UConn savoring Myrtle Beach Bowl invite

The Huskies have a lot to build on thanks to this bowl appearance.

On Sunday afternoon, Jim Mora had the pleasure of telling his team that they received an invitation to the Myrtle Beach Bowl. After overcoming long odds to win six games, their reward is a trip to the lovely South Carolina beach town.

“It's been a long, tough road for many of these young men,” Mora said.

The Huskies’ bowl fate came down to a few different factors, including geography. David Benedict shared that it was down to Myrtle and one in Florida.

“There were conversations with a handful of different potential places,” he said. “It really came down to two here over the last week…if it wasn't the Myrtle Beach Bowl, it was gonna be somewhere in Florida. Both of those locations were great for our program as well as for our fans.”

The Huskies will have a tough task ahead preparing for a Marshall team that holds an 8-4 record while being ranked 61st in SP+ and boasting a win over Notre Dame. UConn ended the season with a mistake-filled loss at Army but has proven to be a resilient squad across the year.

The team does get a few more weeks of practice, which also includes extra time to gameplan.

“You have longer to prepare,” Mora said. “There’s probably more distractions” as well, he acknowledged, due to the fun, but “well-earned” events surrounding a bowl game.

The UConn offense could get a boost from the improving health of three playmakers. When asked about Cam Ross, Keelan Marion, and Brian Brewton, Mora seemed confident that they would be available for the bowl game.

“As we sit here today, we are expecting those three to be ready,” he said.

Recruiting Boost

Another benefit to UConn of this bowl destination is the boost to recruiting.

For starters, making a bowl game is a big deal on its own.

“Anyone that was on the fence in terms of whether or not they believe that we can do this and go in the right direction probably is a little bit more convinced,” Mora said. He also emphasized the value of the “chance once again to play on the national stage.”

The UConn roster has a couple of players from South Carolina, Mora noted that Eric Watts and Dal’mont Gourdine are from the area. Regionally, the talent hotbeds of Georgia, North Carolina, and northern Florida are not too far away.

“There are others that we recruit from that area. So you know that that helps us, staying on the east coast helps us,” Mora said. “I just see a whole lot of positives.”

Nate Carter transferring

It’s not all great news. On Monday morning running back Nate Carter, who looked like the absolute truth in his first few games this season, announced his intention to transfer from UConn.

Carter is likely going to end up at a high-level program, where he’ll have the chance to better showcase his pro potential.

He could have been the go-to stud at UConn, but it’s understandable why Carter made this decision. His position coach just left for Nebraska, who may be interested. But there are also probably some more stable situations where the New York native can slot in as the starter for a power-five team. Good for him, and good luck Nate Carter.

On Bowl Ties

Benedict also addressed an elephant in the room: the fact that UConn still does not have official bowl ties.

It apparently does have some unofficial ones.

“We have a quasi-agreement with ESPN,” Benedict said. “It's nothing that guarantees anything,” but UConn offers value to bowl organizers, which helps in those conversations, he explained.

While bowl ties are not a huge deal for a six-win team trying to slot in somewhere, it does become an issue if UConn continues to improve. Say the Huskies win 9 or 10 games, would they still hang around hoping for a Myrtle-esque invite?

Benedict shared that Liberty’s departure from the independent ranks could open up some “more significant” tie-ins for the Huskies.

“They still aren't guaranteed, but there were tie-ins with specific goals,” he said. “Is there an opportunity for us to fill in and replace them as they go into a conference? Possibly, but those are things that we're going to continue to talk with ESPN as well as other conferences about.”

Flights

Benedict also mentioned that he’s in touch with Avelo, the airline and Husky athletics sponsor, to possibly run more flights to and from New Haven and Myrtle Beach. Perhaps the demand from Husky fans, and the 25% discount offered, could lead to some very interesting flights down to South Carolina. Could be fun.