Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Kevin: UConn Opener
The UConn football team kicks off the '07 season Saturday at Duke. There is far less at stake than say those UConn-Duke basketball games in 1999 and 2004 at the Final Four. Just ask Coach K. But don't tell that to the UConn football team or Duke's for that matter.
The Blue Devils are riding an embarrassing 20 game losing streak. Saturday is their Super Bowl. Go up and down the Duke schedule and you might not find one game that is a gimme win. They play non-conference games with teams like Notre Dame and their ACC schedule includes the likes of Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech. Duke looks at UConn as a winnable game. That remains to be seen. Duke has all 11 starters back on offense and 5 starters back on defense. But are these guys that didn't win a game last fall really any good? Saturday may give us an answer.
There are nearly as many questions surrounding the Huskies. UConn is coming off a 4-8 season. They remain a very young team with a new quarterback. But I have gotten the sense this summer spending time with the team and coaches that their is a quiet confidence building in storrs. Clearly, they have a chemistry. The question, how will it translate onto the field?
After a myriad of off the field problems last season, Randy Edsall really seems to have a great bunch of kids; Q.B. Tyler Lorenzen wants to find alternative ways to feed the hungry through products like soy beans. Star running back Donald Brown is majoring in kinesiology. Center and captain Keith Gray is majoring in actuarial science. He likes math! And so many of the players are warm, confident and well spoken.
So please, be patient UConn nation. I truly believe that Coach Edsall and his staff are building something special in Storrs. They may just be a year away from it translating into a breakthrough year in the way of wins and losses. But these are fine young men with great work ethic that you are cheering for this fall. And with a little luck, they should get win number one Saturday at Duke. I expect Donald Brown to run right through Duke's defense. Prediction. UConn 27-Duke 17. 189 yards rushing for Donald Brown. One other prediction...Duke's goalposts remain standing.
The Blue Devils are riding an embarrassing 20 game losing streak. Saturday is their Super Bowl. Go up and down the Duke schedule and you might not find one game that is a gimme win. They play non-conference games with teams like Notre Dame and their ACC schedule includes the likes of Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech. Duke looks at UConn as a winnable game. That remains to be seen. Duke has all 11 starters back on offense and 5 starters back on defense. But are these guys that didn't win a game last fall really any good? Saturday may give us an answer.
There are nearly as many questions surrounding the Huskies. UConn is coming off a 4-8 season. They remain a very young team with a new quarterback. But I have gotten the sense this summer spending time with the team and coaches that their is a quiet confidence building in storrs. Clearly, they have a chemistry. The question, how will it translate onto the field?
After a myriad of off the field problems last season, Randy Edsall really seems to have a great bunch of kids; Q.B. Tyler Lorenzen wants to find alternative ways to feed the hungry through products like soy beans. Star running back Donald Brown is majoring in kinesiology. Center and captain Keith Gray is majoring in actuarial science. He likes math! And so many of the players are warm, confident and well spoken.
So please, be patient UConn nation. I truly believe that Coach Edsall and his staff are building something special in Storrs. They may just be a year away from it translating into a breakthrough year in the way of wins and losses. But these are fine young men with great work ethic that you are cheering for this fall. And with a little luck, they should get win number one Saturday at Duke. I expect Donald Brown to run right through Duke's defense. Prediction. UConn 27-Duke 17. 189 yards rushing for Donald Brown. One other prediction...Duke's goalposts remain standing.
Posted at 8:24 PM by kevin
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