Good morning, class! Welcome to AmeriCon History: The Huskies and The Bulls. You can call me Professor Steinberg. I hope you all had a chance to read the syllabus that I sent to each of you last night. If you’d all pull that out, I’d like to take you through it.
First, some simple class policies:
- Please be here and be on time. If you are any more than 10 minutes late to class, it will count as an unexcused absence. Three absences and you fail the course. No exceptions.
- Late work will not be accepted, no matter how many times your grandmother dies this semester.
- Drinking alcohol is encouraged in class, but please bring enough to share.
- Tailgating my class is permitted only in the parking lot in the front of the building, and again, only if there is enough food and drink for everybody.
- Participation in this class is mandatory. If everyone is painting their chests and you choose not to show up with your letter, we’re going to spell something stupid like Olliewod.
Now, here’s a brief overview of what to expect from this course:
Lesson 1: Voodoo 5
We will start our course with a guest lecturer from the great Voodoo 5 blog, who will explain this seminal moment in UConn-USF history. This was the first football game between the Huskies and Bulls and came at a time in which the Bulls had a legitimate shot at a BCS bowl birth. With UConn clinging to a 15-10 lead late in the game, the Bulls found themselves at the UConn 1-yard line in a third-and-goal situation. With two shots to advance the ball one yard and win the game, USF committed a false start that backed them up to the 6. Moments later, they decided to run a trick play that UConn was all-too prepared for.
Here’s what USF hoped to have happen (fast-forward to the 40-second mark):
Our guest will discuss what actually transpired — a play the ended with the Bulls down at the 19-yard line.
Lesson 2: Austrie’s shot
USF had UConn on the ropes in this game, no doubt about it. The Huskies, who would go on to earn a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, trailed by a point with time winding down in overtime. Who else would take the last shot but fan favorite and UConn legend Craig Austrie?
Lesson 3: USF soccer is a national embarrassment
In September 2010, the Huskies and Bulls squared off on ESPNU and not only did UConn win 4-0, but Tony Cascio scored three goals, earning him a hat trick and a spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10. That was head coach Ray Reid’s 340th career win and UConn improved to 8-0-0 all-time against USF.
Lesson 4: Teggart’s field goal
Perhaps the most famous three points in UConn football history. Dave Teggart kicked four field goals that night, but it was the last one, in the final seconds, that sent UConn to its first BCS bowl game. The Huskies had just seen a 16-6 lead evaporate, and with 17 seconds remaining, needed Teggart to convert from 52 yards out — a career long — in order to avoid overtime.
Needless to say, he did.
Lesson 5: The Comeback Kids
The UConn baseball team came into the 2013 Big East Tournament as the 8 seed — an afterthought amid title contenders. It appeared the Huskies were headed for an expected loss in their second game of the tournament when the Bulls built a 7-0 lead by the fifth inning. UConn scored six runs in the bottom of that inning and added another in the eighth. In the ninth, with the game knotted at 7-7, USF blew the game in the most USF way possible. First, it was an error in the outfield that put Stanley Paul on second base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch. Two batters later, he scored on another wild pitch, giving the Huskies an improbable 8-7 victory.
Lesson 6: McNeese State
This one actually has nothing to do with UConn, but it is worth some serious discussion. USF lost to McNeese State 53-21 in its 2013 season opener. This included a 31-0 second quarter thrashing for the Cowboys. Really nothing more to add here.
Lesson 7: The Beatdown
UConn’s 2013-14 national championship season had its ups and downs, but one of the highs undoubtedly came at the XL Center on a cold February night. UConn took a 33-7 lead and never looked back, leading 45-14 at halftime and winning 83-40. The Bulls made just 12 shots all night. All 12 Huskies who played scored, including Pat Lenehan and Saint Nnamdi Amilo. Amida Brimah blocked six shots. USF made two field goals in the final 16:50 of the first half. The game tape has since been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame archive that is UConnHuskyGames.com:
Final Exam:
The final exam will consist of one exercise. You may bring your class notes, homework, textbook or anything else you find useful. It is as follows:
On the map below, please show the following:
- The southern region of Florida
- The location of the University of South Florida
