from Fulleton,Calif.

"Zach is the quarterback, Cody is no. 2 and Johnny McEntee is No. 3,"UConn coach Randy Edsall said.

"Zach went in and played well and I am comfortable with it. Those are the two guys we go with. Zach would go in and do a good job. I would be comfortable with him and those are the guys we have."

Edsall liked what he saw from Frazer: "The more he played, maybe that (late) hit did get him fired up. He made some good reads and some passes. I thought he delivered the ball where he should. He put the ball on the money and looked confident out there."

Edsall said QB Tyler Lorenzen and TE Steve Brouse are still set for surgery Sunday. Lorenzen is going to stay with the team, travel, and help out with the QBs. Tough break for Lorenzen. He is a good guy and he is 14-4 in his career in games played. The Huskies have done nothing but win since he came here.

More notes:

* The injuries are the same,nothing new happened on the plane home. DTs Rob Lunn and Kendall Reyes hurt their ankles but should be ok. Alex Polito is expected to return. Darius Butler is fine after hurting his back on that run in the fourth quarter. He is fine. Edsall won't know until Monday at the earliest if Brouse and Lorenzen can even return this season.


*With TE Brouse out, Yianni Apostolakos is the No. 2 behind Martin Bedard. Freshman John Delahunt,who enrolled last spring, will move up to No. 3 on the depth chart. He is going to get the redshirt taken off. Huskies need 3 tight ends


*The defense gave up 508 yards and Edsall felt it was just a matter of technique and fundamentals.

Cheers. What a great day in college football already. Florida goes down, and then North Carolina wins in the final seconds over Miami. UConn-UNC should be on the deuce on Saturday night. 4-1 vs. 5-0.

Back at the Mariott

Just finishing up some stuff for scout.com. Here is the JI's stories on tonight's (last night?) game.

My final thought from the game is just how remarkable the win is. It's the best UConn has ever had considering the circumstances.

I can't help but feel positive about the team going forward. You would think losing the starting the QB, and watching the defense get destroyed would give me pause. I am now officially more worried about the defense (passing defense has been awful two weeks) than the offense.

Zach Frazer was impressive tonight, though like the Presidential debates, it is an expectations game (can't believe I missed it. going to be up late watching replay) .

One thing is clear is that Frazer can throw the ball. I was also impressed about his ability to throw after moving in the pocket. Lorenzen's strength is managing the game, running ability, and accuracy. Frazer has to be careful about his mechanics, but the kid can throw the ball. He made a couple of beautiful throws.

I do wonder. Edsall gave Frazer the No. 2 slot just this week because he liked what he saw after weeks of Frazer dealing with the concussion in the fall camp.

Cody Endres was the backup of through four games. The backup QB has been a week-to-week thing. Is Frazer now the No. 1?

What are the chances that Frazer was going to get in? There was also no waver from Edsall. That requires tremendous discipline.

I don't know. I think Frazer can throw the ball, and Brown is running so well, sometimes all the QB has to do is handoff. But, considering the situation Frazer gets an A+.

The defense is a concern. They are getting killed underneath. It's 10 and 15 yards at will it seems.

Chow,let me get to sleep.

Postgame updates

Tyler Lorenzen is out with a broken right foot and will have surgery Sunday. Looks like Frazer is going to be the man for awhile. Steve Brouse may be out too. He broke his legand will also have surgery on Sunday.

Rob Lunn, Kendall Reyes and D.Butler also were banged up.

I don't know how they do it. There is a spirit to this team.They werebeaten up and outplayed being outgained 508-279. That is extraordinary.

But, this team has a fighting spirit to it. I think Frazer, after he got his feet wet,energized the team and the defense finally made a couple of plays.

The numbers are going to be ugly. But the only number that matters now is the won inthe win column. It's five and counting.

Should the Huskies have won? Probably not. But that they did win,down 21-10nwith a backup QB is a testament to their will and character.

That,and Donald Brown after his 191 yards should get Heisman looks. He has been the best back in the country. I thought Zach Frazer showed guts, poise and a good arm. The kid has some work to do, but he can throw the football.

Got to get out of here, but I will be back for more late,or uggh early.

Live Blogging Louisville!

Pregame: Just got in. Beautiful day if that is any solace to those back in rain-infested New England. 80 degrees, partly cloudy. As we know, Alex Polito is out of action, left home in Storrs. Cardinal Stadium is nice, UConn should paint those bleachers blue. That would help with effect. We'll see what happens.

Update 7:14p.m.: This game can't start quick enough. If your bored you can read today's advance in the JI. Lastly, hoops player Nate Miles in trouble. Saw the story originally in USA Today this morning. Nota hoops blog, but there is some overlap interest.

Update 7:45 pm: Maybe we should give UConn fans slack. 15 minutes before gametime and the place is less than half full.

First quarter


Update 8:11: Jasper Howard strips the ball for a fumble. Lawrence Wilson recovers. Saved points. UConn defense shaky up until then. Early break for the Huskies.


Update 8:16: Drive stalls at the Louisville 30. Tony C 47-yard field goal.3-0 UConn. Lorenzen 1-4 to open. Big play was Brown 23 yard run.


Update 8:31pm: Lorenzen sacked three times on a possession. The line is really struggling with the ends and quickness. 3-0 however, but the mojo is with the Cards.

First Q wrap: UConn losing battle of the lines. UConn o-line getting dominated,and the UConn D-Line can't pressure Hunter Cantwell or get penetration. Still, Louisville hada fumble, and a clipping penalty moved them way back. 3-0 Huskies. After that opening quarter,you have to feel good if your UConn.

Second quarter wrap

Update: Back-to back TDs. Brown and then Vic Anderson. Zach Frazer in at quarterback. No word of injury.

Update 9:12p.m.: Lorenzen looks like he is favoring his left ankle.No word if he is coming back. 10-7 UConn.

Update9:24: Disaster. Lorenzenout for game with right foot injury. Allow Louisville to go 88 yards scoring on a 18 yard TD by Vic Anderson with 6seconds left. UConn defense has been awful. 14-10 Louisville.

Haltime wrap

Awful first half defensively for UConn. Somehow managed to get a 10-0 lead on Brown's shoulders, but the defense can't stop me. 324 yards of offense.

Lorenzen is out for the game. This is becoming a nightmare for UConn.

Third quarter

Update 9:50: UConn is shell-shocked. Frazer fumble on first down,goes -1,and then gets pressured. Huskies have to be careful here. Louisville gets ball at the L45.

Update 9:56: Huskies defense is a sieve. 21-10 Louisville. Gut check time for UConn. It's going to be tough. This is where you find out who you can count on and who you can't. Defense has been embarrassed here.

Update 10:02: Never had a chance. Brown fumbles first pitch,Cards take over on the UConn 31. The wheels have officially come off.


Update 10:03 pm: Lorenzen (right foot) out, Steve Brouse (leg) out, Witten is down on the field down, don't expect him back.

Update 10:13: 9 plays 72 yards, Frazer first TD pass to Butler 21-17. Showed some zip on the pass. Late hit kept drive alive. UConn has life 21-17!

Update 10:18: Battle of backup QBs. Cantwell on the bike. This is a crazy game.

Update 10:31: Great play by Cullen and Terry Baltimore. Cards pinned back at their own 3.

Update 10:36: Powell52 yard run. You have to have a better defense than this.That is inexcusable. May have cost UConn the game even if they don't score. Huskies hold on for a punt,but they lost field position.

Update 10:50 p.m.: Butler injured. Whatis going on here? Ambrose has been in a zone calling plays.


Update10:53: Plays stalls at the 12. Tony C 31 yard field goal 21-20. Defense needs to play here. 15 plays 68 yards. Marcus Easley was open for a second,but the ball was a little behind him, and he didn't seal the defender. Game is in the defenses hands.

11:04 pm: Lawrence Wilson 45 yard INT return for a touchdown. Incredible turn of events.

11:12 pm: Lutrus tips ball. Vill turns it over on downs. I can't believe this. 1:30 away from best win in UConn tenure.

11:20pm: Vaughn INT wins. Incredible victory by the Huskies.

What is at stake for UConn

Let me put some thoughts down before I head to Papa John's.

The Huskies season will come down to these next three games starting tonight. That is not being overly dramatic, and that isn't putting too much pressure on the Huskies.
UConn only has three home games left this year, and if the Huskies are going to challenge for the Big East it is going to have to do it on the road. There is no question about it.

UConn won those three games against Louisville, South Florida and Rutgers at home last year that set them up to at least take a shot at the Fiesta Bowl when the Huskies went to West Virginia.

They don't have that luxury of taking care of business at home. If they have any designs on winning the Big East, winning your home games won't even get you close. UConn has to pick off at least two games on the road, and probably three to win the Big East.

this stretch is critical. Even last year, UConn was shaky on the road falling to Cincinnati and West Virginia to end the season. UConn has won 10 straight at Rentschler Field, they can defend their own turf.

The next step is to win consistently on the road. Temple was a start, but this is a legitimate Big East road game, not a MAC school.

Since UConn joined Big East play in 2004, the Huskies are 2-11 on the road in Big East games. The Huskies are going to have to equal that win total this season.

That's a good thing. Everyone is going to find out how good UConn really is this season. That is nothing to fear.

Keys to the game

Only true blue going to be watching this tonight. If I wasn't working,I would be watching the presidential debates. The drama has been unreal. I thought it was impossible to get any more hype surrounding this. We truly live in extraordinary times.

Anyhow, some news. DT Alex Polito is the mystery injury man. He has not made the trip and is out. Kendall Reyes to take his place.

Keys to the game

Win in the trenches

The Huskies need to have their offensive line defeat Louisville’s defensive line. Something has to give in this regard between the nations leading rusher, and the No. 2 rushing defense in the country. UConn can’t win if the Cardinals take away the run. It’s that simple.

Pass the ball down the field

Teams have tried to exploit Louisville by going to the pass overwhelmingly in the first three games. The Huskies are going to have to get the ball down field to help loosen up the running game.

Win the turnover battle

An even on the turnover scale and the game probably leans to the Cardinals. If the Huskies, who are -2 this year, lose the battle it’s hard to see a way they win. If the Huskies can turn Louisville over and get an easy touchdown it will change the face of the game.

OT -- CCC to expand

It's official -- the Central Connecticut Conference will absorb six teams from the Northwest Conference to make a super conference.

Farmington went over this year, and the six coming over in 2009 are Berlin, Middletown, Plainville, East Catholic,Northwest Catholic and RHAM.

St.Paul and Rocky Hill are not involved.

30 team Super, I don't have time to track down sources, so I am not sure if there is a divisional setup yet.


Here is the new league:

Berlin High School

Bloomfield High School

Bristol Central High School

Bristol Eastern High School

Bulkeley High School

Conard High School

E.O. Smith High School

East Catholic High School

East Hartford High School

Farmington High School

Fermi High School

Glastonbury High School

Hall High School

Hartford Public High School

Maloney High School

Manchester High School

Middletown High School

New Britain High School

Newington High School

Northwest Catholic High School

Plainville High School

Platt High School

RHAM High School

Rockville High School

Simsbury High School

South Windsor High School

Southington High School

Weaver High School

Wethersfield High School

Windsor High School

One final thought...

As I write my advance story this popped in my head.

The University of Connecticut football team begins defense of its Big East title tonight...

It felt just as weird writing that as reading it, I promise you that.

Travel day

Just got into Louisville. 80 degrees,sunny, and I am downtown. Got to write a bit, but I do plan some sightseeing tomorrow.


Here is today's story in the JI on Moe Petrus. I also should be on the radio again sometime tomorrow down here. You got to take advantage of these gigs. One loss and I couldn't get on a Big East fan podcast. This might be it for me!

Check back later with keys to the game and breakdown. Maybe late tonight, early tomorrow.

P.S. -- I don't know who is hurt, and until I get a name, I will assume that there is no one hurt and this is a case of one-up-manship (which this is, Kragthorpe may try and guess who it is and gameplan against it). I don't report mystery injuries or mystery players.

In Today's JI

Tuesday presser story on Jasper Howard and a note on Tyler "Tebow" Lorenzen.

Of note, I will be on NFL Network's College Football Now today. We'll see how it goes. I hate giving predictions, I better come up with one real quick.

Edit late: The great Santini has me on video. I can't bring myself to watch it, but Mrs. Silver liked it. I spent about an hour prepping for a 2 minute segment.

Tuesday, more thoughts

Back here for more.

Here is Rob Lunn's blog.

You know what they say about opinions? Well, it seems that everyone has a blog too. I. Mean. Everyone. Lunn is a good guy. He has to thread the needle and be honest and cutting, but not outrageous.

How about USF and NC State going at it?

How about that for candor in Tom O'Brien's part. Here is O'Brien on USF's defense,which was consulted with by Ohio State and Colorado coaches on stopping the spread offense. In the St. Pete times.

"Did you watch them against Oregon?" O'Brien asked, referencing the Ducks' 56-21 trouncing of the Bulls in the Sun Bowl in El Paso. "Go look at that game. That was the spread that they were defending. I'm not saying anything about South Florida's defense, but if they're the gurus, we'd better go somewhere else."

Of course, USF had an answer. Here is defensive coordinator Wally Burnham.

"Here's the way I feel about it: He's right. We're not gurus," Burnham said. "On the other hand, we try to handle things professionally and not say anything ... with class, not say anything about anyone else's coaching staff. He can say what he wants to. The other thing, I forget what bowl game they were in. That's all I've got to say."

NC State didn't make a bowl game last year -- OUCH. I absolutely love this stuff. What do we get from UConn-Louisville? Well, Randy Edsall said that Hunter Cantwell has a stronger arm and has been more accurate than Brian Brohm and Kragthorpe believes that Tyler Lorenzen is the Tim Tebow of the Big East.

The Unfair Catch.

Louisville fans have obsessed over this call for a year. As legend goes, it was the reason that they weren't in a bowl game last year. I thought the play was ridiculous at the time. And the response from UConn wasn't very good at all if I remember. There were a lot of no comments and Larry Taylor wasn't made available. That didn't help.

But on point of fact, that play made it 7-7 in the third quarter.Louisville then took a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter after a Donald Brown fumble was returned for a TD. Louisville then squandered the lead giving up two touchdowns.

You can't complain about a call when after the horrible call, you took control of the game by 10 points and then lost. It wasn't a game-changing call. It ruined the game, but it didn't lose the game for Louisville. That was their own doing.

• On to other things, I couldn't believe I did it, but I waited late for the Kentucky Hammer, Desi Cullen. Yes, I waited around for the punter. He never showed, he has class I guess. Though, it never stopped him from coming to interviews before.

• Had a nice conversation with DB Jasper Howard and he may start campaigning to get some time on offense. He didn't know how hard Darius Butler has lobbied for it. I asked WR Kashif Moore if he wanted to play defense. Moore smiled, "no." Offensive players never crossover. The only offensive player on the team that would like to play defense is D.J. Hernandez according to Moore. Brilliant analysis. Hernandez would have been a pretty good hard-hitting safety. Could he cover anyone? I don't know. He wiped some guy out against Temple though and he enjoys hitting.

Tuesday presser--lesson in hyperbole

There are sometimes that coaches go overboard in their description of the opponent each week. It's almost comical. Up until this week, the most amazing call I was on was a couple of years ago when the Huskies played Wake Forest. Jim Grobe a couple of years ago convinced me that UConn was going to win the national championship (it wasn't that silly, but he talked like Wake had no shot against the Huskies). That one stands out until today. On the conference call with local media (which happens at the Tuesday lunch) you are usually due some whoppers.

Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe took it to another level on Tuesday. Kragthorpe is a good guy by all accounts and talking to him in Newport, it's hard not to like him. So, at least in the little I have to deal with him I find him genuine and approachable.

But, on Tuesday he said Lorenzen was "The Tim Tebow of the Big East."

Wow. Even Lorenzen scoffed at that. It's ridiculous. That is certainly a whopper. Asked again by the media what he meant by Tim Tebow of the Big East.

"I really feel that way," Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "He is a big strong and physical player. He looks like a linebacker. They do a lot of things like Florida does."

I'll let that sit for awhile.

OK, back to UConn.

--Something has to give between Huskies' 279 yards per game rushing and Louisville ranked No.2 in the country against the run. This is the battle.

--Moe Petrus is one of the most interesting players on the team. The 22-year old redshirt freshman guard, is a Canadian with a Haitian father and a white Canadian mother. His parents converted to Islam, so that's why Petrus' first name is Mohammed. He grew up in Montreal, but he has been on skates only twice in his life -- once at the Car Care Bowl. Go figure. Oh, he is also a pretty nasty offensive lineman.

--Brad Kanuch is back. Yes, I know he played the last two weeks, but he is actually smiling again. He is such a positive guy, but he was miserable to even look at when he was injured. He also said that he can get deep an expand the field and that the offense hasn't really tried to do that (and has had no need to).

--Talked with Jasper Howard about punt returning and look for a story in coming days. You know what? It's the hardest position on the field to play. Oh, he knows how to do a fair catch. He knows the rule well --word for word.

--Edsall didn't address the "Unfair Catch" by Larry Taylor last year. He passed and said that the Huskies were focusing on this week. Stunning candor.

--Last note...had a nice talk with Rob Lunn about his blog, which is a result of a class he is taking (an African Studies course). I'll post the link when I am done today on my UConn essentials. He went in and edited some of his comments and posts. Edsall talked with him on Monday about it. Lunn understands there is no filter and promises to be more careful. Lunn is a good writer and has a pretty good wit. The guy has a writers' eye. He sees the world like a writer.

Why do I say that? He wrote a post about how when the Huskies come through the smoke they can't see a thing. Nothing, they are blind and the smoke is cold. That is fire extinguisher stuff. Also, when the Huskies go in for the half he can smell the booze coming out of the student section.

My friends, that is insight I just can't give you 500 feet in the air in a pristine environment. I have more thoughts, but gotta pay the bills.

UNC time set

Kickoff For North Carolina Set At 7:00 p.m.

STORRS, Conn. (Sept, 22, 2008) – The University of Connecticut football game at North Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 4, will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. The game will be nationally televised by either ESPN2 or ESPNU and that finalization will come next Monday.

In addition, UConn junior running back Donald Brown (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.) was named to the weekly BIG EAST honor roll for his performance against Baylor. Brown had 34 carries for 150 yards and two TDs, including the game-winner, in the 31-28 win over the Bears on Friday night.

UConn, 4-0 on the season, opens conference play this Friday night at 8:00 p.m. when it travels to Louisville on ESPN2.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow! Three straight weeks on national television. It isn't a great slot
(opposite the ABC game), but a nice alternative.

Santini on Baylor

Once again for this week, the Boneyard's Santini. Great job, as always.

Saturday wrap

It's a day early, smack in the middle of college football. Good win by Pitt over Iowa, and very good win by NC State over ECU.

Also, why am I drawn to Notre Dame-Michigan St with Florida-Tennessee playing?

Anyhow, here is the Saturday's teleconference wrap after a 31-28 victory over Baylor:

No injuries.

Also, looking at the film the Huskies gave up 5 big plays --15 yard or more run and 20 yard or more pass. That is too much for Randy Edsall's liking. There were problems in the coverage area, of course most of it was in the inside where Kendall Wright went crazy. Edsall wasn't going to call anyone out, but Greg Lloyd had a tough game in coverage as did Lawrence Wilson.

"We didn't play well inside. Baylor has some tremendous athletes and you will see as seaosn goes on they are going to beat peope," Edsall said. "But, We got to make sure take care of our assignments and execute."

On Tyler Lorenzen's two interceptions Edsall didn't share the conversations they had after the game.

"I don't want to get in specifics. Sometimes, you make a bad read or put the ball in a wrong position," Edsall said. "You have 2 throws that you wouldn't expect him to make in those siutations."

The offense scored 31 points and has moved the ball consistently all year. Take away the turnovers, and the late hit, and UConn could have been plus 17 in points. The disturbing part, at least for me is the turnovers in the red zone. Elimate those and the Huskies would have had perhaps four blowout wins this year.

Now, onto the controversy. Edsall referred questions to the Big East and the Big 12. He did say that Butler's penatly was a late hit, and not leading with your helmet. That's a bad call in my opinion after seeing the replay. That could have cost UConn the game.

Also, the safety, they ruled forward progress. Bad call there too I thought.

Lastly, Donald Brown with another 30 plus carries. Edsall wants to rotate Dixon and Todman in more.

"We got to get some of thos guys in there. We got to get some in there more to give him a blow," Edsall said.

Brown wasn't tired.

Game balls:

O -- Donald Brown (shocking!0
D --Jasper Howard
ST -- Robbie Frey

Scout team players of the week
O -- Isiah Moore (playing Robert Griffin this week)
D --Didn't hear correctly
ST --Dwayne Gratz

Late night thoughts

Of course I am wired. 31-28, bigtime win for the Huskies. So I am home here watching Lockup : San Quinten on MSNBC. Oh,the life of a sportswriter.

Betcha Randy Edsall is looking at the film right now trying to figure out how his defense gave up 377 yards despite holding Robert Griffin relatively in check running.

The spread offense did give UConn mathcup problems. They were able to isolate WR Kendall Wright on a linebacker. He had six catches for 114, and he could/should have had more. Way too many third down conversions. That is what I would be worried about most. There were a lot of plays for 10 or more yards, especially on third down.

The pass rush was pretty good and did have 4 sacks despite a handful of Houdini acts by Robert Griffin. If they can do that next week against Louisville, they would get 7 or 8 sacks.

I know there is going to be a lot of griping over Lorenzen, but he threw the ball well enough. He is staring down his receivers. It can't happen anymore. Heis there to manage the game first and foremost. I did see three chances down the field which were good throws. He nearly had a TD to Kashif Moore that went off the fingertips. It was a good pass, as was the one that was tipped away to Brad Kanuch.

The key for Lorenzen is not turning it over. I am of the opinion that Darius Butler can't play enough. For the second straight week,he had the longest pass gain of the day, 19 yards.

Brown for the Heisman.There are nine guys in the box and he is still rushing well. Good O-line play,GREAT hard running.

NFL scouts got a pretty good look. They all sit in the second row of the press box. I don't get it. They are so high up how do they evaluate? Anyhow,there was 17 scouts on hand including 3 from the Patriots.

Now, onto the controversies:

Huskies got the short end of the replay booth,huh? Julius Williams' tackle of Robert Griffin I think was a safety. They awarded Griffin forward progress. When the tackle started,I thought the ball was in the endzone and never made it out.

The Terry Baltimore play was a good call. The strip of the ball touched after the guy's knee was down.

I still have no idea how they gave Griffin a first down late in the game on that 9-yard scramble to the 30-yard line. It is clear on the replay that Griffin starts his slide before the 30. He then gets plastered and loses the ball. I thought he got to the 29-yard line.

Edit: Questions about the Butler play. I'll see if I can find the video of it. I thought it was close, but it was a late hit.

So what is my final thought? Good win.

Postgame Baylor

What a great game. Huskies prevailed 31-28.

These are the kind of games that propel you the rest of the season. Down 28-24 in the fourth quarter, Huskies stop Baylor defensively and then score to take the lead 31-28. Then, the Huskies defense finally stops Griffin on fourth and 11 from the UConn 39.

“Good teams have to win close games and if you want to have a good record you have to win close games,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “We dug down and made the plays we needed to.”

Here are some notes:

Brown was the stud Art Briles thought with 150 yards, 112 in the first half and two touchdowns.

"He has been possessed," Edsall said.

Lorenzen was good at times and effective running the ball (73 yards and twotouchdowns) but he also threw two key interceptions. That is six this year with 1 TD. He had six all of last year. He has made three turnovers in the redzone. Did layout a couple of nice passes that didn't connect today, so he is throwing better. Just have to tidy up.

Edsall wasn't happy about the replays. He didn't want to comment,but I imagine he thought it was a safety in the 4th quarter, he thought Baylor QB Griffin didn't get the first down and there were some other questionable calls.

Got some more thoughts, let me get home and think about them and give them to you late.

Live Blogging Baylor!

UPregame: Radio gig on the Big Ticket in Louisville went well. The hosts were at the Ryder Cup at Valhalla. And, they were talking to me? The update guy broke in about how Phil Mickelson was doing and then they went to my spot. Ryder Cup and then John Silver? Hope their audience didn't tank. Had a lot of fun however.

Edit 8 p.m.: Baylor's depth chart -- Playing the IR position is Thomas White. Playing the IBH is Jay Finley...What?

Edit 8:05p.m.: UConn wins toss. Will receive. Amazing. Finally this game is getting started. Hate late games.

Edit 8:11 p.m.: Lorenzen INT in endzone going to Butler. Awful. Stared down receiver. Great job,lost points.

Update 8:23: Griffin 16 yard TD pass to Akers. 7-0 Baylor.

First quarter wrap

UConn a little off by the INT. Looking better now. Got to ride Brown and get Griffin off the field on third down. Griffin is a major athlete.

Update 8:49 p.m.: Lorenzen 7-yard touchdown run. Good drive. Lorenzen hit Kashif Moore for 19 yard pass and they are riding Heisman Brown -- 13 rushes,71 yards so far. 7-7.


Update 9:02: Terrible job by UConn defense. Missed tackle to allow a first down on third and 9. Running back dive is killing them. Also, Lawrence Wilson can't cover a wide receiver. Kendall Wright has killed Wilson three times in coverage. Griffin 14 yard TD pass to Akers for a 14-7 Baylor lead.

Update 9:15 p.m.: Brown, Brown, Brown.21 carries 103 yards in the first half. Brown, 1 yard TD run,14-14 with 3:14left in first half. Just ride Brown.

Second Quarter wrap

We have a ball game. Brown 112 yards rushing in the first half. UConn199 total yards, Baylor 201 total yards.

UConn needs to do two things -- take care of the ball and get off the field on third down. Baylor is 4-6 on third downs in the first half. Also, LB Lawrence Wilson struggling in coverage, it might be time to play more defensive backs. UConn has five drives and three of them went inside the 10-yard line.

Offense is ok. Defensively, they have to limit the big play,especially on third and long.

Third down

Update 9:57p.m.:Defense holds Baylor to a 3 and out. Good pass by Lorenzen that nearly went for a touchdown to Moore. Right through his fingers. Had to settle for FG of 39 yards by Tony C. 17-14 UConn.

Update 10 p.m.:Memo to coaches. Do you need to put a linebacker on Kendall Wright? Another big play, this time off Lutrus.

Update 10:04 p.m: Griffin 2 yard touchdown. Defense just struggling today. 21-17. 8 play 72 yard drive in 3:22. Not good.

Update 10:11pm: D-But with a key19 yard third down catch. He is the team's best receiver (no slight on the other guys). Lorenzen 34-yard TD run. Great run by Lorenzen. 24-21 UConn. Good game.

Update 10:24p.m.: Lorenzen intercepted,sixth on the year. was in FG range, barely. Bad play.

Fourth quarter

Update 10:35 pm: Butler roughing the passer,negates big-time Deleston INT. WOW. Game changer right there. Kendall Wright two plays later,on another linebacker,Greg Lloyd. 28-24 Baylor.

Update 10:44: UConn needs a stop. No passing game again and Baylor has stopped Brown.UConn goes 3 and out. Ball on Baylor 5.

Update 10:55 pm: Brown 3 yard TD run. Defense comes up big. 31-28 UConn, six lead changes in this game.It's over for me for live blogging, gotta pay the bills.

Keys to Baylor Game

Quick hit here, going to be Louisville radio in the next hour to talk football,so don't have much time. Today's advance in the JI.

Edit: Since I didn't talk about West Virginia, I do want to say it's a bad sign for them. I don't have confidence in the staff yet. I would hope this isn't a Louisville Steve Kragthorpe thing where he has to clean house. West Virginia should have won the game, they were the better team.

Keys to the game

1. Contain Robert Griffin
The Huskies will miss tackles against the talented QB Griffin, but
they can’t let him run up and down the field and dominate action.

2. Continue to pound the run
Get Donald Brown the ball, get Jordan Todman the ball, get Andre
Dixon the ball. The rushing game has been unstoppable early in the
season and the Huskies need to establish it again to dominate the
line of scrimmage.

3. Make Baylor uncomfortable
This is Baylor’s first road game of the year in unfamiliar territory.
Crowd noise and physical play should make the trip an a difficult
one, at least on the field anyhow. Perhaps in no other sport is crowd
noise and atmosphere as important than college football. Friday
night, late, and on national TV is a good prescription for a
deafening crowd.

On Offense
Baylor has turned the offense over to true freshman quarterback
Robert Griffin and the results have been explosive. Griffin has run
the spread offense with uncanny ease rushing for a school-record 217
yards last week in a blowout over Washington State. Griffin has 288
yards rushing and four touchdowns while he also has passed for four
touchdowns and has a 62.3 completion percentage. Running back Jay
Finley is also productive rushing for 232 yards and three touchdowns
and averaging 8.3 yards per carry.


UConn has the No. 5 ranked rushing offense in the country and aren’t
going to try and switch things up. Donald Brown is the nation’s No. 2
rusher with 566 yards and eight touchdowns while Tyler Lorenzen has
been effective scrambling and on QB keepers averaging 5-3 yards a
carry. Lorenzen has only be sacked once. The Huskies figure to get
speed back Jordan Todman and last year’s top rusher, Andre Dixon,
back in the mix. Lorenzen was efficient last week hitting 13-of-15
passes, and if the running game is working, that is going to make
things easier in a still untested passing attack.

Defense

Baylor has been pretty good against the run in the early going
surrendering only 90 yards per game. Linebacker Joe Pawelek is the
top tackler with 35 on the season. Defensive end Leon Freeman has
been a load with two sacks and five tackles for a loss in three
games. If Baylor is going to have a chance, the defensive line is
going to have to continue to limit the rushing productivity.


UConn has had trouble against mobile quarterbacks in the past,
notably West Virginia’s Pat White, and Robert Griffin will be a
challenge. The key will be the play of defensive ends Cody Brown and
Julius Williams. They can’t get taken out of plays and need to force
Griffin wide when he comes off the edge. It’s also imperative that
the Huskies secondary and linebackers come up and make plays. Griffin
is going to make people miss, but there has to be another wave of
players to help get him down. The Huskies have only allowed one
touchdown and is ranked 15th in total defense so far this season.

WVU--Colorado

Does that black out look awesome or not? I remember last year UConn tried a blue out and I got a couple of people emailing me that they didn't have anything blue. That's not a lie.

Be back with my thoughts. I have no idea what to think of West Virginia.

I made $10!

I would like to thank all those who have come over and made JSilver's UConn blog a smashing success. Today, I was alerted by Google, that I had attracted enough hits in one full year of operation to have a check for $10 cut to me in the next three weeks.

I started this blog for you the fans, and you guys have rewarded my hundreds of hours of time on this blog 10,000 (pennies) fold. You know what this means? More ads of course. Anyone want to sponsor the Blog? How about John Silver's UConn blog sponsored by (your business here).

LOL.

P.S. Here is the Lawrence Wilson story in today's JI.

Thursday update -- oops

Good news on the Lindsey Witten and Andre Dixon front -- they are both going to play. Witten is likely to be used on pass rushing downs while Dixon's role is TBD. The Huskies have 3 backs who are aching for time, it's going to be interesting to see how they divide the carries.

On another note: Randy Edsall had a recruiting meeting today and noticed how hard it is to get recruits up to games that are on Friday night.

"It really hurts us than helps us. We don’t have many prospects coming because it's Friday night. And the kids that play Saturday can’t come from any distance to see game.

“You don’t get as much exposure as you think you do. It probably doesn’t help you much from a recruiting standpoint.”

Where is the balance? Edsall wants to play on Saturday, but TV dictates Friday night. You either give up the exposure and recruiting or the revenue.

Your choice.

Got some work to do, see ya'll tommorrow.

Louisville-KSU

Louisville looking like a different team than the one that played Kentucky(where they looked awful).

Very impressive, Anderson is unstoppable right now. Has Louisville finally got it? Big East could sorely use another team to look good.

If Huskies get by Friday night against Baylor, it's going to be an electric atmosphere next Friday.
35-14 now, 12 minutes left in 4th quarter, very impressive.

Wednesday brief

I have no idea where on the web any of my stories are. Eventually, there will be something on the boneyard, and I have no clue why the JI site didn't update.

Sorry if you are craving for stuff, I have it, but I don't control the means of production.

Anyhow, look for a Lawrence Wilson story tomorrow in the JI. Bama rarely get press with Lutrus and Butler and Cody Brown around. But, at least for a day, it's Bama day.

On to other things:

Went to the Big E today for the first time. Loved it. Mrs. Silver wouldn't let me spend money on a couple of attractions. I was dying to see the world's biggest horse, smallest horse and a big snake. All of them cost a dollar admission. If she wasn't there I would have been duped. Is the horse really that big?

Was going to get a cowboy hat also. But, for someone who grew up in New Britain and never lived outside of Connecticut, I felt like a fraud.

Anyhow, short week so I have to get back to work working on the advance for Friday. Don't look for much live blogging. It's deadline, deadline, deadline for Friday.


BTW, I am starting to track hits and visits to the site to see if anyone is reading (its been steady). Don't be afraid to share the link on message boards or amongst others. It's great to see that number go up. If a lot of people are reading, there will be more stuff coming.

Tuesday press conference

Randy Edsall listened to the question and had to pause for a moment.

Donald Brown and Heisman in the same sentence?

Edsall blushed at the mention. When asked about it later, Donald Brown cracked a smile and was speechless. He didn't want to talk about.

It's silly, Donald Brown and Heisman Trophy?

But, center Keith Gray sure has an opinion.

"I think the offensive line should win it."

---------------------------------------------------

That's the gist of the Tuesday press conference (and going to be the lede to my story) a lot about Robert Griffin (who Edsall compared to (Pat White) a lot about Donald Brown and the Heisman and a lot about Darius Butler.

That's to be expected after piling up 566 yards in three games with eight touchdowns, and is the second leading rusher in the nation. Brown didn't really know what to say. He did say he was going to be enjoying the time though.

"It could be gone in a minute."

There were a couple of national media there today. 3-0 and with a guy like Brown that is to be expected.

Here are some more notes:

*Andre Dixon is back at practice and I think he will play this week. How does that affect the carries? Brown is going to get 25 touches and they are absolutely going to find touches for Jordan Todman. Dixon is going to need some too.

*As far as Todman, his left shoulder is fine and he has come back much earlier than expected. He was supposed to be out 4-6 weeks, but was back in three to the amazement of the staff. Todamn said UConn was the first letter he ever received from a college and that had an effect. It was UConn and Purdue. The late arrival of Penn St. into the recruiting mix was real, but Todman felt more comfortable because UConn was involved all along.

*Lindsay Witten is still hurting with the knee and returned to practice. at best, the Huskies are hoping to get him in pass rushing situations. But, it's been two games and no Witten so we will see later in the week.

*Darius Butler made everyone laugh when he said he felt he could be as good a QB as Baylor's Robert Griffin. Butler wasn't joking either. That's what I like most about Darius, he is as confident and cocky as they come. He has little doubt he is the best basketball player on the team, he thinks he can play major college quarterback right now, and he thinks he can be a game-breaker on offense. Why should we tell him no? Also, Edsall mentioned that he asked Butler if he was tired playing offense defense and special teams. Butler said no and that satisfied Edsall. Butler said Tuesday that "he wouldn't tell the truth anyway."

When I talked to Darius this summer he told me a great story how when his mother came up to watch him play his first game she was a little puzzled at the end of the game. Why was he on the bench so much? Of course, it's because Butler played defense not offense. Now, the coaching staff is trying to find ways to keep him off the field. I have a feeling he is going to see more time as the season goes on.

*I asked Keith Gray about how to market Donald brown for the Heisman. Typically, there are posters, key chains, DVDs and websites set up by schools to promote the candidacy (An example, I got about 15 Darren McFadden notebooks at my house). Gray had a good idea: "Free UPS shipping." Yes, what can Brown do for you? Touchdowns of course.

Be back late if I can, on the desk helping out with high schools tonight. See ya'll later.

Edit: Phil Charids column today in the JI on Butler

In Monday'sJI

Quick update, here is a column off of Saturday's game.

Today is an off day for me for writing, so only will be back if something interests me.

UConn -14 against Baylor.

Donald Brown stars

A major thanks to Santini from The Boneyard for this. Absolutely explosive by Brown.

Sunday teleconference

The film confirmed the result for Randy Edsall this morning. UConn was very very good on Saturday.

Donald Brown played 43 plays and had 25 touches, which is a good ratio according to Edsall and also kept Brown fresh. Might not be able to do that every week, but Brown wasn't tired at the end of the game.

Kashif Moore saw the most time at wide receiver with 41 snaps,while Kanuch was second with 27 snaps. D.J. Hernandez, Ellis Gaulden, Mike Easley and Mike Smith all had under 20. Darius Butler was in on 11 plays.

The WR is more situational this year. The Huskies are subbing early and often depending on the package.

No injuries. Andre Dixon didn't play however and its going to be a weekly thing. Lindsey Witten also didn't play. No other injuries

Jimmy Bennett, Matt Edwards and Emmanuel Omokaro DID NOT play. Those are errors in the participation report.

Kickoff coverage is an issues, but Edsall said it was fundamentals. He didn't seem concerned about it. It is correctable.

Late night wrap

Going to figure out my poll after this Fresno-Wisconsin game (it was a fumble by Fresno,awful replay call)

Anyhow, USC will be No. 1 for me. Happy everyone.

Now back to UConn:

It was the most impressive performance they have had since I can remember. Maybe even better than the Motor City Bowl game.

UConn just totally dominated Virginia. They didn't take over and have a short field. This wasn't Virginia getting blown out making mistakes. On the contrary, UConn's offense had to sustain the entire first half. 70, 77,86 and 75 yard drives are impressive.

They were methodical, and that is something to get excited about. 382 yards rushing. Who needs passing if you can do that? I like the way Tyler Lorenzen played, extremely efficient. It could have been 14-for-15 passing, there was one drop.

His running ability and the short and intermediate passing game, it was a perfect blueprint. You know what? He may not have been BS'ing when he said he had a hard time gripping the ball in a monsoon at Temple last week. Good game by Lorenzen, a very good game. Not gaudy numbers, but that's what Brown is for.

He was in control of the team.

The defense is a little soft in coverage (a lot of underneath) but the running game of UVa was stifled. 30 yards rushing for UVa. Defense was powerful. 2.2 per carry and 219 yards of total offense given up. The late touchdown was garbage time.

I like where this offense is going. More running oriented. They are not going to be able to throw the ball 50 times. Kashif Moore caught a couple of passes, but largely the WRs weren't relied on in the passing game. There were shots at the tight end, running back and fullback. It was a good plan.

The WRs were marginalized. This offense is going to be run oriented, and it looks like they are going to be pretty good at it.


Jordan Todman is an absolute playmaker.They have to find a way to get Todman, when healthy Andre Dixon and of course Donald Brown touches. Add those three with a confident and efficient Lorenzen, and that's a good offense.

The line was tremendous, especially the left side with Will Beatty at tackle and Moe Petrus at guard.

This is a game you can wrap your head around. Huskies were dominating.

Postgame Virginia

Absolutely dominating performance by the Huskies. First half TD drives of 70, 77, 86, and 75.

Donald Brown was as good as I have ever seen him. He was powerful,elusive and explosive. The total package. 206 yards rushing and three TDs. That is 566 and 8 for the year? Heisman anyone?

Tyler Lorenzen's 13-of-15 was as crisp and efficient as needed. A very good performance.

Jordan Todman is a jitterbug. Not sure you can tell how fast he is on film, he is incredibly fast in person. Big time play maker.

Darius Butler is a freak. He made the UVa defense look silly on his TD run and made a great diving catch. Good player.

Lastly, the defense. 30 yards rushing and stuffed everything Virginia did.

Well, have to go, last one in the press box. Check in early in the morning.

Live Blogging -- UConn-Virginia

First quarter

Update 7:23 p.m.: Place 1/2 full. After spending 15 minutes tailgating,the problem is not fans. It's traffic flow and distance. Impossible to get in early unless you leave tailgate 40 minutes before gametime. Not possible any other way.

Update 7:43: Brown 3-yard TD run 7-0 UConn. Powerful first drive with the ground game. Jordan Todman got his first carry.

First quarter wrap: Dominating opening quarter by the Huskies. Huskies at the UVa 10 ready to go in for their second TD. 85 yards on 15 rushes. Lorenzen looks sharp with 42 yards scrambling and accurate passes. Defense was tremendous on the one Uva drive they had. Place is packed. The crowd is loud. UConn is fired up. Lorenzen 8-8, 60 yards passing and42 rushing.


Update 8:07: Anthony Davis 3-yard TD catch. Good catch. 14-0 UConn. Virginia showing no signs of life. 13 plays, 77 yards. 7:04. 14-0 UConn.

Update 8:20: Brown breaks 63 yard run. Darius Butler 13-yard end around for TD. 21-0 UConn. Lorenzen 9-9. This one is at a tipping point.

Update 8:39: Name the score, 28-0 on Brown 8-yard TD run. UConn is annihilating the Cavaliers. Lorenzen 11-11, 122 yards passing. Brown, 15 carries, 112 yards 2 TDs.

Total offense: 308-66.

Second quarter wrap: Wow. UConn scored on its first four possessions, until a kneel down at the end of the half. 307-90 offensive advantage. Time of poessession 19:44-10:16.

Lorenzen 11-of-11 for 122 yards and a touchdown. Brown 112 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. Darius Butler has a 29-yard catch, a 13 yard TD run and several tackles and a 30 yard return on a kickoff. Domination.

Third quarter

Update 9:18: Uva comes out throwing. UConn holds inside the red zone for a 42 yard field goal. 28-3.

Update 9:37: Donald Brown 63 yard TD run. One word: EXPLOSIVE!

Update 9:43 p.m.: Jordan Todman 14-yard TD run set up by a Lawrence Wilson INT. Todman, fast, very fast. 42-3 UConn.

Good night baby. See you in the postgame, live blogging is all done!

Pregame

Beautiful day. Wish I was tailgating. May see the in-law's and grab a sausage.

Gamtime: Lindsey Witten, Andre Dixon out.

Jordan Todman. Looks like he is in the lineup. Per his hometown paper:

After missing the first two games of the season with a shoulder injury, Todman said he'll make his first appearance for the University of Connecticut in front of a sold-out home crowd tonight when the Huskies play the University of Virginia at 7:30.

"I'm playing," Todman said Friday. "I'm definitely excited. Being out for three weeks to come back and play, definitely excited."

That's good news.

Keys to Virginia game

Misposted yesterday. Can't delay posting I guess.

Keys to the game for UConn

1. Take advantage of opportunities
The Huskies squandered potentially 23 points with turnovers and missed field goals last week in a 12-9 overtime win over Temple. Taking care of the ball is the first thing, second is managing the game properly.

2. Keep the status quo – go to Brown
While it’s tempting for UConn to try and show that the passing game is better and to take aggressive shots in the passing game, don’t get away with what has gotten you to 2-0. Ride Brown as far as he can take you. 30 plus carries at a minimum.


3. Loud, loud, loud
Scott Stadium was a madhouse last year during UConn’s 17-16 loss. It directly affected several key plays, including a bad snap that knocked a potentially game-winning field goal out of range. It would behoove Huskies fans to return the favor .

Saturday -- Gameday

Today's JI preview against Virginia

Nice going by ESPNU, not only do they make you wait until 7:30 p.m. to start the game, you also miss Ohio St.-USC.

Is anyone not at this game going to be paying attention? Lord, I hope not. Fielded two calls this morning for tickets. If this game was on TV, these people would watch.

7:30 p.m. games are brutal. On a Saturday night people want to get home and be in before midnight. If you are coming from an hour away, say New Haven, you won't get settled at home until 2 a.m. Everyone is wondering why UConn hasn't sold 30,000 plus season tickets -- its because of this! Not rocket science and no need for marketing studies.

Scheduling does play a part. How can you buy season tickets if you don't know what time the games are at?

Who wants to get home at midnight Sunday morning? Can't ESPNU throw a West Coast game on at the 7:30 p.m. time slot?

But heck, what do I know. The game isn't played for the people in the stands.

Friday thoughts

Notebook in Friday's JI,

I like the way this is shaping up for the Huskies tomorrow night. They are due for a good clean, crisp game, and despite being overwhelming favorites on the betting line, I don't get the sense the players feel they are overwhelming favorites.

Huskies have a lot to prove on Saturday night.

On another note: I don't want to hear any ACC bashing. After the performance of Rutgers last night at home against North Carolina, the Big East can't talk. Has anyone in the Big East played well this year? Maybe USF, but they did struggle with Central Florida. Conference has played terribly.

I have said this time and time again about Rutgers -- You can't stick your chest out and pound on it and tell everyone within earshot how superior you are and then not deliver. Fresno St and UNC aren't LSU and Florida.

I do think those teams are pretty good, but not top 10 caliber programs.

I know it's a part of their strategy and it's hard to get noticed being humble in NYC, but it leaves you open for day's like today to be open to ridicule. Listening to the WFAN today at 3 p.m., it was savage. That does Rutgers no good.

The Scarlet Knights have some talent and have a lot of potential as a program (Jersey has a ton of football players). I think they are better positioned than UConn to be consistently good because of recruiting territory. But, they aren't there yet. For the last three years they have talked National Championship. How silly is that? Shouldn't you win a Big East championship first?

Over the longhaul they can become a pillar of the Big East because of their location and profile. Rutgers is not there yet--and that's all right -- so it's time to stop talking national program silliness.

It's in Rutgers' best interest to take a lower profile. Get it done on the field and then boast. They have lived for almost three years off that Louisville win. 9-9 since then.

Thursday update

RB Andre Dixon (ankle) and DE Lindsey Witten (knee) are likely to be game-time decisions. Both are slowed by injuries and it is wait and see.

RB Jordan Todman's progress is promising according to Randy Edsall:

I thought he has practiced well this week. It seems like it all came pretty natural to him," Edsall said.

There isn't much film on Virginia's backup QB Marc Verica. Reports are that he is a little more athletic and a better runner than Peter Lalich, but that means he doesn't throw it as well. The
Huskies are going to stick to the game plan.

"Any game you got to make any adjustments. You are always constantly trying to make adjustments. I think adjustments are critical anytime, but, all the info we have -- I don't know if he practiced on Tuesday and made the (the decision to sit out) on Wednesday or if it is just happened. We will do the things we are going to do and be most successful in the scheme we see on the film."

In Thursday's JI

Brief update, Thursday story on defense is up with Lalich out as a note.

Will return after the 1 p.m. teleconferecne.

Let's never forget 9-11. Almost lost it with Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.

Lalich won't play

Per UVA:

UVA QB Pete Lalich has had some legal issues. He was arrested this summer for underage purchase of alcohol. He also admitted he violated probation by smoking marijuana, then recanted the story several days later.


"We stand by Peter and in talking with him have made a decision which is best in the short term for him, the team, and our University," UVA coach Al Groh stated. "We have a strong set of standards and values on our team that reflect those of the University and we do not compromise those values to win football games."

Sophomore Marc Verica will make the first start of his career. He has yet to throw a career pass.


Here is the release.

In wednesday's JI

Here is the story on Randy Edsall defending the offense and coordinator Rob Ambrose.

Here are some of my thoughts on the offense. I understand the need for Edsall to defend his coordinators, it is entirely justified and considering the Huskies record the last year I do think there is something to be said about not ruining the game. first job of a coach is to "do no harm." The coaching staff has managed these games almost perfectly the last two years, and the formula is don't lose the game on offense.

Also, to critique the Temple game as an example of conservatism is unfair considering the driving rain storm, and the fact they moved the ball at will on the ground with 293 yards rushing. I would take that number every game.

Those are all good points. The Huskies' success is ball control and good defense. It's their best bet to another good bowl game. The coaching staff has done a good job overall.

On the flip side: Edsall is being overly dramatic on the "throw the ball 60 times". No one is asking for that. No one is asking to run the spread.

Observationally, why can't the Huskies ever get the ball down the field? Watching other college games every team seems able to at least throw the ball deep to someone, or at least try. Temple is hardly the bastion of passing but they had 3 or 4 big shots down the field.

You would think with the kind of rushing game that the Huskies can get some guy 1-on-1 and make a big play in the passing game. I just don't see that developing. There is little YAC from the receivers, and they don't get downfield. This is my observation watching the team from late last year, spring, and fall camp and the first two games.

By saying it's not the play-calling, then that means the players at the skill position are too young or aren't talented enough to make the plays. That may be so, the Huskies have struggled at WR the last three years. Mike Smith is a keeper (get him the ball please) and Kashif Moore is fast. But, they are so young it's hard to rely on them.

At QB, Lorenzen came in from Palomar with a 70 percent completion percentage. He was pretty good last year in an up tempo and quick hit passing game. He did throw for 298 yards against Duke and at Virginia he was excellent at times throwing. The Huskies offense was able to pass the ball productively last year for most of the season.

Where is that these days? Why is the efficiency so far down? Is it an anomaly? Is it scheme?, Predictability? QB decision making? Conservatism on offense? Talent at WR? Or just game conditions such as weather, score and opponent?

It's a fair question to ask when a good passing game could get this team back in position to win a Big East championship.

It should be a wait and see approach. It is too early to panic, and Edsall certainly isn't. But, Edsall knows the passing game has to get better, and Saturday night against Virginia would be a good time to try.

Tuesday presser

Just got home, still have a lot of work to do.

Quick note on the presser.

Randy Edsall staunchly defended assistant coach Rob Ambrose on Tuesday when he was asked about the play calling. Edsall also said, if I may paraphrase, that you use your personnel and you develop a game plan according to the skills and talents that you have.

Also said that the Huskies are 2-0:

"It's amazing we have to have this conversation when we are 2-0, and 9-4 a year ago. That's the world we are in," Edsall said.

Also, Darius Butler is a father. Maya was born on Saturday at Yale New Haven hospital. Maya was born before the game, though Darius didn't find out until after the 12-9 win over Temple.

If I can get back late for more detail, I will.

Monday roundup -- and AP vote explanation

In today's JI, there is a column on Donald Brown. After every game he takes an ice bath with water about 50 degrees. Umm, sounds like fun.

Also, we have a notebook recapping Saturday's affair and some Sunday news.

Enough with Temple. Now onto more pressing matters.

I have had some emails critical of my choice as Ohio State as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. I appreciate the thoughts

Let me explain my logic:

Silver's Top 5

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma

I picked Ohio State as the preseason No. 1 team and they rode me and some others to the No. 3 ranked spot in the polls.

Ohio State, of course, struggled mightily with Ohio U on Saturday leaving everyone but me to abandon them as the top team.

Why did I stay with Ohio State?

First off, the team I would have jumped over them to No. 1 would be USC, was idle last week. So, for me to bump up USC to No. 1, I would demote Ohio State because they didn't win impressively enough. If USC won impressively, I may have very well bumped USC up.

I struggled hard with that choice, I really did, but I thought Ohio State was the preseason No. 1 and if they were good enough then, why aren't they good enough now? I am conservative in my polling.

With the looming USC-OSU game this week, the point is moot. The winner is going to be my top team regardless. My take is that OSU, from what I was reading which was several stories, clearly wasn't inspired and was looking ahead to USC.

So, we want to punish OSU for not playing like that national championship was on the line? The name of the game is winning, and off one less than inspiring effort, I feel it is too early to tank Ohio State.

It was one game, and I think it is an anomaly.

Second, the thought that my vote is somehow proof the AP voting doesn't work is misreading the poll. On the contrary, I think the poll worked beautifully.

I was one of 65. Even though I kept OSU high up, they indeed were punished for their performance dropping from No. 3 to No. 5. If I voted them fifth, they would still have been fifth. I made no difference in the polling.

So, the AP poll worked. There isn't a huge material difference from No. 1 to No. 3. Clearly, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma benefited from the poor play.

This all gets settled Saturday. If OSU pulls off the upset on the road, should we see a move back from No. 5 to No. 1?

The best team in college football so far this year is East Carolina. I didn't see them get a first place vote.

The poll also isn't used as part of the BCS formula anyway. The AP took its vote out of the calculations.

I think the AP poll worked great this week.

UConn -12?

Saw the early line on the UConn-UVA game. UConn -12? That seems like an extraordinary line by Vegas. I would expect a lot of action on Virginia. I would have given the Huskies -8 points.

Considering the Huskies choppy 2-0 record and just escaping against Temple in OT, it shows how little the rest of the country regards UVA.

I loathe to talk betting on this site -- I don't bet sports under any circumstances --it just struck me as odd seeing a UConn team with major question marks about it's offense getting 12 points against a school like Virginia.

Of course. Oddsmakers have probably have this pinned perfectly.

.

Sunday wrap-up

It's my sixth year wedding anniversary today, so of course I am here talking football. Mrs. Silver was down for the game this weekend with me, though she didn't brave the rain on Saturday. So, my point is I don't have a lot of time here.

Here are some nuggets from today. No major injuries coming out of Saturday's game. Good news on the Jordan Todman front, the true frosh RB should be practicing today. The team will make a decision later this week as to his availability.

Lindsay Witten didn't play, his knee didn't come around, and Kendall Reyes was in the rotation at defensive end. Edsall sees Reyes as a longterm answer at DT, though he likes the fact he could swing outside.

Edsall knows the passing game has to get better, and was quick to spread blame around. The Huskies aren't getting everything working right now. One thing is for sure, 86 yards through the air isn't going to cut it Saturday.


Other Philly thoughts:

First real time visiting the city (I don't know how that is possible), but I loved the town. I stayed downtown across from city hall. Plenty of restaurants to eat at, though I went with my wife and friends who live down there to a nice Irish pub on Friday. Mcgill's? Or something like that. It's a must go if you are downtown. Also went to the Continental, a nice classy place. When we were leaving we shared an elevator with Andy Rooney. Awesome, huh?

Olde City is a must go. Since I have a two year old, I was a bit out of my element. But, the beverages were cold and tasty.

Of course, I got lost going to the game on Saturday. I took Broad Street NORTH about 8 miles before I figured out I went the wrong way.

One day I am writing a book -- The Misadventures of John Silver. It's a wonder I even make it home sometimes.

P.S. How many Pat fans here wish they were playing Madden on franchise mode so they could reset the game and not lose Brady for the season?

P.S.S. Want to apologize to blog reader Ben, who introduced himself to me on Saturday. I was late (because I got lost) and I couldn't believe someone actually knew who I was. I didn't mean to seem terse. Sorry Ben, and keep reading. Hope you got home safe and didn't get too wet.

Temple thoughts

I was dying to blog this game, though either blogspot or filters at Lincoln Financial weren't cooperating. It's a good thing no one in CT gets ESPNU because the I am certain there were those people who would have been in meltdown mode.

Still, a 12-9 victory is better than a 6-0 loss. Winning masks all ills. It's yet determined if this is correctable.

Here is my take:

First the good:

Donald Brown was even better than his numbers. I thought he ran with such strength and power the Temple defense wanted no part of him. Look at his stats,only one rush stuffed for negative yards. That is a tremendous job by the offensive line. I even like Tyler Lorenzen running much more. He is a good athlete and they have to do this.

The defense was outstanding. They picked on Jasper Howard early, but he got back in shape. Just a couple of breakdowns on long pass plays. I thought the defense was stellar. temple was never comfortable. When Al Golden went on it at 4rth and 1, I didn't think temple was going to make it. I think the defense can be that good.

Now onto the passing game:

Like I said above, winning masks all deficiencies. I am not sure how much the weather really affected Tyler Lorenzen throwing the ball, though I am sure it did immensely. Yes, Temple played in it too, but some of Lorenzen's passes were so off I wonder if he never got a good grip on it. I don't know what to make of the passing game yet this year.

A disturbing trend (probably further magnified by the weather) was the constant passes out to the flat. I don't get dumping off to the RB or tight end for a 2 yard gain. I would just have run the ball.

The passing game goes sideways, nothing vertical. Even if its worthless to go "over the top" (which, like I said is not possible in the weather) I am more curious about nothing in the middle of the field. I wish I had the stat yards per pass play. I can't remember a play that tried to go 20 yards, much less started as a 20 yard pass. Not a single shot down the field.

With the way Brown is running, you can't play-action your way to one big gainer on the day? What does that say about your receivers?

The problem isn't the deep ball, Huskies don't have the players to do that. There is no intermediate passing game either. You have to be able to complete 10-20 yard passes. The Huskies were going very short all day ( maybe by design?)

Is it Lorenzen? I saw him last year orchestrate some pretty good drives passing the ball last year. I also saw D.J. Hernandez, Steve Brouse, Brad Kanuch and Donald Brown drop some passes that should have been caught Saturday.

Lorenzen also missed an open Kashif Moore on a slant by short-hopping him and threw perhaps the worst pass of his career missing an open Mike Smith in the endzone by about 10 feet and short.

Randy Edsall knows it has to be better, but the offense did put up 293 yards rushing. Why even attempt to go away from that? This team doesn't need a great passing game, it just needs an effective passing game that can move the chains on third and 5. If they can do that, ride Brown, and rely on the defense, they are going to win a ton of games.

To be fair, evaluating the game is hard considering the conditions. Not saying throw it out, but there are mitigating circumstances.

Lorenzen said he had a miserable time gripping the ball after the game.

Like I said. I wasn't that enthralled with the receivers in fall camp, and I don't think the passing game has shown any degree of productivity in two games.

The weather. It is a factor. I can't say how much. I was dry all day, and there were some terrible passes out there as well as horrendous drops. When it is played in a rain storm, what areyou supposed to do?

At 2-0, the only play is wait and see.

The answers are coming soon. The Huskies are going to need to pass on Saturday against Virginia. They won't be able to manage the game around that one.



Other thoughts:

Temple coach Al Golden -- according to transcripts -- was irate about the first overtime and how the chains were moved. The Owls had a 16 yard gain on the opening play of the OT and there was a holding call. The ball was moved back and firstdown was replayed.

Here is the problem, the officals ruled it initially as first and 10, but after first down, the chains were switched to 1st and 4, which after an incomplete became second and four.

Golden was irate because he said he would have run a different play at 1st and 4 because they would be ahead of schedule.

"It should have been 1st and 4, and it was 1st and 10. When you are 1st and 4, you guys that go to AC (Atlantic City) know that you are playing with house moneyThey said it wrong. They ruled it wrong on the field and they apologized after the game. 1st and 4 you are taking shots into the endzone. First and 4 is a lot different, you are ahead of schedule on second down. How they can do that I don't know? End of story?"

Not quite. DeMichele was sacked on second and 4, but the Huskies were whistled for a late hit giving Temple a first down.

Golden downplayed that there is a conspiracy against Temple.

"There is no conspiracy. All I'm saying is that was a bad deal. Not only do we get a flagg, that takes a play away, but they set the ball wrong. That's bad. "

Big East officials did the game.