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NCAA Football Betting Online: Easily the best coach in program history is back in Storrs. Neither Bob Diaco nor Paul Pasqualoni had much success as head coach of the Connecticut Huskies, so the school turned once again to Randy Edsall. Edsall couldn’t get the job done during his time at Maryland and was let go after 5 disappointing seasons. However, he was fantastic during his time at UConn. Rekindling this flame may be a match made in heaven for both parties.
Diaco was fired because the offense was completely toothless last season. In a league with a lot of offensive firepower, the Huskies were incapable of moving the ball in any way, shape, or form. UConn was the second-worst offense in the NCAA and managed to score just 19 touchdowns in 12 games.
Bryant Shirreffs was the starter under center for most of last season, but don’t be surprised if Donovan Williams emerges as the No. 1 guy in 2017. Neither one of quarterbacks can throw the ball all that well, but Williams has mobility. New offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee loved using a mobile quarterback at Auburn and will likely do the same here to give opposing defenses more to worry about.
Speaking of that run game, expect it to be better under Lashlee. Arkeel Newsome is a decent running back and David Williams should be a nice addition as a graduate transfer from South Carolina. Lashlee will create schemes to get better results out of his running backs.
Defensively, this team is going to have issues. The pass defense was one of the worst in college football last season and Edsall is throwing caution to the wind by switching to a 3-3-5 scheme in spite of it. Additionally, FSU transfer LB E.J. Levenberry tore his ACL last month. That will further complicate matters for a defense without much talent.
Connecticut faces three power five conference opponents in 2017. However, as daunting as that sounds, the Huskies will at least have a chance in those games. Boston College, Virginia, and Missouri all failed to make bowls last season and figure to be mediocre again this season.
2017 Connecticut Huskies Schedule
August 31: Connecticut vs. Holy Cross
September 9: Connecticut vs. South Florida
September 16: Connecticut at Virginia
September 30: Connecticut at SMU
October 6: Connecticut vs. Memphis
October 14: Connecticut at Temple
October 21: Connecticut vs. Tulsa
October 28: Connecticut vs. Missouri
November 4: Connecticut vs. East Carolina
November 11: Connecticut at UCF
November 18: Connecticut vs. Boston College (Fenway Park)
November 25: Connecticut at Cincinnati
List of Connecticut Huskies Seasons
| Year | Record | Bowl Game |
| 2016 |
3-9 |
|
| 2015 |
6-7 |
L – St. Petersburg Bowl |
| 2014 |
2-10 |
|
| 2013 |
3-9 |
|
| 2012 |
5-7 |
|
| 2011 |
5-7 |
|
| 2010 |
8-5 |
L – Fiesta Bowl |
| 2009 |
8-5 |
W – PapaJohns.com Bowl |
| 2008 |
8-5 |
W – International Bowl |
| 2007 |
9-4 |
L – Meineke Car Care Bowl |
| 2006 |
4-8 |
|
| 2005 |
5-6 |
|
| 2004 |
8-4 |
W – Motor City Bowl |
| 2003 |
9-3 |
|
| 2002 |
6-6 |
|
| 2001 |
2-9 |
|
| 2000 |
3-8 |
|
Edsall was the coach when the Huskies made the jump to the FBS level in 2000 and the team quickly found success. He led the team to a Motor City Bowl victory in its first season in the Big East and ended up taking the Huskies to four straight bowls before leaving. The highlight was when UConn won the Big East and the right to get waxed by Oklahoma in a BCS game in 2010. Since then, the Huskies have not had a winning season.
Pasqualoni made sense as a geographical fit. He only posted one losing record in 14 seasons at Syracuse, but winning in Connecticut proved to be much more difficult. He went just 12-18 before being replaced midway through the 2013 season.
Diaco will forever be known as the coach that tried to start a nonexistent rivalry. He created the Civil Conflict rivalry with UCF and even had a trophy made to try to get UConn more exposure, but it only drew laughter.
Bringing back Edsall seems to be a smart move for both sides. UConn and Edsall can each rebuild their image and if it worked once, it can work again. It’s going to take two or three years to see real improvement, but expect to see better results in 2017.
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