Huskies seek redemption against South Florida

[Brad]

Huskies seek redemption against South Florida

NEILL OSTROUT nostrout@ctpost.com

Connecticut Post Online

Article Launched:10/06/2006 09:31:19 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. — The only good thing about experiencing your worst day ever is knowing that it can't get any worse.

Such is the current state of the UConn football team's defense. The Huskies, who take on South Florida tonight (7, Ch. 8) at Raymond James Stadium, can't play much worse than they did in allowing Navy to run for 464 painful yards last week in a 41-17 rout.

USF (3-2, 0-1), which clearly presents a formidable challenge to UConn as it opens up Big East play, can't possibly run wild as the Midshipmen did, can it?

"Everybody in life has bad days," UConn coach Randy Edsall said. "Whatever profession you're in, you're not always going to be at your best all the time. Whether it's the professional level, whether it's the collegiate level, whether it's the high school level, whether it's business."

The key to getting past those bad days, the coach points out, is to make sure you don't have any more of them.

"It's been very rare that we've had bad days on defense here at UConn," said Edsall, whose team has been the Big East's best in total defense in each of the last two seasons. "Unfortunately as life goes on, there's going to be bad days. The true mark of a competitor is they find a way to bounce back and they find a way to compete and do better than they did before."

The Bulls, whom the Huskies beat 15-10 last year in East Hartford to deny them any shot of a BCS berth, present no lesser a test than Navy did. But the Huskies are thankful it's more of a conventional football test, rather than a repeat of the option exam UConn flunked a week ago.

USF coach Jim Leavitt, whose team has suffered narrow defeats in consecutive weeks, says the Husky defense's performance against Navy was an anomaly.

"I don't think that game is indicative of their defense whatsoever," Leavitt said. "I think you throw that one out and you don't look at it too much."

The UConn defenders are somewhat tired of looking at it anyway, and are anxious to get back on the field.

"It's exciting because we know what's done is done," safety M.J. Estep said. "We didn't play as well we wanted to but there's a chance, as we start league play, to start all over. Everybody's excited."

Edsall has put to rest any notion that his team "quit" last week against Navy — "I think that was more frustration coming out of a young person's mouth," Edsall said of linebacker Danny Lansanah's slip of the tongue — none the less, many feel the Huskies (2-2) have something to prove.

At least one Husky on the other side of the ball seems to think his team's defense will be fired up tonight.

"I think they're going to come out with something to prove," said quarterback Matt Bonislawski, who is slated to make his second start of the season. "I think they're going to come out with the right mindset and I think they're going to dominate the game."

UConn entered the Navy game with the nation's 10th-ranked defense. It begins today's game with a defense ranked 110th against the run. Comparative statistics such as those can change drastically week-to-week, which is part of the reason the Huskies are motivated to pretty up those numbers quickly.

UConn hopes it has hit rock bottom, and an upswing is on the way. After all, if the Huskies' worst game isn't truly behind them, their plans to make a bowl game are history.

Because of last week and because they don't want to see their season slip away, the Huskies are especially pumped up.

"Yes, and we should be motivated anyway," Estep said. "First game in the Big East, that's enough motivation as it is. Coming off an embarrassing loss, that's always motivation."

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[USFPDiddy]

Bullcrap.  The team that will be getting redemption is South Florida.  I doubt the players forgot what happened last year.  I know the fans haven't.  We need a bowl game and we need redemption to get it.  Out of the way, Uconn.

[Brad]

Bullcrap.  The team that will be getting redemption is South Florida.  I doubt the players forgot what happened last year.  I know the fans haven't.  We need a bowl game and we need redemption to get it.  Out of the way, Uconn.

Now that's what I'm talking about...   ;D  Let's just hope the players smoke these dogs and make up for last year.  Let them get their redemption some other time.

[Matt]

heads will roll at ray jay in about 19 hours....and they wont be gold heads.

[bulls96go]

;D

[chicky9914]

No it was our turn to redeem ourselves after they partially ruined out BCS chances last yr (no telling if a win against them would have given us the momentum we needed to win WV, setting up a prime time game) and also we needed the confidence after such close games with Rutgers and Kansas!