Started to do research on UConn ... yikes!
I just started looking into UConn ... I did not follow much of the Big East last year, especially UConn.
First thing that I looked at was ESPN's spring recap and rankings. I was a bit surprised that UConn was ranked 3rd:
http://espn.go.com/ncf/notebook/_/page/Big%20East%20spring%20wrap/big-east-spring-wrap
Then I wanted to find out about their QB ... I was hoping to see that they were using young or untested QB ... but they have a 5th year senior! A guy who was a 4 star and originally went to Notre Dame. I know that doesn't mean much on paper, but it does make me nervous against our defense.
http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=1578691
http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-Zach-Frazer-29704
Anyone else have thoughts on Zach Frazer ... ?
This is definitely a scary game. Usually swing games happen mid-season and unfortunately, we have 2 of them in our first 2 games. I think UCONN is a legitimate threat to win the Big east and I think this game is a "toss up". Let's hope their defense struggles like they did against RR's WVU teams. Otherwise, this is going to be a shootout. Why can't we schedule a non-Utah/non-UCONN?! Too much stress for an opener.
non Appalachian State?
edit: I was not saying this to be derogatory, that day was f-ing traumatic. The idea of playing one of the best mac-level teams in the nation is bad, no matter how awesome the team is. If you win - no one gives a shit cause it is expected. If you lose, it is a national embarrassment.
didn't mean to offend anyone.
Under most circumstances, I completely agree about not having toss-ups at the beginning of the year. However, since this team has so many questions marks (Who is our starting qb?, What is our main defensive alignment?..etc), it makes us difficult to scout. We might be able to surprise some teams.
Michigan's defensive concept is safety's in numbers. RR feels if we play in the vicinity of 6 or 7 safety's, we won't get beat DEEP(said in the voice of Van Earl Wright)
That's what she said.
I am all down with stopping the run however another season of consistently giving up the 3rd and 17 and the family dog will not be happy.
Haha... you're right though. There's nothing more maddening.
... an alright team, most of the preseason hype is coming from last years success. im not completely sold on them tho, they played a weak non-conference schedule last year and also some wins from weak big east teams, and the good teams they played, pitt, WVU, Cinci, north carolina, they lost. that being said i still think this is going to be a tough game for both teams, and i hope we pull it out.
This is merely a model of our enemy!
If we don't beat UCONN at home, it's gonna be a long season. Expectations for M football are at an all time low, geez we are playing UCONN not Alabama in the opener.
splitting ND and UConn wouldn't be a disaster. I think we will see many adjustments going into ND regardless of the outcome.
Losing the opener to UCONN would be a disaster imho. UCONN needs to be beaten and beaten decisively, if we don't beat UCONN at home, who the hell are we going to beat? Not State or Wisconsin, or Iowa, or OSU,or PSU. This is RR's third year at the helm, beating UCONN should be expected, a loss here is unexceptable and RR and Co. know it.
These are the questions people would ask, but you and I both know that anything can happen on any given Saturday. You can lose to an FCS school to open a season (pauses, frowns...) and then finish off the season with this:
beating UCONN should be expected, a loss here is unexceptable and RR and Co. know it.
Emphasis mine. The only thing worse than UNACCEPTABLE is unexceptable. I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not. If it isn't, let's just say that UConn is a quality team and I would expect them to beat ND. If there's a game in the first two that we struggle with, I'd bet it would be this one. Remember, UConn did beat ND at ND last year.
Ouch my bad, thanks for catching my gaffe. Irregardless cain't lose to UCONN in the opener not in 2010, can't happen. If it happens we are going to be in for a titanic struggle to finish .500
irregardless hurts.
So sorry, sometimes I have issues with the pacific use of words, however as Abe said, if we lose to UCONN "the bottom is out of the tub"
"...with the pacific use of words..."
WEST COAST WHAT!
I thought remember reading that UCONN's defense looked pretty terrible during their spring game. Might be a shootout.
Time to bring out ze big gunz...
Their front 7 is supposed to be ok. Their secondary, I believe, is awful.
Sounds familiar...
Not to be a total downer.... but our linebacking isn't great either (assuming we arent counting Roh as a LB).
the Boatswains Mate need to get off thier asses and paint that gun mount. Once for dust twice for rust.
...a BM to take care of a gun mount? If that was the practice on that ship, that's why that mount was in such crappy shape. Pride in ownership solves most issues at sea, amiright?
Still need those jackasses to open the paint locker. We had both gun mounts and missle launchers, aft missle deck and Fan Tail on my boats. 20 GM's 50 BM's and our shit always looked better.
Plus I still had time to "jedi mind trick" the ensigns.
...enjoyed having you in my division. You could have "Jedi mind tricked" me all you wanted as long as your damn gun didn't go click when the range went green and the missile went whoosh when I hit the "Engage SM" VAB.
I believe UCONN will be starting a very young secondary so i think we can get a passing game going against their young inexperienced players. If not we can just let Denard run wild
UConn's starting QB has less starting experience than Tate. I'm not worried about him.
Correct
QB Zach Fraizer played in 4 games in 2008(started 3, I believe)
and 8 games in 2009.
yet again, that info is from ESPN
Isn't that exactly the same amount as Tate, just with fewer starts?
My math says 8 + 3 equals 11, not 12. Remember, the OP said Tate has started more games, not played in more games. I think Tate has 12 to Frazier's 11.
... to add, their QB isnt that great. he had 1500 yards 10 TD and 9 picks. their strength is the ground game, they had two 1,000 yards rushers last season. and i know that one comes back, im not sure about the other.
Jordan Todman(1,188, 5.1ypc, 14TD) returns
while Andre Dixon(1,093, 4.6ypc, 14TD) does not return
This is true. Now, they had a good running game last year because these guys split the carries right down the middle. Dixon was a horse too, good short yardage guy, and Todman is a Vincent Smith sized runner. They don't have a another guy returning who did ANYTHING last year. Todman was a good RB when we only was asked to carry half the load, and when there was a good change of pace back to mix things up. That's not the case this year, and UConn also lost their best weapon at WR, he had about half of their total receiving yards.
Defenses couldn't focus on Todman last year, this year they can.
...should be sufficiently strong to take on a Big East title contender and come out on top. I'm glad we have a challenging OOC schedule this year. Win or lose, we will have earned our record going into the Big Ten conference schedule.
I think another possible benefit of a tough opener: it might help the team to be a little more focused and practice a little harder in the off season knowing that they have a tough test right out of the gate, as opposed to being able to ease into the season with a couple cupcakes.
That warrants a "yikes!" He is inexperienced and mediocre at best. He had an NFL-caliber burner to throw to last year who is gone now.
UConn's ground game will be decent to good and it's mostly due to their O-line; big and experienced dudes who blow holes. This will be a test for our D-line and linebackers.
I still think this team, while better, is getting the same overhype as Western did last year. Half the people I talked to thought we would get crushed in last year's opener. I'm perfectly fine with overhyping UConn, though, and coming out with chips on our shoulders and knocking them out of the park.
... spring game.
Watch our footage and then watch theirs. You will see what the 500 people there saw. Average team.
We will beat them by two touchdowns.
We have an advantage they don't.
107,501 advantages.
Come early and be loud, goddammit.
Drink early be louder.
It's actually going to be a new Big House record... 113,000+. Thank you renovations!
I give UCONN less of a chance than Custer had against the Indians in the Battle of the Little Big House
Gordie - I rarely bother to log in to comment, but nice job. One of my favorite movies all-time.
at home against UConn this season, than we are to lose at Notre Dame. UConn has a lot of experience returning from a pretty good team last season. Athlon's season preview has them 2nd in the Big East and #20 nationally....so this will definitely be a test.