Sitting in the media room on Saturday after the dramatic 20-17 win over previously unbeaten Houston, quarterback Tim Boyle was the first to emerge from the locker room for player availability. After making the rounds with each player, to my surprise I came upon Boyle, sitting alone in the media room still, a smile on his face as he stared at the ceiling.

‘Don’t want to leave?” I asked, knowing the answer.

“This is the best moment of my life,” Boyle responded after being under center in perhaps the most important game for the program this decade.

After final word came down on August 30th that Bryant Shirreffs would be the starter entering the 2015 season, Boyle, a junior, did not get discouraged. He knew he was just one play away from being the guy and preparation was key.

“I think consistency is the biggest thing,” Boyle said after practice in Storrs on Tuesday. “Quarterback is the toughest job mentally becuase like you said, you have to prepare like you are the starter. It’s tough knowing that you can go in at any play and sometimes you find yourself questioning why you do it because it doesn’t always pay off. But when things happen like last Saturday, it definitely did.”

Boyle and his teammates were greeted at mid-field after the win by fans, family and the student body. After several struggling years for a program that was once in this position before, the Huskies and fans enjoyed the moment together.

“It meant everything,” he said. “The last time I was on a field when the fans rushed, I was one of them at the USF game; I was a little kid [then thirteen]. Being on the receiving end of that, it was very special for me and I will never forget it.”

With Shirreffs day-to-day, Boyle might just get the opportunity to lead UConn to their first ever back-to-back wins over a ranked opponent in the history of the program and in order to do so, they need to stay grounded. After such an emotional win, the Huskies had their typical Sunday off, but that’s where it ended.

“The day after the game was nice, Coach Diaco always says enjoy the spoils of victory,” he said. “I’ve got a great family and group of friends around me that kept me on the ground, kept me humble, so it was a great experience. Monday came around, we watched the film and focused more on the negative side of things than the positive. We were all happy, but it’s on to the next.”