CFI Preview: Connecticut @ Notre Dame

By Mark J. Zavodnyik

An era will likely end when Notre Dame hosts Connecticut on Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium.

It is senior day for Notre Dame and Irish fans will cheer on its fourth and fifth year players for the final time in their home stadium. It is also likely the final home game for quarterback Jimmy Clausen. The junior from Westlake Village, CA is one of the nation’s top signal-callers and a likely first round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Not only that, embattled Irish head coach Charlie Weis could be coaching his last game on the sidelines at Notre Dame Stadium. After suffering the season’s fourth defeat last week against Pittsburgh, the cat calls screaming for Weis’ departure have reached a fever pitch.

On the other side of the field, Connecticut continues to press on through a season that was altered when junior cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death on October 18.

The Huskies have been heroic in their ability to continue to play games while such intense pain and sadness surrounds the program. UConn has played well since Howard’s death, but has just one victory to show for their efforts.

In fact, it has been a season of close calls for head coach Randy Edsall and the Huskies. All five of Connecticut’s losses have come by a combined 15 points.

Keys for a Connecticut Victory

1) Establish the Husky running duo: Edsall’s vision for UConn to be a physical, power running attack came to fruition last year in Donald Brown, who led the nation with more than 2000 rushing yards. Brown went on to be selected in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2009 NFL draft.

This season UConn has two highly effective running backs in sophomore Jordan Todman and redshirt senior Andre Dixon. The Husky rushing duo has been the driving force behind the UConn offense this year. Together they have combined for 1,556 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

Todman had his best game of the season two weeks ago against Cincinnati. The sophomore from North Dartmouth, MA rushed for 162 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns.

UConn will look to utilize Todman and Dixon early in this game in an effort to establish momentum and take pressure off quarterback Zach Frazer. It is important for the Huskies to establish a solid running attack because…

2) Edsall does not want to rely on Frazer: The passing game is merely a secondary option in the Husky offensive attack. UConn does not have the firepower to score a lot of points through the air, so it is important for them to establish a ground game. In their recent offensive shootout against Cincinnati, four of the Huskies’ five touchdowns came via the run game.

Frazer began the season as the starting quarterback but injured his knee against North Carolina. Redshirt sophomore Cody Endres was playing very well in relief of Frazer until he was injured in UConn’s loss to Rutgers on October 31. After the Rutgers game, Endres underwent season-ending surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.

The Huskies do not want to put the game into the hands of Frazer. The redshirt junior from Mechanicsburg, PA has struggled with his accuracy this season, throwing four touchdown passes against seven interceptions in just four games.

Ideally, UConn will establish Todman and Dixon and then allow Frazer to make simple reads on short to intermediate throws.

If Frazer can find some rhythm in the passing game, he will look to the Huskies’ leading receiver Marcus Easley. The senior from Stratford, Conn. has 26 catches for 559 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

Keys for a Notre Dame Victory

1) Remember how to tackle: Notre Dame’s once reliable run defense has vanished.

During the first part of the season, the Irish rush defense did well, holding a number of effective running teams to well below their season average. Nevada is the best rushing team in college football at 353.1 yards per game. Notre Dame held them to just 153 yards on the ground.

A week after Montel Harris of Boston College torched NC State for 264 yards and five touchdowns, the Irish defense held him to just 38 yards.

However, all that has changed in recent weeks. In their last two games to Navy and Pittsburgh, Notre Dame has allowed a combined 584 rushing yards.

The Irish defense has become a cautionary tale of poor tackling. The erratic unit is now allowing its opponents a generous average of 153.2 yards per game on the ground.

It is very difficult to win or even get a lead in a game when the opponent can so easily dictate the tempo on the ground.

If the Notre Dame defense plays like it did against Boston College, they will come close to making UConn one dimensional. Notre Dame has a great chance to win the game if UConn is forced to heavily rely on Frazer.

2) Expose Connecticut’s cornerbacks: The Husky defense is led by a trio of seasoned linebackers: captain Scott Lutrus, Greg Lloyd, and Lawrence Wilson. Wilson and Lloyd are the UConn’s leading tacklers.

However, after the men in the middle, UConn is highly inexperienced defensively. This lack of experience is particularly evident in the secondary.

The Huskies frequently employ a nickel defensive package, utilizing three cornerbacks.
Since the devastating loss of Howard, UConn has been forced to start two freshmen at cornerback.

With such inexperience in the secondary, Notre Dame will look to exploit the mismatch and get the ball as much as possible into the hands of its top-flight receivers Golden Tate & Michael Floyd.

The duo is arguably the best receiving combination in all of college football. Floyd is second on the team in receiving yards despite missing five games with a broken collarbone. Tate has been all-world this season, leading Notre Dame in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The junior from Hendersonville, TN is averaging 117.2 receiving yards per game, the fourth best average in the nation.

Prediction

Connecticut is arguably the best 4-5 team in the country. The Huskies play physical football and they get solid production from their two running backs. When facing a talented opponent on the road, a power running game is a great weapon to have in one’s arsenal. (See: UConn @ Cincinnati two weeks ago) The Huskies will rush for more than 150 yards as a team.

However, Notre Dame’s skill players on offense will provide match-up problems that the Huskies will be unable to overcome.

The Irish will build a lead in the third quarter and Frazer’s inconsistency will not allow UConn to mount a comeback. The fact that Frazer returns to the school from which he transferred means he will likely be throwing from a mental state that is never good for a quarterback: He will try to do too much.

Score: Notre Dame 30, Connecticut, 23

Photos Courtesy of UConn Athletic Communications, Notre Dame Sports Information

Big East Power Rankings & Preview Week 10

1. Cincinnati Bearcats 8-0, (4-0): Last week: Win at Syracuse 28-7- The offense did have some trouble running the ball and capitalizing on good field position at first, but eventually passing efficiency prevailed. Backup quarterback Zach Collaros made it look easy completing 22-of-28 passes and throwing for 295 yards, four touchdowns.

Up next: vs. Connecticut - The passing leader in the Big East is back, Tony Pike makes his return after missing the last two and half games. With a game against West Virginia just under a week away the Bearcats focus will be tested.

Prediction: Cincinnati 31, Connecticut 20

2. Pittsburgh 7-1, (4-0): Last Week: Idle - The Panthers are moving up in all the polls and currently stand ranked number 13th overall in the BCS Standings.

Up Next: vs. Syracuse: The key to this game is focus. Before Pitt takes on Notre Dame and Cincinnati they have to play against staggering Syracuse. The Panthers might have some trouble running the ball, so they should take advantage of their big wide outs versus the inexperience and vulnerable Orange secondary. This game shouldn’t be close.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 28, Syracuse 14

3. South Florida Bulls 6-2, (2-2): Last week: Win vs. West Virginia 30-19 - Nothing gets a team over a two-game losing streak faster then a big win at home. B.J Daniels continued his development into stardom and the defensive line led by George Selvie was stellar again. During the bye week the Bulls have a lot to work on, specifically where some more yards are going to come from other than the arm and legs of their freshman quarterback.

Up Next: Idle

4. West Virginia 6-2, (2-1): Last week: Lost at South Florida 30-19 - It seems like West Virginia never matches up well against South Florida. The Mountaineers shouldn’t panic just yet, it was only their first conference loss of the season and they still control their destiny for a title.

Up next: vs. Louisville: Earlier this season when West Virginia came off a loss they bounced back with a home victory over Colorado in which Noel Devine rushed for 220 yards on 15 carries. Expect something similar to that this week in the box score and on the scoreboard.

Prediction: West Virginia 29, Louisville 13

5. Rutgers 6-2, (1-2): Last week: Win at Connecticut 28-24 - Tim Brown is making a case for himself as the top wide receiver in the Big East. He leads the league in yards with 811 and is averaging 21.9 yards a catch, which was boosted by his 81-yard game-winning touchdown grab to beat the Huskies.

Up Next: Idle

6.Connecticut 4-4, (1-3): Last week: Lost vs. Rutgers 28-24 - Just another heartbreaking loss for the Huskies. A tremendous job by their offense to putting together a 87-yard drive that was capped off with what should have been the game winning score by Jordan Todman.

Up Next: At Cincinnati: At quarterback will be Zach Frazer. He was 21-of-46 last week throwing for a career 333-yards, if he can put up those same type of numbers and Todman or Andre Dixon can burst out for a couple of long runs this game might be closer than the experts thing.

Prediction: Cincinnati 31, Connecticut 20

7. Louisville 3-5, (0-3): Last week: Win vs. Arkansas State 21-13 - It was the newcomers leading the way. Redshirt freshman quarterback Will Stein threw for 232 yards and junior tailback Bilal Powell rushed for a season high 93 yards on 17 carries.

Up Next: at West Virginia: The Cardinals rank at the bottom the Big East in stopping the run and they have given up a total of 14 touchdowns already this season on the ground…so facing off against Devine this week spells trouble.

Prediction: West Virginia 29, Louisville 13

8. Syracuse 3-5, (0-3): Last week: Lost vs. Cincinnati 28-7 - Another game, another loss and another disgraceful performance by the Orange offense.

Up Next: at Pittsburgh - It has been a very odd week for the Syracuse football team: several players are suspended for the game due to an incident involving a car accident late last Saturday night and star wide receiver Mike Williams quite the football team without dismissal. Now with the media swirling around head coach Doug Marrone for answers, this could be an emotional contest for the Orange. Do they band together or give up?

Prediction: Pittsburgh 28, Syracuse 14

Photos Courtesy of University of Pittsburgh, Tom Ciszak Rutgers Athletics

Big East - Week Two Preview

By CHRSTOPHER MOGOLLON - BIG EAST INSIDER

This week’s theme for the Big East is re-matches–four teams are playing out of conference opponents that they played a year ago. For Connecticut, Syracuse and West Virginia it’s an opportunity to avenge losses. Still, with conference play weeks away, the majority of this Saturday’s games will be tune-ups.

West Virginia 32, East Carolina 21: There’s no doubt the Mountaineers will be looking for revenge this week at home after last year‘s beat down at East Carolina. Motivation and Morgantown aside, Noel Devine will be too much for the Pirates defense in the end. East Carolina’s offense, led by senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney, will put up some points…but not another upset.

North Carolina 23, Connecticut 14: It’s no secret that Connecticut has an aggressive rushing attack led by sophomore Jordan Todman. But the Tar Heels will be gearing up to stop the run and force Huskies quarterback Zach Frazer to beat them, and he won’t. North Carolina has some quarterback questions themselves, but their talented defenders will secure victory in East Hartford.

Penn State 36, Syracuse 20: It’s nice to see this rivalry renewed—it’s just too bad it comes during the dark days of Syracuse football. Sure, there were some positives from last week’s loss to Minnesota but the same problems on the offensive line and a lack of offensive skill players leaves them with little chance of seeing the light in Happy Valley. Watch how Syracuse’s defensive line plays against the fifth-ranked team in the country, especially pro prospect Arthur Jones and the new kid on the block, true freshman Brandon Sharpe. If they are able to hang around in this one, it will be the Orange’s defense that allows them to do so.

Pittsburgh 32, Buffalo 14: The match-up between Buffalo wide-out Naaman Roosevelt and Pittsburgh’s Aaron Berry will be more compelling then the actual game. Last season Roosevelt finished with more receptions than Michael Crabtree, more yards than Jeremy Maclin, and more touchdowns than Marshawn Gilyard. This will be a great battle between two pro prospects. Player Spotlight: With Jonathan Baldwin’s size, how can he not have a big game in Buffalo?

South Florida 28, Western Kentucky 7: The Hilltoppers are currently on a nine-game losing streak and haven’t defeated a FBS school since 2007. The Bulls could drop the ball, look ahead, or not show up and still win this week. Freshman Watch: Lindsey Lamar is a speedy all-purpose back who sees action both as a running back and receiver. A breakout game versus Western Kentucky is not out of the question.

Cincinnati 64, SE Missouri State 14: And you thought Cincinnati looked good last week? Yikes, this one will get ugly.

Rutgers 38, Howard 7: This is a good chance for Rutgers to get last week’s loss out of their heads and out of the minds of the Scarlet Knights faithful. A blowout win is always the best way to turn the page. True freshman quarterback Tom Savage makes his debut as a starter.

Last Week’s Record: 7-0 (kind of, I had Cincinnati only winning by three)

Photos Courtesy of WVU Sports Communication