UConn sports

Remember back in the late 80′s and early 90s when Don Shula was on the NFL Rules Committee and the Miami Dolphins seemed to get the benefit of the doubt on every call during games?

As a Dolphins fan, it was great. But all my friends who rooted for the Jets or Patriots would give me guff (that’s what we called it back then, I swear) about it constantly.

“Oh, that guy just doesn’t want to hear Shula complain for five hours straight when they meet this summer! That’s why he gives Marino and those jackasses everything they want!” is the typical rant I would hear.

When UConn head coach Randy Edsall was asked about the horrible call at the end of the BYU-Washington game Saturday that resulted in a 35-yard extra point attempt and a loss by the Huskies (Washington QB Jake Locker flipped the ball over his head after scoring the apparent game-tying touchdown and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct) his answer surprised me.

“I don’t know why everybody got upset. It’s a rule,” Edsall said Monday on the Big East’s conference call with reporters. “You can’t do that. It’s specifically stated in the rulebook that you can’t throw the ball up.”

Pac-10 referee Larry Farina made the call and said he had to. He told a reporter after the game that it wasn’t a judgement call.

Rule 9, Section 2, Article 2c of the rulebook does prohibit “throwing the ball high into the air” following a score or any other play. But any right thinking fan and most coaches felt the call was not needed at that point in the game.

Edsall felt otherwise.

“I don’t know why everybody’s getting so upset with the officials. We want the officials to enforce the rules. The rule is right there in the rulebook,” Edsall said. “The official had no other choice but to throw the flag. If he didn’t, now the official’s going to have a problem.”

Then I remembered that Edsall is a member of the NCAA Football Rules Committee.

Now before all you Temple and Louisville fans say ‘I KNEW IT!’ and start flooding me with e-mails, slow down. I’m not saying Edsall’s team gets calls on the field because he’s on some committee (though I’m nearly convinced that my Dolphins did). But Edsall does have a sense of what officials go through and he knows the exact letter of the law.

The man who originally posed the question to Edsall on the conference call _ Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, I believe _ then pointed out that there is a rule listed just below that one that says “coaches shall not be on the field of play or outside the 25-yard lines” unless the referee allows it. And another one that forbids obscene language.

“That’s a rule that’s been harped on. It’s a point of emphasis at all times,” Edsall pointed out.

Even ESPN analyst/former Notre Dame head coach/former UConn assistant coach Lou Holtz said the call was unnecessary. And there is no one around who is more Old School (not that Old School) than Holtz.

But Edsall even called out such TV talking heads for making an issue of the play.

“It bothers me sometimes when these people come on TV and they talk about ‘How can you call that?’ ” Edsall said. “Well, the guy was doing his job.”

“Did the kid mean any arm? No, he didn’t. But it’s a rule,” Edsall said.

Edsall may be out of touch with the youth of America (he’d probably say ‘fine with me’) and he may be out of touch with the typical college football fan (he’d probably say ‘that’s not true’) but he certainly knows his rules and he’s willing to support a much-maligned zebra.

- Neill

UConn running back Donald Brown and linebacker Scott Lutrus were honored by the Big East Monday morning.

Each made the league’s weekly honor roll for their efforts Saturday against Temple. Brown ran for 214 yards; Lutrus made 12 tackles.

USF quarterback Matt Grothe got the offensive player of the week award. Brown probably had a shot but Grothe did throw for 346 yards and run for 54 more in the Bulls’ OT win over Central Florida.

- Neill

Have to make this quick as I attempt the drive back to Connecticut through Hanna:

– UConn coach Randy Edsall called Saturday’s 12-9 win over Temple “a great victory.” Many of his fans might not be in total agreement but that’s in the eye of the beholder.

“Today was a tough day under tough conditions,” Edsall said. “And we survived.”

– Running back Donald Brown carried the ball 36 times. Andre Dixon wasn’t healthy enough to play much, though he got in on a couple plays.

“That’s a lot of carries. Hopefully he’s got something left in his tank,” Edsall said. “He might not practice until Thursday next week.”

– Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen wasn’t at his best again, though much of that was due to the weather.

“By the time I get the ball it’s drenched,” Lorenzen said.

One week after throwing three interceptions against Hofstra, Lorenzen had an interception and a fumble on UConn’s first two drives.

“I’m glad I didn’t throw three picks but I still had two turnovers,” Lorenzen said. “That’s two too many.”

– I love what Temple coach Al Golden said when asked about his decision to go for it on fourth-and-1…from his own 34…in a tie game…with four minutes to play in the game.

“It speaks to everything we are trying to do here,” Golden said. “What I mean by that is, it’s easy to punt. Anybody can punt the ball. It’s conventional wisdom. But you know what? We are trying to change 30 years of this crap and I want to show them that we are going to go for it and make it right here.

“There is going to be a day _ I pray it’s sooner rather than later _ that we are going to make that yard.”

He’s wrong, of course.

The wisdom is conventional because it has worked in the past. Punting is the play there.

But the fire Golden has? That makes for entertaining post games and could eventually make for a winning program.

- Neill

Greetings from the eye of tropical storm Hanna.

The Huskies are definitely under a cloud in the first half of their game against Temple.

Somehow UConn has a 210-182 edge in total yards, has held the ball for 18:09, has intercepted Temple QB Adam DiMichele twice and still is down 6-0. Oh, and Donald Brown has 114 rushing yards.

How?

It’s a trick question, of course.

Two turnovers, two missed field goals.

UConn certainly appears to be better than Temple on both sides of the ball but that doesn’t matter much on the scoreboard.

We’ll see.

- Neill

A couple of updates before kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field:

– WR Brad Kanuch (hamstring) is dressed and warming up. He’s expected to play a little bit today against Temple but probably won’t start.

– DE Lindsey Witten (knee) did not make the trip. Expect to see plenty of Marcus Campbell.

- Neill

UConn fans don’t exactly have a love affair with ESPN’s college football analysts.

Robert Smith has been on the naughty list according to Husky fans for quite some time. And few of the “experts” gave UConn much credit last season as the team piled up nine wins.

Saturday morning Lee Corso threw a little more fuel on the fire for UConn supporters. The veteran coach and TV talking head was asked who might be ripe for an upset Saturday on the early “SportsCenter”.

“Connecticut,” Corso said. “Connecticut. Connecticut. Connecticut.”

Corso pointed out that “Temple’s already won a game” and that “they almost beat them last year.”

He also said that “nobodody’s going to be there today.” On that point, the coach was probably right.

Anyway, it’s only 10 a.m. and I just got to the stadium. We’ll see if Corso comes close.

As for the weather, it looks dark and dingy around here but there’s no precipitation yet. The hard stuff isn’t supposed to hit the Philly area until about 2 or 3 so the game might be played under OK conditions.

– Neill

It’s been a long day for those enterprising young scribes who try and cover the UConn men’s basketball team AND the UConn football team.

OK, so there’s not too many of them left. And yes, they’re not that young anymore.

Just let me rant for a moment.

Anyway, in case you need a quick run-down of the news today:

– The UConn football team has signed a two-game series to play Tennessee in 2015 and 2016.

It’s quite a little coup for Mr. Hathaway and his Husky boys. It’s the program’s first true home-and-home with a college football big boy.

(I’m obviously not counting Notre Dame, though I don’t subscribe to the ‘You’re selling your soul to the devil to play these guys’ theory. It’s not a terrible deal for UConn. And I’m obviously not counting the Georgia Tech deal (a 2-for-1 and the Yellow Jackets aren’t quite college football royalty), though it was something to see a program like that playing in Memorial Stadium.

– Also, the UConn men’s basketball schedule came out Thursday. No surprises, but it’s not exactly a cake walk.

If you have relatives in Chicago, you’ve got three good excuses to visit them. The Huskies hit the Windy City to play DePaul on Jan. 28, they play Marquette (an hour or two north in Milwaukee) on Feb. 25, and play Notre Dame (an hour or two southeast in South Bend) on Jan. 24.

If you have the means, I highly recommend going to the Virgin Islands. If you don’t, like me, enjoy the games on TV.

– My third job of the day was talking to UConn football coach Randy Edsall on his weekly conference call (conviently before the Tennessee news was announced and Edsall could be questioned on such matters).

No real news there.

WR Brad Kanuch might play. DE Lindsey Witten could play. QB Zach Frazer might be the backup.

The coach was as insighful as ever.

Sorry, I’m a little cranky. Need to get some sleep before driving to Philly Friday morning.

- Neill

If the circumstances had been only slightly different, Donald Brown could be playing for assistant coach Al Golden at Virginia against UConn next week.

Instead it’s UConn running back Donald Brown against Temple head coach Al Golden Saturday in Philadelphia.

Brown and Golden both attended the same high school, Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic. And the connection goes deeper than that.

“His coach was my Algebra II teacher,” Brown said. “He recruited me at Virginia. … And my uncle and his brother are good friends.”

The ties nearly led Brown to Charlottesville, Va., when Golden was the defensive coordinator at UVa. Brown eventually settled on UConn, however, and Golden took over at Temple.

“I’m tired of watching him,” Golden said with a laugh. “For two years now I’ve seen him run all over the place.

“He’s done a great job. He’s one of the more unheralded running backs on the East Coast,” Golden continued. “He just quietly goes about his business. He’s done a great job for them.”

The respect is apparently mutual.

“He’s a great guy. I have a lot of respect for him,” Brown said. “He’s doing a great job at Temple.”

- Neill