For the first 30 minutes, UConn football fans probably felt like Yankees fans heading into the ninth inning on Sunday night, nervous, apprehensive and real worried about their team.
But much like the fans of the defending World Champs. UConn Nation is probably breathing easier after a strong second half effort to wallop Buffalo 45-21.
There wasn’t a lot to like about the last 20 minutes of the first half after the Huskies jumped on top 14-0. Buffalo answered back with 14 unanswered points to tie the game. Randy Edsall put in Cody Endres to take the final snap of the half, and said it would be Endres to start the second half. In between, the head coach reportedly blistered the locker room walls at the half.
Message received, Endres was terrific running the offense, Robbie Frye, who the coaches wanted to restrict to special teams to recover from nagging injuries, was inserted and ran for a career high 112 yards while Lawrence Wilson and Sio Moore paced a defense that limited UB to 134 yards in the second half.
Moore had 16 tackles to earn BigEast defensive player of the week honors. Wilson, moved to the middle for Greg Lloyd had 14 tackles and looked at home in the middle as the Huskies played five defensive backs for everything outside of goal line. Edsell has said he will play the 11 best players and he felt good about the 11 who played defense on Saturday.
As far as the quarterback change, I will admit, I was a little surprised…Not that Frazier was lifted, the offense had been very stagnant for six quarters, but that it was Endres. But he moved past Michael Box during practice on Wednesday and when it was time to make a chance, it was the Pennsylvanian who got the call.
Cody played well last year until he was lost for the season in the Rutgers game and brings a different dynamic to the huddle. And the response by the offense in the second half was undeniable.
So it’s on to Vanderbilt, picked to be last in the SEC but fired up after their win two Saturday’s ago at Ole Miss.
As far as the pro picks for Sunday, not so good, in fact, almost as brutal as the Giants performance Sunday against the Titans. I was 1-4 getting only the Chiefs game right. Wrong on the Cowboys, wrong on the Pats, wrong on the Saints and wrong on the Jets…Oh well, season record now 8-7.
Among the guests on SportsTalk tonite, New London Day sports editor and UConn football beat writer Chuck Banning. We are on from 6:10 to 7:30 before the Sox,Red and White.
