Line is at Rutgers +7. I'm leaning toward rutgers but can't pull the trigger. What do yall think?
Rutgers @ Uconn...
- Thread starter milkdudd770
- Start date
will be an emotional start to the game...
UConn Honoring Howard Saturday
UConn will honor Jasper Howard in a number of ways Saturday, when the Huskies face Rutgers at Rentschler (noon kickoff):
?Fans will receive a "6" card in honor of his number. The first 15,000 fans who enter the gates will receive "Jazz Live 365" wristbands.
?UConn students will receive the same eye black the team is wearing ? one with a "6" and the other with a "JH". All UConn students will also receive a "6" button.
?Members of the UConn band will come onto the field wearing No. 6 jerseys and will display the formation of a "6" and the word "UConn."
?After both teams enter the field, there will be a moment of respect with each team lining its respective sideline.
?UConn players again will wear a "JH" sticker on their helmet, while the Rutgers players will wear a "6".
?Fans can bring hand-held signs honoring Howard into Rentschler Field, an exception to the Rentschler policy prohibiting signs. Signs cannot be on sticks or poles.
?About 9:40 a.m., the UConn team will take part in its usual "Husky Walk" from Gates D to C.
?Fans will have the opportunity to donate to two funds.
The Jasper T. Howard Endowed Scholarship will be awarded each year to a UConn cornerback who best displays the leadership qualities of Howard.
The Jasper Howard Fund will assist Howard's family with expenses such as funeral costs, travel to attend the memorial service and support for Howard's soon-to-be-born child, consistent with NCAA guidelines.
___________
UConn's Lutrus Practicing, Expected To Play
UConn linebacker Scott Lutrus is a go ? again.
The junior captain who has been slowed by a left shoulder stinger is expected to play Saturday when UConn (4-3, 1-2 Big East) hosts Rutgers (5-2, 0-2) at Rentschler Field.
"He practiced all week," coach Randy Edsall said during his Thursday teleconference with state media. "The training staff came to me on Tuesday afternoon. He's practiced all week and he's practiced well."
Lutrus sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of the season opener at Ohio Sept. 5. He missed three consecutive games before returning Oct. 10 at Pittsburgh.
Lutrus left the Pitt game early in the second quarter after aggravating the injury. He then missed the Huskies' games at home against Louisville and at West Virginia.
Edsall said he's not worried about the chance of the stinger becoming a problem again.
"I think anything can happen to any of the guys, but he's cleared to go, he wants to go," Edsall said. "He's practiced all week."
Lutrus led the Huskies in tackles last year with 106 and was named second-team All-Big East. He was a freshman All-American in 2007 after finishing third on the team in hits with 107.
The team has missed his leadership and his knack of making big plays.
Knights Struggling
The Scarlet Knights were picked to win the Big East and be the BCS representative by a whole bunch of "experts."
Sure, Rutgers had a favorable home schedule, but it had lost too much on offense to win the league.
Freshman quarterback Tom Savage (81 of 144, 1,105 yards, five TDs, one interception) is going to be good down the road, but his youth is apparent. Also, the line in front of him needs to do a better job.
Receiver Tim Brown (32 receptions, 649 yards, 3 TDs) appears to be breaking out, and running back Joe Martinek (109 carries, 573 yards, seven TDs) is a tough runner.
The Rutgers defense is pretty good overall, very good up front. The Scarlet Knights are tied for fifth in the country in turnovers gained (21).
Indoor Football
The Huskies practiced in the Burton Complex the past three days because of inclement weather and the resulting soggy grounds.
Will that hinder them in any way this weekend?
"From what I've read, it's supposed to be warm, in the high 60s, and there might be a chance of some rain," Edsall said. "The problem is, I want to have good practices. ... With all that rain we got, the fields are just too soft and guys will be slipping around, so you don't get the timing you probably need. I'd rather have a productive practice than worrying about guys slipping and maybe getting hurt, so we'll just go inside. If we had a FieldTurf field outside we'd go outside."
Tackling The Issue
There has been a greater emphasis on tackling at practice. Unlike past seasons under Edsall, the Huskies have been struggling in that department. Noel Devine can make anybody look bad, and the West Virginia tailback did that in the second half. He's not the only one.
"We practice tackling every day; we work on the technique, especially Tuesday and Wednesdays," Edsall said. "That's something we've got to continue to work at and continue to get better at as a whole defense. We had some guys that have been around for three, four years that didn't tackle as well in that [West Virginia] game as we would have liked them to.
"It's a thing that we constantly work on, it's a thing where guys have to take the proper angles, and we're working on that constantly each and every day ? don't arm tackle. ... About 3,500 tickets remain for Saturday. ... Edsall said senior defensive end Lindsey Witten (leg) is probable. Witten, second in the nation in sacks with 1.5 a game, got hurt against WVU. ... Martin Hyppolite (offense), Emmanuel Omokaro (defense) and Zac Zielinski (special teams) were scout team players of the week.
UConn Honoring Howard Saturday
UConn will honor Jasper Howard in a number of ways Saturday, when the Huskies face Rutgers at Rentschler (noon kickoff):
?Fans will receive a "6" card in honor of his number. The first 15,000 fans who enter the gates will receive "Jazz Live 365" wristbands.
?UConn students will receive the same eye black the team is wearing ? one with a "6" and the other with a "JH". All UConn students will also receive a "6" button.
?Members of the UConn band will come onto the field wearing No. 6 jerseys and will display the formation of a "6" and the word "UConn."
?After both teams enter the field, there will be a moment of respect with each team lining its respective sideline.
?UConn players again will wear a "JH" sticker on their helmet, while the Rutgers players will wear a "6".
?Fans can bring hand-held signs honoring Howard into Rentschler Field, an exception to the Rentschler policy prohibiting signs. Signs cannot be on sticks or poles.
?About 9:40 a.m., the UConn team will take part in its usual "Husky Walk" from Gates D to C.
?Fans will have the opportunity to donate to two funds.
The Jasper T. Howard Endowed Scholarship will be awarded each year to a UConn cornerback who best displays the leadership qualities of Howard.
The Jasper Howard Fund will assist Howard's family with expenses such as funeral costs, travel to attend the memorial service and support for Howard's soon-to-be-born child, consistent with NCAA guidelines.
___________
UConn's Lutrus Practicing, Expected To Play
UConn linebacker Scott Lutrus is a go ? again.
The junior captain who has been slowed by a left shoulder stinger is expected to play Saturday when UConn (4-3, 1-2 Big East) hosts Rutgers (5-2, 0-2) at Rentschler Field.
"He practiced all week," coach Randy Edsall said during his Thursday teleconference with state media. "The training staff came to me on Tuesday afternoon. He's practiced all week and he's practiced well."
Lutrus sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of the season opener at Ohio Sept. 5. He missed three consecutive games before returning Oct. 10 at Pittsburgh.
Lutrus left the Pitt game early in the second quarter after aggravating the injury. He then missed the Huskies' games at home against Louisville and at West Virginia.
Edsall said he's not worried about the chance of the stinger becoming a problem again.
"I think anything can happen to any of the guys, but he's cleared to go, he wants to go," Edsall said. "He's practiced all week."
Lutrus led the Huskies in tackles last year with 106 and was named second-team All-Big East. He was a freshman All-American in 2007 after finishing third on the team in hits with 107.
The team has missed his leadership and his knack of making big plays.
Knights Struggling
The Scarlet Knights were picked to win the Big East and be the BCS representative by a whole bunch of "experts."
Sure, Rutgers had a favorable home schedule, but it had lost too much on offense to win the league.
Freshman quarterback Tom Savage (81 of 144, 1,105 yards, five TDs, one interception) is going to be good down the road, but his youth is apparent. Also, the line in front of him needs to do a better job.
Receiver Tim Brown (32 receptions, 649 yards, 3 TDs) appears to be breaking out, and running back Joe Martinek (109 carries, 573 yards, seven TDs) is a tough runner.
The Rutgers defense is pretty good overall, very good up front. The Scarlet Knights are tied for fifth in the country in turnovers gained (21).
Indoor Football
The Huskies practiced in the Burton Complex the past three days because of inclement weather and the resulting soggy grounds.
Will that hinder them in any way this weekend?
"From what I've read, it's supposed to be warm, in the high 60s, and there might be a chance of some rain," Edsall said. "The problem is, I want to have good practices. ... With all that rain we got, the fields are just too soft and guys will be slipping around, so you don't get the timing you probably need. I'd rather have a productive practice than worrying about guys slipping and maybe getting hurt, so we'll just go inside. If we had a FieldTurf field outside we'd go outside."
Tackling The Issue
There has been a greater emphasis on tackling at practice. Unlike past seasons under Edsall, the Huskies have been struggling in that department. Noel Devine can make anybody look bad, and the West Virginia tailback did that in the second half. He's not the only one.
"We practice tackling every day; we work on the technique, especially Tuesday and Wednesdays," Edsall said. "That's something we've got to continue to work at and continue to get better at as a whole defense. We had some guys that have been around for three, four years that didn't tackle as well in that [West Virginia] game as we would have liked them to.
"It's a thing that we constantly work on, it's a thing where guys have to take the proper angles, and we're working on that constantly each and every day ? don't arm tackle. ... About 3,500 tickets remain for Saturday. ... Edsall said senior defensive end Lindsey Witten (leg) is probable. Witten, second in the nation in sacks with 1.5 a game, got hurt against WVU. ... Martin Hyppolite (offense), Emmanuel Omokaro (defense) and Zac Zielinski (special teams) were scout team players of the week.
Knights, Huskies ready to battle
Rutgers linebacker Antonio Lowery has a pretty good idea why games against Connecticut have been so close in recent years.
"They're just like us," Lowery said. "We're equal across the board talent-wise."
Rutgers and Connecticut have played seven times since 2001, with six of the outcomes being decided by 10 points or less. Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less and three have been separated by two points or fewer, including the Scarlet Knights' 12-10 win last year.
That's why Lowery doesn't expect anything different when Rutgers squares off with Connecticut in a Big East affair at Rentschler Field today (noon, SNY-TV).
"We each approach the game the same way ? that's why the games are so close," the Scarlet Knights junior linebacker said. "We're both hard-nosed, aggressive defenses and we both have similar talents offensively. It's always a good game between us."
Considering Connecticut is Rutgers' closest Big East opponent ? the two universities are separated by 174 miles ? Huskies coach Randy Edsall called it a natural rivalry.
"The proximity and the games that we have played," Edsall said, "it has always been very competitive and close games with Rutgers."
Both Edsall and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano share similar recruiting bases, contacting many of the same Northeast prospects on a yearly basis. While Rutgers has welcomed a pair of Connecticut products (wideouts Mark Harrison and Marcus Cooper) in recent recruiting classes, the Huskies' roster includes nine players from New Jersey.
"I think of it as a natural rival against Rutgers," Huskies running back Jordan Todman said. "We have a good amount of players here from the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area that know each other. They are a good team, we are a good team and it's going to be a good match."
More than bragging rights, Saturday's clash is important for both team's postseason standing, with Rutgers (5-2, 0-2 Big East) and Connecticut (4-3, 1-2) needing two more wins to become bowl-eligible.
"Certainly I'd be less than honest if I said Big East games didn't have a little different of a feel to them," Schiano said. "I think one of the things about Big East games is there's the familiarity, there's the rivalry that builds up over time when you play a team every year and you have a history with them.
"Our guys prepare the same for every game and they approach it the same way whether it's the Big East or not. I just think there's a little bit more personal because you've played these teams year after year."
Rutgers linebacker Antonio Lowery has a pretty good idea why games against Connecticut have been so close in recent years.
"They're just like us," Lowery said. "We're equal across the board talent-wise."
Rutgers and Connecticut have played seven times since 2001, with six of the outcomes being decided by 10 points or less. Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less and three have been separated by two points or fewer, including the Scarlet Knights' 12-10 win last year.
That's why Lowery doesn't expect anything different when Rutgers squares off with Connecticut in a Big East affair at Rentschler Field today (noon, SNY-TV).
"We each approach the game the same way ? that's why the games are so close," the Scarlet Knights junior linebacker said. "We're both hard-nosed, aggressive defenses and we both have similar talents offensively. It's always a good game between us."
Considering Connecticut is Rutgers' closest Big East opponent ? the two universities are separated by 174 miles ? Huskies coach Randy Edsall called it a natural rivalry.
"The proximity and the games that we have played," Edsall said, "it has always been very competitive and close games with Rutgers."
Both Edsall and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano share similar recruiting bases, contacting many of the same Northeast prospects on a yearly basis. While Rutgers has welcomed a pair of Connecticut products (wideouts Mark Harrison and Marcus Cooper) in recent recruiting classes, the Huskies' roster includes nine players from New Jersey.
"I think of it as a natural rival against Rutgers," Huskies running back Jordan Todman said. "We have a good amount of players here from the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area that know each other. They are a good team, we are a good team and it's going to be a good match."
More than bragging rights, Saturday's clash is important for both team's postseason standing, with Rutgers (5-2, 0-2 Big East) and Connecticut (4-3, 1-2) needing two more wins to become bowl-eligible.
"Certainly I'd be less than honest if I said Big East games didn't have a little different of a feel to them," Schiano said. "I think one of the things about Big East games is there's the familiarity, there's the rivalry that builds up over time when you play a team every year and you have a history with them.
"Our guys prepare the same for every game and they approach it the same way whether it's the Big East or not. I just think there's a little bit more personal because you've played these teams year after year."
Weather forecast for tomorrow's game in East Hartford, Ct.: Cloudy w/ 20 % chance of rain, 69 degrees, winds 10-20 mph
Preview: Rutgers at UConn
Rutgers travels to Connecticut for a Big East contest Saturday that could determine the direction of each team's season. The beginning will be emotional as UConn pays tribute to slain cornerback Jasper Howard. Once the focus turns to the game, will Rutgers be able to break out of its running game drought? And which is more important to the Scarlet Knights defense; stopping the run or the pass?
Without being melodramatic, Rutgers faces a crossroads to its season Saturday when it meets Connecticut for a noon kickoff (SNY) at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.
A bowl berth will not hinge on the outcome, especially with South Florida, Syracuse and Louisville on the schedule, but the path of the season should gain clarity.
Is Rutgers? best hope a trip to Toronto or St. Petersburg, or can the Scarlet Knights rally like they did a year ago to finish strong and make a push for Charlotte, or even better?
The answer will be known by late Saturday afternoon.
The Scarlet Knights (5-2) will have to deal with the early emotion of being UConn?s first home opponent since Huskies cornerback Jasper Howard was murdered. The Huskies (4-3) will have to deal with their emotions as well, being careful not burn out early in the game from a mentally, emotionally and physically draining two weeks.
Rutgers also brings a four-game road winning streak to East Hartford, and anything but a close game would be stunning. The Scarlet Knights won last year?s meeting 12-10, thanks to a Blair Bines safety and a missed field goal by UConn with 1:09 remaining.
And five of the last seven meetings were settled by seven points or less.
Also, the Huskies are used to playing close games, although it usually doesn?t end well. Their losses to North Carolina, Pittsburgh and West Virginia are by a combined nine points, but each time UConn blew a late lead.
Rutgers offense vs. UConn defense
Scarlet Knights true freshman quarterback Tom Savage showed he will not get rattled in high-profile home games after he performed admirably two weeks ago against Pittsburgh. And while Savage wasn?t brilliant in his first road start last week at Army, he was adequate and seemed carefree about being a visitor for the first time in his career. Now, combine the two as he will face a much more hostile environment at UConn, and the stakes are huge.
There is little reason to believe Rutgers will be able to run the ball with any consistency since that has been a problem all season. Get the Scarlet Knights to the fourth quarter, and maybe they will wear an opponent down, but there is no reason to expect a strong running game throughout.
That means Rutgers? best chance offensively will be in the passing game, and a key component to will be whether Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis can contain the Big East?s sack leader, Lindsey Witten. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound senior Witten has 10.5 sacks this season, and while he will line up on both sides, coming from Savage?s blind side is his preferred starting point.
Although Savage is yet to have spectacular game, he is taking care of the football. He completed 81 of 144 passes for 1,105 yards and five touchdowns, and most importantly, one interception. However, the needed emergence of a third receiver figures to gain in necessity now that the meat of the Big East schedule arrived.
Defenses are paying more attention to wide outs Tim Brown and Mohamed Sanu, so the opportunity for Mark Harrison or Julian Hayes or someone else is enhanced.
The Huskies secondary is also, and tragically, in a predicament because of the loss of Howard. UConn starts senior cornerback Robert McClain and senior safety Robert Vaughn, but red-shirt freshmen cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who is replacing Howard, and safety Jerome Junior also start in the secondary. It gives the Huskies an intriguing mix of veterans and youth.
There also is the matter of whether this is the week Scarlet Knights freshman tailback DeAntwan Williams sees meaningful minutes since his speed could be effective in getting to the corner, and also in the passing game.
UConn offense vs. Rutgers defense
Despite losing 2,000-yard rusher Donald Brown to the NFL, UConn began the season as a run-oriented team. Not much happened to change the approach until last week, when Huskies red-shirt sophomore quarterback Cody Endres threw for 378 yards and nearly led an upset of West Virginia.
The biggest difference is UConn now employs a no-huddle offense, but it is still run-oriented. The 6-foot-4 Endres is completing 64.8 percent (94 of 145) of his passes for 1,314 yards, but he has six touchdowns to go with four interceptions.
And Rutgers would prefer for Endres to throw the ball rather than have the tandem of Andre Dixon (654 yards) and Jordan Todman (596 yards) controlling the game on the ground. The backs each have seven rushing touchdowns and are the main reasons UConn is averaging 171.7 rushing yards per game.
It will put a premium on smart tackling and assignments to make sure cutbacks aren?t available. If Scarlet Knights middle linebacker Ryan D?Imperio can have a big game, it bodes well for Rutgers controlling the tempo.
Limiting the Huskies running game will also take the play-action pass out of the equation, and give Rutgers safety Joe Lefeged more reason to be a factor in the passing game. The big hitter loves to pressure quarterbacks via the blitz, and UConn is susceptible to safety blitzes.
There is not one receiver the Huskies like to isolate, but expect the indoctrination of Rutgers sophomore cornerback David Rowe to continue since teams want very little to do with throwing toward fifth-year senior Devin McCourty.
UConn?s top three receivers, Isiah Moore (18 catches), Brad Kanuck (17) and Marcus Easley (15), each are prominent members of the offense.
The improved health of linebacker Antonio Lowery, who did not play last week at Army because of various ailments, should also be beneficial to stopping Dixon and Todman.
UConn special teams vs. Rutgers special teams
The Scarlet Knights blocked a punt in each of the last two games, and like to try to swing momentum through special teams. Rutgers? return game has improved the last few weeks, but remains last in the Big East.
However, Connecticut gave up a kick return for a touchdown in the loss to West Virginia, and also is replacing Howard on punt returns.
Rutgers travels to Connecticut for a Big East contest Saturday that could determine the direction of each team's season. The beginning will be emotional as UConn pays tribute to slain cornerback Jasper Howard. Once the focus turns to the game, will Rutgers be able to break out of its running game drought? And which is more important to the Scarlet Knights defense; stopping the run or the pass?
Without being melodramatic, Rutgers faces a crossroads to its season Saturday when it meets Connecticut for a noon kickoff (SNY) at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.
A bowl berth will not hinge on the outcome, especially with South Florida, Syracuse and Louisville on the schedule, but the path of the season should gain clarity.
Is Rutgers? best hope a trip to Toronto or St. Petersburg, or can the Scarlet Knights rally like they did a year ago to finish strong and make a push for Charlotte, or even better?
The answer will be known by late Saturday afternoon.
The Scarlet Knights (5-2) will have to deal with the early emotion of being UConn?s first home opponent since Huskies cornerback Jasper Howard was murdered. The Huskies (4-3) will have to deal with their emotions as well, being careful not burn out early in the game from a mentally, emotionally and physically draining two weeks.
Rutgers also brings a four-game road winning streak to East Hartford, and anything but a close game would be stunning. The Scarlet Knights won last year?s meeting 12-10, thanks to a Blair Bines safety and a missed field goal by UConn with 1:09 remaining.
And five of the last seven meetings were settled by seven points or less.
Also, the Huskies are used to playing close games, although it usually doesn?t end well. Their losses to North Carolina, Pittsburgh and West Virginia are by a combined nine points, but each time UConn blew a late lead.
Rutgers offense vs. UConn defense
Scarlet Knights true freshman quarterback Tom Savage showed he will not get rattled in high-profile home games after he performed admirably two weeks ago against Pittsburgh. And while Savage wasn?t brilliant in his first road start last week at Army, he was adequate and seemed carefree about being a visitor for the first time in his career. Now, combine the two as he will face a much more hostile environment at UConn, and the stakes are huge.
There is little reason to believe Rutgers will be able to run the ball with any consistency since that has been a problem all season. Get the Scarlet Knights to the fourth quarter, and maybe they will wear an opponent down, but there is no reason to expect a strong running game throughout.
That means Rutgers? best chance offensively will be in the passing game, and a key component to will be whether Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis can contain the Big East?s sack leader, Lindsey Witten. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound senior Witten has 10.5 sacks this season, and while he will line up on both sides, coming from Savage?s blind side is his preferred starting point.
Although Savage is yet to have spectacular game, he is taking care of the football. He completed 81 of 144 passes for 1,105 yards and five touchdowns, and most importantly, one interception. However, the needed emergence of a third receiver figures to gain in necessity now that the meat of the Big East schedule arrived.
Defenses are paying more attention to wide outs Tim Brown and Mohamed Sanu, so the opportunity for Mark Harrison or Julian Hayes or someone else is enhanced.
The Huskies secondary is also, and tragically, in a predicament because of the loss of Howard. UConn starts senior cornerback Robert McClain and senior safety Robert Vaughn, but red-shirt freshmen cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who is replacing Howard, and safety Jerome Junior also start in the secondary. It gives the Huskies an intriguing mix of veterans and youth.
There also is the matter of whether this is the week Scarlet Knights freshman tailback DeAntwan Williams sees meaningful minutes since his speed could be effective in getting to the corner, and also in the passing game.
UConn offense vs. Rutgers defense
Despite losing 2,000-yard rusher Donald Brown to the NFL, UConn began the season as a run-oriented team. Not much happened to change the approach until last week, when Huskies red-shirt sophomore quarterback Cody Endres threw for 378 yards and nearly led an upset of West Virginia.
The biggest difference is UConn now employs a no-huddle offense, but it is still run-oriented. The 6-foot-4 Endres is completing 64.8 percent (94 of 145) of his passes for 1,314 yards, but he has six touchdowns to go with four interceptions.
And Rutgers would prefer for Endres to throw the ball rather than have the tandem of Andre Dixon (654 yards) and Jordan Todman (596 yards) controlling the game on the ground. The backs each have seven rushing touchdowns and are the main reasons UConn is averaging 171.7 rushing yards per game.
It will put a premium on smart tackling and assignments to make sure cutbacks aren?t available. If Scarlet Knights middle linebacker Ryan D?Imperio can have a big game, it bodes well for Rutgers controlling the tempo.
Limiting the Huskies running game will also take the play-action pass out of the equation, and give Rutgers safety Joe Lefeged more reason to be a factor in the passing game. The big hitter loves to pressure quarterbacks via the blitz, and UConn is susceptible to safety blitzes.
There is not one receiver the Huskies like to isolate, but expect the indoctrination of Rutgers sophomore cornerback David Rowe to continue since teams want very little to do with throwing toward fifth-year senior Devin McCourty.
UConn?s top three receivers, Isiah Moore (18 catches), Brad Kanuck (17) and Marcus Easley (15), each are prominent members of the offense.
The improved health of linebacker Antonio Lowery, who did not play last week at Army because of various ailments, should also be beneficial to stopping Dixon and Todman.
UConn special teams vs. Rutgers special teams
The Scarlet Knights blocked a punt in each of the last two games, and like to try to swing momentum through special teams. Rutgers? return game has improved the last few weeks, but remains last in the Big East.
However, Connecticut gave up a kick return for a touchdown in the loss to West Virginia, and also is replacing Howard on punt returns.
