New Season Of UConn Football Kicks Off, Fans Tell Naysayers To ‘Party With The Dogs’

Sure, SEC or Big Ten schools are known for quite the college football following, but here at the Big East we have big heart, too.

The UConn Huskies made their way out of the tunnel for Thursday night’s season opener at Rentschler field, and a new seasons of college football was underway.

Despite the weekday debut, fans made their way to the Rent in full force to watch the Huskies put on a 37-0 beat down on UMass. Starting of course, with the tailgate. The sun set over East Hartford and proud flags flowed in the breeze…that carried that slight hint of barbecue.

I ventured into the blue lot (later discovering it was a maze of tents and tables that had been set up since the early afternoon) to talk to some tailgaters about the fan base surrounding UConn football.

The Gorman group tops off at 20 and has members that have been season ticket holders for 12 years, having parked in the now infamous campus X Lot to attend games in the old Memorial Stadium.

Ed Gorman, his daughter Marisa Gorman Hicking and her husband Dave Hicking talk about evolving with the UConn Football program and have a few things to say to anyone thinking we here in Connecticut don’t have a college football presence.

Walking through the gate into the stadium was that old familiar feeling, seas of blue and white, eight dollar beers and that “I’m at a sporting event” excuse to indulge in a sausage and peppers a-la concessions stand. Some revelers seemed to not even be phased by the game going on behind them as they caught up with friends or school acquaintances, and I discovered that beneath the scoreboard is the place to be, by the way.

Spectators got into every first down chant, cheered with each sack and of course basked in the glory of an early lead. And with an honorable mention, my first ever “I wish I hadn’t ‘scene’ that” award, the t-shirt tosser who got booed by the stadium because he couldn’t made it past the fourth row. You’ll get ‘em next time, buddy.

All in all, a great first game in the books. With a solid defense, promising offense and a dedicated fan base to support them, who knows what the season holds for UConn Football.

Do you have anything you’re looking forward to this season, any tips and traditions you’d like to share? Leave a comment below and become part of our UConn Football fan coverage.