Howdy. Just got back home from Louisville via Charlotte, an hour or so delay, and then another hour or so drive from Bradley. I'm too tired to make jokes or wisecracks today. At least funny ones. So, I guess it's business as usual. Busy night last night. Didn't leave Little Caesar's Pizza Pizza Stadium until close to 2 a.m. Woke up around 8, and wrote as much as I could for the paper before leaving for the airport at 10:45. I was so exhausted, I pulled off the rare double of putting my shirt on backwards AND inside-out this morning. Finally realized what I did about 2 hours later, when the lady working the counter at the Louisville airport Quizno's said "Nice shirt". I was too tired and hungry to care. So I simply ordered my favorite sandwich "Italian Classic, and don't skimp on the vinegar!", ate it, and then flipped the shirt the right way.

Here's a recap of the call with Randy Edsall today.

• Injuries: Tyler and Brouse have surgery tomorrow. Lunn should be fine. Polito is expected back this week. Reyes is day-to-day. Witten is fine. That's it. Oh, no time table on Tyler and Brouse's returns until after the surgery. But it will probably be at least six weeks (according to Dr. Malafronte's estimate).


• Zach Frazer starts at UNC Saturday (no brainer), Cody is the backup. Johnny McEntee is 3rd string.


• Bedard is the starting TE. Yianni moves in at No. 2. John Delahunt is third string. Yianni needs a nickname. I like Yianni the Greek. Plain ol' Yianni would be cool, too. But that creepy looking pianist has the trademark on that.


• Edsall on the defense, "I’m not pleased with all the yards that we gave up, because I think again, if we played better fundamentally and executed better technique, we would have been better off. But you know, the bottom line is keeping people out of the end zone. We gave up 21 points, but there was other times when they went down. Jazz (Jasper Howard) strips the ball on that first series and made a tremendous strip getting that ball out, and the two interceptions, the fourth-down plays and all that – when we had to make a play, we did, but we have to get better fundamentally and better technique-wise, and if we do that and guys take care of their assignments, we won’t give up so much yardage when we give up the big plays.


• UConn cracks the AP Poll at No. 23 tomorrow.

RIP Paul Newman. One of my favorite actors, and someone I had the honor of meeting a few times, including at his Westport offices. He was a great actor, and a great man. My five favorite Paul Newman movies: 1) Slap Shot (even though he borrowed his wardrobe from a 70s pimp); 2) The Hustler (I became a pool shark after watching him and Jackie Gleason); 3) Cool Hand Luke (My boy here can eat 50 eggs); 4) The Sting (great flick); 5) tie. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Color of Money (because money won is twice as sweet as money earned).