Get Used To UConn-UMass
The Story: UConn’s first FBS win in 22 games happened on Saturday in a 56-35 win over UMass. The Huskies and Minutemen are both independent programs as of next season and expect to see UConn’s former Yankee Conference rival became a staple on the schedule in the future.
FIRST, THE GAME: Kevin Mensah needs a nickname. The Worcester native ran over UMass, gashing his home-state flagship school to the tune of 165 yards and five touchdowns. Those five touchdowns tied Wilbur Gilliard, who did it in 1993, for the second-most in a game in school history, no small feat since the school’s been playing football for over 110 years. Mensah has 696 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season. Art Thompkins also got into the act with 135 yards rushing while Jack Zergiotis added 215 yards passing. UConn ran up 539 yards of offense and over 300 yards rushing.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR: UConn and UMass have not always had the greatest relationship as athletic departments, but in this new world of independent football. the two will likely be joined at the hip. Athletic directors Dave Benedict and Ryan Bamford spoke with the media before the game and expressed a desire to create a long-term series. That makes sense for each school. The Huskies and Minutemen have played 73 times and the proximity and history to make it a natural yearly affair.
https://twitter.com/RandyEdsall/status/1188594909395206145
SCHEDULE NEWS: UConn will also play Tennessee in 2023 in a long-awaited game that has been put off for almost a decade, per FBschedules.com.
OUR TAKE: UConn won a game against a bad team. We aren’t going to ridicule the program over it. There is an odd underbelly of college football media coverage that enjoys matchups between two poor teams. UConn’s game against UMass was called the Pillow Fight of the Century, which is a great way for a cheap laugh. If that’s your schtick, more power to you.
UConn, for the first time in a long time, did what it needed to do. The Huskies are 2-6 and probably should have a better record. The Huskies are huge underdogs for the game Friday against Navy and wins are going to be hard to find in the final four games. The win takes the pressure off the program and it is also a step forward for Zergiotis, the true freshman quarterback, and wide receiver Cameron Ross. The Huskies remain young, and the defense wasn’t very good on Saturday, giving up 439 yards of offense and 28 points. Still, UConn is so starved for a win that anyone complaining about the quality is just a curmudgeon.
Plus, the Huskies aren’t out of the bowl game picture just yet, so …
We Got the Deets on the Secret Scrimmage
The Story: The NCAA is so ridiculous that scrimmages between colleges aren’t allowed to be publicized. UConn had a secret scrimmage against Harvard recently and we got the details.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Harvard is getting a lot of top-25 push to begin the season and the Huskies took out the Crimson, 86-80, allegedly, in this secret scrimmage. Here are the details: Christian Vital led the Huskies with 23 points and seven rebounds and Tyler Polley had 18 points and was 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Akok Akok also apparently started. On a downside, Alterique Gilbert shot 4 of 18.
WHY SECRET SCRIMMAGES? The NCAA allows for exhibition games, but as Dan Hurley pointed out last week, those games are typically mismatches against Division I teams. These closed-door games are played like real basketball games and allow the coaches and players to play talent that is not at an equal level and out of the media spotlight. The only tradeoff is because they’re closed-door games, the schools do not get revenue from a gate and concessions, so they’re not as appealing financially. Now, that the NCAA mandates that there is no media seems to be another overplay of its role and heavy-handed. (And we found out what happened anyway!)
Morning Read
THABEET GOES ON! Ten years after being the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft, Hasheem Thabeet is making his return to basketball. He was drafted No. 18 overall by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League draft. (G League)
OLT RETIRES: Former UConn third baseman Mike Olt announced his retirement over the weekend after spending last season playing independent ball. He last appeared in the majors in 2015. (MLB Trade Rumors)
GORDON OPENS UP: After a difficult few years, Ben Gordon decided to address his issues with depression that he said nearly drove him to suicide so he could help others who may need it. Here’s to you, Ben! (NBC Sports Chicago)
CHAMPS, AGAIN: The No. 3-ranked field hockey team clinched at least a share of the Big East regular-season title for the seventh consecutive year with a 6-3 victory over No. 17 Liberty on Saturday. (UConnHuskies.com)
