The practices are finished. The fans are anxious and ready to begin their tailgate parties outside the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The news conferences are over, and all the questions have been answered except for one.
Will it be UConn, champions of the Big East, or Oklahoma, champions of the Big 12, who leave the desert as the champion of the 40th Tostitos Fiesta Bowl?
For the Huskies, the focus has been the team’s journey in such a short period of time to be just one of 10 teams to reach a Bowl Championship Series contest, UConn’s first major bowl opportunity. For the Sooners, the questions have centered on its 0-5 post-season record in recent years, despite its long-established history as a football powerhouse.
UConn enters the game having rebounded from two consecutive Big East losses on the road with five consecutive wins, including critical wins against conference rivals West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The Huskies clinched the Big East spot in the BCS in dramatic fashion – on the road at South Florida on Dec. 4, with Dave Teggart’s career-long 52-yard field goal with 17 seconds to play.
Despite the effort, UConn has been tagged as the underdog in this contest and Oklahoma, a team with something to prove. Both head coaches responded to their critics at a recent pre-game news conference.
“This game is totally different,” said UConn head coach Randy Edsall. “We just have to make sure that we give our best effort and play the type of football that we’ve been playing, where hopefully we can get some turnovers. For us, it has to be a team effort. It’s a tremendous opportunity for us. It’s something that our young men have dreamed about since they started playing this game.”
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said he’s glad the Sooners are in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, because it means they are the Big 12 champs and have had a great year.
“Sure, we’re anxious to play well, hopefully, and win a game,” Stoops said. “Obviously, when you get in the game, it doesn’t matter who is the underdog. We’ve been here [in the Fiesta Bowl] two other times and we haven’t won. So we have a lot to play for, and a lot to prove as well.”
Edsall and Stoops have known each other for many years, from the time when both served as assistant coaches who traveled the nation recruiting student athletes.
“Randy and I used to run around recruiting in south Florida together when we were assistants. So I’ve always kind of followed Randy and he has done a great job everywhere he has been and he will continue to build that program,” Stoops said. “[He] has done a fabulous job in a short amount of time bringing that program along and being Big East champs. You look at what they did the last five games of the year, just how sharp they’ve played and played well as a team.”
The players on both sides of the ball are looking forward to getting back on the field of competition, after a long break following the end of the regular season. Both teams are well versed in the skills of their opponents.
“They’ve got a big ‘O’ line. Everybody knows [UConn’s Jordan] Todman is a great running back. They try to just physically dominate you. It’s going to be a physical game,” said Oklahoma’s Jeremy Beal, the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. “I like these types of games. It has a kind of old-school feel to it. It’s going to be a fun game to play.”
“They’re fast. They’re athletic guys,” said Huskies senior guard Zach Hurd. “They don’t get out of position much. They swarm to the ball, so you’ve got to stay on blocks and sustain blocks to the whistle.”
Zach Frazer, the Huskies senior quarterback, is looking forward to the challenge of facing the Sooners, who will aim to stop Todman.
“If they’re playing us to stop our run, I feel confident in our passing game,” Frazer said. “It’s going to be a tough game. It’s going to be an interesting game. That’s why it’s a big bowl game.”
Todman was direct in responding to questions about UConn’s path to the Fiesta Bowl, when many doubted the Huskies’ ability to rebound from a 3-4 start.
“We won the Big East and we are here rightfully,” said Todman. “At the end of the day we are here because we won and we belong here.”
The Huskies’ performance during the 2010 season has already been rewarded. Edsall shared Big East Coach of the Year honors with Charlie Strong of Louisville, and six UConn players were named to the All-Big East First Team. Todman, a junior, was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year and earned recognition as the nation’s second leading runner, averaging 143 yards per game.
Meanwhile, the Sooners hope to end their post-season slump behind sophomore quarterback Landry Jones, who was recognized as the nation’s top passer with the 2010 Sammy Baugh Award. Jones threw for 4,289 yards and 35 touchdowns, completing 65.3 percent of his passes with 11 interceptions in 568 attempts. Oklahoma also has the team’s career leader in receptions, All-American junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles, who averaged 12.3 yards per reception and had 13 touchdowns. The Sooner defense is highlighted by All-American senior safety Quinton Carter. Fifteen Sooner players were named to the 2010 All-Big 12 Team.
Oklahoma averages 478.1 yards per game on offense, 13th in the nation, and defensively yielded 363.9 yards per game this year, 58th in the nation. The Huskies averaged 325 yards per game offense, ranked 62nd in the country, and gave up 353.7 yards on defense, 48th in the country.
