Saturday will be the first home game for the Connecticut Huskies since the murder of teammate Jasper Howard. The defensive back was outside a university sanctioned dance when he was stabbed to death. Connecticut has many things planned in honor of Howard. This is sure to be a very emotional day, especially during pre-game festivities.
Once the ball is kicked off however, this battle between Big East rivals should be a very hard nosed contest. Connecticut is 4-3 including 1-2 in the Big East. Rutgers comes in at 5-2 overall but winless in the Big East at 0-2. The non conference schedule for the Knights is over after their win last week over Army.
When Rutgers has the ball
The Rutgers offense is still a bit of an unknown. Or is it just that they really are not that good? This game may help us find out. Freshman QB Tom Savage goes on the road for the first time in Big East play. Savage has had some ups and downs so far in his young career. When he is on though, he is a dangerous quarterback. Rutgers still has not found a true third receiver for Savage. Tim Brown leads the team in receiving yards and remains the go-to guy. Fellow freshman Mohamed Sanu is the other receiver that Savage likes to throw to. For this offense to really get it going, a third option needs to emerge. Mark Harrison might be that guy. Harrison finally appears to be fully healthy and did catch two passes last week against Army. The Connecticut defense is lead by pass rushing defensive end Lindsey Witten. He is tied for second nationally in sacks this season. Rutgers should look to establish a running game this week. The UCONN defense has not been great against the run so far. Joe Martinek continues to be the #1 tailback for Rutgers. Martinek is a powerful back that can help wear down the UCONN defense. If Rutgers offensive line, which has been suspect at times, can win the battle up front, Rutgers should be able to control the game, especially in the fourth quarter.
When Connecticut has the ball
Despite losing star running back Donald Brown to the NFL, the Connecticut Huskies still rely on their running game. They use the run to set up the pass. New Jersey's Andre Dixon is UCONN's leading rusher this season. Dixon however is not the only threat out of the backfield for the Huskies. Jordan Todman already has two 100 yard games this season and is very dangerous if the defense is not careful. While not terrible, the Huskies passing attack will not hurt you on its own. It needs the running game to be effective. Connecticut is playing with their backup QB in the lineup after the starter was injured earlier this season. Cody Endres has been effective at times but turnover prone as well. Rutgers defensively needs to keep the Huskies rushing attack to a minimum. If they can do that and apply some pressure on Endres, Rutgers should be able to force some turnovers. So far this season, Connecticut has turned the ball over 15 times while Rutgers defense has forced 21 turnovers already.
Quick Summary
Both Rutgers and Connecticut play hard nosed football. This has become a rivalry in the Big East lately. Most games between these schools have resulted in close outcomes. SNY Big East blogger, Aditi Kinkhabwala mentioned earlier this week that UCONN may have a 13th man advantage. Normally you would call it a 12th man advantage, but given the circumstances and what this game means for the players, and fans of Connecticut, its fitting to think it will be a 13th man advantage. This game will come down to which team can keep their emotions in check and play disciplined football. Regardless of the outcome, everyone will once again be a University of Connecticut supporter this week.