Lieberman: Tragedy strikes UConn

Every week, this column is where I usually find a lighthearted or appealing issue on which to… Every week, this column is where I usually find a lighthearted or appealing issue on which to comment that deals with Big East football.

But this week is going to be different.

It’s different because of the senseless death of University of Connecticut Huskies cornerback Jasper Howard. Howard died early Sunday morning, bleeding to death from a stab wound to his abdomen after an altercation outside of the UConn student union.

Howard was 20 years old. His girlfriend is expecting their first son.

When talking about the incident, Connecticut coach Randy Edsall showed a truly miraculous spirit in recounting the tragic circumstances.

Edsall got the phone call at 1 a.m. last Sunday from his director of football operations.

He left for Hartford Hospital but quickly rushed to St. Francis, where they transferred Howard. Edsall called Howard’s mom in Florida and waited with students and athletes holding vigil at the hospital. He identified Howard’s body at 4 a.m. and called for a team meeting at 6. The rest of the team was devastated.

Edsall is in one of the toughest positions a coach will ever face. Not only must he focus on game planning for West Virginia, but he has to be a grief counselor for his team when they look to him for guidance.

The problem is that there are no roadmaps or game plans that deal with losing a teammate midway through a season.

He acknowledged that he is already going above his title as head coach of Connecticut’s football team.

“There’s nothing in my job description that says you have to identify bodies,” Edsall said in a teleconference.

One person who can sympathize with him is South Florida coach Jim Leavitt.

The Bulls never lost a player midseason, but this summer, former player Will Bleakley died at sea in a boating accident. Leavitt knows the perspective you arrive at when any player is lost.

“There’s nothing worse,” Leavitt said in a teleconference. “You lose a football game, it’s very difficult. But it is nothing like losing a player.”

Edsall described Howard, who many teammates called “Jazz,” as a son.

“As Jazz looks down on us, I can promise his son or daughter will have 105 uncles,” Connecticut punter Desi Cullen told reporters shortly after Howard’s death. “We will be better men because of Jazz.”

Young adults all over the country decide to attend college to learn, find a future and be safe. But Connecticut showed us that college campuses can become crime scenes for indescribable tragedies.

Howard grew up in Miami. Violence on the streets of his hometown was a constant. His mother worked several jobs to feed and clothe him and his sisters, one of which was afflicted with meningitis.

Howard was the first in his family to attend college when he decided to go to UConn. He lived for football. The junior cornerback even had plans of pursuing an NFL career, like his good friend Darius Butler who now plays with the New England Patriots.

Instead, teammates were left to care for him while he bled at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, mere hours after he led the Huskies to victory against Louisville.

Joangela Howard sent her son to Connecticut to escape the violence, not find it.

The one thing we can learn from Howard is his absolute love for his parents. According to reports, Howard called his mother every night before going to bed. Tragically, he didn’t get the chance to one final time.

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, who will honor Howard before the game on Saturday, said it best on his teleconference call.

“I can’t imagine what that football family and the Howard family is going through,” Stewart said, “My God, how short and sweet life is and what we take for granted.”

Pitt Football Question of the Week:

In honor of Connecticut cornerback Howard, who is the current Pitt defensive back that is the cousin of Arizona Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin?

Last week’s answer: Thanks to junior Kyle Hill, who gave the correct answer of LeSean McCoy. Shady scored 90 points during his freshman campaign.

Big East player of the week (Offensive):

Dion Lewis, Pitt – The freshman player of the year candidate ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns in Pitt’s win over Rutgers.

Big East player of the week (Defensive):

Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut – Wilson was a one-man wrecking crew against Louisville with 16 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Rankings of Power – Week 4:

1. Cincinnati (Last week: 34-17 win at USF) – Clearly the team to beat in the Big East. Will they make it to Pasadena?

2. West Virginia (Last week: 24-7 win over Marshall) – The Mountaineers must focus on the game against Connecticut, despite the obvious distractions.

3. Pitt (Last week: 24-17 win at Rutgers) – Big win against Rutgers last week, and is there anyone out there who still wants to boo Bill Stull?

4. South Florida (Last week: 34-17 loss against Cincinnati) – The Bulls need a win against Pitt to vault into contention for the BCS bid.

5. Connecticut (Last week: 38-25 win over Louisville) – The big question: Will Howard’s death unite this team or devastate them? I say for this week, it hurts, but this team will play in a bowl game this year.

6. Rutgers (Last week: 24-17 loss to Pitt) – The Scarlet Knights really need to crank it up in the stretch to secure a bowl bid. After two Big East losses at home, they now have only two remaining at home (West Virginia, USF).

7. Syracuse (Last week: Bye) – An interesting story to follow will be if the Orange can get to a bowl game this year. The task might be manageable with Akron, Rutgers, Louisville and Connecticut remaining.

8. Louisville (Last week: 38-25 loss to Connecticut) – Seven. That’s how many games the Cardinals dropped in a row to Big East opponents. Now you see why Steve Kragthorpe is on his way out.

Week 8 Preview:

South Florida (5-1, 1-1 Big East) at No. 20 Pittsburgh (6-1, 3-0): Pitt can’t underestimate a team that went into Tallahassee, Fla., and upset Florida State. But, the task should be easier minus Bulls’ quarterback Matt Grothe. An early indicator of the game will be how South Florida decides to attack Pitt’s offensive line. The Bulls have a stellar defensive line, and if it creates pressure on its own, look for the Bulls to knock Stull around all game.

Connecticut (4-2, 1-1) at No. 22 West Virginia (5-1, 1-0): It’s back to football for Connecticut after a brief pregame ceremony for its fallen teammate. It could get interesting if Mountaineers quarterback Jarrett Brown can’t play, but they should handle the Huskies in this one.

Louisville (2-4, 0-2) at No. 5 Cincinnati (6-0, 2-0): To stay where they are in the polls, the Bearcats need to beat Louisville handily. And they will.

Rutgers (4-2, 0-2) at Army (3-4): The Scarlet Knights head back on the road to play yet another, yawn, out-of-conference game. Army does have a win against Vanderbilt this year, so Rutgers can’t sleepwalk at West Point.

Akron (1-5) at Syracuse (2-4, 0-2): Akron is terrible (0-5 against FBS teams), but it was last year as well when it beat Syracuse 42-28 in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse redeems itself this year.

Get your name in the column. E-mail question answers to Randy at rjl25@pitt.edu.