Huskies Deserve a Win?
Dave Curtis - SportingNews.com
Oct 29, 2009
Sporting News' Dave Curtis analyzes what Wednesday's buzz means to college football.
Husky Power
Here's a thought off the news that prosecutors believe they have found the men who killed UConn defensive back Jasper Howard: nobody needs, or deserves, a Halloween win more than the Huskies. Off the field, they've grieved their teammate's death in public and classy fashion. On it, their three losses have come by nine points, including a last-second field goal at Pittsburgh and a late safety in a 12-10 loss to North Carolina. In his Tuesday press conference, coach Randy Edsall said his team looked closer to normal in a meeting that morning.
"Guys were attentive, alert," he said. "We didn't have to talk about some of the other issues that have come up. It was good to get back into that kind of mindset."
The focus has returned, Edsall said later. And Saturday, versus Rutgers, he hopes a win follows.
Regular, Plus or Super?
With apologies to the Florida and Georgia fans already en route to Jacksonville, the big game this week is South Carolina's visit to Tennessee. And it centers on recruiting. Remember last summer when reports mentioned that Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin told Gamecock signee Alshon Jeffery he'd end up "pumping gas" because of his college choice. (Kiffin denied the comment; Jeffery hasn't address it). Well, the South Carolina players haven't forgotten. "I took it personally," receiver Moe Brown told reporters in Columbia, S.C. this week. So look for some jawing and extra-hard hits between these guys Saturday night. The atmosphere should only add to the fun in Knoxville, where UT has its most positive buzz since its 2007 SEC East championship.
Lil' Recruiting Bump
Early Wednesday afternoon, this note popped up to Kiffin's 19,000-some Twitter followers: "also a huge shout-out to Lil Wayne for boosting our street cred!" That's right, folks. The Grammy Award winner references UT's coach in his rap "Banned From TV." The mention compares Lil Wayne's ability to, well, talk trash as well as Kiffin does. Maybe sneaking into the song improves Kiffin's image among recruits. We're not sure. But as the website sbnation.com points out, Lil Wayne makes a habit of working sports figures into his lyrics. Emeka Okafor, Rafael Nadal, and, yes, even Tim Tebow have earned a mention before.
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