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2009 Connecticut Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

UConn 7109 The Huskies have been bowling each of the past two seasons behind a strong defense, but an unbalanced offense is keeping them from breaking through as Big East title contenders. The Huskies have a favorable slate in conference play with four of seven league games at Rentschler Field, but non-conference games with North Carolina, Baylor, and Notre Dame could make reaching a third straight bowl quite the challenge. Connecticut is listed at +800 to win the 2009 Big East title.

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Offense – The Huskies were among the best teams in the country at running the football last season, ranking 13th nationally with a 216.4 yards per game average with running back Donald Brown shouldering most of the load. Brown is off to the NFL, but besides that, head coach Randy Edsall is looking for a more balanced attack. After all, the Huskies ranked 109th in the country in passing offense last season, averaging just 139.7 yards per game through the air. Edsall has brought in Joe Moorhead to take over the offense and he plans on implementing a no-huddle scheme. Notre Dame transfer, quarterback Zach Frazer, actually ran a similar scheme in high school so his knowledge of it should speed up the learning process. The running game should still be strong with sophomore tailback Jordan Todman. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry in a light role last season. He and fullback Anthony Sherman should pose a formidable package in the backfield. The Huskies lose all-league tackle William Beatty, but three starters remain on the line to keep UConn solid up front. Eight different wideouts worked with the first string in spring drills and four more freshman wide receivers are on the way. Not even Edsall is sure who will emerge as a No. 1 target. Keep on the lookout for speedy freshman Dwayne Difton though, who comes in from the nation’s top prep team.

Defense – This side of the ball has been UConn’s bread and butter. The Huskies ranked sixth in the nation in total defense in 2008, allowing only 278.0 yards per game. Even when the offense was stagnant, the defense was able to keep them in most games. Edsall continues to bring in big and fast recruits on this side of the football and that’s why he anticipates another strong season defensively. The linebacker corps is the strength of the defense with all three starters returning in Scott Lutrus, Greg Lloyd, and Lawrence Wilson. Lutrus is coming off of a spectacular 106 tackle season. The line loses a couple bookend defensive ends, but Lindsey Witten and Marcus Campbell should have success stepping in. The defensive backfield takes a major hit with the loss of safety Dahna Deleston who was good in coverage and never afraid to lay the wood.

Prediction: 6th Big East Conference – The Huskies finished the 2007 season 9-4 and they fell to 8-5 last year. Another decline is likely, but if the team responds well to the offensive changes, a third straight bowl game isn’t out of the question. With that said, I don’t see UConn, which finished 3-4 in league play in 2008, challenging for a Big East title.

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