American Stories – Sixty Minutes Makes a Difference for UConn

PHILADELPHIA – UConn head coach Randy Edsall knew that it would be an uphill battle.

Edsall, who guided UConn football into its Division I era, established the Huskies as a competitive national team in the course of 10 years, culminating in a pair of Big East championships and a spot in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2010 season.

He didn’t quite have to start from scratch in his second go-around in Storrs – but it was close. There must have been times, like after a 70-31 loss to Memphis, when he wouldn’t be faulted if he had wondered what he got himself into.

But the Huskies finally got a taste of the good life last Saturday when they earned a 28-24 victory over Temple, the defending American champions, at Lincoln Financial Field.

Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs threw three touchdown passes for UConn, but more importantly, the Huskies’ struggling defense came up huge with two turnovers and some much-needed stops in the fourth quarter to preserve their first road win after eight consecutive road losses.

“That was fun,” Edsall said after the game. “I don’t know what it did for my heart, but it was fun to see those kids celebrating in the locker room, with smiles on their faces. That’s really what it’s about.”

The experience left an emotional Edsall with tears streaming down his face as he talked about what his players had gone through during a long week of practice and what he told them during a team meeting the night before the game.

“I’m passionate about what I do,” Edsall said. “I’m passionate about kids and helping them achieve to a level they don’t think they can get to. And when maybe you don’t feel like you’re getting through to them, you just wonder what you’ve got to do, because I know they have it in them.”

For Edsall, the key to the Huskies’ success against wasn’t because of any brilliant schemes, or execution in any particular area. It was simply because UConn performed at the same level for the entirety of the game – a trait that had been notably absent from the first five weeks.

“I just took some statements from the heart, told them, ‘Just do me one favor – go out and play every play as hard as you can, then go to the next one for 60 minutes. This is how we have to play.’ I tried to hammer that home. Maybe I said it a different way. Maybe they took it to heart.

“We made some mistakes, but we overcame them. They went out and got a win. You don’t play this game not to win, but you need to respect the game and put the effort and the preparation in to win, which they have to do now if they’re going to be successful in life.”

At that point, Edsall left the podium and headed for the locker room, seeking shelter for his emotions.

“He was pumped up,” Shirreffs said of his head coach. “That’s a good thing. You can tell this means a lot to him. He was really fired up and I think it had an effect on how we played today. When you are playing for something when you know it means so much to them, it’s easier to sacrifice for them.”

Edsall was like this earlier in his career at UConn when the program was just getting started. They still tell a story in Storrs about the time he got so worked up on the sidelines, he almost passed out during a game at Buffalo. But no one ever questioned how much he cared and the results eventually came.

The Huskies, who gave up seven touchdown passes to Memphis’ prolific quarterback Riley Ferguson, jumped out to a 28-14 lead against Temple when UConn freshman safety Tyler Coyle stepped in front of a Logan Marchi pass and returned it 34-yards for a pick-six with 6:34 left in the third quarter.

Then, after Temple closed to within 28-21 and had a first-and-goal with a chance to tie the game early in the fourth quarter, the Huskies forced the Owls to settle for field goal..

The Owls finished with a healthy 473 yards total offense to UConn’s 224, but they could not score in their final three possessions against the Huskies’ new 3-3-5 scheme. UConn used four freshmen – Tyler Coyle, Jordan Swan, Brayden Brown and Omar Fortt – extensively.

The Owls had one last shot on their final possession with 55 seconds left after a missed UConn field goal attempt. Temple advanced to the UConn 42 with eight seconds remaining. But Coyle batted down a Hail Mary pass from Logan Marchi on the final play of the game.

“When Coach demands something and it’s coming from the heart, we all see that,” said linebacker Junior Joseph, who had a team-high 11 tackles with a sack and two pass breakups against Temple. “It was time to step up. It was definitely about pride. Last week (against Memphis) was probably the most embarrassing moment I’ve had in my life. The past few games, the wheels came off. Against Temple, we showed we can play hard for four quarters and keep our composure.”

This may not be one of Edsall’s vintage teams. He readily admits that he does not have the personnel on defense to fit the scheme that he believes is essential to compete with the potent offenses in The American. And one of the trademarks of Edsall’s first tenure at UConn was the coach’s ability to develop players who were not as heavily recruited as others into stalwarts in the NFL.

This season is a work in progress and this was only one win. But defeating a Temple team that had blistered the Huskies in the previous two years is a start. The Huskies dazzled against Temple at the right time

“This was a gritty game; that’s the way I would describe it,” Shirreffs said. “I really wanted this one. I didn’t play against them last year and I had a concussion two years aqo. This meant a lot. There’s nothing you can compare to a road win. Those memories really stick with you.”