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Connecticut seeks 10th win in Meineke Car Care Bowl

Dec 29, 2007 - 11:33 AM Connecticut(9-3) vs. Wake Forest (8-4) 1:00 pm EST Meineke Car Care Bowl December 29

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Connecticut coach Randy Edsall turned down overtures by Georgia Tech.

Now, Edsall looks to guide the Huskies to a 10-win season when they take on Wake Forest in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Saturday.

In just its sixth season in the Football Bowl Subvision, Connecticut's success this year was one of college football's best stories.

Although they were routed by West Virginia, 66-21, in the regular-season finale, the Huskies (9-3) gained a share of the Big East Conference title.

Tyler Lorenzen passed for 2,269 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Huskies (9-3), while Andre Dixon (809 yards) and Donald Brown II (749 yards) shared most of the running duties.

UConn is making its second bowl appearance since moving up to the Football Bowl Division, defeating Toledo, 39-10, in the Motor City Bowl in 2004.

The Huskies will be looking to avenge last season's 24-13 loss to Wake Forest (8-4) and also will have to overcome what likely will be a pro-Wake Forest crowd. This game is taking place just 80 minutes from the Demon Deacons' home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Once one of the perennial doormats in college football, Wake Forest is playing in consecutive bowl games for the first time in the program's history.

Along with Rutgers, Wake Forest was arguably college football's biggest surprise last season, when it went 11-3, won the ACC championship game and lost to Louisville in the Orange Bowl.

The Demon Deacons didn't match last year's success but they did come on strong in the second half of the season, winning eight of 10 games following an 0-2 start.

Wake Forest won eight games for only the fifth time and its two-year record of 19-7 is the best in school history.

Riley Skinner, who led the Demon Deacons to the ACC championship as a freshman last year, endured somewhat off an off year, passing for only 1,936 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. However, he missed two games after separating his shoulder in the season opener.

Josh Adams ranked fourth in the ACC in rushing with 887 yards and 10 trouchdowns.

Wake Forest and UConn each played Virginia this season and, oddly enough, lost by the same score, 17-16.