Post by rainman on Nov 20, 2007 7:02:22 GMT -5
WVU game is UConn’s biggest ever
MORGANTOWN — Saturday’s game at No. 3ranked West Virginia for the Big East championship will be No. 20 Connecticut’s biggest game of its years as a member of the football conference.
“Yes, I’d probably say that,” coach Randy Edsall said Monday on the league’s weekly media teleconference.
“This is the first time we’ve competed for the Big East championship. So it’s a big game.”
But he hastened to add that the previous six conference contest this season also were big because if the Huskies hadn’t won five they wouldn’t have put themselves in position to take the title.
Edsall added, “West Virginia is the best team we’ve played all year.”
He thinks the Mountaineers are difficult to prepare for because they present a lot of problems offensively.
“They are very, very good and present you a lot of challenges,” he said. “They’ve got just a tremendous quarterback in Pat White and the things he can do. Then in Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt there in the backfield, you’ve got two guys that are outstanding players. Then you throw in (wide receiver) Darius Reynaud and what he can do when he touches the ball.
“We’ve just got to work real hard in practice, prepare the best way we can, and go down there and play the game. That’s the approach we’ve taken for 11 weeks, and we’re going to take it again this week.”
Edsall said he hasn’t needed any motivational speeches in developing his team into a championship contender. He explained that the Huskies have just tried to do the best they could to get better each week.
He thought the team performed solidly in all three phases last Saturday in beating Syracuse. But he expects Saturday’s game to be very difficult because of WVU’s skill players on both offense and defense.
UConn has gone from a 48 record last year to 9-2, the best record in school history. The previous best was 8-2 in 1901 and 1998. This year’s only losses were to Virginia 17-16 and Cincinnati 27-3.
“We’re a healthier team now,” Edsall said. “We’re more experienced and we’re more mature. The quarterback is different.
“Defensively, we’ve been able to play the same 11 starters every game so far. We’re just trying to play as hard as we can in each and every game and try not to beat ourselves.
“So far we’ve done a pretty good job of it.”
MORGANTOWN — Saturday’s game at No. 3ranked West Virginia for the Big East championship will be No. 20 Connecticut’s biggest game of its years as a member of the football conference.
“Yes, I’d probably say that,” coach Randy Edsall said Monday on the league’s weekly media teleconference.
“This is the first time we’ve competed for the Big East championship. So it’s a big game.”
But he hastened to add that the previous six conference contest this season also were big because if the Huskies hadn’t won five they wouldn’t have put themselves in position to take the title.
Edsall added, “West Virginia is the best team we’ve played all year.”
He thinks the Mountaineers are difficult to prepare for because they present a lot of problems offensively.
“They are very, very good and present you a lot of challenges,” he said. “They’ve got just a tremendous quarterback in Pat White and the things he can do. Then in Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt there in the backfield, you’ve got two guys that are outstanding players. Then you throw in (wide receiver) Darius Reynaud and what he can do when he touches the ball.
“We’ve just got to work real hard in practice, prepare the best way we can, and go down there and play the game. That’s the approach we’ve taken for 11 weeks, and we’re going to take it again this week.”
Edsall said he hasn’t needed any motivational speeches in developing his team into a championship contender. He explained that the Huskies have just tried to do the best they could to get better each week.
He thought the team performed solidly in all three phases last Saturday in beating Syracuse. But he expects Saturday’s game to be very difficult because of WVU’s skill players on both offense and defense.
UConn has gone from a 48 record last year to 9-2, the best record in school history. The previous best was 8-2 in 1901 and 1998. This year’s only losses were to Virginia 17-16 and Cincinnati 27-3.
“We’re a healthier team now,” Edsall said. “We’re more experienced and we’re more mature. The quarterback is different.
“Defensively, we’ve been able to play the same 11 starters every game so far. We’re just trying to play as hard as we can in each and every game and try not to beat ourselves.
“So far we’ve done a pretty good job of it.”
