ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Connecticut is 3-1, a fourth-quarter meltdown against North Carolina away from being undefeated.

Look at the Big East statistics, and the Huskies are mighty impressive. They lead the league in total defense (232 yards per game) and rush defense (68 yards per game), while ranking second in pass defense and allowing just 15 points per game.

And yet, just try to find somebody outside of the Nutmeg State who's talking up UConn at this point.

"We're kind of used that up here," quarterback Cody Endres said.

There are some programs that fly under the radar, and then there is a team like UConn, which is like the stealth bomber of college football. The Huskies almost never garner any national attention for their exploits.

That's why Saturday's game at Pittsburgh looms as so important. Not only is it the Big East opener for Connecticut, it will be televised by ABC on a regional basis, giving lots of people a look at Randy Edsall's team. It's a chance for this team to prove it deserves some hype.

"There's a little bit of a national spotlight on us," running back Andre Dixon said. "I think they put us on TV because they want to see what we can do."

"It's definitely a good opportunity," Endres said. "We're going out there hoping to make a little bit of a name for ourselves."

Skepticism about the Huskies is understandable. Though they won a share of the Big East title in 2007, they were blown out by co-champ West Virginia and lost to Wake Forest in their bowl game. Last year, they started 5-0, only to lose five of their final seven games.

People also doubted UConn to start this year, particularly after so much talent was lost to the NFL draft. But while star defensive ends Cody Brown and Julius Williams and cornerback Darius Butler all left, the defense has been just as strong, if not stronger than before. And that's without leading returning tackler Scott Lutrus, who has missed three games with a nerve problem. He is expected back this week.

"We knew we lost some parts," Edsall said. "But we thought there would be some depth there. I think there's a level of expectation here at UConn ... and that we're going to play good defense. We're going to be very sound and fundamental, and we're not going to beat ourselves."

Edsall said earlier this season that he's not the type to toot his program's own horn, either. UConn may be the nondescript type of team that rarely attracts a lot of notice. But with a win at Pitt this week, at least the rest of the Big East will have to concede that the Huskies are a serious contender for the league crown.

But UConn isn't expecting a sudden shower of love anytime soon.

"Even if we win, it probably won't get us a lot of respect," Dixon said. "People will always find a way to keep UConn down. To tell you the truth, we love it. It gives us a reason to come out and play hard every time."