A Rampaging Rivalry

William McKinley was president, "Dracula" was published and Boston opened the first underground metro in North America.

Sound like a history lesson?

These are some of the events that happened in 1897, the first time that UConn - then known as the Storrs Agricultural College - faced rival Rhode Island in football.

While the rivalry no longer carries the pomp and circumstance -that it once did - the teams used to compete for the aptly named Ramnapping Trophy - Saturday's contest provides an important tune-up heading into a bye week before Big East play begins at Pittsburgh.

Of 93 total meetings, the Huskies have won 50, including 12 of the last 16. The last time the two met, Aug. 31, 2006 at Rentschler Field, UConn walked away with a 52-7 win.

Home sweet offensive line

When Erik Kuraczea took the field against Baylor on Saturday, he joined Zach Hurd, Mike Hicks and Dan Ryan as the fourth Connecticut native on the Huskies' offensive line. While UConn is continuing to establish itself as a premiere program on the national level, their ability proves head coach Randy Edsall's recruiting prowess within the state.

"We saw things in each one of those young men that we thought we could develop," Edsall said. "And with their abilities and their hard work we thought they could develop into the kind of offensive linemen that we want here. They're able to do the things we want to be able to do with offensive linemen."

Edsall expects that Ryan and Kuraczea will both see extended playing time in Saturday's contest with the Rams.

Randy Edsall field?

While students may best know J.O. Christian as the namesake of UConn's baseball field, Christian was UConn's longest tenured football coach until now. When Edsall takes to the sidelines on Saturday it will be his 122nd game at the helm of the Huskies, a new program record. Edsall's 60 wins are third in UConn history, trailing Christian by just six. In fact, Edsall's 11 years at UConn are tied for ninth longest in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision).

"I never thought I'd be here for that many games when it all first started," Edsall said. "I don't really think about stuff like that, but it's been great that I've been able to be in this place for that long."

Donald Brown grabs his first score

The Indianapolis Colts trailed Miami 20-13 with less than 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter when they called on rookie running back Donald Brown to knot up the score. Brown, who led the nation in rushing as a Husky last year and was the Colts first-round NFL Draft selection, carried the ball four times for 26 yards including a 15-yard touchdown dash to tie the game at 20.

"I was asleep and my son came running in; I had the game on but my face was down on the pillow," Edsall said. "He came in and then I saw the replay and the run that I saw, that to me was just typical Donald Brown. It goes back to what I said earlier, Donald Brown has earned the opportunity to perform and when he gets his opportunities, he's going to perform because that's the kind of guy he is."

Injury update

Zach Frazer (leg) still remains out of the lineup for the Huskies but should be ready to play in two weeks against Pittsburgh. Linebacker Scott Lutrus' (shoulder) status is still a bit more up in the air; he was listed questionable for the third straight week.

"The thing with our medical staff is they aren't going to put anybody out on the field if they aren't healthy and ready to go," Edsall said. "Sometimes there's injuries where you just don't know. When you talk about injuries to nerves, they can be a little bit ornery and you don't know how they're going to react."

Quick hits

Edsall was impressed with Blidi Wreh-Wilson's performance at corner Saturday and wants to get him increased playing time in the future … Cody Endres is excited to be working with offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead who heavily recruited him when he coached at Akron … URI's plus-7 turnover margin is ranked No. 1 in FCS (Football Championship Subdivision)