FACTS & STATS: Site: Rentschler Field (40,000) -- East Hartford, Connecticut. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Baylor 2-1, UConn 2-0. Away Record: Baylor 0-0, UConn 1-0. Neutral Record: Baylor 0-0, UConn 0-0. Conference Record: Baylor 0-0, UConn 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.
GAME NOTES: The Connecticut Huskies will attempt to continue their terrific start to the 2008 campaign when they host the Baylor Bears this Friday evening at Rentschler Field. The Bears opened their season with three straight home matchups, beginning with a 41-13 loss to Wake Forest. Fortunately Baylor was able to rebound with back-to-back wins over Northwestern State (51-6) and Washington State (45-17). The Bears have not beat a non-conference BCS team on the road since 1996, and are 0-6 during that span. As for the Huskies, they have been red-hot to start the season, winning three straight games. UConn opened the 2008 campaign with a 35-3 victory over Hofstra, and followed that win with a hard-fought, 12-9 overtime victory over Temple on the road. This past weekend, the Huskies continued their strong play with a 45-10 drumming of Virginia. It was just the fourth win for UConn against an ACC squad, and it was also the ninth consecutive victory for the Huskies at Rentschler Field. This will be the first-ever meeting between Baylor and UConn on the gridiron.
The Bears' offensive unit has relied heavily on quarterback Robert Griffin, who has not only been extremely consistent under center, but is also leading the team on the ground. Griffin has completed 62.3 percent of his throws this season, and has four touchdown passes against zero interceptions. With his legs, the freshman signal caller has rumbled for 288 yards and four scores on 9.0 ypc. Griffin was at it again this past weekend, as the young quarterback pounded Washington State for 217 rushing yards and two touchdowns. As a whole, the Bears finished with a whopping 426 rushing yards in the game, averaging 10.1 ypc. Jay Finley contributed with 119 yards and one TD on just 10 totes. As for Griffin, he did not have to do much with his arm, but the freshman finished with 129 yards and one touchdown on 7-of-15 passing. Overall the Bears finished with an outstanding 555 total yards in the victory and also converted on 4-of-5 red zone chances.
The Bears' defensive front was much too aggressive for Washington State this past weekend, as Baylor collected an impressive seven sacks in the win. Baylor limited the Cougars to just 340 total yards of offense, including just 77 rushing yards on 2.0 ypc. The defensive front has done a terrific job against the run all year, limiting the opposition to just 95.0 ypg on 2.4 ypc. Baylor also forced WSU into five turnovers in the win, and held the Cougars to just 19 first downs. Joe Pawelek had a busy game, as linebacker led the way with 10 tackles, to go along with a fumble recovery and one interception. Antonio Jones added eight stops, and one sack in the win for the Bears.
Once again the Huskies road the coat tails of Donald Brown, as the running back pounded Virginia for 206 yards and three scores. Overall, the Huskies finished with an impressive 382 yards on the ground, while averaging an equally strong 7.2 ypc. Brown has been one of the top backs in the nation to start the year, as the junior has racked up 588 yards and eight touchdowns in just three games. With the success of the ground game, quarterback Tyler Lorenzen did not have to do much with his arm, as the signal caller threw for just 124 yards and one TD on 13-of-15 passing. On the season, the Huskies are currently averaging an impressive 30.7 ppg, and the majority of the team's success is due to the rushing attack, which is churning out an eye-popping 297.7 ypg on the ground.
Sure the success of the offense is impressive for UConn, but do not overlook the tremendous play of the team's defensive unit, which has limited opponents to a mere 7.3 ppg. The Huskies are holding teams to just 229.0 total ypg, and that includes a mere 66.3 rushing ypg on just 2.6 ypc. The defense has also forced seven turnovers in the first three games, and has limited the opposition to just 28 percent on third down attempts. The Huskies success against the run continued this past weekend against Virginia, as UConn limited the Cavaliers to just 31 yards on 2.2 ypc. Overall, UConn surrendered only 219 yards and also forced two turnovers in the win. Scott Lutrus and Dahna Deleston both led the way, racking up six tackles apiece.
This should be the toughest test for UConn to date, as the Bears have been extremely tough against the run. Considering both schools depend heavily on their ground games, expect a low scoring affair. However, with that said, the Huskies have a true running back, while Baylor relies on its QB to rack up the rushing yards, and that is a clear cut advantage for the Huskies, especially at home.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Connecticut 24, Baylor 17
Game Date and Time
Friday, September 19th, 8:00 p.m. (et)
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