Some post game notes to chew on.

• Andre Dixon got dinged up a bit in the first half, and Donald Brown made the most of the opportunity. Brown has been struggling all year, running tentatively and not at all like last season. But he went for 149 yards in the second half when the Huskies offense needed a lift."I'm very happy for him," Randy Edsall said. "That goes to show you what kind of young man he is. I'm sure he was disappointed that he hadn't been able to do some of the things that he had to do but we always knew he would come back."

• I'm not about to break down bowl scenarios at this hour, but the reps from the Sugar Bowl came away impressed. Spoke with one who said they will be keeping a close eye on the Huskies from here on out. They expressed the same sentiment to Edsall. "They said just keep on winning," Edsall said.

• Former UConn linebacker Alfred Fincher, now with the New Orleans Saints, will receive a game ball from Edsall for a stirring motivational message he taped for the team earlier this week. The team saw it Thursday and Edsall said they've never had a more powerful message. "He's one of the guys who helped build this program, and passed the torch," Donald Brown said. "It was a message from the heart."

• Good quote from Rob Lunn when asked if the team ever thought they'd be 8-1 and 4-0 in the Big East on Nov. 4. "You always take it one game at a time, but we wanted to be a good team in September, a better team in October and a great team in November," Lunn said. "To be in first place in the Big East is an accomplishment. But we're not done yet. Five minutes after beating Rutgers, the only words coming out of everyone's mouth is Cincinnati. The Bearcats are next. That's what we're focused on."

• Lunn also proclaimed the UConn defense as the best conditioned unit in the country. If the second quarter isn't evidence enough, then nothing is. UConn ran a total of three plays on offense in the second. Rutgers ran 38. THIRTY-EIGHT! In one quarter! You had to wonder how that would affect UConn in the second half. But the Huskies allowed nothing more than a field goal in the second half.

• Darius Butler has a 41-inch vertical, and looks more and more like a future pro with those athletic pass breakups.

That's it for now. My kid is being Christened tomorrow, so Dave Solomon is handling all my normal Sunday duties. Since he is staunchly against the concept of blogging, I'll catch up with you all on Monday.