UCHG: 2003 at Kent State, vs. Akron, vs. Rutgers

[tcf15]

Kent State: http://uconnhuskygames.com/football-10182003-uconn-at-kent-state/
Akron: http://uconnhuskygames.com/football-10252003-uconn-vs-akron/
Rutgers: http://uconnhuskygames.com/football-1182003-uconn-vs-rutgers/

 

[Excalibur]

I've been hoping to get that RU game from 2003. I'll be checking that one out tonight.

 

[BugsyCT]

Memorable RU game. Was a great local rivalry while it lasted.

 

[businesslawyer]

Still remember the Akron game like yesterday. Nuzzi missed a gamewinning FG with two minutes left. Remarkably, Charey Frye and the Zips threw three incomplete passes, giving us the ball back with only about 15 seconds off the clock and all our TOs. We then got something silly like 12 plays off in the last 1:40 or so, ending with a short game winning Nuzzi FG with the whole stadium holding their breath.

That sound about right? Man -- to go back to the days when we were building something (in that case, a 9-3 season our first year at the Rent albeit against a weak schedule)?

While I remember a ton about the RU game as well, what I remember most is learning for the first time how duckcking cold the visitors side of the bowl can be in late November and early December. And the people just milling about in the mens room at halftime for warmth.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Man -- to go back to the days when we were building something (in that case, a 9-3 season our first year at the Rent albeit against a weak schedule)?

That upsets me. I'm upset. And sad.

 

[UConn9604]

Still remember the Akron game like yesterday. Nuzzi missed a gamewinning FG with two minutes left. Remarkably, Charey Frye and the Zips threw three incomplete passes, giving us the ball back with only about 15 seconds off the clock and all our TOs. We then got something silly like 12 plays off in the last 1:40 or so, ending with a short game winning Nuzzi FG with the whole stadium holding their breath.

That sound about right? Man -- to go back to the days when we were building something (in that case, a 9-3 season our first year at the Rent albeit against a weak schedule)?

While I remember a ton about the RU game as well, what I remember most is learning for the first time how duckcking cold the visitors side of the bowl can be in late November and early December. And the people just milling about in the mens room at halftime for warmth.

A mostly weak schedule but that team was pretty good - the only three losses were against BC at home (I remember 3-4 ridiculous calls, including a "home field" clock operator who let BC get off a FG to end the half), an excellent Va. Tech team on the road (where Caulley got hurt - the week before he racked up 230+ yards on Buffalo), and a pretty good NC State team, also on the road, on the last play of the game. (That NC State team had Phillip Rivers and Jerricho Cotchery, and lost to both no. 3 Ohio State and no. 13 Florida State by 6 in OT that year.) We blew Wake Forest out on the last game of the season, on the road, their Senior Day, when they had a chance to make a bowl.

We had three RBs total more than 150 yards in a game that year - Caulley vs. Buffalo, Chris Bellamy vs. NC State (166) and Kent State (212), and Cornell Brockington vs. Western Michigan (186) and Wake (182).

That 2003 team is very underrated because it didn't play in a bowl and was an independent, but I think it was better than the Motor City Bowl team.

 

[Justin M]

Nuzie sent the crowd into cardiac arrest on a weekly basis

 

[RedSoloCup]

Nuzie sent the crowd into cardiac arrest on a weekly basis

Loved the work he put in, and he did give me palpitations.

 

[HistoryMajor]

On a lark, another couple and us decided to go to the Kent State game. it was COLD - very cold. The star of the game was Joshua Cribbs, the Kent State QB. Cribbs was not a particularly good QB but he was a great athlete. Great is understating his athleticism. A few years later Cibbs was an all pro punt returner for Cleveland.
UCONN's O line was superb which allowed UCONN to pile up the yards and was the major reason UCONN won.

As an aside, the Kent State stadium and stadium experience may have been the worst that I've ever been in and I've been in about 25 college football stadiums. To put KS stadium in perspective, our old Memorial Stadium was vastly superior to KS.

 

[BoatShow]

I'm struggling to take us seriously in those uniforms. People think the current duds are bad? lol

 

[Scoe]

On a lark, another couple and us decided to go to the Kent State game. it was COLD - very cold. The star of the game was Joshua Cribbs, the Kent State QB. Cribbs was not a particularly good QB but he was a great athlete. Great is understating his athleticism. A few years later Cibbs was an all pro punt returner for Cleveland.
UCONN's O line was superb which allowed UCONN to pile up the yards and was the major reason UCONN won.

As an aside, the Kent State stadium and stadium experience may have been the worst that I've ever been in and I've been in about 25 college football stadiums. To put KS stadium in perspective, our old Memorial Stadium was vastly superior to KS.

Kent State had 2 NY Giants Super Bowl champions in Domenik Hixon and Chase Blackburn as well.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

I watched the Rutgers game, like nearly in its entierty last night. I had totally forgotten about Ch. 3 covering UConn football before the big conference TV deals were in place. Those hidious jerseys, the video in general, and even just the look of the stadium (almost no signage or interesting visuals), all just made me think of how far we've really come in the 10+ years we've had this program at a D1 level. When you watch one of these games, and then throw on like the Michigan game from 2013 for example its really night and day. I do miss having a QB with the talent, and that intangable "swagger" like Danny O did though...

 

[Nostical]

Cornell Brockington vs. Western Michigan)

And I remember WMU brought in the best visiting defensive player to ever play at The Rent---Jason Babin.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

And I remember WMU brought in the best visiting defensive player to ever play at The Rent---Jason Babin.

That's an interesting topic. Best offensive and defensive visiting players to ever play at the Rent. I may steal this and start it's own thread.

 

[businesslawyer]

That's an interesting topic. Best offensive and defensive visiting players to ever play at the Rent. I may steal this and start it's own thread.

If you're talking about college players, and not basing it on what they did in the NFL, the best offensive player who ever played here when he played here was Pat White. Period. End of discussion. If you say the best college player who played here regardless of how early in his career he played here, then it's RGIII, again, end of discussion.

Defensive players is much, much harder, but JPP and Selvie from USF and Elvis Dummerill from the 'Ville all played in the Rent.

 

[Scoe]

If you're talking about college players, and not basing it on what they did in the NFL, the best offensive player who ever played here was Pat White. Period. End of discussion.

Defensive players is much, much harder, but JPP and Selvie from USF and Elvis Dummerill from the 'Ville all played in the Rent.

RBs-Shady Mccoy, Rice
QBs-Joe Flacco backing up Tyler Palko, NFL wise not much college wise like you said Pat White end of discussion
WR-Greg Jennings, Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, Chris Henry
DL-JPP, Babin
DB's-Mccourty boys, Revis, Pac Man Jones

 

[Scoe]

USF has 3 current NYG JPP of course, Jaquin Williams, and George Selvie.

 

[Nostical]

While there were bigger names than Babin on the defensive side, (Selvie, Pierre Paul, Dumerville), they were all essentially non-factors in our games. I remember questioning why they were so highly touted. Babin on the other hand, was a beast-- fast, explosive off the snap, ripping around the end and causing chaos in the backfield. I remember watching that game saying to my seat mates, that's what an NFL player looks like.