Friday Night Big East Showdown: UCONN vs. Rutgers

October 8, 2010

The Rutgers Scarlett Knights haven’t shown much in terms of offense thus far this season, but they are ranked 4th in the country on “D”. They will have another opportunity to get their offense going against a Connecticut Huskies team that is 44th in defense. Both of these squads have played a relatively easy schedule thus far, but Rutgers was treated to an early upset as they lost to a pathetic Tulane team at home.

I’ve noticed throughout the years that team have a difficult time bouncing back from their first loss of the season. This can certainly be said for Rutgers, especially since they blew a tremendous opportunity to take down a BCS conference team. North Carolina was regarded as a up-and-coming team this season, and is expected to do very well in the ACC. The Scarlett Knights forced them to make plays in the 4th quarter to beat them as they only lost by a score of 17-13. That being said, the loss to Tulane can almost be written off as a let-down game, due to their lack of enthusiasm. Now that they are 2 weeks removed from the Tar Heels defeat, they will be ready to do battle in the Big East conference as they take on a Huskies team that has won their last 2 games by a combined score of 85-42. UCONN is a run first team that has one of the best running backs in the league leading their attack.

Jordan Todman is amongst the division 1 leaders in rushing yards this season, and is almost unstoppable. He has already accrued 638 yards on the ground and 7 touchdowns in just 4 games, and is well on his way to being the single season rushing leader in Huskies school history. However, he will be facing the stout Scarlett Knights defense that is only giving up 80 yards per game on the ground this year. Todamn is joined by Robbie Frey in the backfield. Frey has contributed 269 yards and 3 touchdowns on his own this season, and is a tremendous second option when Todman needs a rest.

The Rutgers offense has been nothing short of a horror show thus far as they have scored just 77 points in 4 games (18.5 per game). They will have to keep Todman and company under control as well as produce several sustained drives to allow their defense time to rest. Mohamed Sanu is the focal point of the Rutgers offense as he leads the team in rushing and receiving. He is a talented wide receiver that has phenomenal shiftiness, and great speed as a running back. The more touches he gets, the greater the opportunity is for the Scarlett Knights to upset the Huskies on Friday.

College football handicappers have made the Huskies 5 point favorites on the road, and rightfully so. They have earned the right to be considered the better team as they have proven more thus far in the season. It’s my opinion that both of these teams are heading nowhere. This should be an entertaining game if you are a true NCAA football aficionado. Defense may be the difference as turnovers will prove to be a huge factor in a game between 2 extremely similar teams.

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NCAA Football

Comments

Got something to say?