Spring Break
UConn offense has forgot about Dre
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 9/30/08 Section: Sports
The next week, Dixon went for 209 yards from scrimmage in a program-changing victory over South Florida.
By this point, Dixon was the face of UConn athletics. Fans showed up to Rentschler with posters of Dixon and his lion-like mane of hair. Some even bought wigs and extensions so they'd look like him. When he wasn't on the field, Dixon was on the jumbo-tron going nuts on the sidelines. Everyone loved his intensity and enthusiasm nearly as much as they loved his flowing dreads. For a brief three-week stretch, Jim Calhoun, AJ Price, Jeff Adrien, Maya Moore and Brown took a backseat to the football team's dread-locked phenomenon.
But my, how times have changed. Brown is No. 1 in the nation in rushing and Dixon is No. 9 on his own team. Brown has rushed for 453 times more yards than Dixon, who has been limited to two yards on two carries partly due to an early-season ankle injury. The man who was once a celebrity has turned into a serious afterthought, not just among fans, but for his own coach.
Granted, it's difficult to criticize Randy Edsall for anything he's done this year. His coaching has been nearly flawless. I hate to be a downer, but despite the Huskies' 5-0 record, they still haven't faced a legitimate team. Louisville is far from being the cream of the crop in the Big East, and Virginia may be the worst team in the country. When UConn squares off against North Carolina, South Florida and West Virginia (yes, they still are somewhat dangerous), Edsall's rudimentary offense of "Brown left and Brown right" might not cut it.
What happened to the screen passes to Dixon that bailed UConn out of countless third-and-longs last season? What happened to Edsall's plan to use both Dixon and Brown at the same time? What happened to the man who was essentially the difference between a bowl game versus Wake Forest and one versus Ball State?
At this point, Dixon's absence has nothing to do with injury. Time and time again, Edsall has alluded to the fact that Dixon is healthy and explained his lack of playing time by saying "we went with what gave us the best chance to win."
By this point, Dixon was the face of UConn athletics. Fans showed up to Rentschler with posters of Dixon and his lion-like mane of hair. Some even bought wigs and extensions so they'd look like him. When he wasn't on the field, Dixon was on the jumbo-tron going nuts on the sidelines. Everyone loved his intensity and enthusiasm nearly as much as they loved his flowing dreads. For a brief three-week stretch, Jim Calhoun, AJ Price, Jeff Adrien, Maya Moore and Brown took a backseat to the football team's dread-locked phenomenon.
But my, how times have changed. Brown is No. 1 in the nation in rushing and Dixon is No. 9 on his own team. Brown has rushed for 453 times more yards than Dixon, who has been limited to two yards on two carries partly due to an early-season ankle injury. The man who was once a celebrity has turned into a serious afterthought, not just among fans, but for his own coach.
Granted, it's difficult to criticize Randy Edsall for anything he's done this year. His coaching has been nearly flawless. I hate to be a downer, but despite the Huskies' 5-0 record, they still haven't faced a legitimate team. Louisville is far from being the cream of the crop in the Big East, and Virginia may be the worst team in the country. When UConn squares off against North Carolina, South Florida and West Virginia (yes, they still are somewhat dangerous), Edsall's rudimentary offense of "Brown left and Brown right" might not cut it.
What happened to the screen passes to Dixon that bailed UConn out of countless third-and-longs last season? What happened to Edsall's plan to use both Dixon and Brown at the same time? What happened to the man who was essentially the difference between a bowl game versus Wake Forest and one versus Ball State?
At this point, Dixon's absence has nothing to do with injury. Time and time again, Edsall has alluded to the fact that Dixon is healthy and explained his lack of playing time by saying "we went with what gave us the best chance to win."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Ross
posted 9/30/08 @ 11:55 AM EST
I don't get it. As a coach, you need to put your best athletes on the field as often as possible. I would go so far as to say that Dixon is one of best athlete on this team, but as the DC pointed out, is only 9th in rushing yards. (Continued…)
Tom
posted 9/30/08 @ 9:14 PM EST
This is a pretty dumb article...
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