Oct. 22, 2008

(8:53 a.m.): This, of course, will be an important matchup for this Saturday’s UC-UConn matchup. In fact, it might be the single most significant matchup of the day.

You’ve got a Huskies junior running back in Brown who’s coming off a stretch where he’s gained 100 yards in the first half in six of his past seven appearances and who leads the country in rushing with 167.7 yards per game. You, however, also have a Bearcats rush defense who ranks 13th in the country (though only third in the Big East) and who know that, if they stop Brown, they likely will win the game.

Yes, this is a big matchup.

“We have to stop the run and make them a one-dimensional team,” UC senior cornerback Mike Mickens said. “That’s what we’ve been focused on this week. They have a very talented back and a very talented offensive line, so we just have to stop the run. After contact, he keeps his feet moving and he gets extra yards. He makes the first man miss every time if you watch film. He’s just a very tough, aggressive running back, and you have to put hats on him.”

That might not be so simple, though. Brown – who has gained 1,174 yards and recorded 12 touchdowns this year – is not easy to stop.

“Patience, great vision, physically strong,” BK said describing Brown’s attributes. “He’s not a (Pitt running back) LeSean McCoy where he can make two or three people miss, but he has a great burst and great vision. When you watch him play, you say, ‘That is a great back.’ You can see it when he plays. Brown, you can see, is just a smart runner.”

Yet, UC proved last year if it can limit UConn’s running backs, it can dominate. During the Bearcats 27-3 victory at Nippert Stadium, they limited the Huskies to 22 rushing yards on 22 carries (Brown, BTW, had two carries for zero yards). If that happens, it means UConn will have to rely on either redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Frazer – nothing has changed with his status and it might remain a mystery until gametime Saturday – or redshirt freshman Cody Endres, who’s thrown five passes this year.

Either way, UC remains confident with its run defense.

“We’ve got some pretty good players,” BK said. “It starts up front with (Terrill) Byrd and (Adam) Hoppel, who are very good and are two seniors that can get off blocks and make plays. Ryan Manalac is a very underrated linebacker in this league, and Torry Cornett is growing as a linebacker. You have some maturation going on as well, and that would be the reason why, defensively, we’ve been solid against the run.”

But UConn expects UC to focus on its running game. It’s what every opponent tries to accomplish every week. And really, the only team to have much success against the Huskies running game was in the Rutgers loss last week. In that case, though, UConn fell behind early and had to switch to its passing game in the second half in order to try for the comeback victory.

Still, Huskies coach Randy Edsall knows what (terrible and obvious pun alert) Brown can do for him.

“Donald is an outstanding young man,” Edsall said. “People are starting to load up in the box on him. He’s a guy who’s trained very hard and put himself in a position to go out and have the year he’s having.”