I'm awake and at the UConn women's basketball game versus Army at the, uh, XL Center. Really, I'd like to protest, but that's neither here nor there.

From all accounts, the Charlotte experience was one that everyone liked. The bowl committee, the city, the teams, the media. On my end, I'd like to thank my old friend Frank Kay and his assistant Mary-Kate for their hospitality at the Hilton and throughout the week. Kay went the extra mile to make the media's job as stress free as possible.

I'd also like to thank the folks at Tweed Airport for the luggage counter expereince. It's a series of steel gates with heavy plastic in front of them. The baggage handler cranks open the gates and the baggage area looks like a makeshift elementary school puppet show stage. The hillarity of the moment was priceless.

Oh, and the lady who traveled with her hamster in the cooler. That was great.

Getting back to the football end, Randy Edsall will have his final teleconference with reporters shortly. You have to imagine that the theme will be positive considering all things. Sure the game was rough and the playcalling was questionable at best. But when you look at where this team was supposed to have been, this last month shouldn't have happened and the previous three would have been depressing.

Who's going to forget what happened? The highs, lows and the incredible.

I caution UConn fans from saying their school is a top 25 team. Not yet. Don't talk about how a share of the conference title proves the Huskies can compete with West Virginia. We saw in these last few games that there is a big gap between the Huskies and the Mountaineers, Bearcats and Demon Deacons.

Now the hope is taking the experience of this season and using towards next season and making 2008 better than 2007.

With three minutes, 10 seconds left in the game and the Huskies having a chance to get the ball back, Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner ran for 19 yards on a third-and-eight to all but ice the win.

Micah Andrews then rattled off a 30-yard run two plays later. He then scored from nine yards out to cap the scoring.

This is the game for the Huskies. Trailing by seven and at their own 11 with 7:01 to play. The Huskies need to learn how to use the passing game in a nhurry.

UConn's Tyvon Branch is hurt and has gone to the sidelines for examination.

Tyler Lorenzen was just sacked at the goal line, narrowly missing a saftey. Any momentum in this game is 100 percent with Wake Forest.

Just as the Huskies were about to lose the lead, senior Danny Lansanah recovers a fumble at the UConn four that was forced by Darius Butler's hit on Josh Adams.

It had appeared the Huskies had lost any edge as the Deacons were having their way with UConn's defense. But thanks to the co-captains, UConn has escaped a tight spot. Now they need to get away from their end zone.

Wake Forest tore apart the UConn defense on the second half's first possession, ending with a 38-yard scoring run for the Demon Deacons.

On the ensuing kickoff, Tyvon Branch took the return 62 yards to put the Huskies into Deacon territory. But Wake's Stanley Arnoux intercepted a Tyler Lorenzen pass after it was tipped to turn over possession.

Today's first half is the first time since Sept. 9, 2006 that Wake Forest has been shut out in the first half.

I had a good laugh at halftime. Wake Forest's band and flag teams came onto the field. Waving banners that read S N O C A E D. You know, on this side of the field that's how it read. On the other, it read D E A C O N S.


It reminded me of the first time I tried ot figure out those funny Chik-fil-A commercials.


By the way, the UConn band was MUCH better than Wake's.

It's halftime in Charlotte and UConn leads 10-0. But what made zero sense is what transpired in the closing seconds of the half.

Alex Polito sacks Wake QB Riley Skinner for a nine-yard loss. With the clock ticking at 44 seconds, Huskies coach Randy Edsall calls a time out. OK, so he wants to have at least one more shot with the ball. Maybe its just a punt return by Larry Taylor, in hopes that lightning strikes twice. But after Wake runs its next play, a run to the left, UConn doesn't call another timeout.

This makes no sense. Did Edsall just want to call a timeout for the sake of prolonging the half or hearing the official say, "Connecticut calls a timeout"?

If you aren't trying to get the ball back, force Wake to rush its offense against the clock. Don't give them time.

Tony Ciaravino kicked a 29-yard field goal to push UConn's lead to 10-0 with five minutes left in the half.

Donald Brown broke several tackles and sprinted out to the Wake 33 on a 58-yard run.

Wake tried going for some trickeration by running a reverse, but the Huskies snuffed out the play with Cody Brown making teh stop for a 9-yard loss.

On the next play, Robert Vaughn picked off Riley Skinner at the nine yard line, but needed help getting off the field. It appears he was hit in the stomach and may have the wind knocked out of him.

Wake's Kenny Moore has 90 receptions this season, breaking the ACC mark for catches in a season held by N.C. State's Tory Holt since 1998.

Pass interference called on Darius Butler on a ball that the Wake reciever had no chance of catching. Good going to the SEC officiating crew.

The Huskies seem to have picked up some momentum thanks to Taylor's return and will need it as they begin this possession at their own 13 yard line.

Larry Taylor returned a punt 68-yards for a touchdown to put UConn ahead 7-0.

On 3rd-and-3, De'Angelo Bryant made a catch and fell short of teh first down marker, forcing Wake to punt from its 15.

UConn actually picked up a first down, but that was about it on its third possession of the game.

Cullen's punt was hauled in at the 12 and Wake picked up a personal foul on John Tereshinski, driving them back to the six yard line.

Right now, the best UConn player has been punter Desi Cullen.

Josh Adams just took a shovel pass from Riley Skinner and slipped for a two-yard loss. Clearly, the field is still a bit damp.

To follow up on the fog, it has withdrawn considerably, so it shouldn't be a factor from here on out.