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UConn Wins for Jasper Howard, at Last
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 2:00PM by Brett McMurphy
Filed under: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, West Virginia, Big East

FanHouse Big East writer Brett McMurphy looks back at the week that was in the Big East Rewind.

Two weeks ago, UConn coach Randy Edsall and senior running back Andre Dixon both said how much the Huskies' really needed a bye week after a third consecutive last-minute loss at Cincinnati.

If no other team needed a bye like UConn, no other team in the country needed a victory like UConn. And that's exactly what the Huskies' got. UConn went into South Bend, Ind., and defeated Notre Dame 33-30 in double overtime Saturday.

It was the first victory since the murder of UConn cornerback Jasper Howard. After the game, Edsall pointed skyward in honor of Howard, while the Huskies' players held aloft Howard's No. 6 jersey.

Did anyone else notice UConn's final score just happen to be 33 (3+3=6)?

UConn's victory highlighted last week's Big East action as the Big East's bests -- Cincinnati-Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, if you prefer -- were idle last week.

In the only other two games involving league teams, South Florida thumped Louisville to secure a bowl berth for a fifth consecutive season and Syracuse upset Rutgers to avoid a winless Big East debut season for Doug Marrone.

Some things we may have figured out in the past week

1. Don't believe the preseason magazines, at least concerning offensive lines

Rutgers offensive line was hailed as (pick one): the best offensive line in the history of the Big East or one of the nation's best offensive lines. Athlon's ranked Rutgers' o-line as the nation's eighth best, while literally every preseason magazine and dot-com preseason preview touted Rutgers as the league's best. Yet, the Scarlet Knights allowed nine sacks in Saturday's loss at Syracuse and have the league's second-worst offense.


The heavy hearts of the University of Connecticut got some much-needed relief Saturday afternoon as the Huskies were finally able to honor the memory of their fallen teammate Jasper “Jazz” Howard the way they wanted, with a victory.

The Huskies entered Saturday's game against Notre Dame on quite a down note. Since Howard’s tragic stabbing last month, they have endured a string of three heart breaking loses by a combined 10 points. After trailing the Irish 14-0 early and having two touchdowns called back on phantom holding calls late in the game, they were no doubt thinking they had heard this tune before.

The Huskies would rebound, and as Andre Dixon scampered into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown in the second overtime, a deep sigh of relief could clearly be felt.

UConn’s 33-30 double-overtime victory over Notre Dame was called the program’s “best win” by head coach Randy Edsall in a post game interview.

UConn’s success was due in large part to its dual threat ground attack, Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon combining for 231 yards and two scores. Todman also added another six points when he returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score in the third quarter.

Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen had stellar day throwing for 329 yards and hooking up with receivers Golden Tate and Michael Floyd for a touchdown each.

While the victory in South Bend alone was huge, the added significance of this being the first win since Howard’s death was clearly evident in Edsall’s comments.

“You’ve got to understand what this team has gone through. A couple of close games, and then you lose a teammate, you lose a brother, you lose a son, and you’re trying so hard to honor him by winning on the field. We hadn’t done that,” Edsall said.

The coach added that the game ball would be sent to Howard’s family in Miami.

Winning in college football is always something to be celebrated, but this victory was more. It was about the healing of a team, the honoring of a teammate, and the celebration of a beloved friend.

Quarterback Zach Frazer summed it up best saying, “We won this one for Jazz.”


Connecticut coach Randy Edsall joined the show after the Huskies beat Notre Dame 33-30 in double-overtime on Saturday.

Dan asked Edsall if he thought Saturday's win was an upset. "No I didn't and I don't think our kids did either," Edsall said.

Still Edsall appreciates the magnitude of the victory.

"There's no doubt it's the biggest win we've ever had," Edsall said. "To go out there and win against a school that has much history and tradition ... for us to be able to do that was very very significant for this university, this state and most importantly our football program."

Edsall said the win has even more meaning since it was their first victory since Jasper Howard's untimely death.

"There's been a big burden on our shoulders from the standpoint that we lost a teammate, we lost a brother, we lost a son, we lost a teammate in Jasper," Edsall said. "There was a little bit of a feeling that we let [Jasper] down. ... To get that win out there, it was like we finally did it."


UConn football fans were still buzzing Monday over the Huskies' dramatic win over Notre Dame. We asked the UConn fans who made the trip to tell us what they'll remember. Some comments have been shortened. To read more, go to courant.com/ndmemories.

"I'm a member of the UConn Marching Band, and the whole experience was so completely amazing. All the fans lining the street as we marched to the stadium, going through the tunnel, marching on the field in front of all those people was so unbelievable. The game, what more can be said, and celebrating on the field WITH the team, priceless!" — Connor

"My parents, daughter and I drove 10 hours from Delaware (my Dad and I are UConn alums) to attend this game. Incredible weather, incredible atmosphere, incredible outcome. If you had told me when I was a student that we would play Notre Dame in football, I would have laughed in your face. To think that we would actually win this game is even more incredible. Anything is possible for this program now! There was nothing like leaving the game and having several hundred UConn fans yelling UConn cheers on the concourse and buying up the last of the game day programs as souvenirs." — Elsa Rasero Batman

"I was on the Husky Express, car #4, and early in the ride everybody on this train was flat and still asleep. Then this young man who goes by the name of 'The Big Swede' starting chanting U-C-O-N-N, UCONN, UCONN, UCONN just like Big Red. This really got the entire train pumped up. President Hogan was even hanging out in this car for a while because the energy was sky-high. By the time the train pulled up to South Bend, The Big Swede had all the fans energized and ready to cheer on UCONN to a big win. If I were Randy Edsall, I would give a game ball to The Big Swede for injecting some life into the fans of UCONN Nation." — Bryan

"Myself and 6

buddies (18 kids under age 9 between us) drove from CT in an RV, knowing but not knowing what to expect. Toured campus Friday afternoon and went to pep rally Friday night. Was completely awestruck by how beautiful and inviting the campus was. ... This goes down as the greatest sporting event I've ever attended and can't wait for Michigan next year. We were so proud of how the Huskies overcame a bad start, bad calls, the overwhelming environment and finally got the right breaks to win the game they've been wanting since Jasper's death. After the game, we went by the player exit area and decided to hang around for a while. Watching the UConn players come out of the gate with tears in their eyes and giving hugs to their parents and others was something I'll never forget and will cherish forever. Thanks UConn and ND for an incredible experience." — bill

"There are so many things to remember about Saturday at the game. But one of the tops for me was seeing the Notre Dame Marching Band come through the tunnel and breaking out with the UConn fight song , AMAZING!" — Larry

"I first want to say how proud I was to part of the huskynation that traveled to South Bend, Indiana. Everyone who was in attendance should be applauded. The large contingent of Husky fans was impressive to say the least. When you get a chance to see a rebroadcast, it was impressive during the interview with Coach Edsall at the end of the game to here the chant U...C...O....N....N echoing at the hallowed home of Knute Rockne. If anyone in the future ever asks you what the experience is like, it's the greatest college experience, but the answer is words can't describe it. You have to witness it yourself. ... As I said in an earlier post about this being a moment frozen in time and everyone will say I WAS THERE WHEN ... Well, we now can finish that sentence. I WAS THERE WHEN UCONN BEAT NOTRE DAME." — Phil Packard

"It was a fabulous experience from start to finish. We drove out from Westchester County with all the stuff for our tailgate party. We passed other UCONN fans along the way — that was the start of the fun. Going down the ramp to the stadium was cool. We visited the Basilica and lit a candle at the Grotto, prayed for the team and Jazz in both places. The ND people could not have been nicer. They were friendly & helpful — wonderful hosts. Tailgating was great — glad you stopped by and enjoyed the food, DC! The game was so exciting. The UCONN fans were great — getting up on ND third downs to make some noise. The usual UCONN cheers ringing through our section. I hope the players heard us and that it spurred them on! Maybe the best, though, was after the game, walking down the ramp from the upper level, still cheering our UCONN Huskies — not wanting the fun to end! Heading back home, the glow was still there. Seeing CT cars on the way home, fans at rest stops — all smiling. An unforgettable experience all the way around." — Kate

"From my perspective, hearing U-C-O-N-N at the end of the game from the UConn section brought chills down my spine. It was so loud. Even a friend from home texted me saying he heard it on TV and couldn't believe how loud it was. Only he didn't know that was from the upper deck of the stadium! My friends and I sat around our seats for almost an hour after the game because we were cherishing the moment and kept asking ourselves, "Did this really just happen?" — Mike