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Posted 10/30/2009 at 02:29 AM
This week’s free college play is the Big East hookup between Rutgers and Connecticut.
It’s been a very trying couple of weeks for Connecticut. The Huskies played a very emotional game last week at West Virginia as they tried to win one for teammate Jasper Howard, who was tragically killed following UConn’s homecoming win over Louisville. The Huskies played extremely hard last week in front of a subdued crowd in Morgantown, and fell just short in their effort to pull off the upset against West Virginia. I’m not sure what’s left in their tank at this point, with the service for Howard taking place on Monday and arrests in the case being made as well. I look at this as a potential letdown spot for UConn, and I’d be surprised if they’re at their best.
Aside from the intangible effects, it’s a close game on paper. Rutgers is probably a little better defensively, and they’re tough against the run, which is UConn’s calling card on offense. UConn still has the edge on offense, but if they aren’t able to run the ball well, the Huskies can be prone to mistakes with their passing game.
This has been an underdog series for the most part with the Huskies cashing most of the tickets since they’re usually the ones getting the points. In fact, this is just the first time in five years that UConn has been the favorite. I expect this to be a very tightly contested clash and getting more than a TD, Rutgers is the choice.
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