The UConn Blog - Counting Down the Most Important Wins in UConn's FBS HistoryEscalators are for cowards.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49593/uconn-fav.png2014-08-01T12:34:33-04:00http://www.theuconnblog.com/rss/stream/56446082014-08-01T12:34:33-04:002014-08-01T12:34:33-04:00Best Win in UConn Football History - Fiesta Bound
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<figcaption>Elsa</figcaption>
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<p>It was not a pretty game, but it was a gorgeous result. Dave Teggart's 52-yard field goal helped UConn beat USF and clinch the first New Year's Day bowl game in school history. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303380058">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The game is tied. There are mere seconds left. Dave Teggart assumes his position. The ball is snapped. UConn is one kick away from achieving the ultimate – a Big East championship and a BCS berth. But 52 yards is a long, long way to kick a football…</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The 2010 season was supposed to be UConn’s year. The 2009 season ended with incredible promise. The wins over Notre Dame in South Bend and against USF in the snow. The demolition of South Carolina in the heart of SEC country. The looming opener against Big Ten power Michigan. It all seemed to be coming together at the right time.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Then D.J. Shoemate fumbled.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Down 24-10 against Michigan in the 3rd quarter, Shoemate had gotten a first down inside in the five-yard line but fumbled as he was tackled on the 4th and 1 play.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">It was all <a href="http://articles.courant.com/2010-09-05/news/hc-michigan-uconn-0928_1_quarterback-denard-robinson-quarterback-zach-frazer-dave-teggart">downhill from there</a>. The embarrassing loss at Temple. The brutal Friday night loss to Rutgers. The absolute nadir, the Mike Box-led fiasco at Louisville, when UConn lost 26-0 and didn’t appear competitive. They were 3-4 and zero people were thinking Fiesta Bowl.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">It turned around the next week against West Virginia and the kindness of the Mountaineers to fumble at almost every opportunity. Pitt, Syracuse and Cincinnati followed as wins and suddenly UConn controlled its own destiny against a USF team that had just beaten Miami.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">I vividly remember feeling that UConn/USF was the biggest game ever played while it garnered barely a passing mention on ESPN that day. Auburn and Oregon were wrapping up undefeated season to set up a titantic title game. At the same time as UConn, Nebraska and Oklahoma were playing for the last time in the last Big 12 title game.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Even the stadium in Tampa was barely half-full, as only 41,809 decided to show up.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">UConn, though, played like the weight of the world was on their shoulders, particularly on the offense side of things. The stats were ugly. Zach Frazer threw for 112 yards. Jordan Todman muscled out 93 yards on 33 carries – not even averaging 3 yards per. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">When you gain 232 total yards, you are not supposed to win the football game.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Per usual, the UConn defense stood up and provided the Huskies’ only touchdown when LB Lawrence Wilson returned a deflected pass 55 yards for a touchdown. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">To be honest, there isn’t really much more to say about the game. It was a slugfest. You could politely call it a defensive battle. You could more accurately call it an offensive display of offense. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Regardless of aesthetics, a Dave Teggart field goal made it 16-6 with just over 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. With the way the UConn defense was playing – and the way the USF offense wasn’t playing – it felt like a comfortable lead.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">It wasn’t.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">USF scored a touchdown to make it 16-13 with about 8 minutes to go. A field goal made it 16-16 with just over a minute to play.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Suddenly, the ineptitude of the UConn offense on this night became a very, very serious problem. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">A fantastic kickoff return by Robbie Frey gave UConn the ball at its own 40. An 18-yard pass to Kashif Moore got UConn into USF territory. Another 7 yard completion got UConn to the USF 35 yard line and the very fringe of field goal range. The next two plays gained nothing.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">It was then up to Dave Teggart – the same man who beat USF on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C--8Abz0pUY">the last play of the 2009 game</a> in the snow – to hit a ridiculous 52-yard field goal to give UConn its first BCS berth and simply stun a college football world that wanted anyone <i>other</i> than UConn to represent the conference.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Dave Teggart will never have to buy another drink in the state of Connecticut for the rest of his life. The kick went through and UConn had done the unthinkable.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Fo2n27tsvOc" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>It’s crazy to comprehend on almost every possible level. UConn just 15 years earlier was not even an above-average Yankee Conference I-AA team. Now, they were going to play on New Year’s Day? It was the sort of story that should have been lauded and repeated over and over as the ultimate example of perseverance. When UConn decided to go I-A, there were many critics who felt it was foolish. But when Teggart’s kick sailed through the uprights, everything was vindicated.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Or was it?</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>College football <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2010/12/06/uconns-lucky-bcs-bowl-berth/">does not appreciate outsiders</a>. In the NCAA Tournament, a story like UConn’s would get you on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In the BCS, a story like UConn’s contributed to blowing the entire system up.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>The Big East, within months of UConn’s Fiesta Bowl, started to get scraped for parts. ESPN, fearing competition from the newly-minted NBC Sports Network, conspired to <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2012/07/does-anyone-care-about-espn-smear.html">smear the conference</a> into oblivion.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Just three seasons removed from the program’s highest heights – UConn plays in the <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-surprising-power-of-american.html">surprisingly strong</a> yet <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/04/assessing-aac-after-year-1.html">continually derided</a> American Athletic Conference. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Regardless of the fallout, nothing can change what happened on that December night in South – well, not actually South – Florida. For an all-too-brief moment, UConn had climbed the mountaintop and would share the spotlight with established powers like Oklahoma, Ohio State and Oregon.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://twitter.com/stholeary">Follow me on Twitter</a></span></p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/8/1/5933697/uconns-most-important-football-wins-1-uconn-usf-fiesta-bowlSean OLeary2014-07-31T11:16:13-04:002014-07-31T11:16:13-04:00Best Wins in UConn Football History - #2
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<figcaption>Jonathan Daniel</figcaption>
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<p>The death of Jasper Howard and three heart-breaking losses in a row followed UConn into Notre Dame Stadium in November 2009, where they would stun the Irish and end the Charlie Weis era. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=293250087">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">How much more heartbreak could the UConn football team face in 2009?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Following a superb victory against Louisville, Jasper Howard was murdered. There are no words to describe that pain.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">UConn lost the next three games in heart-wrenching fashion. The four-point loss at West Virginia. The last-second, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z5IL6Ez-Tc">80-yard touchdown dagger</a> by Howard’s friend <span>Tim Brown</span> in a loss to Rutgers. An up-and-down offensive bonanza against <span>Brian Kelly</span> and undefeated Cincinnati in primetime on ABC.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Who knew that Notre Dame Stadium would be the scene of a UConn revival?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Personally, this was my most anticipated game in UConn history. My Dad and his entire family were Notre Dame grads. In fact, the family still gives me grief for not attending. My uncle had retired out to South Bend and, for likely the first time in his life, he hosted a house of fans from the wrong team for a weekend. It still hurts that UConn could – should? – still be playing Notre Dame every year.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">As that Saturday before Thanksgiving dawned, it felt like something big was going to happen. The <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/04/notre-dame-will-make-first-college.html">Notre Dame</a> faithful were on edge as it was becoming very evident that the Charlie Weis experiment was disintegrating on a weekly basis. The pregame walk with Weis walking arm-in-arm with his players seemed to signal that.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">For UConn, they had played three tremendous games in a row against bowl teams – the Big East was surprisingly strong in 2009 – and came up short. Did they have another supreme effort in the tank?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">To complete the scene, the weather was perfect. I could write 500 words on the weather. Crystal blue skies. Zero clouds. Temperatures in the 60’s. This is South Bend, Indiana in late November! I got an honest-to-goodness tan in the stands.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">And those stands – they were packed with UConn fans. Nebraska fans were made out to be legends when they <a href="http://a.espncdn.com/ncf/s/2000/0909/732611.html">took over Notre Dame Stadium in 2000</a> during an epic game, when #1 Nebraska and Eric Crouch won in overtime. There were almost as many UConn fans there in 2009, that’s how insane the UConn turnout was. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The game itself was probably the best game UConn ever played in, in terms of big plays, star performances, controversial calls and excitement. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">For all of the deficiencies Charlie Weis has as a college football coach, recruiting offensive talent is not one of them and Notre Dame in 2009 was loaded. It’s unfair to have two wide receivers as good as <span>Michael Floyd</span> and <span>Golden Tate</span>. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">In this game, both Floyd and Tate went over 100 yards with a touchdown. <span>Jimmy Clausen</span> threw for over 300 yards. <span>Armando Allen</span> ran for over 100 yards. Notre Dame rushed to a 14-0 lead and there was a brief moment where it felt like Notre Dame was going to put its foot down.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Instead, <span>Jordan Todman</span> broke off a spectacular 43-yard touchdown run, punctuated by Todman doing Touchdown Jesus in the end zone – a move that earned the wrath of Randy Edsall and firmly established Todman as <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2009-11-23/introducing-uconn-rb-jordan-todman">an all-time legend</a>.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">In the third quarter, down 17-10, Todman struck again with a 96-yard kickoff return that reminded my Dad of Rocket Ismail from two decades prior. Football should have sound effects so we could hear the "Whoooosh!!" as Todman blasted through the Notre Dame kickoff team and ran straight into a delirious UConn band.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Notre Dame would take a 20-17 lead. With just over 7 minutes to go, UConn took possession around midfield. On the next 11 plays, UConn would run the ball 11 times. Twice, <span>Andre Dixon</span> scored a touchdown. Twice, those touchdowns were called back with questionable holding calls. UConn settled for a field goal and a 20-20 tie.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">"They’re not going to let us win!" screamed my UConn buddy. It certainly started to feel that way.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">With just under a minute to go, Armando Allen fumbled and <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-is-success-for-uconn-football-in.html">UConn</a> took over in Notre Dame territory. Two more Dixon runs set up a <span>Dave Teggart</span> field goal on the last play of the game…that hooked wide.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">It was a stomach punch miss.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The first overtime featured two spectacular touchdown catches – one by <span>Kashif Moore</span> and one by Michael Floyd. To start the second overtime, Notre Dame settled for a field goal.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Given a third chance to win the game, UConn would deliver. Andre Dixon ran into the corner of the endzone – no flags – and UConn had done the unthinkable. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">At the top of Notre Dame Stadium, we hugged like maniacs, pumping our fists and screaming. Famously, Randy Edsall’s emotional on-field interview was nearly drowned out by deafening "U-C-O-N-N" chants. Walking out of the stadium, UConn fans found each other and celebrated. In the parking lot, we turned our stereo up to 11 and partied like conquerors for hours.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/oiqmMxL2ea4" height="360" width="480"></iframe></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The Notre Dame fans seemed almost bemused by the celebration. It reminded me of the Miracle on Ice, when the Soviet players watched the USA kids celebrate and longed for that feeling of joy that leaves with too many victories. Notre Dame football was cratering while this upstart that existed at the top level for less than a decade was dancing on hallowed ground.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The Notre Dame game proved to be a springboard for UConn in 2009. They crushed Syracuse the following Saturday. They beat USF on a last-second field goal in the snow to end the regular season. <a href="http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-football/hc-uconn-football-south-carolina-0102-pictures,0,3940211.photogallery">They demolished South Carolina </a>in the bowl game. It was the best four-game stretch of football that UConn has ever played.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">To this day, I believe the 2009 UConn team was superior to the 2010 version. This game served as proof and helped set the hype machine in overdrive for the following season.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">For me personally, there are so many moments I will never forget from that game. But the one that stuck with me the most was the F-16 fighters, having completed their flyover, still visible in the distance over Touchdown Jesus as the opening kickoff took place. It was a postcard steeped in the history of college football.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">And somehow, UConn was part of it. </span></p>
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<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Imdc8Ap-jEg" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://twitter.com/stholeary"><span>Follow me on Twitter</span></a><span><span></span></span></p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/31/5926777/uconns-most-important-football-wins-2Sean OLeary2014-07-28T09:48:46-04:002014-07-28T09:48:46-04:00Best Wins in UConn Football History - #3
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<figcaption>Andy Lyons</figcaption>
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<p>Thanks to four fumbles and questionable game management, UConn finally beat West Virginia, saved its 2010 season and began its march to an unlikely BCS berth. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303020041">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Finally, UConn slayed the dragon. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">During UConn’s first half-dozen years in the Big East, there was only one team they couldn’t beat. They beat Rutgers before even joining the conference. They beat Pitt in <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/11/5878229/8-most-important-uconn-football-win-pitt-2004/in/5644608">their first conference game</a>. They had great success against Syracuse and <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/16/5884347/uconns-most-important-football-wins-6/in/5644608">USF</a>. They beat a Cincinnati team in 2008 that would play in the Orange Bowl.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">But West Virginia? They were a horror show.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">If you’re a <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-is-success-for-uconn-football-in.html">UConn football fan</a>, you know what I’m talking about. The most frightening college football player I ever saw in person was Pat White, with Steve Slaton a close second. Yes, if you’re a Georgia fan reading this, you can nod in acknowledgement.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">For whatever reason, UConn couldn’t even play with West Virginia. The games were blowouts that sent UConn fans heading for the parking lot by halftime. The 2007 season finale between the two for the Big East title was a complete and total destruction. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">So in 2009 – as White <i>finally</i> graduated – it appeared UConn might have enough. The road trip to Morgantown came the week after Jasper Howard’s murder and the 28-24 loss was tough but promising. UConn had kept it close.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Yet in 2010, there were no good vibes around the program. A preseason Big East contender, the team had slumped to 3-4, following a <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=302960097">26-0 loss to Louisville</a> in the Mike Box Debacle that could be considered the worst loss of the Randy Edsall era. It was a Friday night and ESPN was there – yet you couldn’t shake the feeling that another West Virginia rout was going to extinguish whatever hope was left in the UConn season.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>In fact, a West Virginia rout is exactly what should have happened. A 53-yard TD run by Brad Starks put West Virginia up 7-0 before five minutes had been played. It was 10-0 after the first quarter. West Virginia had 24 first downs to 16 for UConn. West Virginia rushed for 254 yards with a ridiculous 5.4 yard per carry average.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>This is where I state that if you average a first down on every two runs, you should win the football game.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Except West Virginia <a href="http://uwire.com/2010/10/30/west-virginia-fumbles-away-second-straight-game/">fumbled the ball away</a> four times. That’s it. That’s the whole game right there. When you are negative-four in the turnover game, you’re probably going to lose.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Up 10-0 early in the second quarter, Noel Devine fumbled around midfield.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>On the first drive of the third quarter, Ryan Clarke fumbled at the UConn 26-yard line on a 4th and 1. In fact, since Geno Smith recovered, that wasn’t even one of the four turnovers.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Up 13-10 early in the fourth quarter, Geno Smith fumbled in UConn territory.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>There was plenty of blame to go around on the West Virginia sidelines as then-coach, the late Bill Stewart decided to punt the ball from the UConn 33-yard line with just over three minutes to go. That ultra-conservative plan backfired when three Jordan Todman runs gave UConn a first down and sent the game into overtime.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>By overtime, everyone inside the Rent started to believe. UConn was essentially playing with house money. They had been largely outplayed for fourth quarters but a stingy defense, a Herculean performance by Todman and some help from the visitors meant overtime was on hand. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>You got the sense it just wasn’t West Virginia’s night.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>On first-and-goal from the UConn 1 to start overtime, Ryan Clarke fumbled again. He basically dropped the football. That was that.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>UConn rode Todman some more and set it up for Dave Teggart to end the game, securing a 16-13 UConn victory. The fans rushed the field and there was a huge celebration on the Rentschler Field turf that Friday night.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>We know the rest of the story now – UConn didn’t lose again in the regular season and played in the Fiesta Bowl. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>On that Friday night, none of that crossed anyone’s mind. UConn had finally slayed the dragon. They had beaten West Virginia. The how and why didn’t matter. It happened. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>The <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/5/15/5717154/the-rent-needs-to-host-a-fist-pumping-uconn-win-in-2014">beauty of a big home win</a> is how quickly it erases prior mistakes. Even though at 4-4, UConn was still underachieving compared to preseason expectations – everything simply felt better.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://twitter.com/stholeary"><span>Follow me on Twitter</span></a><span><span></span></span></p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/28/5926493/uconns-most-important-football-wins-3Sean OLeary2014-07-22T10:55:23-04:002014-07-22T10:55:23-04:00Best Wins in UConn Football History - #4
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ohyoYv25fxN-wCGkeTY3E_quNQw=/0x220:3259x2393/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35913706/20131021_kkt_aj4_674.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Iowa State and Seneca Wallace were college football's biggest story in September 2002. So when their season ended with a crushing loss to UConn, the entire country took notice of the Huskies.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112302aaa.html">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">I would not argue with anyone who would list this victory as #1. </span></p>
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<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">In UConn’s first two years in Division 1-A, they had gone 3-8 in 2000 and 2-9 in 2001. They were not exactly inspiring confidence that they would be able to leap to the big time, especially when the top team in the Big East at the time was Miami, a collection of talent that ranked among the greatest in college football history.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">UConn played at #1 Miami in 2002 and while everyone expected the absolute worst – it was <i>only<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/06/sports/college-football-uconn-no-match-for-miami.html"><span> a 48-14 loss</span></a></i>. Losses to Temple and Vanderbilt followed with identical 38-24 scores and suddenly, UConn was 2-6 and another lost season seemed in the offing. What shape would UConn be in for the opening of Rentschler Field?</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Then, almost miraculously, the light bulb went off. They beat Florida Atlantic 61-14. They beat Kent State 63-21. They went down to Annapolis and obliterated Navy 38-0 in Paul Johnson’s first year.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Those were cupcakes and pushovers. The season finale was a lot different. And it would send shockwaves through the college football world.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>September 2002 was dominated by one player – Iowa State QB Seneca Wallace. He almost single-handedly beat Florida State. He began the <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=222710066">descent of the Nebraska dynasty</a>. His touchdown run against Texas Tech was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7gPOl_F8HQ">the play of the year</a>. He was briefly a Heisman frontrunner. </span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Despite at one point being as high as #9 in the rankings, Iowa State crumbled down the stretch and entered the UConn game at 7-5. Still, they were a bowl team in the Big 12 playing their season finale at home – this was not a game UConn should have won.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>UConn, riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak, jumped all over Iowa State and held a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. The Cyclones appeared to wake up and take UConn seriously, because they scored the next 20 points to grab a 10-point lead early in the third quarter.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Then, in a play that would forever alter <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-is-success-for-uconn-football-in.html">UConn football</a>, Terry Caulley busted free for a stunning 68-yard touchdown as part of a remarkable day in which he ran for 191 yards. UConn would score the game’s last 27 points en route to a jaw-dropping 37-20 victory.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>In a pre-social media world, I was not keeping up with UConn/Iowa State on that Saturday. The game certainly wasn’t on television. That afternoon, I checked Yahoo’s scoreboard to get caught up. That’s when I saw it.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>UConn 37, Iowa State 20.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>I swear, I thought it was a typo – a glitch that happened too frequently back then – but it wasn’t. The score made all the highlight reels and halftime shows. The score that got introduced with a, "Can you believe this?" or, "You’ll never guess how Seneca Wallace’s season ended!"</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>The win changed the entire complexion of UConn football. It provided enough momentum that UConn went 9-3 in 2003. It boosted the program to a place of national acceptance, if not respect. It allowed the Big East to have enough confidence in the Huskies to bump up their entry date up a year, helping to save the maligned league.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>During the first three and a half years of the Randy Edsall era, there were serious concerns about where UConn could make the leap. One November afternoon in Ames erased those forever.</span></span><span><span></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://twitter.com/stholeary"><span>Follow me on Twitter</span></a><span><span></span></span></p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/22/5891411/uconns-most-important-football-wins-4Sean OLeary2014-07-18T17:53:03-04:002014-07-18T17:53:03-04:00Best Wins in UConn Football History - #5
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7t08NUCO0TVWjHtSPg6QXOKJrmw=/0x90:246x254/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35787466/Dorlovsky.0.jpg" />
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<p>UConn christened Rentschler Field by obliterating a Big Ten team. Not a good Big Ten team, or even an okay one, but Indiana did play in the Big Ten. And UConn crushed them. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.uconnhuskies.com/datadump/MFootball/2004/stats/game01.htm">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">I grew up in Connecticut as a UConn basketball fan. As I went away to college in Washington, D.C, I kept tabs on the basketball team and was kept up to date on the football team’s transition to I-A from my father.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Despite the updates, it never dawned on me that UConn was about to become a real football program. In the summer of 2003, I got my Dad two tickets for his birthday to the home opener against Indiana almost on a lark – like, let’s see what that’s about.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">We have had season tickets for the past 10 years. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Upon arriving at <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/5/15/5717154/the-rent-needs-to-host-a-fist-pumping-uconn-win-in-2014">the Rent</a> for the first time, I was completely and total stunned. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">"Whoa!" I exclaimed as we turned in from Silver Lane. "This is a real stadium!"</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Frankly, I don’t know what I was expecting but I had failed to comprehend what was taking place. The place was relatively packed – about 1500 tickets short of a sellout. The opponent was a Big Ten team – Indiana – and its quarterback was the immortal Matt LoVecchio, who had led Notre Dame to the Fiesta Bowl in 2000. For my Dad, a Notre Dame grad, everything about this scene was stunning.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Then something even more stunning happened when the game started – UConn was much, much better than the team from the Big Ten.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9Cz86kngnzY" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">If there is one regret I have about UConn football since its rise to FBS, it is the <a href="http://www.journalinquirer.com/archives/caulley-s-injury-leaves-huskies-dazed/article_8740069b-7f87-5947-a706-48c6c2b2046e.html">knee injury to Terry Caulley</a> because we were deprived of seeing how good he could have become. He was great in 2002. Against Indiana, he was unstoppable. Even with Dan Orlovsky under center, Caulley was the best player on the field. He rushed for 166 yards on only 22 carries. I fully understand that the 2003 Indiana team was one of the worst in recent Big Ten memory – but they were still a <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/04/big-ten-football-has-crippling-image.html">Big Ten team</a> that were getting shredded by UConn’s running back.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Orlovsky had a great day himself, throwing for three touchdowns and more than 300 yards. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">It was a completely dominating performance from beginning to end. When Caulley scampered in for a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 34-10, well, the game had been over for a while.</span></p>
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<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0iip0s4Kv34" height="315" width="420"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Leaving the Rent that day, it felt like anything was possible. UConn wasn’t even a member of the Big East yet and it felt like major college football had arrived in Connecticut. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">One of the things that upset me the most about the failed Coach Pasqualoni era is how <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-paul-pasqualoni-needs-to-go-to-save.html">that feeling had faded</a>. When you tailgated or got ready to watch UConn in the past three years, there was a palpable sense of dread. You were expecting the worst.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Starting with this game against Indiana and continuing through the 2010 season, UConn fans tended to expect the best. It was a fantastic feeling. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://twitter.com/stholeary"><span>Follow me on Twitter</span></a></p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/18/5891395/uconns-most-important-football-wins-5Sean OLeary2014-07-16T15:51:09-04:002014-07-16T15:51:09-04:00Best Wins in UConn Football History - #6
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<p>By beating USF in 2007, UConn notched its first win over a ranked team and would achieve the highest Top 25 ranking in school history. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=273000041">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">In terms of national respect, this is the high-water mark for UConn football.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">USF had risen all the way up to #2 in the country with wins at Auburn and over <span>Pat White</span>-led West Virginia. Yes, I know it’s hard to imagine a world where USF was ranked #2 but I swear it happened. The week prior to visiting UConn, USF <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272910164">had lost to Rutgers</a> in a Thursday night game, but they still showed up ranked #11 and in the thick of the national title race.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">UConn entered 6-1 and was a 1-point loss on the road against Virginia from being undefeated. The week prior, on a rainy, disgusting Friday night, the Huskies had rallied from 10 down to beat Louisville. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">USF at UConn wasn’t just on ABC, it was the <i>featured</i> game at 3:30, and the only – what a weird time 2007 was – that would be aired in HD at the time. Yes, ABC </span><a href="http://mattsarzsports.com/Schedule/Weekly?week=9&sportYear=football2007#.U7xGY_ldVPI"><span>aired UConn/USF in HD</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span> instead of Nebraska/Texas.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>Going into the game, there was a palpable feeling that UConn could be on the verge of something special. The six victories were, however, rather non-descript as the conference victories over Pitt and Louisville came over two teams that would end up bowling. But UConn looked good. Like they looked really good.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>What is it that Kevin Garnett said once?</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>The game started out brilliantly for UConn as USF appeared to be dealing with a serious hangover from the Rutgers loss. A field goal made it 3-0 after the first quarter. A <span>Tyler Lorenzen</span> touchdown pass made it 9-0 with just over nine minutes before halftime.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>And then <span>Scott Lutrus</span> <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bulls/content/interception-td-puts-uconn-16-0">became a legend</a>.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>My season tickets – along with my father’s and four friends – are in Section 231. So I can play the replay in my mind even right now of Scott Lutrus intercepting <span>Matt Grothe</span> and running it into the endzone directly underneath our seats.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>It was pure unbridled pandemonium. It’s my favorite single play in the Rent’s history. People jumping up and down. Strangers hugging. Everyone high-fiving each other. It was almost mind-boggling to consider.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>UConn was leading the #11 team in the country 16-0. For the first time, a UConn fan could realistically fantasize about a New Year’s Eve in South Beach or on Bourbon Street.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>But it was only halftime. The second half could be accurately represented by a man hanging off of a building ledge by his fingertips for 2 hours. It was desperate desperation. USF finally showed why they had climbed to second in the nation and woke up from the slumber.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>The game ended in thrilling fashion, with USF inside the UConn five-yard line and needing a touchdown to tie the game. </span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>With just over a minute to go, USF had all the momentum in the world and a 3rd-and-Goal at the UConn 1. As a fan, you start to mentally prepare for yourself for the worst. Instead, Matt Grothe rolled right into a sack – who calls a bootleg in that situation? – for an 11-yard loss. Grothe’s final pass was an incompletion and the upset was complete.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>For the first time in Rentschler Field history – the fans rushed the field. There has been much debate recently, nearly all of it pointless, about <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/03/rushing-court-if-it-feels-good-do-it.html">when to storm the court</a> or rush the field. Everything about this moment was perfect. UConn had beaten its first ranked opponent and was now sitting atop the Big East.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>The next day, UConn entered the Top 25 for the first time at #16. The fun would last one more week, when Rutgers came to town and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Tisc8lozI">caught a butt-whopping</a>. </span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>The dream eventually evaporated when Pat White and West Virginia crushed the Huskies in the de facto Big East title game. In an alternate universe, that West Virginia team wins a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/national" class="sbn-auto-link">National</a> Title and the Big East still exists. In reality, Pitt shocked the world and the <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2013/07/ESPNAntiAmerican.html">Big East crumbled</a>.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>In October 2007, the Big East was a certified power in college football and East Hartford, Connecticut – for a few fleeting moments – was front and center in the college football world.</span></span><span><span></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://twitter.com/stholeary"><span>Follow me on Twitter</span></a><span><span></span></span></p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/16/5884347/uconns-most-important-football-wins-6Sean OLeary2014-07-14T11:44:28-04:002014-07-14T11:44:28-04:00Best Wins in UConn Football History - #7
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bnnIq-WVCU9CXSKSxDtxzbW7ZlU=/20x0:620x400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35587756/img22211981.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a href='http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/22211977/left-behind-in-realignment-cincy-uconn-and-usf-face-scarce-options'>CBS Sports</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Thanks to a light national schedule, a 4-5 UConn team made its debut on ABC when USF came to town with BCS dreams. UConn dashed those hopes and kept its own bowl hopes alive. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=253300041">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">In television terms, 2005 might as well be 1995 when it comes to college football. While this Thanksgiving weekend will be littered with big games from every single conference, that was not the case in 2005. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">On the </span><a href="http://mattsarzsports.com/Schedule/Weekly?week=13&sportYear=football2005#.U7Q1sfldVJd">Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2005</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">, there were zero Big Ten games, 1 Big 12 conference game and only one game featuring a Pac-12 team. The light schedule meant there were holes in the television lineup. Smartly, the Big East took advantage of this. Like its success with ESPN’s Thursday Night Football franchise, the bigger conferences eventually followed the Big East’s lead.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">But in 2005, it meant that a 4-5 UConn team on a four-game losing streak would be featured on ABC against a USF team that was still mathematically alive for the Big East title. In fact, if USF had won, they would have played West Virginia the following week for a </span><a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=253300041">de facto Big East championship</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">. It didn’t happen.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>The game itself was, well, not pretty. For USF fans, it is most remembered for one of the worst play calls in the history of college football – the </span><a href="http://www.voodoofive.com/2010/3/18/1378742/the-story-of-voodoo-five">Voodoo 5 play</a><span> that spawned the name of SB Nation's USF blog.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>For UConn fans, there was an odd sense that the identity of the program was being forged. The weather that day was disgusting. It was 33 degrees at kickoff. It was gray. It was overcast. It was gross. It was quintessential New England.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>In the years that followed, UConn played a never-ending string of bad-weather games, starting the following week against Louisville when ESPN decided an 8 p.m. kickoff in December would be a good idea. It was reported the temperature at kickoff </span><a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/gametracker/recap/NCAAF_20051203_LOU@CT">that day was 30</a><span> but it was windy and there is no way it was above single digits. There would be future games in monsoons, downpours and snow.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>On this day against USF, the defense and Andre Dixon led the way and, in the post-Dan Orlovsky era, this was how UConn won football games. Darius Butler, one of the best UConn players ever, announced his presence to the nation with a 90-yard kickoff return for the touchdown. UConn held on desperately to a 15-10 lead throughout the fourth quarter and evened its record back to .500 with a bowl bid still a possibility. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Like the <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/8/5878217/10-most-important-uconn-football-win-pitt-2006">Pitt win in 2006</a>, this game served as a reminder that despite replacing Dan Orlovsky, the <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-is-success-for-uconn-football-in.html">UConn football program</a> was going to remain competitive. It was also a reminder to the home faithful that despite the drastic turnover in the conference – it was still a solid BCS conference that would survive for another decade.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>But for me, the biggest takeaway for me came that night when I was watching Notre Dame hold off Stanford to clinch a BCS berth. At halftime, as they were running through the highlights, Craig James – yes, the immortal Craig James – gave a huge shout out to UConn and, specifically the <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/5/6/5687548/a-sellout-for-boise-state-is-critical-for-uconn-football">fans at the Rent</a> that day. He credited the fans for willing the UConn defense to victory.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>It was a turning point for the program. UConn was no longer the new kid of the block, the novelty with an NFL quarterback, but a legitimate program. As mentioned above, the win gave ESPN the ability to move the following week’s game into primetime as UConn played for a bowl berth. They didn’t beat Louisville. They wouldn’t play in a bowl for two years. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>But this win showed the country UConn was not to be ignored.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://twitter.com/stholeary"><span>Follow me on Twitter</span></a><span><span></span></span></p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/14/5880585/7-most-important-uconn-football-win-usf-2005Sean OLeary2014-07-11T11:01:13-04:002014-07-11T11:01:13-04:00Best Wins in UConn Football History - #8
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CmvPo-mSkwvmG28eRyUCVKPCD9E=/0x191:4000x2858/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35477128/181480138.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jim Rogash</figcaption>
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<p>On a Thursday night in front of 40,000 screaming fans and a national television audience on ESPN, UConn beat eventual conference champion Pitt for its first Big East conference victory.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?id=242740041">Box Score</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">This was the moment UConn officials had envisioned when they began the incredible undertaking of moving from the Yankee Conference to the Big East – a Thursday night home game against Pitt on ESPN. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">In retrospect, it should have been a sign that the Big East was always doomed to fail. UConn’s arrival in the conference was bumped up a year because Miami and Virginia Tech left. The conference played the 2004 season with only 7 teams. The reinforcements came a year later with Louisville, Cincinnati and USF but the perception battle was never going to be won – especially <a href="http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2012/07/does-anyone-care-about-espn-smear.html">once ESPN got angered</a> over the conference turning down its TV deal.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">On that night, no one had any idea that UConn would be playing the Big East’s eventual BCS representative. The 2004 Pitt team, in my opinion, is the worst of the BCS era – a team so bad that Utah barely broke a sweat in demolishing them and saw its coach depart immediately afterward. They were not good.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Pitt came into the game 2-1, having suffered only a tough loss at home to Nebraska. UConn was 3-1, having suffered only a difficult loss at Boston College that would top my list of "horrible UConn football road trips I made" in the past decade.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">What I remember most vividly about this game was the ferocious, borderline frightening, sound the UConn student section made all game long. There was one point in the first half where Pitt was backed up deep in its own territory in front of the UConn students and it felt like the students were going to climb over the wall in an effort to rip Pitt QB Tyler Palko’s head off.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/5/15/5717154/the-rent-needs-to-host-a-fist-pumping-uconn-win-in-2014">crowd noise</a> certainly played a huge factor as Pitt had five false-start penalties, including two in a row inside their own five-yard line. They never got comfortable and the Rent, for the first time, showed <a href="http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/4/29/5665326/why-uconn-needs-to-increase-the-football-season-ticket-base-now">what a homefield advantage</a> it could provide when the stands were packed.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">This, by no means, is to insinuate that the Huskies ran away from Pitt. The game was a tight back-and-forth affair driven by defense. Pitt held a 17-16 lead midway through the third quarter. Finally, UConn broke through and took a 23-17 lead. They scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter and Pitt never really threatened again.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Not only had UConn won their first Big East game – they did so rather comfortably at the end. This wasn’t a miracle or a nail-biter. This was a team proving to be better than the opposition. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">The final minutes ticked away and it truly felt like validation, for everything. For the <a href="http://articles.courant.com/2010-12-14/sports/hc-lew-perkins-uconn-1215-20101214_1_coach-randy-edsall-uconn-athletic-director-lew-perkins">forethought of Lew Perkins</a>. For the gamble of moving to the Big East a year early. For the hiring of Randy Edsall. For the fans that jumped two-feet in on a program with no football history. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink">UConn would go on to have more important Big East victories. But you never forget your first.</span></p>
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https://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/7/11/5878229/8-most-important-uconn-football-win-pitt-2004Sean OLeary