Photo courtesy of UConn athletics

Maybe we were all spoiled. Rentschler Field opened in 2003 and immediately Fall Saturday’s in Connecticut became a day of football with extended tailgating, regular sellouts and the all-important result on the field, wins. The 9-3 year that ended without a bowl game due to independent status, led to an 8-4 inaugural Big East run the following season and the first bowl game appearance in program history, where the Huskies dismantled a talented Toledo squad in the Motor City Bowl.

After a two year drought, 2007 was the beginning of a four year stretch that saw the Huskies have a run of bowl appearances, splitting the four games, with the most impressive victory coming over a solid SEC opponent in South Carolina, in the Papa-John’s Bowl in 2009. Entering the new decade, the Huskies first full one as a member of an FBS conference, expectations were high. Fresh off a BCS appearance a year prior, the sky was the limit and a new coach was at the helm. However, performance and results were far from the expectations that had been built over the previous eight seasons. Yes, UConn continued to produce the NFL talent we grew accustomed to, but the performance on game day led to a change in leadership after apathy and disinterest set in among the fans.

Then, something happened. There was an arrival that grabbed everyone’s attention; Bob Diaco’s introductory press conference. It got people talking, including national media heads like Jim Rome during the offseason, a feat in itself.

A year ago, Diaco’s first in control of a football program at any level, was a breath of fresh air as camp kicked off, but that slowly began to change as soon as we hit the season opener. The on-field results, were shaky to say the least. A 2-10 season was viewed by many as an indication that things were not changing. But behind the scenes, there was development, there was progress, a trust among the players and coaches was developing and an environment of winning was instilled. This was consistently communicated by Diaco and his players throughout 2014, but the fans could not see it where they wanted it. Wins in the classroom, on the practice field and in the community are good, but when it comes time for fans to take out their wallet, they needed proof that things really were changing on the field. That mentality has carried over throughout 2015, as attendance has continued to dip, despite hitting the inflection point for performance, early on in the year.

Saturday is an opportunity to get back to what Connecticut and the fans expect. For the first time since the run to the Fiesta Bowl and the New Year’s Day exposure that went with it, the Huskies play a meaningful game at home, in November. An undefeated Houston team, one of only five in the nation, makes the trip up from Texas, into what is expected to be a fridgid, late November afternoon. The match-up has all the makings; a senior class looking to clinch a bowl game for the first time since their arrival, weather conditions in the 30’s for a visiting team from the heart of Texas and what should be a fan base that should be foaming at the mouth for the opportunity at hand.

We sit here, however, just one day before the most important game in half a decade, with more than 10,000 seats available.

Over the last several days, I’ve had inquiries from former fans asking for extra tickets for the first time since Edsall’s tenure, which leads me to believe the walk-up crowd will be significant. Fans have and continue to recognize the improvements, but will they show up tomorrow, in full voice? The opportunity at hand is more than for just this season. A win over a 10-0 team, to get back to the bowl season, would do wonders for the fanbase moving into next season, one in which intriguing games are back on the schedule.

The opportunity is there, will the program, the school and the state jump at it? For the sake of the university, let’s hope the answer to that question can be heard reverberating off the press box at The Rent, long after the clock hits 00:00.