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Favorite Rentschler Memories

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Mine has to be the 2007 USF game. It was the first time we beat a ranked team and I was able to share it with my daughter and son-in-law and my two grandsons who were there at the game with me. And we all rushed the field at the end of the game like a pack of wild dogs; wild huskies dogs that is. That game made me become a season ticket holder. Now I'm looking for the same experience when we win all of our home games this year. The clock is ticking down. I am ready for some football!
 
1. Tailgating with my uncle who has since passed away.
2. Maryland game when we got soused and I can't remember half the game, but had a blast.
3. DJ game. Back when I wouldn't leave early. Got to get back to being that passionate for the team.
4. Storming the field after beating USF
5. Bringing my kids to their first college games. Twin daughters are juniors and are seriously considering the old alma mater. Also marching band kids so that would be cool.
6. Being seriously excited to get up at 7 to tailgate for noon game.
 
There are three that stand out to me.

2004 game vs Pitt was hands down the loudest I've ever heard The Rent. That set of downs by Palko where he couldn't hear himself say a thing was unreal. I had graduated in 2003 so never got to experience The Rent as a student yet still went down into the students section for that game. Having them backed up into the student section and having the student section cause those delay of games was when I realized UConn football was legit. The crowd had bought into it. Kind of sad to see where we're at now just thinking about this game. Anyways...

The OT thriller against Pitt where DJ threw the ball basically out of the stadium from what I recall. This might be my favorite memory from the time the Rent opened. We were sitting in the end zone halfway down from the scoreboard and this happened. It was crazy. I remember jumping around grabbing anyone I could and hugging them. It was crazy. Just wish more folks were there top watch it. However, DJ will forever be etched into my memory due to that play.

Final game is another mentioned here. The USF game in the snow. I remember parking right behind the scoreboard with our friends Gold Lot passes. We played beer pong on a table that sloped down towards the middle. It was so slushy that the middle of the table became a kind of icy, beer covered snow pile. Yet we played on. Our fingers were so numb. We go into the game and our friends with the Gold Lot passes have seats in the press box. My wife immediately tells me she's sitting up there. I went up there with our friends for a game earlier that season and couldn't stand it. I said something loudly about a call on the field and was basically told to shut up and sit down. So I decided I'd never go up there again. So my wife and our friends head up to the press box and my buddy and I set up shop in our usual seats. Cheered as loud as we could the entire freaking game. I remember coming back to the car with numb hands and my wife just shook her head and laughed.

Great times. Hope they come back again soon! There were plenty more memories and I look forward to making new ones with my two girls in a few years when they're older.
 
Additions to this thread next year:

ECU the Friday before Halloween: Wild atmosphere as alt unis make the debut and we beat the Pirates on final drive 17-14 in a cold rain. DUI checkpoint at Forbes St and Silver Ln keeps cautious fans in stadium til end to sober up.

Houston on Senior Day: UConn wins battle of division leaders and ranked teams as the 24th ranked Huskies knock of 22nd ranked Cougars in first sell out since
2013.
 
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UCFBfan said:
There are three that stand out to me.

2004 game vs Pitt was hands down the loudest I've ever heard The Rent. That set of downs by Palko where he couldn't hear himself say a thing was unreal. I had graduated in 2003 so never got to experience The Rent as a student yet still went down into the students section for that game. Having them backed up into the student section and having the student section cause those delay of games was when I realized UConn football was legit. The crowd had bought into it. Kind of sad to see where we're at now just thinking about this game. Anyways...

The OT thriller against Pitt where DJ threw the ball basically out of the stadium from what I recall. This might be my favorite memory from the time the Rent opened. We were sitting in the end zone halfway down from the scoreboard and this happened. It was crazy. I remember jumping around grabbing anyone I could and hugging them. It was crazy. Just wish more folks were there top watch it. However, DJ will forever be etched into my memory due to that play.

Final game is another mentioned here. The USF game in the snow. I remember parking right behind the scoreboard with our friends Gold Lot passes. We played beer pong on a table that sloped down towards the middle. It was so slushy that the middle of the table became a kind of icy, beer covered snow pile. Yet we played on. Our fingers were so numb. We go into the game and our friends with the Gold Lot passes have seats in the press box. My wife immediately tells me she's sitting up there. I went up there with our friends for a game earlier that season and couldn't stand it. I said something loudly about a call on the field and was basically told to shut up and sit down. So I decided I'd never go up there again. So my wife and our friends head up to the press box and my buddy and I set up shop in our usual seats. Cheered as loud as we could the entire freaking game. I remember coming back to the car with numb hands and my wife just shook her head and laughed.

Great times. Hope they come back again soon! There were plenty more memories and I look forward to making new ones with my two girls in a few years when they're older.
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For that USF game in 2009, there were about 10-12 tailgates (including ours) in the Blue Lot that just pushed all of their tents together, like one big apartment building. Probably 3/4 of the tailgates had their own heaters, so it was pretty balmy inside. Getting out to go to the bathroom was not so balmy.

The coldest tailgate was probably that Louisville game to end the season in 2005. We sneaked in an hour early (following some contractor in through the side gate) and set up our tent really quickly, making it difficult for them to kick us out (we figured we were playing with house money - why not?). We must have looked like we belonged, because we never got kicked out.

That same year, we showed up for the Rutgers game (3:30 pm kickoff) at 8 am, as if it were a noon kickoff. They actually kicked us out of line, and said we couldn't wait there for 3 1/2 hours. So, we went to the Burlington Coat Factory and fired up the grill in the parking lot there.

This thread is making me half-sad for what once was, and half-giddy that the season starts next week.
 
I agree with USF and Pitt games. The best individual performance I have seen there, quite frankly, was Matt Ryan picking us apart with super accurate passing.
That was also the game the BC bus got hit with beer bottles and anything but the kitchen sink - this resulted in buses using the special exit going forward.
 
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Part of the reason the crowd cleared out early in the DJ game was to resume tailgating on an unseasonably warm late fall night. I had given UConn one more possession before going to join them in the lot, and uconn kept doing just enough to keep me from joining the party outside until after DJ's 2 point conversion.

Baylor at the rent was excellent too.
 
2003 game vs. Western Michigan...We were getting outplayed in 1st half then DanO went off in the 2nd half leading us to victory.
 
kemba said:
Thought that game as well as the Baylor and Cinci games that year were when it really felt like we had arrived. The 2007 games surprised everyone. 2008 home games it wasn't a surprise anymore there was an attitude that the atmosphere at the Rent was going to be great and we were going to be really tough to beat at home.
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If I remember correctly, scalpers were looking for tickets because they were out of tickets to sell for the UVA game. They were selling way over face value.
 
BoatShow said:
Obviously not the result we wanted but the atmosphere surrounding the Michigan game from pulling into Silvas at 1 and being the only UConn car out of probably 30 and hanging with the Michigan fans as slowly but surely our faithful arrived to the buzz in the stadium the entire game was something else. Still blame the video guy for the loss as he for some reason showed Derek Jeter in the press box as Christen lined up a big field goal eliciting a huge roar.
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I started reading your post like "Liar, WE were the first people there that day", then I realized it was you.
 
2007 USF. As soon as the game was over, we rushed the field. I used to always sit in the first row between the Uconn tunnel and the marching band, so was among the first 2 or 3 people on the field. I watched the one guy in front of me get wrapped up by the 300 pound security guard, then ran right around him. It was a glorious day. While running around on the field, I ran into my inebriated father and uncle. My uncle wore shorts to the game(!), he then did his best Scott Lutrus impression and tackled me on the field. I'll never forget how great that win was.
 
Memories:
Terry Caulley goes wild against Indiana in the inaugural game
Tyler Palko 0-for the RENT.
Duke's kicker shanks the potential game winning field goal as time expires.
Finally beating WestVirginia (in OT the W.Va runner fumbles the ball away on their possession)
Beating the nationally ranked USF. Game starts out in a monsoon. UConn has a big lead. USF Comes back. UConn's defensive end stays home & stuffs the USF qb in his signature naked bootleg run (EVERYONE in my section knew that he would attempt that play).
USF snow game. Last regular season game. Teggart's kick to win. But the best part was the festive holiday themed pregame tailgate in Blue Lot. Tailgaters next to us rigged a portable electric generator to power Christmas tree lights. They attached the tree to a flagpole & hoisted it @ 20 feet up into the air. What a beacon!
D.J.'s OT run against PITT.
Fun time at Boneyard tailgate that Waquoit put together.
Randy Edsall's call to ACTUALLY go for the 1st down on 4th & one on the UCONN 20 to run out the clock. Todman was jacked.
Home game against Virginia. The Donald Brown extravaganza.
First home game against Army. In the post 9-11 era, there was a VERY patriotic passion in the stadium. I thanked every cadet that I passed for their volunteering for service to our country.
Larry Taylor's "unfair" catch & run against the 'Ville.
The game in the inaugural season against Rutgers. Laughing my butt off on the botched Rutgers punt return when the cross field Scarlet lateral was fumbled & UCONN recovered the ball.

Worst memory: In the early days of the RENT, the electronics edict against hand held televisions & cell phones that could take pictures. Batteries from the devices were confiscated by the tennis ball Nazis. UConn had an late September evening midweek game. The Yankees & Red Sox were playing each other on local tv. An usher demanded that my then 13 year old son give up the batteries to the tv or we would face ejection to the game. We complied, then when he left the scene, I pulled out the extra batteries in my pocket, put them in the tv, & told my kids to be less conspicuous. A State Trooper standing in the area came over & said, that the usher wouldn't be any trouble for the rest of the game. The next day, I sent an e-mail to Jeff Hathaway detailing the encounter. He replied back & the policy was officially changed by the next home game. I know there are many J.H. haters on the board, but he excelled in cusomer service in this case.
 
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Louisville game with the Larry Taylor "fair catch". It was raining the whole game but at one point it just starts downpouring and instead of people fleeing the place got LOUDER.
Even though we lost the Michigan game was insane. Tailgating for 5 hours, speeches by Ray Allen and Geno. Jeter on the big screen and I heard afterwards Tom Brady in attendance as well.
 
Happiest: Justin Perkins pick 6 against Pitt. Our first Big East win, at night, with the Rent sold out.
Angriest: The phantom called back 2 pt conversion against Rutgers.
 
NavinRJohnson said:
If I remember correctly, scalpers were looking for tickets because they were out of tickets to sell for the UVA game. They were selling way over face value.
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I remember all to well. I was a student and I had lost my ID the day before, after the offices were closed to get a new one. I figured I could still get in with just my student ticket so I went to the game and tailgated and tried going in at gametime but no one would let me in. Went back to the parking lot but for like the first time ever it was hard to find people selling. Finally had to pay $100 for a really good seat, but still sat in the student section.

If that happened today I could probably find a ticket laying on the ground for free.
 
I should have added that a fond memory I will always have is not game related but tailgate related. It was so unique and cool that for the first few seasons everyone parked and tailgated on a runway. It could be a pain for multiple reasons: trying to back out after games, almost getting hit while tossing a ball, etc but it was very cool to realize we were tailgating on a runway. Just a pretty cool thing.
 
Once we made the move to the current parking setup and PP the presence of the scalpers has really seen a drop off. That was such a normal part of game day. The best atmosphere by far was the Michigan game. The added seating, the noise level really showed what could be. We really had tough crowds in the early days as people could see something being built, could see the promise and we were part of the discussion with the Big East Bowl bid. Bad weather didn't mean a ghost town and it will take a while to turn that around.
One game that hasn't been mentioned was the win vs. Cinci on the road to the Fiesta Bowl. Kendalls big int return, beautiful day, tough Cinci team that we flat out beat. Toughest loss for me was the Rutgers game after Jasper's murder. Life can be very cruel.
Best wins Indiana, WMU comeback, Baylor, S Florida in the rain and then the snow, finally beating WVU!
 
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I befriended a scalper from Rhode Island last season. He stops over for food/brews and vows to hook us up with freebies if we ever needed them. Sadly, we have never needed them. We always gave him our extras from $0-$5 throughout the season (free as the season progressed and we got to know him better and knew we couldn't give away the tickets to anyone anyway). He'd always come back to our tailgate about 30 mins before kickoff and give us his sales update. He made over $300 for every game (including SMU). I can't imagine how much he'd make if UConn was actually good and the games were important again.
 
I used to like the kielbasa that Vince Markowski brought to the tailgates.
 
There are so many personal stories I'm sure we all have. For football, for me, to date - it's the Kendall Reyes turnover return against Cincinnati in 2010. I remember writing a lot about it. That play struck me HUGE, and unfortunately, minus a couple of miniscule flashes since in the past 5 years, and very infrequently in the last 2 years - there hasn't yet been another one to come close.

It struck me, because about 8 years prior - we were a 1-AA team in transition and matched up with #1 ranked Miami in the orange bowl. We competed that night, as we ALWAYS did, minus large portions of the 2013 season and last year's Cincinnati game, but were so physically outmatched the game was never in doubt. At one point, Vince Wilfork blew through the line on the snap and strip sacked Dan Orlovsky, and the other DT - don't remember the name now, picked up the ball. 300+ lb DT for Miami, picked up the ball somewhere around midfield. THe sack was so quick, that pretty much all 22 were within 5-10 yards at most of scrimmage. It was a sprint to the endzone, and we had a couple of backs, and WR's that tried to catch that DT. By the 20-15-10-5-endzone - the 300lb+ Miami DT was outrunning our skill players in a flat out sprint and was pulling away. That single DT was faster than any player we had on offense. We ahd a long way to go.

THen Kendall Reyes, did the same thing to the entire Cincinnati offense in 2010. For me, we had arrived - finally. It's been a fall since, but I hope to see it get back on track again next week.
 
Carl Spackler said:
There are so many personal stories I'm sure we all have. For football, for me, to date - it's the Kendall Reyes turnover return against Cincinnati in 2010. I remember writing a lot about it. That play struck me HUGE, and unfortunately, minus a couple of miniscule flashes since in the past 5 years, and very infrequently in the last 2 years - there hasn't yet been another one to come close.

It struck me, because about 8 years prior - we were a 1-AA team in transition and matched up with #1 ranked Miami in the orange bowl. We competed that night, as we ALWAYS did, minus large portions of the 2013 season and last year's Cincinnati game, but were so physically outmatched the game was never in doubt. At one point, Vince Wilfork blew through the line on the snap and strip sacked Dan Orlovsky, and the other DT - don't remember the name now, picked up the ball. 300+ lb DT for Miami, picked up the ball somewhere around midfield. THe sack was so quick, that pretty much all 22 were within 5-10 yards at most of scrimmage. It was a sprint to the endzone, and we had a couple of backs, and WR's that tried to catch that DT. By the 20-15-10-5-endzone - the 300lb+ Miami DT was outrunning our skill players in a flat out sprint and was pulling away. That single DT was faster than any player we had on offense. We ahd a long way to go.

THen Kendall Reyes, did the same thing to the entire Cincinnati offense in 2010. For me, we had arrived - finally. It's been a fall since, but I hope to see it get back on track again next week.
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I was at both games. You're right.
 
For whatever reason mine all tie back t beating Pitt in various games... and I'm generally pretty indifferent about Pitt.... the first Thursday night ESPN game at the Rent in our first year in the BE, Palko unable to call a play deep in the student section, the often mentioned 2OT win, going for it on 4th and 3 inside our own 30 late in the 4th quarter.
 
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Dooley said:
Nice thread. Lots of good memories from Rent past. Here are mine in no particular order of favorites:


- Pitt game in 2004 (?) that they couldn't run a single series without a false start penalty for crowd noise. Pretty certain Tyler Palko threw a pick 6 but don't remember on account of being blackout drunk. Bonus: a few drunk girls were sitting in the row in front of us and I'm fairly certain that every guy in our group got to feel up one of them (do you like my new ?!);
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Yes, 2nd season of the Rent and our first Big East win at home Thursday night game. We created a couple false starts in a row at a critical juncture in the 3rd. Loudest I've heard the place.

What I would give to see a quote like this again:

QB Tyler Palko:Obviously, they got pressure with four down linemen and when you do that, it’s tough because you can’t keep any more players in to block. We’ll have to see what happens on tape, see the mistakes that were made and move on from here. Our guys were fighting, they’ll continue to keep fighting and you won’t hear me say a bad word about them. We need to get better, including myself. You have to look at this as a learning experience.

We didn’t have good field position for a lot of the game. So, you have to deal with their crowd and they did a tremendous job when we were backed up in the student section. All night it was hard to hear. They were doing some things defensively that aided that. When it’s loud like that, there’s still no excuse for missing the snap count.
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First Big East game vs Pitt - night game, full house, electric crowd. Went with my Dad that night and had goosebumps for much of the game. All I could keep thinking is "holy sheet, we've arrived".

Now I'm not so sure of that. .....great memories, but it's sad to look back considering where things are now.
 
"Fair Catch" game Vs. the Fightin' Brian Brohms.
Was pretty much a bball only fan until a buddy of mine got us 50 yard line seats behind the L'ville bench, pouring rain only added to the awesome atmosphere and seeing the emotion of the game made me a full on football fan too.
 
The 2003 Rutgers game had a really cool moment on the sidelines. 3 of Rutgers male cheerleaders and 3 of UConn's male cheerleaders got in front of our section and each held up a female cheerleader on 1 arm in a contest to see who could go longest. I don't remember who gave up first, but it came down to 2 UConn and 1 Rutgers male cheerleaders each holding up a girl. The Rutgers cheerleader looked like he was made out of concrete, and ultimately won after what seemed like forever, and all 12 of them got a standing ovation from the section when it was over. It was even more impressive because the wind chill made it feel like it was 20 degrees that day.

There were three straight monsoon home games in 2007, with USF being the monsooniest. I was drenched to the bone that day.

Larry Taylor's Fair Catch happened right in front of me, and I turned to the people sitting next to me and asked them if you were allowed to call for a fair catch and then run with it, because I had never seen someone do that before. No one around me knew the answer, but it didn't matter as LT was scampering into the end zone without any yellow laundry on the ground.

In the other direction, the holding call in the end zone against UNC in 2009 made me angrier than I have been after a game at Rentschler before or since.
 
Baylor - Back and forth - great game.
 
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