Danny Lansanah, the Huskies' junior middle linebacker, was named the league's defensive player of the week, thanks in large part to his 39-yard interception return for a touchdown in UConn's 14-7 win. As a group, the UConn defense forced three turnovers and allowed zero yards rushing. Indiana's only score came on an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Lansanah is the third Husky to earn such an honor since UConn joined the Big East, joining Darius Butler and Alfred Fincher.
Lansanah's score wasn't his only standout defensive play. He also tipped a pass that Butler intercepted, ending one of Indiana's longest drives, and made four solo tackles.
NO DECISION — UConn coach Randy Edsall, who has contemplated switching quarterbacks, said Monday that he has made no final decision in that regard yet.
"I've been contemplating in my mind since the game on Saturday night, just 'What are we going to do,' " Edsall said. "We've been talking about — we'll probably have more definitive answers (today) — the direction we're going to go and what we're going to do."
Starter D.J. Hernandez struggled mightily against Indiana, going 5-of-13 for 27 yards with two interceptions and a fumble.
UConn (2-1) hosts Navy (3-1) on Saturday at Rentschler Field.
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GAME TIME — UConn's Oct. 7 game at South Florida will begin at 7 p.m., the school confirmed Monday.
The game, which will be played in Raymond James Stadium, will air locally on WTNH Ch. 8 and could also air on SportsNet NY depending on the New York Mets' playoff schedule.
RANK REVIEW — It's a brave new world for Rutgers. Or at least a world we haven't seen in quite some time.
Rutgers is ranked 23rd in the latest Associated Press poll, it's first time in the rankings since it finished 17th in 1976. The Scarlet Knights are 4-0 for the first time since 1980.
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said his players were excited by the news, but not overly so.
"When we came here, our goal was to be the best. That's still what drives anybody that's in this thing," Schiano said. "We've got a long way to go as a team. ... It's a lot better than the alternative, but to me this is a stop along the way."
With the addition of the Knights, the Big East is one of three conferences, including the Big Ten and SEC, to have two teams ranked in the top 10. West Virginia is fourth and Louisville is now eighth.
It's the first time since Nov. 23, 2003, that more than two Big East teams were ranked by the AP. On that date Miami (10th), Pittsburgh (20th), Virginia Tech (21st) and West Virginia (24th) were all ranked.
While the Scarlet Knights' fast start is a surprise, the other two are used to early success. West Virginia is 4-0 for the third straight year, and Louisville has now started 4-0 three times in the last four seasons.
EXTRA POINTS — Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko, the league's offensive player of the week, passed Tony Dorsett (6,526 yards) on the Panthers' career offense list. Palko now has 6,655 total yards. ... Syracuse, which won its second straight game Saturday against Miami (Ohio), host Wyoming this week. The Orange haven't won three straight games since 2002. "It was good to get consecutive wins," Syracuse coach Greg Robinson said. "I'd like to believe that there's a confidence beginning to build." ... Cincinnati may have played fairly well against consecutive top-25 teams — losing to Ohio State 37-7 and 29-13 to Virginia Tech Saturday — but the Bearcats have another big game this week. They'll play the Victory Bell rivalry game with Miami (Ohio) for the 111th time. "You don't really have time to think about yesterday, you have to move on to the next challenge," coach Mark Dantonio said. ... Rutgers senior WR Shawn Tucker has a broken ankle and could miss the rest of the season ... Louisville leads the nation in scoring (44.0 ppg) and total offense (523.0 ypg).
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