UConn Huskies take care of business, pummel Texas Southern

East Hartford, CT — UConn did exactly what you would expect it to do against an inferior opponent. The Huskies never gave Texas Southern a chance to breathe, scoring on their first five possessions, converting a pair of first-half turnovers into touchdowns and allowing the Tigers no room to roam on offense.

The result: After building a 45-0 halftime lead, UConn's reserves got the bulk of the work in the second half of a 62-3 victory over Texas Southern before 37,359 in the home opener at Rentschler Field.

In the first half, Jordan Todman rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns, Zach Frazer threw a pair of touchdown passes and the UConn defense, which couldn't get off the field on third down a week earlier at Michigan, allowed only one first down. That's all you really need to take from this game, although you must applaud the Huskies for coming out prepared, not taking the Tigers lightly, and dominating from the start.

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NSU is in it to win it against Rutgers

TONIGHT'S GAMES BY COMPUTER ON ESPN 3 (http://espn.go.com/espn3/index)

07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Norfolk State vs. Rutgers (Exclusive)
07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Florida A&M vs. #13 Miami (Exclusive)

NORFOLK, VA - It's too bad talking points don't go up on the scoreboard. Norfolk State might have been a favorite tonight. Heading into the team's 7:30 p.m. season opener at Rutgers, the Spartans are talking a good game, expressing belief that they're capable of beating the odds. They might be the only ones thinking that way.

"Even the students don't think we can win," senior offensive lineman Markeece Preston said. "They're buying into the whole I-A, I-AA thing. They think we'll get crushed."

The NSU student body has its reasons. Las Vegas doesn't set point spreads between teams at the different levels because it expects the teams to be so mismatched. When Appalachian State beat top-division Michigan in 2007, it was considered among the most shocking results ever.

"No one thought David would beat Goliath...

A Look At The Texas Southern Tigers‎

Texas Southern University head football coach Johnnie Cole has the Tigers moving in a winning direction.

Texas Southern University Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference are coming to Connecticut vs. the U-Conn. Huskies.

When: Sept. 11, 2010, Rentschler Field. First meeting

Last season: 6-5, 5-2 SWAC

Quick facts about TSU: School colors are maroon and gray and the mascot's name is Pretty Baby II. TSU is an HBCU -- Historically Black College and Universities -- located in Houston. Its most famous football alumni is probably former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, but the Tigers have actually produced 15 All-Americans. Some well-know players were Horace Young, Herman Driver, Ernest Calloway and Kenny Burroughs in the 1960s to Mike Holmes and Ernie Homes in the '70s and Donald Narcisse in the 1980s. The 6-5 finish was one of the best in the last 10 years and it included a 42-0 loss to Rutgers. The Tigers are coached by Johnnie Cole, a former quarterback at TSU in the 1980s. He took the job at his alma mater in 2008 (4-8).

Who's gone, who's back: The Tigers will lose four starters – total. In this case, who's gone isn't nearly as important as who's back. So who is back? How about all three leading ground gainers from 2009: running back Martin Gilbert (644 yards, six touchdowns) quarterback Arvell Nelson (325, four TDs) and RB Joseph Warren (142, one) return. Nelson threw for 2,392 yards but also threw 13 interceptions compared to 12 TDs. Most of the TDs went to Joseph Anderson, who had seven TD receptions. Anderson is back, too. Warren also returns kickoffs and averaged 18 yards on 17 returns in 2009. All three leading tacklers are back including linebacker Dejuan Fulghum (88 tackles), defensive back Robert Joseph (80) and Shomari Clemons, also a linebacker who had 63 tackles.

The UConn-Texas Southern rivalry: There isn't one and probably won't be. UConn raced to fill a nonconference void after it had scheduled Northeastern and was left scrambling when the school decided to drop football last year.




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Norfolk State opens 2010 football season at Rutgers Scarlet Knights

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The BIG EAST Conference and Rutgers University announced the 2010 football schedule Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights play seven home games next season and have four games already set to be televised on ESPN or ABC. Rutgers opens the season Thursday, September 2 vs. Norfolk State at Rutgers Stadium. The Scarlet Knights go on the road in week two of the season for their first visit to Florida International on Saturday, September 11.

Norfolk State was slammed 59-0 in their initial meeting with the Scarlet Knights in 2007. Hopefully, the 2010 game will be more than an easy "light scrimmage" for the State University of New Jersey this time around. The signing of this "money game" contract effectively takes Norfolk State University out of the running for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Florida on Sept. 7, 2010.

From our view, the likely candidate slips to the Morgan State Bears for the challenge. The MEAC's unnamed opponent will have to face the rebuilding Southern University Jaguars under first year Coach Stump Mitchell.

The NSU Spartans have not released their 2010 Football Schedule. But, we have been able to confirm the following dates for that schedule shown below. The MEAC home games will be Delaware State, Morgan State and North Carolina Central. The away conference games are at: Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State and Howard.

Norfolk State Spartans "Partial" 2010 Football Schedule
Sept 2, at Rutgers, Piscataway, N.J.
Sept 11, North Carolina A&T, Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA (Fish Bowl Classic)
Sept. 18, Virginia State, 6 p.m., Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA
Oct. 16 at Hampton , Armstrong Stadium, Hampton, VA (Battle of the Bay Classic)
Oct. 23, Florida A&M (homecoming), Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA

2010 Rutgers Football Schedule
Thursday, September 2 Norfolk State
Saturday, September 11 at Florida International
Saturday, September 25 North Carolina
Saturday, October 2 Tulane
Friday, October 8 Connecticut* (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
Saturday, October 16 Army (New Meadowlands Stadium)
Saturday, October 23 at Pittsburgh*
Wednesday, November 3 at USF* (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)
Saturday, November 13 Syracuse*
Saturday, November 20 at Cincinnati*
Friday, November 26 Louisville* (ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC)
Saturday, December 4 at West Virginia* (ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC)

*Denotes BIG EAST game

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Addition of Texas Southern underwhelming at best

Texas Southern's AD Charles McClelland takes step up from Texas College and Texas State by adding road games with Louisiana-Monroe and Rutgers to Tigers 2009 schedule for Coach Johnnie Cole second season.

Rutgers loads schedule with cupcakes -- Howard Bison (Sept. 12), Texas Southern, Florida International and Army.

The Scarlet-White game is tomorrow, Rutgers Stadium’s expansion is taking shape and the open slot in the "Rutgers University" 2009 schedule has finally been filled. With Texas Southern. From the Southwest Athletic Conference. Really.

I’m not knocking the thought of a second Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA if you will) opponent, but when Morgan State and Norfolk State look like USC compared to these guys, excuse me if I’m a little underwhelmed. Texas Southern was all of 4-8 last season, falling to mighty 6-6 Arkansas State in a close 83-10 slobberknocker. Three of its four wins were against non-Division I opponents Shaw, Texas College and Concordia College, and they were an impressive 1-6 in the SWAC.

To Rutgers’ credit, it’s not like they didn’t try to get a better opponent. “We have worked diligently for months to complete our 2009 schedule with a Football Bowl Subdivision team,” Athletic Director Tim Pernetti said in a press release. “We were unable to convince any of the institutions with openings to come to Rutgers, including numerous BCS conference opponents.” If they waited this long and worked this hard to try to schedule a better opponent, so be it. I commend that effort. But to settle for Texas Southern is unacceptable. But there are still a bunch of positives to come out of this.

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