UConn Football

A school really known for anything other than basketball is now hearing more about it's football program on ESPN than basketball. Well not really especially since the women's team are 2 wins away from tying the all time winning record of 87 games in a row (John Wooden's UCLA team) and the men's team is finally showing themselves to be worthy of ranking again thanks to Kemba Walker. But for right now, at least until January, UConn country is looking at the football field. Last night thousands of UConn students, alumni and fans were glued to ESPN during the BCS special to find out that UConn will be playing Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ on January 1st.

UConn football has been far from a powerhorse like many teams from the SEC, Big 12 or the Big Ten, but in the last few years they have come from a nearly invincible team to right in the mix of things. While we maybe don't deserve to be in the Fiesta Bowl like some other teams but it's the way things panned out and we can't change it at this point. We're going to a bowl game, it's happening, and we're ready for it.

I was at UConn from 2005-2009, but being from Wisconsin I grew up watching Badger football. It's just a notch above the program UConn has and not to mention a very different atmosphere at the games. I went to my first football game the first week at UConn (student-athletes get in free) and while different than the games I've seen at Wisconsin, it was a lot of fun. Like any college sporting event it's a time for students to come together and have a great time. As my years continued at UConn I got to know some of the players. You see them in class, in the training rooms and around the campus (even sometimes at the bar) and unlike some other bigger programs, they don't feel so unapproachable because of their "celebrity" status. So when we're watching these games on tv or at the stadium you look at them more as peers and you can actually say "hey I know that guy!". Randy Edsall has a different type of program and while it may not work for other teams, it works at UConn.

Edsall is still building a program, but going from 1-AA to a BCS bowl in 12 years is pretty damn good. No we haven't beaten a lot of powerhouses but this team is slowly establishing themselves as a team that should be recognized. We don't have any flashy all stars or Heisman trophy candidates, but we do have a group of phenomenal athletes who together work as a team. Last season we lost one of our teams best players, Jasper Howard, in a fatal incident after the homecoming game victory against Louisville. The next weekend we played Notre Dame @ South Bend, a very emotional game for the UConn community. This was quite possibly going to be one of the biggest games to date that UConn would play. A team like Notre Dame, who in recent years has fallen off, but is known historically for their success is playing an unknown program from UConn at home. I don't think a lot of people thought it was going to turn out the way it did, but UConn prevailed. For us it was a big moment, a win over that kind of program in prime time tv. Fast foward to the current season. UConn traveled to Michigan to play in the Big House. We faltered in the beginning of the game and fell behind, but coming back out in the 2nd half we played pretty well holding our own. The experience for our team to play in that kind of environment really helps for future seasons.

Now that the season is over, UConn players are watching tapes of Oklahoma and vice verse, preparing for one more game of the 2010 season. It's not the national championship, but it's still a big deal. These players need to think about this as just another football game, 4 15:00 quarters to execute plays and score more points. As a UConn alum, it's an exhilarating feeling to be able to watch my school in a BCS game. I've watched many games throughout the years wanting a team to win, but it never meant as much as this one. Let's Go Huskies!