The King of the AAC | A UCONN Huskies Dynasty (NCAA 14)

[aabar4518]

Matchup Preview *|* September 21, 2013
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#18 Michigan Wolverines (2-1, 0-0 Away)		Connecticut Huskies (2-0, 2-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 19.0 Points Per Game 25.5 349.0 Total Offensive Yards 316.0 188.0 Rushing Yards 94.0 161.0 Passing Yards 222.0 Defensive Stats Comparison 305.0 Total Yards Allowed 186.5 92.0 Rushing Yards Allowed 19.5 213.0 Passing Yards Allowed 167.0 Injury Report QB Russell Bellomy 1 Week CB Raymond Taylor 10 Weeks QB Devin Gardner 1 Week Game Notes This game marks the 2nd ever meeting between Michigan and Connecticut. Michigan won the first-ever meeting (in 2010) by a score of 30-10. The Wolverines were led by QB Denard Robinson and drubbed the Huskies in The Big House. Michigan will have to play without their starting and backup QB's. Both redshirt junior Devin Gardner and redshirt sophomore Russell Bellomy are expected to miss the game with concussions suffered in last week's game. Expected to start is 3rd string QB, true freshman Shane Morris. Morris is 10 of 25 on passing attempts this season. Expect Connecticut's defensive line to dial up the pressure and try to get after Morris. Star cornerback Raymond Taylor will also miss today's game. He is out for the next 10 weeks with a fractured collar bone, suffered on a bone-crushing hit (literally!) in Week 2 of the young season.

[aabar4518]

Tough One to Swallow
Huskies' Offense Thrives; Defense Falters

EAST HARTFORD, ct -- The 2nd-ever game between the Michigan Wolverines and the UCONN Huskies ended much like the first one -- in a "W" for Big Blue. However, this was much more of a ballgame.

The game started off slowly, with Brendan Gibbons' 44 yard FG the only scoring in the first quarter. In the second, Chandler Whitmer and Geremy Davis put the Huskies on top. Whitmer found Davis over the middle on a slant route for a short 3-yard TD.

Michigan would answer on their next drive, as 3rd string QB Shane Morris found Drew Dileo for a 4 yard TD. It would be Dileo's only catch of the game. Morris, starting in place of the injured Devin Gardner and Russell Bellamy, did not look like a true freshman making his first ever road start. In fact, he looked like a seasoned All-American.

Morris led the Wolverines all day, repeatedly establishing tempo through the air. Morris finished the game completing 25 of his 32 passing attempts, for a total of 278 yards. He threw three touchdowns and ran for another.

The game was back-and-forth in the first half, with UCONN taking a 14-10 lead into the locker room. A Shakim Phillips 6 yard TD catch gave the Huskies that lead.

The third quarter was all Michigan though. Back-to-back touchdown drives (sandwiched by a Whitmer interception) gave the Wolverines a 24-14 lead; a lead they would not relinquish. After another Big Blue TD increased the lead to 31-17, the Huskies started to make a push.

A short 6-play drive ended in a 10 yard touchdown reception for Shakim Phillips, his second of the day. Whitmer was a perfect 5-of-5 on the drive, throwing for 64 yards and the TD. With just 1:10 to go, UCONN was within 7 points.

Shakim Phillips eludes a host of Michigan defenders to score his second TD of the game

After failing to recover the onside kick attempt, UCONN needed to rely on its defense to stop the Wolverines. Unfortunately, an all-out blitz led to a 21-yard touchdown run for Thomas Rawls, which basically ended the game. UCONN's last drive ended short of the goal line, with the final score 38-28.

Thomas Rawls scampers past Byron Jones (16) to score a TD to ice the game

Next week, the Huskies will travel to Buffalo for their first road game of the season. This will be the first time Athletic Director Warde Manuel faces his former school. Here's to hoping it will be a celebratory bus ride home!

UCONN falls to 2-1 on the season. Their final non-conference game will is next week. Michigan improves to 3-1 on the season.

Michigan Wolverines at Connecticut Huskies
Sep 21, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#18 Michigan Wolverines (3-1)	3	7	14	14	38
Connecticut Huskies (2-1)	0	14	0	10	24

Team Stats Comparison
	MICH	CONN
Total Offense	429	368
Rushing Yards	151	45
Passing Yards	278	323
First Downs	21	20
Punt Return Yards	7	2
Kick Return Yards	30	129
Total Yards	466	499
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Converstion	10-12 (83%)	6-10 (60%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	1-1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-4-0 (80%)	3-3-0 (100%)
Penalties
Posession Time	14:50	13:10

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MICH	CONN
3:08	(MICH) B. Gibbons 43 yard FG	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MICH	CONN
5:58	(CONN) Geremy Davis 3 yard TD catch (Christen XPT)	3	7
2:40	(MICH) D. Dileo 4 yard TD catch (Gibbons XPT)	10	7
0:53	(CONN) Shakim Phillips 6 yard TD catch (Christen XPT)	10	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MICH	CONN
4:51	(MICH) A. Barboh 11 yard TD catch (Gibbons XPT)	17	14
0:04	(MICH) J. Renolds 11 yard TD catch (Gibbons XPT)	24	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MICH	CONN
5:52	(CONN) Chad Christen 42 yard FG	24	17
2:41	(MICH) S. Morris 1 yard TD run (Gibbons XPT)	31	17
1:10	(CONN) Shakim Phillips 10 yard TD catch (Christen XPT)	31	24
0:57	(MICH) T. Rawls 21 yard TD run (Gibbons XPT)	38	24

Michigan Wolverines PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Shane Morris 25/32 278 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Thomas Rawls 16 106 6.6 1 Shane Morris 6 22 3.6 1 Derrick Green 3 23 7.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Devin Funchess 7 97 13.8 0 Joe Renolds 5 46 9.2 1 Thomas Rawls 3 24 8.0 0 Amara Darboh 2 21 10.5 1 Drew Dileo 1 4 4.0 1 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Michael Schofield 2 0 Joey Burzynski 1 0 Chris Bryant 1 0 Joe Kerridge 1 0 Ben Braden 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jibreel Black 5 1.0 0 0 Jake Ryan 3 0.0 1 0 Desmond Morgan 7 0.0 0 0 James Ross 6 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Brendan Gibbons 1/1 5/5 8 44 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Wile 1 42 42.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Drew Dileo 1 25 25.0 0 Joe Renolds 1 5 5.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jeremy Gallon 2 7 3.5

Connecticut Huskies PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chandler Whitmer 25/36 323 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Lyle McCombs 18 49 2.7 0 Max DeLorenzo 1 4 4.0 0 Chandler Whitmer 1 -8 -8.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Shakim Phillips 9 118 13.1 2 Geremy Davis 4 57 14.2 1 Deshon Foxx 4 48 12.0 0 Lyle McCombs 3 24 8.0 0 Sean McQuillan 3 52 17.3 0 Dhameer Bradley 2 24 12.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Gus Cruz 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Yawin Smallwood 10 0.0 0 0 Byron Jones 6 0.0 0 0 Jesse Joseph 4 1.0 0 0 Jhavon Williams 4 0.0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Chad Christen 1/1 3/3 6 42 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Cole Wagner 2 86 43.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Kamal Abrams 5 129 25.8 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Taylor Mack 1 2 2.0 0

[aabar4518]

Matchup Preview *|* September 28, 2013
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Connecticut Huskies (2-1, 0-0 Away)		Buffalo Bulls (1-2, 1-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 25.0 Points Per Game 24.0 333.3 Total Offensive Yards 394.0 77.7 Rushing Yards 212.3 255.7 Passing Yards 181.7 Defensive Stats Comparison 267.3 Total Yards Allowed 331.3 63.3 Rushing Yards Allowed 153.7 204.0 Passing Yards Allowed 177.7 Injury Report CB Carlos Lammons 8 Weeks CB Najja Johnson 1 Week Game Notes UCONN is 16-4 all time against Buffalo, with wins every year since 2009. Last time Buffalo defeated Connecticut was 2001. UCONN MLB Yawin Smallwood ranks 3rd in the NCAA with 18 tackles. LE Jesse Joseph leads all NCAA players with 7.0 sacks on the season.

[RoundingThird]

Quote: Originally Posted by aabar4518

2013: The Start of Something Big It was a second consecutive disappointing season for UConn, which underperformed considering it boasted the top defense in the Big East and the ninth-best in the country. The Huskies' offense was their greatest limitation. UConn did not score more than 10 points during losses to NC State, Rutgers, Syracuse and USF. The Huskies' defense gave up more than 21 points just three times all season, and yet UConn dropped five of its final seven games. After playing in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2010 season, UConn was shut out of a bowl game for a second straight year. Following the breakdown of the Big East, the Huskies will be competing in the new American Athletic Conference during the 2013 season. LB Yawin Smallwood is one of the conference's top players at linebacker, leading the Huskies in tackles with 120 last season. UConn also returns two starters in the secondary. The Huskies will be replacing both starting cornerbacks, however. UConn returns five offensive linemen with starting experience, including sixth-year LT Jimmy Bennett, but a unit that blocked for one of the worst rushing offenses in the country last season must be better. The line was among the best in pass protection, however, giving up just 18 sacks all season. The Huskies will need Smallwood to come up big in 2013 The Huskies' top-rated defense had four players drafted this April, so plenty of questions about how to fill those holes linger. UConn must replace production on the defensive line — especially the pass rush, where the Huskies lost DE Trevardo Williams, who racked up a team-high 111/2 sacks last season, and LB Sio Moore, who had eight sacks. The more pressing concerns are with the offense, where the UConn needs to eliminate turnovers and find more production overall. At quarterback, Chandler Whitmer will have a new offensive coordinator this season, but he threw 16 interceptions and just nine touchdowns last season. The Huskies must also find a true outside threat — no receiver had more than 613 yards last season and just one had more than one touchdown reception. UCONN will need QB Chandler Whitmer to be more efficent in 2013 UConn will play one of its most challenging schedules ever, including a nonconference matchup with Michigan, and will be losing major production on the defensive side of the ball. The offense should be better this year with plenty of returning experience and consistency on the offensive line, but there are still questions about whether they have the playmakers to compete with some of the conference's top teams. The Huskies will be fighting to finish in the top half of the American Athletic Conference.

Bottom picture is of Johnny McEntee not Chandler.

[aabar4518]

Quote: Originally Posted by Po1soNNN

Bottom picture is of Johnny McEntee not Chandler.

Haha good catch. You'd think that being a UCONN student I should have notice that.

[aabar4518]

All posts have been updated to include Photoshop art!

[aabar4518]

McComb-ing Up Big
Junior HB Lyle McCombs has a career game in Buffalo

BUFFALO, ny -- When asked earlier in the week what the Huskies looked to exploit coming into this week's game against Buffalo, head coach Paul Pasqualoni was very blunt. He simply stated that he wanted to "run the ball up their throats". Well, consider that goal accomplished, Coach P!

There was doubt in the Huskies playbook for this week, who tallied a total of 33 true rushing attempts, to just 15 dropbacks. Coming into the game, Buffalo ranked among the worst in the NCAA, giving up over 150 yards on the ground per game. This was a sure advantage for Connecticut.

Lyle McCombs led the way for the Huskies, amassing 143 yards on 28 carries (an average of 5.1 per attempt). He also found the end zone three times. His touchdowns - one in the first, second, and third quarters - were extremely timely. The first came as an answer to Buffalo's early TD in the first quarter, which knotted the game at 7. His second put the Huskies up by 14, almost ensuring a halftime lead. Lastly, his knock-out punch in the 3rd quarter put Connecticut up 35-14, an insurmountable lead with just 7:11 left in the game.

McCombs scores the second of his three touchdowns on the day

The game against the Bulls also saw Connecticut's first defensive touchdown of the season. Late in the 4th quarter, with the game already decided, backup ROLB Omaine Stephens picked up an Alex Zordich fumble and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown. Stephens, a seldom-used player, showed his agility in his ability to scoop up the football in a crowd. He later side-stepped a Buffalo offensive lineman en route to the promised land.

Alex Zordich of Buffalo is stripped by Jhavon Williams, leading to an Omaine Stephens fumble return for TD

The Huskies will have a bye week next week before hosting South Florida in their first American Athletic Conference game of their season - and their history!

Connecticut Huskies at Buffalo Bulls
Sep 28, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Connecticut Huskies (3-1)	7	14	14	7	42
Buffalo Bulls (1-3)	7	7	0	7	21

Team Stats Comparison
	CONN	BUFF
Total Offense	353	376
Rushing Yards	164	129
Passing Yards	189	247
First Downs	18	21
Punt Return Yards	41	0
Kick Return Yards	90	94
Total Yards	484	470
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Converstion	4-6 (67%)	7-12 (58%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	1-1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-5-0 (100%)	3-3-0 (100%)
Penalties
Posession Time	15:01	18:20

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CONN	BUFF
3:14	(BUFF) Branden Oliver 19-yard TD catch (Patrick Clarke XPT)	0	7
2:16	(CONN) Lyle McCombs 2-yard TD run (Chad Christen XPT)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CONN	BUFF
5:24	(CONN) Max DeLorenzo 6-yard TD run (Christen XPT)	14	7
3:24	(CONN) Lyle McCombs 7-yard TD run (Christen XPT)	21	7
1:48	(BUFF) Alex Zordich 12-yard TD run (Clarke XPT)	21	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CONN	BUFF
3:25	(CONN) Max DeLorenzo 1-yard TD run (Christen XPT)	28	14
0:11	(CONN) Lyle McCombs 1-yard TD run (Christen XPT	35	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CONN	BUFF
3:22	(CONN) Omaine Stephens 66-yard fumble return for TD (Christen XPT)	42	14
0:47	(BUFF) Devon Hughes 6-yard TD catch (Clarke XPT)	42	21

Connecticut Huskies PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chandler Whitmer 11/14 189 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Lyle McCombs 28 143 5.1 3 Max DeLorenzo 5 33 6.6 2 Casey Cochran 1 -2 -2.0 0 Chandler Whitmer 1 -10 -10.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Shakim Phillips 4 78 19.5 0 Lyle McCombs 2 12 6.0 0 Sean McQuillan 2 54 27.0 0 Geremy Davis 2 22 11.0 0 Deshon Foxx 1 23 23.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Steven Greene 1 0 Jimmy Bennett 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jesse Joseph 7 3.0 0 0 Yawin Smallwood 6 0.0 1 0 Omaine Stephens 1 0.0 0 1 Taylor Mack 4 0.0 0 0 Ty Meer Brown 4 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Chad Christen 0/0 6/6 6 N/A PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Cole Wagner 2 108 54.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Kamal Abrams 1 59 59.0 0 John Green 1 5 5.0 0 Taylor Mack 1 26 26.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Taylor Mack 4 41 10.2 0

Buffalo Bulls PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Alex Zordich 27/37 247 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Alex Zordich 14 41 2.9 1 Branden Oliver 13 88 6.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Devon Hughes 8 78 9.7 1 Branden Oliver 6 49 8.1 1 Rudy Johnson 4 38 9.5 0 Fred Lee 3 28 9.3 0 Jimmy Gordon 3 20 6.6 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Andre Davis 2 0 Jimmy Gordon 1 0 Trevor Sales 0 1 Jessie Back 0 1 Jake Silas 0 3 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Whitney Sherry 8 0.0 0 0 Okoye Houston 6 0.0 0 0 William Rembert 3 0.0 1 0 Jake Stockman 6 1.0 0 0 Khalil Mack 6 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Patrick Clarke 0/0 3/3 3 N/A PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Tyler Grassman 4 133 33.2 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Devin Campbell 3 72 24.0 0 Okoye Houston 1 22 22.0 0

[LonghornFan78]

Following... great read so far. Liking the layouts.