By Brittany Burke
The repeated boom of a cannon wasn’t the only thing making noise Saturday afternoon as the United Football League’s Hartford Colonials debuted at Rentschler Field in front of 14,348 people to defeat the Sacramento Mountain Lions 27-10.
The weekend marked start of the Colonials’ inaugural season in Hartford, following a stint as the New York Sentinels during the UFL’s premiere 2009-10 season.
The new year marked a new beginning for the Sentinels, who went winless in their first season. The team moved to Hartford, and named former NFL head coach and coordinator Chris Palmer as head coach and general manager.
“I’m promoting trying to promote football and make it good and build relationships between people,” Palmer said. “Hopefully if we had 14,000, 10,000 of them left here and said ‘Hey, I’m coming back…,’ I’ve gone to a lot of rotary clubs and eaten a lot of sandwiches I didn’t like. It was rewarding to see what happened today.”
With Palmer at the helm the Colonials took former UConn standout, Andre Dixon as the Colonials’ first pick in the 2010 draft. Dixon, recognized as the face of the Colonials’ team, is surrounded by talent such as former NFL quarterback Josh McCown, wide receiver out of Louisiana-Lafayette Jason Cherry and running back Lorenzo Booker, all picked up during free agency. Dixon is also joined by fellow UConn athletes Julius Williams, Danny Lansanah and Keith Gray.
The Colonials were welcomed by fans young and old as they ran from the tunnel onto the field for the first time. The fans cheered and the Colonials delivered, rushing for 180 yards and passing for 268 for a net total of 448 yards.
As the Colonials’ offense tamed the Mountain Lions’ defense, Hartford’s defense held Sacramento to a mere 201 yards, shutting them out until the third quarter.
“From our side I thought we played pretty well and I thought the level of play was great. Their defense was flyin around out there, so I just felt like we were a step ahead of them and we made plays. Defense made plays, but I thought the overall level of play was great,” said McCown.
McCown, last seen in a Carolina Panthers uniform, excelled on the field going 11-for-21 and 265 yards, resulting in three touchdown passes. While former Lions quarterback, Daunte Culpepper struggled for the Mountain Lions and was unable to find his ground with a touchdown and interception while throwing for 174 yards.
Booker and Cherry made their marks with a touchdown a piece, Booker’s coming from an 80-yard touchdown run in the third to put the Colonials up 27-0.
Dixon on the other hand lived up to his name leading the team with 94 rushing yards.
“I felt it was good, you know with us shuffling linemen and guys coming in and guys going out. I think we definitely did a good job,” Dixon said.
“You know guys starting to build that camaraderie and starting to build our identity,” said Dixon. “We’re gonna be a running team so for us to be able to pound the ball I think that’s very good.”
Saturday was as much about the game as it was about the fans. The Colonials managed to draw in a crowd in their opening game comparable to the UFL’s championship game last season. While the attendance was nearly triple the average number from the UFL’s first season.
“I can’t stress it enough playing here in Hartford means a lot to the community and it’s a lot bigger than just us players,” said defensive back Ryan Glasper. “It’s about giving back as coach always says, and just trying to inspire everybody within the community. To be a part of something special, and that’s what it all comes down to. We have a great thing started here and we hope to keep on rolling with it.”
The UFL premiered with a bang in the state of Connecticut, offering the deprived between New York and Boston an outlet for professional level sports.
Splitting field time with the UConn Huskies, the Colonials will be back at Rentschler on Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. to take on the Florida Tuskers.