UConn coach Randy Edsall could be on his way out of the Big East, if Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly doesn’t beat him to it first.
Edsall reportedly has interest for the open coaching job at Notre Dame, and the school feels the same about Edsall, according to ESPN.com.
Rumors have been circulating about Cincinnati’s coach Kelly, considering he has had direct contact with representatives for Notre Dame, but the decision was made for Kelly to not have a formal interview with athletic director Jack Swarbrick while they were both in New York City on Tuesday.
Kelly could be named the new coach of Notre Dame as early as Friday, once he has a chance to speak with his players at the annual players’ banquet on Thursday night, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Lou Holtz, who coached Notre Dame from 1986-96 and won a national championship with the Fighting Irish in ’88, believes that Kelly will ultimately end up with the job.
“I believe that’s what is going to happen,” said Holtz. “I believe something will be done by the end of the week, at least that’s what all the indications are.”
“He has an Irish name, plus he has all the ingredients the athletic director is looking for. Here’s a guy who’s been prepared every place he’s been. He’s done a tremendous job at Cincinnati.”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 10:12 pm by bryan
By Bud L. Ellis
The 7-5 record the Connecticut Huskies sport might not look super impressive, but dig deeper and you’ll see a team that’s overcome much more than losing football games this season.
Cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death in October. The loss shook the UConn team and community to its very core, yet the Huskies rallied around their late teammate.
That didn’t make things any easier on the field. Playing with heavy hearts, the Huskies lost their next three games. In those defeats to West Virginia, Rutgers and Cincinnati, the margin of defeat was by a combined total of 10 points.
But after the three-game losing streak, the Huskies closed the regular season with three consecutive victories, over Notre Dame, Syracuse and South Florida. UConn hopes to make it four in a row and close the season on a good note when the Huskies play South Carolina in the PapaJohns.com Bowl, Jan. 2 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
The matchup with the Gamecocks is the fourth bowl appearance for the Huskies, who defeated Buffalo 38-20 in last season’s International Bowl. UConn beat Toledo in the 2004 Motor City Bowl and lost to Wake Forest in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl.
South Carolina (7-5) started the season 5-1, but stumbled against tough SEC competition down the stretch, losing to Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida before knocking off ACC title game participant Clemson.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 9:18 pm by bud
Tags: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Jasper Howard, Legion Field, Notre Dame, PapaJohns.com Bowl, Rutgers, South Carolina, South Florida, Syracuse, West Virginia
In a year filled with trials and tribulations for the UConn football team, the Husky players have one more big challenge to face.
The Huskies will take on the Steve Spurrier-led South Carolina Gamecocks in the Papajohns.com Bowl on Jan. 2, ending a year in which UConn football player Jasper Howard was murdered in October.
The Huskies immediately caught the attention of the nation, as they continued to battle every week in memory of their former cornerback teammate. They lost all five of their games this season by a total of 15 points, and immediately following Howard’s death, they dropped three straight and looked to be in danger of missing a bowl altogether.
But the team rallied together after a 47-45 loss at then-No. 5 Cincinnati, and the Huskies reeled off three straight wins to become bowl eligible. This included a road upset at Notre Dame, a game that may have driven the final nail into Charlie Weis’ Notre Dame coaching coffin.
The Huskies will rely on a double-headed rushing attack to get them through Spurrier’s squad, as they have two players that accumulated over 2,100 on the ground together this year. The tandem of Andre Dixon and Jordan Todman have combined for 27 rushing touchdowns on the season, and have provided UConn a fortifiable backbone on offense.
They’ll need an offensive backbone against Spurrier, whose team lost four of their last six, but managed a huge upset of Clemson in their final game of the season.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 10:09 pm by bryan
