ESPN College Football

Here's your lunchtime reading ...

• The chaos of conference realignment casts a shadow on this week's conference meetings, Greg Auman writes in the Tampa Bay Times.
• Sixteen Pitt athletes recently spent six days at an orphanage in Haiti, Jerry DiPaola writes in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
• Justin Goodwin is the latest to commit to Rutgers, Mike Vorkunov writes in the (Newark) Star-Ledger.
• Several former UConn players are getting exposure at NFL camps, Desmond Conner writes in the Hartford Courant.
• Recruiting has been off to a slow start for Temple, Keith Pompey writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Back in Big East country -- figuratively, at least -- for another day.

Here's what we're cooking up today:

• The performance of running back Savon Huggins headlines Rutgers' big questions entering the spring. New Scarlet Knights coach Kyle Flood is anxious to get practice started.
• TCU's snub of the Big East forced Cincinnati to add a second FCS team on its 2012 schedule.
• Connecticut should get immediate contributions from a group of transfers that includes quarterback Chandler Whitmer.
• Syracuse coach Doug Marrone has ditched his depth chart for the start of spring ball.
• A spring practice primer on South Florida.
• Some nuggets from Louisville's practice Monday. Cardinals coach Charlie Strong and Guy Fieri will be breaking bread together in May.
• Pitt's offense remains a work in progress midway through spring drills. After being shifted back to quarterback, Pitt's Anthony Gonzalez might face another move.

Greetings from the Midwest. Let's see what's happening around the Beast.

• South Florida player Boo Simon quits football after being diagnosed with epilepsy. The Bulls are working at an accelerated pace this spring.
• Pitt's new defense is similar to the one employed by former coach Dave Wannstedt. Panthers RB Isaac Bennett gets a showcase opportunity in practice while Ray Graham is on the mend.
• Tavon Austin's versatility stands out for West Virginia. Donte Campbell could be the Mountaineers' next 1,000-yard receiver.
• Connecticut coach Paul Pasqualoni has no issues with taking transfers, as long as they fit his program.
• Kyle Flood's friends and family members weigh in on the new Rutgers coach.
• Cincinnati coach Butch Jones discusses the second section of spring football.
• Athlon Sports ranks the current and future Big East coaches.
• Louisville offers a defensive back from Florida.

Ivan Maisel speaks with head coaches Les Miles of LSU and Connecticut’s Paul Pasqualoni.

Ted Miller and David Ubben break down Oklahoma’s win over Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- College football is big business. It's a violent game played for high stakes. It's not often touchy-feeley. Moral victories? Those are for losers.

And the scoreboard of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was stark and unforgiving: Oklahoma 48, Connecticut 20.

Just like everyone said: The Huskies got whipped. They didn't score an offensive touchdown. They never put a serious scare into the Sooners. They didn't belong.

But Connecticut coach Randy Edsall and his players didn't see it that way. They saw a game that was closer than the final count. They saw a program that has traveled a vast distance from I-AA to a BCS bowl game in 11 years. They saw hope in a bowl game bust.

"We didn't win the game," Edsall said, "but there's nothing negative that comes from this."

The Sooners scored two touchdowns on pick-sixes (UConn itself got one of those), and both came off deflected passes that probably should have been caught. The Huskies were zero for three on fourth-down, including a fourth-and-inches play on the Sooners 19-yard line in the first quarter.

"As I told them in the locker room, it is a game of inches," Edsall said. "And we couldn't make enough of those inches today against an outstanding football team."

It's also a game of scoring, and the Huskies didn't do much of that. Besides their pick-six, the Huskies got a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The offense? It produced just six points and never ended up in the end zone.

There were a number of times that the game looked like it would transform into a blowout, starting when the Sooners jumped to an easy 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But Connecticut found ways to claw back. It trailed just 20-10 at halftime, and still was within striking distance entering the fourth quarter.

"Even though the score didn't show it, there were a lot of opportunities we missed," offensive guard Zach Hurd said. "That score should have been a lot smaller in difference. But you can't be more proud for these guys. We wanted to show the nation what we are about. We are on the rise. Every year, we keep getting better. Every year, we go to a better bowl."

Of course, a 28-point loss is a 28-point loss, which is not good.

So, plainly, there is room for some "I told you so" from a college football nation, which believed the Huskies didn't belong. The UConn bashers saw an unfair quirk in the BCS system -- the sanctity of a conference title from an AQ-conference --that allowed an unranked team to play here, and many shouted that quirk should be eradicated.

UConn received an invitation to a BCS bowl, no doubt, and that is something that few programs can claim. But that BCS bowl made clear that the program has yet to arrive. It's risen quickly from where it was in 1999 to where it is today. But the Huskies are not yet ready for prime time. No team that ranks among the worst in the nation in passing the football is.

"We just have to keep recruiting; we just have to keep getting more players is what we need to do," Edsall said. "These guys would tell you we are getting more talented each and every year."

So the program is half-empty, and half-full. Just being here is an accomplishment to be proud of. And it was a humbling experience as well.

But the message from the older guys to the underclassmen and future Huskies is upbeat. They believe the program is on the rise and just a few plays and players away from being able to go nose-to-nose with a program like Oklahoma.

Said Hurd, "My advice to young guys coming into the program is to buy into the system; the system works. ... I think we're pretty close."

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be All-American running back Jordan Todman's last game for Connecticut.

Todman, who ranked second in the nation this year with 1,574 yards rushing, announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft during a press conference following the Huskies 48-20 loss to Oklahoma.

"I felt like it was the right time for me," said Todman, who said he made the decision with his family around Christmas.

Todman rushed for 121 yards on 32 carries against the Sooners.

Said coach Randy Edsall, "I'm 100 percent behind him. We've talked and we've done research and given him the information that I received and what we received."

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Might this be Zach Frazer's shining moment?

Connecticut ranked 112th in the nation in passing yards and 113th in passing efficiency this season. Frazer was benched for ineffectiveness four games into the season before coming back to lead the five-game winning streak that got the Huskies to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Still, his season-high for passing yards is 205, and that came in the opener, a blowout loss at Michigan. He never eclipsed 200 yards again. In fact, three times he passed for fewer than 100 yards. He completed just 52.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

There is little to suggest he could, say, pass for 220 or so yards with a couple of touchdown passes, particularly against an Oklahoma secondary that ranks 13th in the nation in pass efficiency defense.

But that very well might be what he NEEDS to do if the Huskies are to win.

It's not the most plausible storyline. But it's the sort of thing that happens when a team pulls a shocking upset during the bowl season.

And remember the Huskies had plenty of time to add some wrinkles to their offense, considering they last played on Dec. 4.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Oklahoma is a more talented team than Connecticut. It's favored by 17 points, the widest spread in a BCS bowl game. So if the Sooners play well, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl figures to be a long evening for the Huskies.

But, as we all know, the most talented team doesn't always win. We've seen in the past with Oklahoma, which is riding a five-game BCS bowl game losing streak, that the Sooners sometimes don't bring their A-game to the bowl season.

You'll likely know if Connecticut has a shot after the first quarter. First of all, it will be interesting to see if the long break and this big stage -- the Huskies have never played a game on anything resembling a BCS bowl game -- causes them to play sloppy or tight out of the gate. It would be bad if they did. There is no way they can fall behind early and play catchup against the high-octane Sooners. UConn is one of the nation's worst passing teams. It's not build to come back from a big deficit.

And, of course, just starting well doesn't mean the final count will be tight.

What UConn needs to do to pull the upset is fairly simple.

• It must win the turnover battle.
• It must win third down on both sides of the ball.
• It must produce enough of a passing threat that the Sooners can't gang up at the line of scrimmage to stop Huskies All-American running back Jordan Todman.

Turnovers are obvious, eh? The biggest difference in the Huskies turnaround from a 3-4 start has been the turnover battle. Connecticut had 12 giveaways and 12 takeaways for a zero turnover margin in the first seven games. During the five-game winning streak that won them the Big East championship, the Huskies are +12 with 17 takeaways to five giveaways.

Third down is also interesting. UConn isn't terribly good on third down, particularly on offense. Oklahoma is, particularly on defense. The Sooners, in fact, have forced 63 shutdown drives this season, second most in the FBS. (A "shutdown drive," as defined by ESPN.com Stats & Information, is a forced three and out or a forced turnover in three plays or fewer). Connecticut’s offense has been the victim of a shutdown drive 58 times this season, tied for seventh most.

The Huskies can't afford three-and-outs. They need to hold onto the ball not only in order to score -- they're a power running team, after all -- but also to give their defense some rest time on the bench away from the Sooners fast-paced offense.

But understand this: the Oklahoma defense is hardly impregnable. It ranks 63rd in the nation in run defense and 112th in the red zone. Further, it can suffer mind cramps, see 42 runs surrendered of 15-plus yards this year, which is tied for fifth most in the FBS. And the five other teams that have given up at least that many long runs combined for 15 wins.

Both teams are well aware of the general fan and media feeling for this game: mismatch. That could serve to motivate the Huskies and lull the Sooners into a false sense of security.

"UConn, they have a chip on their shoulder. No one is expecting them to win this game," Sooners All-American receiver Ryan Broyles said. "They will come out fighting. We have to beat them."

That latter part is true. UConn is a well-coached team. It likely will take its best shot at the Sooners. If they Sooners match that best shot, they likely will win the game.

But if they don't ...

What do the Connecticut Huskies need to do to beat the Oklahoma Sooners in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl? Here are three keys.

1. Win the turnover battle: Oklahoma is a more talented team that UConn. If the Sooners play well, they should win. But what if they don't? And what if the Huskies help them to play sloppy football? The Huskies need to take chances on both sides of the ball. On offense, they will need to pass to keep the Sooners defense honest and hope that quarterback Zach Frazer isn't off the mark. And the Huskies defense will need to blitz and pressure Sooners quarterback Landry Jones. Further, every defender should be raking the ball, hoping for a strip. Both teams had positive turnover margins this year. UConn needs to make sure Oklahoma is negative in that category on Saturday.

2. Play keep-away: Oklahoma wants to play fast. It likes to wear down a defense with its no-huddle, rush-to-the line of scrimmage pace and make big plays. UConn should be in no hurry. Huskies, take your time. Let the play clock run down. Slow things down. Stay in bounds. Run the ball, sure, but also use short, possession passes. UConn will need to take chances downfield in order to loosen up the Sooners' defense. But it also wants to limit the Sooners' touches. Moreover, this requires the Huskies to win the battle on third down. UConn has been terrible on third down this year. And that is a strength of the Oklahoma defense. That can't be the case Saturday.

3. Redzone opportunism: Connecticut needs touchdowns in the red zone. And it needs to hold Oklahoma to field goals. And, in general, the Huskies are far better in the red zone than the Sooners. Oklahoma ranks 68th in the nation in red zone offense and 112th in red zone defense. The Huskies rank fourth in the nation in red zone offense and 53rd in red zone defense. It's fine if Oklahoma piles up yards. But if they have two drives net field goals, and the Huskies get a TD (and a PAT), then guess who comes out ahead?

Here's a look at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl from a Connecticut perspective:

WHO TO WATCH: Quarterback Zach Frazer needs to come up big for UConn to win. Sure, All-American running back Jordan Todman is the Huskies' money guy, and his offensive line is outstanding. Todman should have some success against a mediocre Oklahoma run defense, which ranks 63rd in the nation, giving up 151.8 yards per game. But if Frazer doesn't keep the Sooners honest with a passing threat by making plays downfield, Todman won't be able to do enough to allow the UConn offense to keep up with the high-scoring, balanced Sooners. Frazer only threw five TD passes this year. He might need a couple to keep UConn in this game.

WHAT TO WATCH: The UConn secondary vs. Sooners quarterback Landry Jones will be an interesting matchup. While there was a lot of concern about the Huskies secondary -- particularly at safety -- in the preseason, the results have been generally strong. UConn ranks fifth in the nation with 19 interceptions and 16th in the nation in pass efficiency defense. And four of those interceptions became pick-6s, which is a good way to overcome a middling offense. The Huskies will need to force Jones to make some mistakes. Jones is prolific; he's passed for 4,289 yards and 35 TDs this year. But he, at times, can let some throws get away from him, see 11 interceptions. The Huskies need to win the turnover battle, and their secondary might be where that starts.

WHY WATCH: Everyone expects the Sooners to roll. You know: Just like they did in 2007 when Boise State notched an upset for the ages in an extraordinarily entertaining Fiesta Bowl. Did you ever regret watching that game? Further, this is an interesting measure for the Big East. Folks have been beating up on the conference all season. This is a good opportunity for it to take a swing back at its critics.

PREDICTION: UConn will make things competitive into the second half, but Oklahoma just has too much firepower. The Huskies' offense won't be able to keep up and the defense will wear down. Sooners roll late, 42-24.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Oklahoma leads the nation with 32 10-win seasons. Connecticut has none as an FBS team. Oklahoma has won seven national championships. Connecticut has none. Since World War II, Oklahoma leads the nation with 574 victories. Connecticut has 57 wins as an FBS team.

The Sooners have been ranked in the AP poll for 703 total weeks. UConn beat its first ranked team in 2007.

In 2000, when Oklahoma was rolling undefeated to its last national title, the Huskies lost to Rhode Island and Northeastern.

Do you need more? How about this: Think of every measure of a college football program available. Oklahoma has a lot; UConn has very little.

Oklahoma is one of the most storied programs in the nation. UConn only become an FBS team in 2002.

One of the main storylines heading into the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is the David versus Goliath perception of the two programs. And it's not just that the Sooners are 11-2 and ranked seventh in the BCS standings and the Huskies are 8-4 and unranked.

When you think of Oklahoma you think of coaching and playing legends: Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Adrian Peterson. And when you think of UConn? Well, you, er, think of basketball.

"We know what Oklahoma is and what kind of tradition they have," Huskies defensive coordinator Hank Hughes said. "If you matched us up for 100 years, we don't match up with them. But on this one day for three hours, we have to go out and try to beat them in that one football game. That's the approach we're taking."

In other words, UConn won't be facing J.C. Watts, Brian Bosworth or Greg Pruitt, which is good because Ryan Broyles, DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Beal and Quinton Carter will provide enough of a challenge. UConn's players seem quietly confident that they can keep up with the Sooners. And they seem properly motivated by those myriad doubters who see this as a mismatch that is only possible in a system like the BCS.

Still, it's hard to get past the contrast, which is even more dramatic than when the Sooners took on Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Consider the bowl media guides.

In UConn's media guide, it lists an "FBS timeline," which starts with former athletic director Lew Perkins first recommending in 1991 that the school "seriously consider playing football at the NCAA Division I-A level" and ends with tailback Jordan Todman, on Dec. 8, becoming the second Husky to earn All-American honors in the "FBS era at UConn."

In Oklahoma's media guide, under a heading "OU Essentials," it cites the program's all-time record -- 809-303-53 -- and notes the Sooners lead the nation with 31 unanimous and 72 consensus All-Americans.

UConn celebrates Oct. 28, 2007, when the program earned "its first national ranking when it debuts at No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches’ Poll."

Oklahoma has spent 76 weeks ranked in just the BCS standings -- since 1998 -- including 20 weeks at No. 1, most in the nation.

Players from both teams are almost as aware of this contrast as fans and media. For UConn, it serves as motivation. For Oklahoma, it's a potential trap.

"Everybody is saying we should kill them," Sooners quarterback Landry Jones said. "But if you don't prepare, history is going to repeat itself."

Ah, not all Oklahoma history is good. Jones refers to previous Fiesta Bowl upset defeats against Boise State and West Virginia.

UConn coach Randy Edsall hasn't avoided the topic, even with his team. He prepared his players for an onslaught of questions on the matter.

"Tradition is what it is," Edsall said. "We told them exactly the kind of program Oklahoma is -- the history and tradition."

He also noted that taking on historically great programs is not unexplored territory for his current team. The Huskies won at Notre Dame in 2009 and lost at Michigan this year.

Further, there seems to be some frustration from the UConn side of things that it hasn't been more embraced for making the quickest rise from an FCS school to a BCS bowl game. That, after all, is history, too.

"This is a tremendous story," Edsall said. "It's about giving somebody an opportunity."

UConn has an opportunity to create its own bit of history on Saturday. It won't have to beat those great Sooners teams from past years. All it has to do is be the better team for three hours.

Three hours in which the Huskies will be playing in their fifth bowl game vs. the 45th for Oklahoma.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One potential reason for Connecticut's rapid rise from I-AA to BCS bowl team is coaching continuity. Head coach Randy Edsall has been atop the program for 12 seasons and four assistants have been with him for at least 10 years. Two others have been with the Huskies for five years.

"Any time you can keep people around, it's very helpful," Edsall said. "They know how I act. I know how they act. We know what we're teaching. We know the system that we are in. Continuity is huge."

The "old timers" remember life before UConn upgraded its facilities to a point where they are as good as any in the Big East. They remember the duct tape before things went high tech.

"It's totally different," said Hank Hughes, the assistant head coach for defense, who's been with the program 10 years. "It's changed dramatically. Our facilities have gone from probably among the very bottom to some of the better quality facilities in the country."

Here's a look at the Huskies staff.

• Hughes, who's been coaching 32 years, started with UConn in 2001 as defensive line coach. The Huskies have ranked among the defensive leaders in the Big East since joining the conference in 2004.
• Joe Moorhead (offensive coordinator/QBs): Moorhead is in his second season with the Huskies. In 2009, UConn ranked second in the Big East in scoring. He ran a no-huddle, spread attack at Akron, but has adapted his schemes to better fit the Huskies personnel.
• Todd Orlando (defensive coordinator/inside linebackers): Orlando is one of Edsall's original hires; he's been with the program 12 years. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2005. He's a former linebacker at Wisconsin.
• Matt Cersosimo (receivers, recruiting coordinator): He was a graduate assistant with the program in 2002 and returned to the staff for a full-time job in 2006. He played defensive back at Springfield College.
• Mike Foley (offensive line): Foley is in his fifth season with the Huskies. A former player and coach at Colgate, Foley is highly regarded for his work with the Huskies offensive line, which might be the best in the Big East.
• Lydon Johnson (outside linebackers, special teams): Johnson, a former UConn player, is in his 12th season with the program. Two of the Huskies areas of strength? Linebackers and special teams.
• Darrell Perkins (defensive backs): Perkins is one of two members of the staff who is new this year. He spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons at Louisiana-Monroe. The Huskies had19 interceptions this year, which ranked fifth in the country. The Huskies also ranked 16th in the nation in pass-efficiency defense.
• Terry Richardson (running backs): He's in his 12th season with the Huskies. In 2008, Donald Brown was the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and became the Huskies first NFL first-round draft pick. In 2009, two Huskies RBs eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. In 2010, Jordan Todman earned All-American honors.
• Jon Wholley (tight ends): Wholley joins Perkins as a staff rookie, but he played for Edsall from 2001-04.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Connecticut didn't look like a BCS bowl team when it was 3-4 and coming off a 26-0 loss to Louisville. It looked like a team spinning into the toilet, a promising season heading toward the sewer.

Team meetings are often overrated -- an unfocused, unmotivated, divided team doesn't just suddenly transform because guys deliver a fire-and-brimstone speech or two -- but UConn's players seem to believe they saved their season with one.

Part of that was good leadership from upperclassmen, guys such as linebacker and team captain Scott Lutrus. And there was star power: All-American running back Jordan Todman also appealed to his team to turn things around.

"We realized at that point there was kind of a fork in the road and we were going down the wrong path," quarterback Zach Frazer said.

But Frazer specifically recalled a speech that came from an unlikely person: True freshman offensive lineman Gus Cruz, who reminded them of Jasper Howard, a Huskies cornerback who was senselessly stabbed to death on campus the previous year

Said Frazer, "You don't really think a freshman is going to stand up and speak, but some powerful words came out of his mouth... He just reminded us that, 'Hey, Jas isn't here this season, but I'm sure he's watching down.' He didn't go through that experience last year, but he's a team member and he kind of put that in our vision."

It took guts to speak up. And it took something else to create a message that resonated with the team. Cruz said he was motivated by a quote on the wall of the football complex that the Huskies see every day: "Play every play like it's the last play you'll ever play."

Cruz wondered if everyone was doing that.

"I said if Jasper were here, this wouldn't be happening," he said.

What happened thereafter is the Huskies won five games in a row, won the Big East and now will play Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.

Team meetings don't always work. But sometimes they do.

Said Cruz, "We've been doing pretty good after that."

It is a pity that Connecticut quarterback Zach Frazer is required to wear a helmet, for it obscures from public view the grandeur of what is known by Huskies insiders as "The Flow."

Most watching UConn on TV only get hints of the mystery and majesty of The Flow. It peaks out from beneath Frazer's blue helmet, warming his neck and perhaps warning the quarterback if a defender is near with diabolical intentions.

Oh, some might dismiss The Flow. Some might call it a mullet. Some might call it a mess. Some might wonder if Frazer is channeling Elvis. But Frazer's hair is not to be trifled with. As the Dude abides, Frazer defines the existence of The Flow in similar philosophical terms: "It happened," he said.

"Everyone on the team is jealous of The Flow, we'll just put it like that," he explained.

Perhaps. Medusa surely would feel upstaged.

"He thinks it's pretty," UConn linebacker Scott Lutrus said.

What isn't terribly pretty, however, is the Huskies passing game. The Huskies rank 112th in the nation with just 145.1 passing yards per game. And it's not just about a lack of trying: They also rank 113th in the nation in passing efficiency.

Nor has the situation at quarterback been pretty. In fact, it's been a bit of a soap opera. Frazer and Cody Endres had gone back and forth with the starting job for a couple of years, but Frazer seemed to take control when Endres injured his shoulder in 2009. Then Endres got suspended and the job became Frazer's this fall. But Frazer, who transferred from Notre Dame in 2007, was benched after the first four games for inconsistency and Endres took over, a demotion that Frazer didn't take particularly well.

Then Endres got kicked off the team for a team rules violation, and the Huskies opted to go with redshirt freshman Mike Box over Frazer. Box started the 26-0 loss to Louisville that dropped the Huskies to 3-4 overall. Back to Frazer.

Yet, when things looked most dire and the season seemed to be in a tailspin, something clicked. Frazer didn't start passing for 300 yards. Heck, he didn't even start passing for 200 yards. But the Huskies started winning. And that five-game winning streak is why The Flow is on display before the Huskies face Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.

There is no question what the UConn offense is all about: All-American running back Jordan Todman, the nation's second-leading rusher, and a veteran, physical offensive line. But Frazer has been behind center since a midseason transformation, and his game management is notable for an important characteristic.

"He's won games for us," Lutrus said. "Look at his record as a starter. He's a smart quarterback who is great with checks and makes smarts decisions."

Frazer's numbers don't sparkle. He completed 53 percent of his throws with five touchdowns and four interceptions. But, again, he's 5-0 since he regained the starting job and the Huskies won the Big East championship.

"He makes good decisions. He avoids sacks. He's productive in the red zone," offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead said. "He's made plays when he's needed to. We've got an All-American running back and three All-Big East guys up front. The bottom line is whatever we need to do offensively in order to help us win games."

And Frazer believes that if Oklahoma shuts down Todman, the Huskies can throw the ball well enough to win.

"Our game plan is based on whatever they are going to do," he said. "We can run the ball. We can throw the ball. If they are geared to stop the run, I feel confident we can execute in the passing game."

Oklahoma hasn't been great against the run the this year. The Sooners have given up 151.8 yards rushing per game, which ranks 63rd in the nation, and they have been particularly vulnerable to big plays in the run game: They've surrendered 42 run plays of over 15 yards this season. Only four teams have yielded more, and none had winning records.

Still, the Sooners have played far more balanced offenses. They certainly will crowd the line of scrimmage and key on Todman and force Frazer to throw. The Sooners have been particularly good on third down this year, with foes converting at just a 34 percent clip, which ranks 15th in the nation. The Huskies struggle on third down: Their 32 percent conversion rate ranks 112th in the nation.

In other words, Frazer is going to have to get into The Flow. And we're not just talking about his notable hair.

"If we can run the ball, then good," he said. "But if we really need it, our passing game can step up."

Reply hopeful Huskies fans: May The Flow be with you.