Post by Sly Fox on Sept 10, 2005 8:39:25 GMT -5
First, here's Chris' game preview from the Lynchburg fishwrap:
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784980200&path=!sports
Next up, the Connecticut perspective from the New London (CT) TheDay:
www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=E2B4A275-DE20-4B2D-917F-1C4D4EB0C651
[glow=red,2,300]No fear: Flames try to have fun against Division I UConn
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 10, 2005[/glow]
In October 2001, Ken Karcher could tell his team was a little wary of playing on the road against a Division I team.
It was Karcher’s second year as Liberty University’s football coach, and he took his Flames to Orlando, Fla., to meet Central Florida.
They were not ready.
“I think they were like, ‘Uh, why are we here coach?’” Karcher said Tuesday.
The Flames played scared and were pounded accordingly, losing 63-0. As LU prepares for another money game it has virtually no shot of winning, today at Connecticut, the Flames at least enter the matchup with a better attitude.
“Our players today that were here four years ago, when we first went down to play Central Florida, they’re not afraid to go play Connecticut,” Karcher said.
Added senior quarterback Brock Farrel: “I hope they think it’s just fun. Enjoy it. You watch it on Saturday your whole life, so enjoy the opportunity. If we think about it too much and get all stressed out, we won’t play well.”
Today’s game represents a significant step up in Liberty’s money games. LU is 0-8 against Division I schools since 1999, and all eight losses came against schools from non-BCS conferences.
After playing Big East member Connecticut, LU opens the 2006 season at ACC member Wake Forest. LU has talked to the SEC’s Auburn about a 2007 game, but Karcher calls that one “a longshot.” LU athletics director Thom Park made it clear that the school wants to continue scheduling “up” in the next few seasons.
The difference between the Division I foe LU faces this year and the one it played last fall (Kent State) is considerable. The Huskies, who moved from I-AA before the 2001 season, are in their second year at sparkling Rentschler Field in East Hartford, about 25 miles west of UConn’s Storrs campus.
UConn’s last seven home games have been sellouts, and about 40,000 fans are expected today, even if half the state will still be buzzing from UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun’s induction in the Basketball Hall of Fame 30 minutes up I-91 in Springfield, Mass.
Last year, the Flames played Kent State in front of 17,459 fans in Kent, Ohio. Most Flames have never played in front of the type of crowd they’ll see today.
“Our stadium holds what, 12,000?” LU tight end Chris Luck said. “Forty thousand people, that’s the most I’ve ever played in front of. That’s going to be great.”
UConn has made one of the most successful moves to Division I status. The Huskies have won 22 of their last 29 games and made their first bowl appearance last year, beating Toledo in the Motor City Bowl.
“Connecticut has really won quickly,” Karcher said. “They were like us seven years ago. They were I-AA. So they’ve moved up fast. They’re a legitimate Big East team. I’ll be shocked if they’re not a Top 25 team by the end of the year.”
One Husky to watch is punt returner Larry Taylor, who returned five punts for 118 yards in UConn’s 38-0 win over Buffalo on Sept. 1. The Bulls kicked away from Taylor, something Karcher won’t do on every punt.
“He’s just really an amazing young man in terms of what he can do,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “He had to go and track a lot of balls down to get to them. He’s a weapon that we think we have. And our guys know if they get in place and block for him, that he can do some very special things.”
The Flames hope to see significant improvement from last week’s game, a 17-6 win over Division II Concord at home. LU needs better pass protection and Farrel needs to make smart decisions if the Flames have any chance of making this an interesting game.
“We’re going to have to shock them early,” Karcher said. “We’re going to have to be very good with our fundamentals. If we turn the ball over and we give them easy touchdowns, then it’ll get out of hand.
“If we make some plays early, show them some things they’ve never seen and not give up the big play quickly, then anything can happen. My job is to get our guys to believe we have a chance to win the football game.”
INJURY REPORT: LU QB Brock Smith (stress fracture in leg), DL Colin Dugan (staph infection in foot), RB Ryan Greiser (shoulder stinger) and DL Matt Reid (knee) are out. CB Josh Wallace (ankle, hand) and DE Steve Ackley (shoulder) will see limited action.
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 10, 2005[/glow]
In October 2001, Ken Karcher could tell his team was a little wary of playing on the road against a Division I team.
It was Karcher’s second year as Liberty University’s football coach, and he took his Flames to Orlando, Fla., to meet Central Florida.
They were not ready.
“I think they were like, ‘Uh, why are we here coach?’” Karcher said Tuesday.
The Flames played scared and were pounded accordingly, losing 63-0. As LU prepares for another money game it has virtually no shot of winning, today at Connecticut, the Flames at least enter the matchup with a better attitude.
“Our players today that were here four years ago, when we first went down to play Central Florida, they’re not afraid to go play Connecticut,” Karcher said.
Added senior quarterback Brock Farrel: “I hope they think it’s just fun. Enjoy it. You watch it on Saturday your whole life, so enjoy the opportunity. If we think about it too much and get all stressed out, we won’t play well.”
Today’s game represents a significant step up in Liberty’s money games. LU is 0-8 against Division I schools since 1999, and all eight losses came against schools from non-BCS conferences.
After playing Big East member Connecticut, LU opens the 2006 season at ACC member Wake Forest. LU has talked to the SEC’s Auburn about a 2007 game, but Karcher calls that one “a longshot.” LU athletics director Thom Park made it clear that the school wants to continue scheduling “up” in the next few seasons.
The difference between the Division I foe LU faces this year and the one it played last fall (Kent State) is considerable. The Huskies, who moved from I-AA before the 2001 season, are in their second year at sparkling Rentschler Field in East Hartford, about 25 miles west of UConn’s Storrs campus.
UConn’s last seven home games have been sellouts, and about 40,000 fans are expected today, even if half the state will still be buzzing from UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun’s induction in the Basketball Hall of Fame 30 minutes up I-91 in Springfield, Mass.
Last year, the Flames played Kent State in front of 17,459 fans in Kent, Ohio. Most Flames have never played in front of the type of crowd they’ll see today.
“Our stadium holds what, 12,000?” LU tight end Chris Luck said. “Forty thousand people, that’s the most I’ve ever played in front of. That’s going to be great.”
UConn has made one of the most successful moves to Division I status. The Huskies have won 22 of their last 29 games and made their first bowl appearance last year, beating Toledo in the Motor City Bowl.
“Connecticut has really won quickly,” Karcher said. “They were like us seven years ago. They were I-AA. So they’ve moved up fast. They’re a legitimate Big East team. I’ll be shocked if they’re not a Top 25 team by the end of the year.”
One Husky to watch is punt returner Larry Taylor, who returned five punts for 118 yards in UConn’s 38-0 win over Buffalo on Sept. 1. The Bulls kicked away from Taylor, something Karcher won’t do on every punt.
“He’s just really an amazing young man in terms of what he can do,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “He had to go and track a lot of balls down to get to them. He’s a weapon that we think we have. And our guys know if they get in place and block for him, that he can do some very special things.”
The Flames hope to see significant improvement from last week’s game, a 17-6 win over Division II Concord at home. LU needs better pass protection and Farrel needs to make smart decisions if the Flames have any chance of making this an interesting game.
“We’re going to have to shock them early,” Karcher said. “We’re going to have to be very good with our fundamentals. If we turn the ball over and we give them easy touchdowns, then it’ll get out of hand.
“If we make some plays early, show them some things they’ve never seen and not give up the big play quickly, then anything can happen. My job is to get our guys to believe we have a chance to win the football game.”
INJURY REPORT: LU QB Brock Smith (stress fracture in leg), DL Colin Dugan (staph infection in foot), RB Ryan Greiser (shoulder stinger) and DL Matt Reid (knee) are out. CB Josh Wallace (ankle, hand) and DE Steve Ackley (shoulder) will see limited action.
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784980200&path=!sports
Next up, the Connecticut perspective from the New London (CT) TheDay:
[glow=red,2,300]Huskies Won't Be Looking Past Flames
UConn Seeking Improvement In All Phases Vs. I-AA Team[/glow]
By CHUCK BANNING
Day Sports Editor
Published on 9/10/2005
A year ago at this time, Rutgers had just come off an upset victory over Michigan State when little ol' New Hampshire arrived at New Jersey's state university and stunned the Scarlet Knights, 35-24.
Could the same thing happen today when UConn hosts Division I-AA Liberty University at Rentschler Field in East Hartford (1 p.m.)?
It's certainly a possibility, but coach Randy Edsall hasn't given that type of scenario much thought.
“The whole approach for us,” Edsall said earlier this week, “is we've got to take care of ourselves. That's the bottom line. A lot of these kids have been in the program for a few years and they get the message. They understand you can't look ahead and you can't look back.”
“My whole focus is this: ‘Guys, we're not where we want to be as a football team, and we get another opportunity to go out this weekend and get better.' That's what we have to do. We have to prepare the right way.”
The Huskies (1-0) opened their season by blitzing Buffalo, 38-0. They were solid in all three phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams — but were hardly perfect, something you can bet they were reminded of time and time again during practice this week.
“We had some blown assignments and missed some blitzes,” said quarterback Matt Bonislawski, who threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for a third against Buffalo in his debut. “We just have to polish things up some more.”
One thing UConn did particularly well, considering its offensive line is completely revamped, was run the football. Terry Caulley, making his return from a severe knee injury suffered in 2003, rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown, and the Huskies finished with 290 rushing yards on 55 attempts, an average of 5.3 yards per carry.
Don't expect that to change much against Liberty (1-0), which opened its season with a 17-6 victory over Division II Concordia of West Virginia.
“If you can control the ball running and score doing that,” Edsall said, “then you're also shortening the game,”
Added Bonislawski: “Our main focus is to run the ball well. We have great running backs and the line's going to open up the holes. Unless that breaks down completely, I don't see us passing as much.”
Still, Bonislawski's ability to run and throw concerns Liberty head coach Ken Karcher.
“I would say that's the biggest thing,” Karcher said. “He's a big, strong kid that can throw and run, and that will be a challenge.”
The Flames will also be tested by a UConn defense that limited Buffalo to six first downs and 125 yards of total offense (2.6 yards per play), the second straight year the Huskies have shut down the Bulls.
“I'm sure the challenge will be fierce,” Karcher said. “But we're excited for the opportunity to play a team like Connecticut.”
In UConn news:
•Ellis Gaulden, a promising redshirt freshman wide receiver from Tallahassee, Fla., suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Tuesday's practice and will be lost for the rest of the season.
The 6-foot-2 Gaulden, who competed in the high jump with the UConn track team last spring and cleared 6 feet, 11 inches, made his first career catch for 6 yards against Buffalo.
UConn Seeking Improvement In All Phases Vs. I-AA Team[/glow]
By CHUCK BANNING
Day Sports Editor
Published on 9/10/2005
A year ago at this time, Rutgers had just come off an upset victory over Michigan State when little ol' New Hampshire arrived at New Jersey's state university and stunned the Scarlet Knights, 35-24.
Could the same thing happen today when UConn hosts Division I-AA Liberty University at Rentschler Field in East Hartford (1 p.m.)?
It's certainly a possibility, but coach Randy Edsall hasn't given that type of scenario much thought.
“The whole approach for us,” Edsall said earlier this week, “is we've got to take care of ourselves. That's the bottom line. A lot of these kids have been in the program for a few years and they get the message. They understand you can't look ahead and you can't look back.”
“My whole focus is this: ‘Guys, we're not where we want to be as a football team, and we get another opportunity to go out this weekend and get better.' That's what we have to do. We have to prepare the right way.”
The Huskies (1-0) opened their season by blitzing Buffalo, 38-0. They were solid in all three phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams — but were hardly perfect, something you can bet they were reminded of time and time again during practice this week.
“We had some blown assignments and missed some blitzes,” said quarterback Matt Bonislawski, who threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for a third against Buffalo in his debut. “We just have to polish things up some more.”
One thing UConn did particularly well, considering its offensive line is completely revamped, was run the football. Terry Caulley, making his return from a severe knee injury suffered in 2003, rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown, and the Huskies finished with 290 rushing yards on 55 attempts, an average of 5.3 yards per carry.
Don't expect that to change much against Liberty (1-0), which opened its season with a 17-6 victory over Division II Concordia of West Virginia.
“If you can control the ball running and score doing that,” Edsall said, “then you're also shortening the game,”
Added Bonislawski: “Our main focus is to run the ball well. We have great running backs and the line's going to open up the holes. Unless that breaks down completely, I don't see us passing as much.”
Still, Bonislawski's ability to run and throw concerns Liberty head coach Ken Karcher.
“I would say that's the biggest thing,” Karcher said. “He's a big, strong kid that can throw and run, and that will be a challenge.”
The Flames will also be tested by a UConn defense that limited Buffalo to six first downs and 125 yards of total offense (2.6 yards per play), the second straight year the Huskies have shut down the Bulls.
“I'm sure the challenge will be fierce,” Karcher said. “But we're excited for the opportunity to play a team like Connecticut.”
In UConn news:
•Ellis Gaulden, a promising redshirt freshman wide receiver from Tallahassee, Fla., suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Tuesday's practice and will be lost for the rest of the season.
The 6-foot-2 Gaulden, who competed in the high jump with the UConn track team last spring and cleared 6 feet, 11 inches, made his first career catch for 6 yards against Buffalo.
www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=E2B4A275-DE20-4B2D-917F-1C4D4EB0C651
