www.UConnHuskies.com Mens Football
STORRS, CONN. (Oct. 28, 2007) – The University of Connecticut football team (7-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) earned its first ever national ranking on Sunday when it checked it at No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
UConn is also ranked No. 13 in the latest BCS rankings and No. 19 in the Harris Interactive Poll.
Officially joining the then-Division I-A (now Football Bowl Subdivision) ranks in 2002, UConn needed five years and 10 weeks to crack the AP Poll. That makes the Huskies the second-fastest team to ever do so, trailing only Marshall which joined I-A in 1997 and was ranked after two years and four weeks. Ironically, UConn edges past South Florida, the team it defeated on Saturday, for second place. The Bulls became a full-fledged I-A program in 2001 and cracked the Top 25 earlier this year after six years and three weeks. Boise State was not far behind USF at six years and 13 weeks.
UConn has done this behind a defense that ranks 10th in the nation, yielding just 293.25 yards per game. The Huskies are third nationally in scoring defense allowing just 13.0 points per game. No team has scored more than 17 points against UConn in a game this year. The Huskies have also proven to have a combination of an opportunistic defense and protective offense as the team ranks second in the nation in turnover margin. UConn and Boston College are tied for the national lead with 18 interceptions while the Husky offense has been picked off just four times, tying for fifth in the nation. In fact, UConn’s pass defense has nearly outscored its opponents as the Huskies have returned four interceptions for touchdowns this year while yielding just six touchdowns through the air.
With UConn’s inclusion in this week’s rankings, 75-percent (six out of eight) of the BIG EAST schools have been nationally ranked at some point this year as UConn joins Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia in that regard. The Huskies hope to earn their second bowl bid in four years after defeating MAC Champion Toledo, 39-10, in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. This season marks the third time in the past five years that the Huskies have been bowl eligible. UConn went 9-3 as an independent in 2003 and was not selected for a bowl.
The No. 16/20 Huskies return to action on Saturday when they play host to Rutgers at Rentschler Field in East Hartford where UConn is 5-0 on the season. Tickets are still available for the game and can be purchased either online here at UConnHuskies.com or by calling TicketMaster at (860) 525-5400.
STORRS, CONN. (Oct. 28, 2007) – The University of Connecticut football team (7-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) earned its first ever national ranking on Sunday when it checked it at No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
UConn is also ranked No. 13 in the latest BCS rankings and No. 19 in the Harris Interactive Poll.
Officially joining the then-Division I-A (now Football Bowl Subdivision) ranks in 2002, UConn needed five years and 10 weeks to crack the AP Poll. That makes the Huskies the second-fastest team to ever do so, trailing only Marshall which joined I-A in 1997 and was ranked after two years and four weeks. Ironically, UConn edges past South Florida, the team it defeated on Saturday, for second place. The Bulls became a full-fledged I-A program in 2001 and cracked the Top 25 earlier this year after six years and three weeks. Boise State was not far behind USF at six years and 13 weeks.
UConn has done this behind a defense that ranks 10th in the nation, yielding just 293.25 yards per game. The Huskies are third nationally in scoring defense allowing just 13.0 points per game. No team has scored more than 17 points against UConn in a game this year. The Huskies have also proven to have a combination of an opportunistic defense and protective offense as the team ranks second in the nation in turnover margin. UConn and Boston College are tied for the national lead with 18 interceptions while the Husky offense has been picked off just four times, tying for fifth in the nation. In fact, UConn’s pass defense has nearly outscored its opponents as the Huskies have returned four interceptions for touchdowns this year while yielding just six touchdowns through the air.
With UConn’s inclusion in this week’s rankings, 75-percent (six out of eight) of the BIG EAST schools have been nationally ranked at some point this year as UConn joins Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia in that regard. The Huskies hope to earn their second bowl bid in four years after defeating MAC Champion Toledo, 39-10, in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. This season marks the third time in the past five years that the Huskies have been bowl eligible. UConn went 9-3 as an independent in 2003 and was not selected for a bowl.
The No. 16/20 Huskies return to action on Saturday when they play host to Rutgers at Rentschler Field in East Hartford where UConn is 5-0 on the season. Tickets are still available for the game and can be purchased either online here at UConnHuskies.com or by calling TicketMaster at (860) 525-5400.
