Some news and notes from the Tuesday media luncheon with Randy Edsall -- I opted for the McRib sandwich. Hey, they only break 'em out once a year at McDonalds. By the way, I just lost an entire blog to a computer issue and am doing it over from scratch here, so forgive me if it sucks.

• Edsall was a little more guarded today than last week, and seemed to be holding back. I think he wants to beat Rutgers so badly that he was consciously trying to keep himself in check. Or, perhaps, last week's Night at the Improv stand-up was too enjoyable for us, and he needed to keep things subdued. I'm guessing it was a little of both.

• Edsall played plenty of things down today, including the natural rivalry with Rutgers.
  "Rivalries form on their own, not because the coaches say so," Edsall said. I think there's enough contempt from each side, from coaches and players on down to fans, that this can be considered a true (if new) rivalry. The proximity of the campuses helps a lot. UConn certainly has enough players from New Jersey to get them pumped up for this one. "The Jersey guys are going to be going nuts," UConn corner Blidi Wreh-Wilson said. "They're in another world. Guys are talking like 'I can't wait to just get on that field'."

• I truly believe this rivalry is intense enough, it should be pushed back to that week in November when they play for all the cool trophies and stuff. And I think the schools should come up with something to play for...I mean, Cincinnati and Louisville have the Keg of Nails, Notre Dame and USC have the Jeweled Shillelagh, Michigan and Minnesota the Little Brown Jug...They go on and on. Neill from the CT Post just pointed out that Minnesota and Wisconsin played for something called the Slab of Bacon from 1930-45. That sounds exciting and delicious. How hard would it be for UConn and Rutgers to come up with their own trophy? I'll throw out a few ideas to get started. Traffic in both states is a nightmare, how about The Jersey Barrier? (Might be a little tough to hoist). The Steel Pez Dispenser? (All Pez in the U.S. is manufactured in my little hometown of Orange, Conn. It's true. The whole street smells like candy.) The Belt? (to be delivered in WWE style, perhaps by Senator Linda McMahon [shudder]) The Toupee of Trump? The Big Pot of Sunday Gravy (with sausage and meatballs)? The Golden EZ-Pass? Someone needs to get to work on this.

• Dwayne Difton says his recent production on the field is the result of his maturation as a person. "When I was a freshman, and first came in, I wasn't working hard in practice at all," Difton said. "It shows on the field, the things I'm doing in practice. I feel I'm getting better and better. ... I was young, like a little kid still. I didn't know any better. He had to teach me, and the guys were teaching me too. Jasper Howard was teaching me, and then he passed so basically I was on my own. I wasn't doing too well off the field. Basically I know I'm progressing when coach Edsall is talking about me again."

• Blidi Wreh-Wilson has an interesting back story. His parents and older brother came here from Liberia, and Blidi's the first in his family to be born in this country. His father earned his bachelor's degree from Boston College, then got a master's and PhD from Boston University. He's now a professor of philosophy at Edinboro University. School has always been priority No. 1, as Blidi's father was strict when it came to academics. Blidi didn't miss a single day of school from Kindergarten through his senior year of high school. "I always thought I was kind of a loser for that," Blidi joked. "But they gave me a standing ovation for it at graduation." He was a good soccer player who began to receive interest from some Division II schools in Pennsylvania before switching to football prior to his senior year. Now, he's becoming one of the better play-making cornerbacks in the Big East.

• Here's a fact to fascinate your friends with (or, more likely, convince them you're a giant dweeb)...Blidi isn't the only current UConn player with an impressive school attendance streak. Alex Polito didn't miss a day of high school, a four-year streak that netted him a check for $200 from the school at graduation. And Blidi, who went 13 years without taking a day to be home with the chicken pox, flu or to catch up on "The Price is Right"? "I got a piece of paper," he said. Maybe Polito can spring to buy him lunch one day.

• Is 37 carries to much for Jordan Todman? "I don't think so," Edsall said. "Jordan can withstand it. He's made himself stronger and will take care of himself. He knows when he gets tired we'll give him a blow." He'll also get some rest the the upcoming bye week.

• We're heading into week six, and UConn still doesn't have a clear punter or place kicker. At least on paper. Dave Teggart and Chad Christen are listed as the starting kickers, Cole Wagner and Christen as punter. But it's more to keep everyone working. "Some people need to have competition to bring out the best in them," Edsall said. "It's the inconsistency that bothers me."

• Jonathan Jean-Louis' positional tour continues. Last week, he was sent back to linebacker. This week, with Lutrus healthy, he's back to tailback. Martin Hyppolite, after one week back at tailback from his stint at linebacker, is now the backup to Todman. D.J. Shoemate's recent case of fumbleitis has pushed him to third on the depth chart.