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Post by Crucis#1 on Jul 1, 2021 19:22:13 GMT -5
Watching tonight’s Women’s Olympic Send Off game between the US and Mexico Soccer, at The Rent in East Hartford, the pitch is in outstanding shape for play. Once the gridiron is placed, it will a great field for the opening game.
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Post by timholycross on Jul 2, 2021 7:24:09 GMT -5
Y's pretty easy, Boulevard exit off 95. H is not far from I90 but damn confusing if you've never been there. I saw an eye specialist at the former BU Medical Center in the South End, which is now part of Boston Medical Center. My eyes were dilated so I decided to take a walk before driving home. It was a lovely day and I ended up at Harvard Stadium. I could never tell you how I got there. A better question is: how did you get back? LOL
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 2, 2021 16:00:07 GMT -5
I saw an eye specialist at the former BU Medical Center in the South End, which is now part of Boston Medical Center. My eyes were dilated so I decided to take a walk before driving home. It was a lovely day and I ended up at Harvard Stadium. I could never tell you how I got there. A better question is: how did you get back? LOL When the dilation wore off and I was able to take off the big sunglasses that go over regular glasses I morphed from Mr. Magoo and was able to head downtown and then down Harrison Ave past the old ink stained Boston Herald Building to the Hospital.
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Post by sader1970 on Jul 13, 2021 13:45:39 GMT -5
Just got notice and then corrected notice (can HC Athletics do things right the first time?) for UConn tickets in the HC section for $20 apiece. They don't say where the seats are but I suspect these aren't at midfield. The visitor section looks like the southwest corner with the "best" seats at about the 20 yard line. From memory, that's where I sat the last time we played them. Seating: www.rentschlerfield.com/seating
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 13, 2021 15:40:38 GMT -5
Just got notice and then corrected notice (can HC Athletics do things right the first time?) for UConn tickets in the HC section for $20 apiece. They don't say where the seats are but I suspect these aren't at midfield. The visitor section looks like the southwest corner with the "best" seats at about the 20 yard line. From memory, that's where I sat the last time we played them. Seating: www.rentschlerfield.com/seatingView AttachmentIt would be nice if the UConn Dairy Bar had a stand at the Rent for the warm weather games.
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 20, 2021 12:39:34 GMT -5
As UConn football reboots, Randy Edsall is certain the Huskies are bigger, stronger and hungrier to turn the program around Dom Amore Hartford Courant |
Jul 17, 2021 at 4:12 PM
It has been more than 600 days since our last glimpse of the UConn football team, the waning moments of a 31-24 loss Whether the Huskies’ absence has made Connecticut hearts grow fonder, we’ll begin finding out in 48 days when they open the home schedule vs. Holy Cross. We can know now, coach Randy Edsall says, that during the absence the Huskies have grown bigger, stronger, deeper, closer-knit and hungrier.
“When you get a chance to see the difference in our kids, physically, you’re going to be impressed,” Edsall says. Practice starts July 30. The first public viewing will be Aug. 14, an open practice at Rentschler Field. The Huskies open their season as four-touchdown underdogs at Fresno State on Aug. 28.
“I’m not so sure I’ve gone into a season since I’ve been here, not just coming back but even before, where I feel we have a lot of depth at pretty much all the positions,” Edsall says. “That’s something I feel good about.” Perhaps it is significant that Edsall, who will turn 63 the day before the game at Fresno State, is willing to connect his second stint at UConn, which began in 2017, with his first, which began in 1999 and ended in the Fiesta Bowl in 2011.
The coronavirus pandemic has been a horrible experience for all of us. A year’s disruption in any walk of life is hard to see as a positive, but if there is one football program in America that was in a position to benefit from standing down to regroup, it was UConn after its 2-10 season in 2019. There is not enough sugar to make the medicine of a 6-30 record between 2017-19 go down, but for those three seasons, Edsall was compelled to play a lot of young players, too many true freshmen to be competitive in or out of the American Athletic Conference.
After cancelling the 2020 season rather than play a haphazardly cobbled schedule with no fans, UConn now officially rebrands as an independent. Maybe what comes now is actually Randy Edsall 3.0. “It was the best thing we could have ever done for our program,” he says. “And by that, I mean, we were having to play so many young kids those previous three years that probably weren’t ready to play and needed to be redshirted and develop because that’s the kind of program we are, a developmental program.
“It’s not going to be guys who were ready made. It wasn’t that way the first time. We didn’t care what other people thought or other people said. No matter how this season turns out, you’re never going to convince me that [cancelling 2020] wasn’t the right thing for our kids and our program.”
Even the most veteran players took advantage of the unexpected “redshirt year.” With various breaks, some due to COVID-19, UConn has had nearly all of its team on campus since January.
“A guy like [offensive lineman] Ryan Van Demark, who played three years, basically had a redshirt year his fourth year, and you see the growth, maturity, development,” Edsall says. “Same thing with [defensive lineman] Travis Jones. People are going to look at him and go ‘holy crap, look what he’s done with his body.’ And it’s like that with the whole team for the most part. I just know this, I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I sure as heck see the difference in the kids.”
If the Huskies are able to bring about real change after a decade of losing seasons, it will have to come from recruiting. In his first go-around, Edsall found those underrated recruits and coached them up, in many cases to an NFL level. Since May 6, UConn has landed 14 commitments, including Bristol Central’s Victor Rosa and Windsor’s Brady Wayburn and the rest from Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas, where Edsall’s son, tight ends coach Corey Edsall, has contacts. UConn is selling the independent schedule, which includes Purdue, Vanderbilt and Clemson in 2021, and several more Power 5 opponents in the following seasons, not to mention the school’s linear TV deal with attractive start times on SNY and CBS Sport Network.
“When we were successful here before, it was pretty much the areas we’re in now,” Edsall says. “We go in and tell them, ‘This is who we are, this is how we do things, this is what we’re going to be able to do for you.’” Since June, recruits have been able to come to campus and spend some time with the players who have been working and bonding behind the scenes, setting a bowl appearance as their goal.
Now, there will be pressure on Edsall to show progress in Year 5, and the road ahead without a conference and a bowl tie-in will not be easy for UConn football. But the football world is never shocked, surprised, or even entertained by pessimists. A program’s breakthrough usually comes when it’s least expected, and by players and coaches ready to play the us-against-the-world game. That much, Edsall believes he has.
“I think they have that mentality that there’s not many people giving us a chance,” he says. “They’re the group that has a chip on their shoulder and that mentality that, ‘hey, we’ve got something to prove,’ and they just can’t wait for the opportunity to go prove it. When you have a group who are that passionate about what they’ve been doing over the last year, and as hungry as they are, as committed, as tight as they are, that’s something you want to invest in. If I were an investor and had the ability to just be around, I would be investing in this group of young men.”
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 20, 2021 22:00:24 GMT -5
Edsall makes it sound like every other football team was sitting in recliners eating donuts for two years. Is there any logical reason why having a cancelled season makes a strength and conditioning program more effective at improving a football team?
I think UConn should be the favorite against HC but it's not because they cancelled their 2020 season.
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Post by sader1970 on Jul 21, 2021 6:27:27 GMT -5
Is UConn really a 4 TD underdog vs. Fresno State?
Understanding UConn isn’t a strong program, is Fresno really like Alabama or Notre Dame to be that strong a favorite?
The whole article is hype.
I expect we’ll give them a good game and possibly win a close one.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Jul 21, 2021 6:46:54 GMT -5
Is UConn really a 4 TD underdog vs. Fresno State?
Understanding UConn isn’t a strong program, is Fresno really like Alabama or Notre Dame to be that strong a favorite?
The whole article is hype. I expect we’ll give them a good game and possibly win a close one. What? Have you watched Conn play in the last 10 years? They are absolutely horrendous, and yes they will get pummeled by Fresno.
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Post by hc2020 on Aug 9, 2021 14:07:02 GMT -5
The Sept. 4 opener at UConn will be televised live on CBS Sports Network at noon.
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Post by breezy on Aug 9, 2021 20:25:22 GMT -5
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Aug 9, 2021 20:42:00 GMT -5
Nice video. I note #42 Cullen Honohan, Linebacker on roster, catching a pass out of the backfield. I'll have to also make a note to update my avatar of Spencer Gilliam, to reflect the new Samson locks....
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Post by purplehaze on Aug 11, 2021 14:42:04 GMT -5
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Post by HC92 on Aug 11, 2021 15:42:33 GMT -5
We’ll see who is the “lesser opponent” on 9/4. Spoiler alert . . . It won’t be the guys in purple.
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Post by newfieguy74 on Aug 11, 2021 16:30:10 GMT -5
We’ll see who is the “lesser opponent” on 9/4. Spoiler alert . . . It won’t be the guys in purple. Maybe. I might be wrong but I think UConn is going to be tough to beat. I think the UConn blog has it about right. Posters can take heart in knowing that I am usually wrong when I predict the outcomes of games.
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Post by longsuffering on Aug 11, 2021 17:01:32 GMT -5
Will the "Sluka Duka" work against UConn? If it does we could have them guessing all afternoon and give our receivers an advantage. If they stop it and make us one dimensional it could be a long afternoon.
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Post by rgs318 on Aug 11, 2021 17:51:56 GMT -5
Will the "Sluka Duka" work against UConn? If it does we could have them guessing all afternoon and give our receivers an advantage. If they stop it and make us one dimensional it could be a long afternoon. It may not be that long if our defense performs at the level some think they are capable of reaching.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Aug 11, 2021 18:01:50 GMT -5
Will the "Sluka Duka" work against UConn? If it does we could have them guessing all afternoon and give our receivers an advantage. If they stop it and make us one dimensional it could be a long afternoon. I doubt UConn's defense will be as strong or disciplined as South Dakota State. But generally if you're going to beat any FBS team, even a really bad one, you're going to need to be able have some kind of passing game. I do think if our defense comes to play, we could very well hold UConn to 24 points or less. Meaning we'll have a fighting chance to win the game. Turnovers tend to be key in these kind of games. If we can steal 10-14 points, that will go a very long way.
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Post by rgs318 on Aug 11, 2021 18:44:04 GMT -5
I doubt UConn's defense will be as strong or disciplined as South Dakota State. But generally if you're going to beat any FBS team, even a really bad one, you're going to need to be able have some kind of passing game. A passing game may not be that far away. Looking back: True freshman quarterback Matthew Sluka was the key to the Holy Cross offense, averaging 58.5 rushing yards per game but he also had help from a talented running back duo of Peter Oliver (56.5 rushing yards per game) and Jonathan Abrams (49 yards per game). Sluka was efficient in the passing game, completing 20 of 35 passes on the season for 187 yards. He threw for two touchdowns with only one interception and posted a quarterback rating of 115.7. On the the ground, Sluka ran for a team-best 234 yards and four touchdowns. His breakout freshman season helped him earn national recognition as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the best freshman in the FCS each year. Now with a full summer and fall to prepare and his best receivers on the field...well, we'll see.
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Post by hc2020 on Aug 13, 2021 18:32:12 GMT -5
An opportunity to scout our week #1 opponent:
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Post by midwestsader05 on Aug 15, 2021 12:35:31 GMT -5
I was just perusing all Week 1 FBS v FCS games and it struck me that ESPN’s Power Index (probability tool) has HC as the 3rd most likely FCS team to upset an FBS opponent opening week. Top 4: 1) Eastern Washington (38.6%) @ UNLV 2) SDSU (37.3%) @ Colorado State 3) Holy Cross (26.5%) @ UCONN 4) U of South Dakota (23.4%) @ Kansas There are 39 FBS v FCS games opening week and typically 2-4 pull out an upset. Be great to make that College Gameday segment!
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Post by Ignutz on Aug 16, 2021 7:57:57 GMT -5
While it's certainly difficult to compare year-to-year and team-to-team, I think that we're a better team today than we were in 2017, and I don't think UConn is any better than they were then. Granted, we had Pujols at QB, but we also had TG calling the shots - and wasting a 20-7 halftime lead.
I like our chances, and with our lads certainly expected to be the underdog, I'll take the points - whatever they may be.
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Post by hcpride on Aug 16, 2021 9:23:58 GMT -5
I don't know. UConn had QB issues in that opening game in 2017 and seemed in disarray on defense the first half. Pujols really passed well. At the end of the 3rd they put in a new QB and scored 20 straight to win by 7.
While I'm not optimistic at all regarding our chances v UConn this year I'm hoping closer than Navy (45-7) and Syracuse (41-3) a couple of years ago.
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Post by matunuck on Aug 17, 2021 8:01:01 GMT -5
6 potential FCS-over-FBS upsets early in the 2021 college football season Holy Cross at UConn | Saturday, Sept. 4 | 12 p.m. ET | CBSSN Fresh off of a spring FCS playoff appearance, Holy Cross visits UConn to open its season. It will be the second game for the Huskies, who opted out of 2020 after finishing the 2019 season 2-10. While UConn hasn't had a winning season came in 2010, Holy Cross has been one of the more solid FCS teams, as the Crusaders are the two-time defending Patriot League champions. Despite the difference in divisions, Holy Cross and UConn are closer than they appear. This game is prime for an upset. www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-08-13/6-potential-fcs-over-fbs-upsets-2021-college-football-season
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Aug 17, 2021 10:39:22 GMT -5
I don't know. UConn had QB issues in that opening game in 2017 and seemed in disarray on defense the first half. Pujols really passed well. At the end of the 3rd they put in a new QB and scored 20 straight to win by 7. While I'm not optimistic at all regarding our chances v UConn this year I'm hoping closer than Navy (45-7) and Syracuse (41-3) a couple of years ago. This game should be much, much closer than Navy and Syracuse. In 2017, UCONN started a dual-threat juco transfer at QB in the first half. In the 2nd half, they turned the offense over to a senior who was the previous season's starter. He would go on to maintain the job for remainder of 2017 IIRC. We went up 20-7 thanks to at least 2 turnovers in Husky territory that Pujals was able to capitalize on. Missed a FG at half that would have put us up 23-7.
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