The UConn Huskies have to win this game tonight if they want respect, right?
Because nobody wanted to give it to them last year, even though they started 4-0 then, too, and finished 9-4 overall with a Big East co-championship.
The Huskies, who joined the conference in 2004, want to be acknowledged for their accomplishments.
When the talking heads spew about the Big East, they don't mention them as a contender.
The skeptics see UConn's 4-0 start like this:
Hofstra? Eh, it's a I-AA team. Temple? Hey, it's Temple (the effects of the wind and rain only get in the way here). Virginia? The starting quarterback was out and the team wasn't very good to begin with. Baylor? The Bears have been one of the Big 12's weakest teams for 10-plus years.
But the Huskies know better, especially with Temple and Baylor.
Still, they've got to beat Louisville (2-1) at Papa John's Stadium tonight (8 o'clock, ESPN2) if they want respect.
The Cardinals have a reputation ? a winning one, despite a 6-6 finish in 2007. And they appear to have whipped themselves into shape for 2008.
So at the very least, this will be the place where the Huskies can start to earn some props if they get the W.
"Yeah, I think so," said junior Donald Brown, who leads the nation in rushing and is featured in Sports Illustrated this week. "But I also think the nationally televised games help as well. We can't worry about what people think. All that matters is what we think and eventually we'll start earning people's respect. It ticks us off a little bit, but we have to work that much harder."
UConn certainly has some motivation.
So does Louisville after losing 21-17 in East Hartford last year, a game that had its share of controversial calls.
Adding to the stakes is that this is the conference opener for both schools.
"You want to start off 1-0 in the conference, that is the most important thing; that you have that win," said junior receiver Brad Kanuch, who started opposite Kashif Moore the past two games after missing the first two while nursing a hamstring injury. "It's Louisville, it's a big game, they're always one of the top dogs in this conference, so I feel like us coming out and beating a team like this will give us the respect I think we all deserve."
It won't be easy because it's unlikely, given the Cardinals' surge, that UConn will impose its will on Louisville the way it did through the first four games.
It's not impossible, but it will be tough.
The Huskies will have that dismal conference road record (2-11) around their necks. The crowd will be raucous. And strong-armed quarterback Hunter Cantwell has some nice pieces around him.
The Cardinals' defense could be the key. It has to be able to do something with Huskies' rushing attack. No team has been able to slow Brown (179 yards a game) or the nation's sixth-best rushing offense (279.5).
Louisville has not faced a team like UConn yet. Forget for a second that the Cardinals are second in the nation against the run (42 yards allowed), but keep in mind that defensive coordinator Ron English and line coach Ken Delgado, from Michigan and Cal, respectively, are both in their first season and are part of a coaching overhaul on that side of the ball. The Cardinals gave up 31 points a game in 2007 while averaging 35 themselves; had 25 TD passes thrown on them compared to the 30 they scored; and averaged about 71 1/2 more total yards a game than their opponents.
Delgado and English are both highly respected in their profession.
They have a challenge this week, though.
"They get guys down in there," UConn coach Randy Edsall said of the Louisville defense. "They'll get 11 guys within 10 yards of the ball sometimes up front. They're good. They hit you and get off blocks. Their linebackers run to the ball well. They try to get people down there and force your hand a little bit."
It should be quite a chess match because if the Cardinals are able to stuff the run, that means throwing the ball downfield should be easier. The Huskies have been opening up the passing game lately, but if the run was stopped the Huskies would have to open it up even more.
"They're very aggressive," Brown said. "Their safeties are very heavy in the run. I feel the strength of their defense is their defensive line and they pride themselves on that. I think our guys up front will have their work cut out for them, but they've been playing well and I have 100 percent confidence they're going to get the job done."
If they do and the Huskies win, then they can revisit the respect thing with a healthier resume in the eyes of the non-believers.
Because nobody wanted to give it to them last year, even though they started 4-0 then, too, and finished 9-4 overall with a Big East co-championship.
The Huskies, who joined the conference in 2004, want to be acknowledged for their accomplishments.
When the talking heads spew about the Big East, they don't mention them as a contender.
The skeptics see UConn's 4-0 start like this:
Hofstra? Eh, it's a I-AA team. Temple? Hey, it's Temple (the effects of the wind and rain only get in the way here). Virginia? The starting quarterback was out and the team wasn't very good to begin with. Baylor? The Bears have been one of the Big 12's weakest teams for 10-plus years.
But the Huskies know better, especially with Temple and Baylor.
Still, they've got to beat Louisville (2-1) at Papa John's Stadium tonight (8 o'clock, ESPN2) if they want respect.
The Cardinals have a reputation ? a winning one, despite a 6-6 finish in 2007. And they appear to have whipped themselves into shape for 2008.
So at the very least, this will be the place where the Huskies can start to earn some props if they get the W.
"Yeah, I think so," said junior Donald Brown, who leads the nation in rushing and is featured in Sports Illustrated this week. "But I also think the nationally televised games help as well. We can't worry about what people think. All that matters is what we think and eventually we'll start earning people's respect. It ticks us off a little bit, but we have to work that much harder."
UConn certainly has some motivation.
So does Louisville after losing 21-17 in East Hartford last year, a game that had its share of controversial calls.
Adding to the stakes is that this is the conference opener for both schools.
"You want to start off 1-0 in the conference, that is the most important thing; that you have that win," said junior receiver Brad Kanuch, who started opposite Kashif Moore the past two games after missing the first two while nursing a hamstring injury. "It's Louisville, it's a big game, they're always one of the top dogs in this conference, so I feel like us coming out and beating a team like this will give us the respect I think we all deserve."
It won't be easy because it's unlikely, given the Cardinals' surge, that UConn will impose its will on Louisville the way it did through the first four games.
It's not impossible, but it will be tough.
The Huskies will have that dismal conference road record (2-11) around their necks. The crowd will be raucous. And strong-armed quarterback Hunter Cantwell has some nice pieces around him.
The Cardinals' defense could be the key. It has to be able to do something with Huskies' rushing attack. No team has been able to slow Brown (179 yards a game) or the nation's sixth-best rushing offense (279.5).
Louisville has not faced a team like UConn yet. Forget for a second that the Cardinals are second in the nation against the run (42 yards allowed), but keep in mind that defensive coordinator Ron English and line coach Ken Delgado, from Michigan and Cal, respectively, are both in their first season and are part of a coaching overhaul on that side of the ball. The Cardinals gave up 31 points a game in 2007 while averaging 35 themselves; had 25 TD passes thrown on them compared to the 30 they scored; and averaged about 71 1/2 more total yards a game than their opponents.
Delgado and English are both highly respected in their profession.
They have a challenge this week, though.
"They get guys down in there," UConn coach Randy Edsall said of the Louisville defense. "They'll get 11 guys within 10 yards of the ball sometimes up front. They're good. They hit you and get off blocks. Their linebackers run to the ball well. They try to get people down there and force your hand a little bit."
It should be quite a chess match because if the Cardinals are able to stuff the run, that means throwing the ball downfield should be easier. The Huskies have been opening up the passing game lately, but if the run was stopped the Huskies would have to open it up even more.
"They're very aggressive," Brown said. "Their safeties are very heavy in the run. I feel the strength of their defense is their defensive line and they pride themselves on that. I think our guys up front will have their work cut out for them, but they've been playing well and I have 100 percent confidence they're going to get the job done."
If they do and the Huskies win, then they can revisit the respect thing with a healthier resume in the eyes of the non-believers.
