Saturday, September 11, 1999
UK-UConn not basketball game
2 football teams trying to rebound from opening losses
The Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. — It's a wonder the schedulemakers didn't think this up years ago:
A matchup of the last two national champions. Jim Calhoun vs. Tubby Smith, Huskies vs. Wildcats before a packed Rupp Arena.
Well, maybe not.
The Connecticut-Kentucky clash today will take place not on the basketball court but on the football field at Commonwealth Stadium at 1:30p.m. And this game features two teams less concerned with national rankings than with erasing the memory of stinging opening-day losses.
Kentucky was crushed 56-28 by intrastate rival Louisville in the first game and is looking to get a youthful squad on track before a trip to Indiana next week and the start of Southeastern Conference play Sept.25.
Connecticut, a Division I-AA program preparing to move to I-A next year, is coming off a 56-17 loss to Hofstra. The Huskies hope to gain experience against a I-A opponent — and escape the Bluegrass without too many injuries.
“We're making the jump to I-A next year, when we'll have to play seven I-A opponents,” coach Randy Edsall said. “What I wanted to do was make sure we played somebody that was a real good I-A team to let our players know and to let our fans know and to let our administration know this is where we're going to go, this is how we're going to have to get there, and this is what we're up against.”
Last year, Connecticut reached the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs under coach Skip Holtz before falling to Georgia Southern. But Holtz left in the offseason to be an assistant to his father, Lou, at South Carolina, and Edsall was hired away from Georgia Tech, where he had been defensive coordinator.
Edsall's first head coaching job got off to a rough start against Hofstra.
Quarterback Brian Hoffmann was 18-for-30 passing against Hofstra for 222 yards and a touchdown, as well as two interceptions, while running back Barry Chandler carried 16 times for just 39 yards.
For Kentucky, a strong early drive stalled out, ending in a field goal, and when the Cardinals' high-powered offense started piling up points on a confused Kentucky defense, the Wildcats were unable to keep pace.
UK coach Hal Mumme plans to give more carries to running backs Anthony White and Kendrick Shanklin at the expense of Derek Homer, who played poorly in the Louisville game.
Defensively, coordinator Mike Major plans to have free safety Willie Gary replace injured strong safety David Johnson, while backup Anthony Wajda takes Gary's spot.
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