With a hard rain pelting Connecticut today, the last full practice before Saturday's Wake Forest game, it would have been a perfect opportunity for the UConn football team to test out its brand new indoor training complex. However, on Thursday the players got dressed and taped in their spanking new locker room, sniffed a final breath of that new-facility smell, then charged outside to practice in the rain.

That's because the multi-million dollar indoor practice field still isn't ready for use, a full six weeks after camp opened back in early August.

The indoor surace is being inspected by surveyors today. Randy Edsall said he was told the team could finally get in to use it Friday. If not Friday, then definitely by Sunday. You sort of get the feeling he's heard that line a quite few times over the last six weeks.

"They're surveying the field. It's something that has to be done after they go ahead and install the turf," Edsall said. "So they're in here today to take care of that. It's possible tomorrow we'll be able to have our walk through in there, but we'll have it definitely by Sunday. But that doesn't help me today."

Edsall had no news on the injury front. Jason Ward and Dan Murray are still out, and both will be reassessed Sunday. There are less than 200 tickets remaining for Saturday's game, according to the UConn athletic communications department, so expect a sellout. Also, the scout team awards this week went to Aaron Bryant (special teams), Lucas Cox (defense) and Alex Molina (offense). The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN360, whatever that is.

Coming Friday: College football challenge week 2.