UConn was ranked No. 24 at the
time and was 5-0. They dropped out of the Associated Press poll after that loss
and were never heard from again nationally.
It
was a nightmarish game in Chapel Hill. The Huskies tried to exorcise some of
those special team demons this offseason revamping the punting scheme and
protection plan. With the No. 19 ranked Tar Heels coming into Rentschler Field
Saturday afternoon UConn coach Randy Edsall knows the mistakes they made in a
23-16 win last week over Ohio can’t happen. If the Huskies have a repeat
performance as the one in Chapel Hill it won’t be pretty.
“If
we do this again this year, we have no chance,” Edsall said.
UConn
is coming off a The Huskies are 1-12 against Top 25 opponents with the lone win
coming against No. 11 South Florida in October of 2007.
UConn
Offense
The
Huskies racked up 259 yards against Ohio University with Jordan Todman rushing
for 157 yards and Andre Dixon for 100. That was the good. The bad was a shaky
performance from Zach Frazer who had some bright spots with two touchdowns, but
was woefully inconsistent and finished 11-of-24 for 127 yards with three
interceptions. They key for the Huskies against an excellent front 7 for the
Tar Heels is establishing the running game and getting Frazer off passing with
accuracy and confidence. If Frazer doesn’t play well the chances are the Huskies
won’t be close.
Randy Edsall quote: “I saw a guy that
was inconsistent. He understands we can’t have the turnovers at the position
and work extremely hard to correct things and get better.
“There were times that maybe he
stayed on something too long, or didn’t see whole picture long enough. It comes
through experience and playing. He played twice a year ago. He has to do a
better job of seeing the big picture and doing exactly what defense tells him
to.”
North Carolina on offense
The
Tar Heels run the same scheme, but they are different than a year ago because
they have lost Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate to the NFL. In response, the
coaching staff moved Greg Little from running back to wide receiver and Joshua
Adams into the lineup as a true freshman. Last week T.J. Yates was mediocre
with 9-of-20 passing for 114 yards two touchdowns and 1 interception in a 40-6
win over The Citadel. The strength of the Tar Heels is the running game is
Shaun Draughn. He had 118 yards and a touchdown in the opener. The Tar Heels
ran for 261 yards in the opener and like the Huskies, they will need to
establish a passing game if they are going to be productive against BCS
conference teams.
UConn on defense
The
Huskies may be without linebacker Scott Lutrus (questionable with a stinger)
and if that is the case it will be a big blow. The junior linebacker is the
most indispensable part of a defense that was ranked No. 6 in the country last
year in total defense. Lutrus would be replaced by multiple players on defense
and the Huskies would have to scramble. The key for the Huskies will be in
controlling Draughn and forcing Yates into passing situations with a receiving
corps that isn’t nearly as explosive and experienced as last year’s edition.
Lindsey Witten had three sacks and a safety last week from defensive end and he
is a player to watch.
North Carolina on defense
The Tar Heels boast an NFL sized
front line and are one of the better defensive lines in the country. Robert
Quinn is a tremendous force at defensive end at 6-5 270 and the tackles are 320
and 305 pounds in Cam Thomas and Marvin Austin.
The
secondary is no slouch with Quan Sturdivant returning after 122 tackles a year
ago and the athletic Carter on the outside. The Tar Heels allowed only 30 yards
rushing to Citadel last week. If North Carolina can have similar success
against UConn they will be tough to pick off.
“They
are big up front, take a look at them Robert Quinn 6-5, 270 and they are active
in their linebackers,” Edsall said. “You have to be good technique wise and
fundamentally because they have big guys you have to move off the ball. That is
the strength of their football team, their up front people.”