This week:
The UConn Huskies return home to Rentschler Field to host the Temple Owls this Saturday at 1 p.m. It is Homecoming for UConn.
Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Owls.
The Line/Prediction:
According to Rivals.com odds, UConn is favored by 5.5 points. The over/under is 41.5 points.
My prediction is UConn 21 Temple 17.
Tickets:
According to the Ticketmaster, there are still tickets available for the game.
Getting To The Game:
Here is link for the weather report for Rentschler Field. Here is all the parking info you will need for the game, this link includes directions to Rentschler Field. Here is a Rentschler Field seating chart and here is some general information for Rentschler Field.
The parking lots will open up 4 hours before kickoff. Here is a list of the tailgating rules at the Rent.
At UConn home games, FanFest takes place starting four hours before kickoff up until 30 minutes before the game. It takes place between Gates A and B outside the stadium gates.
The offerings change each game, but activities typically include inflatable games for children, live bands, promotional vehicles and UConn student-athletes from various teams signing autographs.
The “Husky Walk” is a chance for fans to welcome the UConn team as they get off the team buses and head to the stadium. That takes place approximately two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff between Gates A and B.
Once again this season at the end of home games, the UConn team will sing the “UConn Husky” fight song in front of the student section at Rentschler Field.
The UConn SAAC will be holding a “Winter Wear Drive” at this Saturday’s game.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
Saturday’s game is being televised online by ESPN3. Dave Weekley is on play-by-play with Rene Ingoglia on color.
The game will be replayed in its entirety on SNY on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 2:00 p.m. (Connecticut only) and in a condensed “Husky Power Hour” version on Sunday, Oct. 14 at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and Monday, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. (Connecticut only) and Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 11 a.m. (Connecticut only).
Radio:
For the 21st consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the IMG/UConn Radio Network. WTIC is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada.
Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the sidelines.
UConn football on home Saturday dates gets going early with “Breakfast At The Rent” with Ray Dunaway and Scott Gray beginning at 6:00 a.m. The UConn Tailgate Show will air from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with Kevin Nathan and Bob Joyce. The pregame show begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by the game and then postgame “Husky Talk” with Kevin Nathan
UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com. Here is a full list of stations on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network.
The UConn vs. Temple game will also be available on satellite radio on Ch. 93 on Sirius and 194 on XM.
Temple Radio:
The Owls’ radio broadcast will air on 1210 AM WPHT with Harry Donahue calling the play-by‐play and Steve Joachim providing color analysis.
To continue reading the Temple Owls @ UConn Huskies preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Last Week:
UConn fell to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 19-3. Temple beat South Florida 37-28.
History:
Saturday’s game will be the 13th time Temple and UConn have met. The series began in 1963 and currently has Temple holding an 8-4 all-time edge over the Huskies
Connections:
UConn has 11 players on its team from Pennsylvania: S Ty-Meer Brown (McKeesport), C Tyler Bullock (Mechanicsburg), DT Julian Campenni (West Pittson), K Chad Christen (Etters), OG Steve Greene (Edensburg), LB Jon Hicks (Palmyra), DE B.J. McBryde (Beaver Falls), OG Zach Rugg (Windber), P Cole Wagner (York), TB Joseph Williams (Allentown) and CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson (Edinboro).
Temple has one player from Connecticut on its roster — LB Tyler Matakevich (Stratford).
UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni has a 12-2 record as head coach against Temple from his career at Syracuse.
Pasqualoni (head coach) and Steve Addazio (offensive line) were on the Western Connecticut staff in 1985 and ’86. Addazio was an assistant coach for HC Pasqualoni at Syracuse from 1995-98. Addazio worked with the offensive line and tight ends. Addazio was the head coach of Cheshire (Conn.) High School from 1988-94 while Pasqualoni graduated from Cheshire HS and was an assistant coach there from 1972-75. Addazio was on the sidelines for the dedication game of Rentschler Field as a member of the Indiana staff in 2003.
UConn offensive coordinator George DeLeone the OC at Temple in 2006 and ’07.
Temple’s tight ends coach and Wethersfield, Conn., native Frank Leonard, in his first season with the Owls, worked with Addazio and Pasqualoni during the 1987 season at West Connecticut as the offensive coordinator. Leonard also served as UConn’s outside linebackers coach from 1990‐93 under head coach Tom Jackson. Leonard and Addazio were teammates at Central Connecticut State.
Other UConn News:
Here are the quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni’s press conference as well quotes from some of the players.
Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.
Four members of the University of Connecticut football team were named to seven major award watch lists over the course of the 2012 preseason.
Senior Tight End Ryan Griffin
- John Mackey Award Watch List
- Lombardi Award Watch List
Sophomore Running Back Lyle McCombs
- Doak Walker Award Watch List
- Maxwell Award Watch List
Senior Linebacker Sio Moore
- Butkus Award Watch List
- Lombardi Award Watch List
Senior Defensive End Trevardo Williams
- Bednarik Award Watch List
- Lombardi Award Watch List
- Nagursky Trophy Watch List
Sophomore Linebacker Yawin Smallwood
- Nagursky Trophy Watch List (added on September 18, 2012)
The following four Huskies were named team captains for the season in the week prior to the season opener vs. UMass – redshirt senior outside linebacker Jory Johnson (Mobile, Ala.), redshirt senior offensive tackle Adam Masters (Bethesda, Md.), senior wide receiver Nick Williams (East Windsor, N.J.) and redshirt senior cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson (Edinboro, Pa.).
Pasqualoni is the all-time winningest coach in BIG EAST Conference league wins with 65 and overall wins with 113. He is just one of two league coaches in history to win four BIG EAST Championships. His overall college coaching record stands at 149-86-1 (34-17 at WCSU, 107-59-1 at Syracuse and 8-10 at UConn).
UConn now has a 3-6 record in BIG EAST openers, including Saturday’s 19-3 defeat.
UConn is 7-1 in BIG EAST home openers since 2004 and has won the last five.
UConn owns an all-time mark of 25-31 in BIG EAST Conference games since joining the league for football in 2004.
UConn allowed a 100-yard rusher last week for the first time since 2010 at Louisville (Bilal Powell).
UConn was one of seven charter members of the BIG EAST Conference when the league was founded in 1979 and UConn is the only founding school that is currently playing football in the league and scheduled to do so in the future. The other five original members were Boston College, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Providence, Georgetown and St. John’s,
Saturday’s game vs. Rutgers marked the 19th time in school history that the Huskies faced a team ranked in the Associated Press poll at the time of the game. UConn is 1-18 in those games.
UConn is 33-17 in games following a loss since Oct. 26, 2002. Each game they’ve won this season has come after a loss.
Redshirt senior linebacker Jory Johnson (Mobile, Ala.) earned a spot on the BIG EAST weekly honor roll for the second consecutive week.
Here is where UConn stands in the lastest NCAA statistics:
- Total Defense – 6th at 248.83 yards per game
- Rushing Defense – 8th at 82.33 yards per game
- Passing Defense – 11th at 166.50 yards per game
- Scoring Defense – 21st at 16.17 points per game
- Sacks – 16th at 2.83 per game
- Tackles For Loss – 17th at 7.67 per game
- Total Offense – 110th at 310.50 yards per game
- Rushing Offense – 112th at 102.17 yards per game
- Passing Offense – 88th at 208.33 yards per game
- Scoring Offense – 110th at 19.83 points per game
- Punt Returns – 15th at 15.23 yards per return
Here is where UConn individuals stand in NCAA leaders:
- Trevardo Williams – t16th in sacks at 1.08 per game (second in BIG EAST)
- Yawin Smallwood – 15th in tackles for loss at 1.83 per game (leads BIG EAST)
17th in tackles at 10.33 per game (leads BIG EAST) - Nick Williams 17th in punt returns at 14.75 per return
Notes from this week’s opponent Temple:
Here are the quotes from Temple head coach Steve Addazio’s press conference.
Steve Addazio is in his second year in charge of the Temple program and led the Owls to a 9-4 record last year and to an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl. Addazio was an assistant coach at Florida from 2005-10 and was the assistant head coach in 2008 and ’09 and the associate head coach in 2010.
A native of Farmington, Conn., Addazio was an assistant coach at Western Connecticut (1985-87), Syracuse (1995-98), Notre Dame (1999-2001) and Indiana (2002-04) before heading to Florida. He is a 1981 Central Connecticut graduate and was a four year starter on both the offensive and defensive line for the Blue Devils.
Here is Temple’s depth chart for the game.
For the first time in 78 years, the Temple football team will travel to a game by train. For its trip to Connecticut, the TU travel party will depart Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station on Friday aboard a chartered Amtrak train to New Haven. The team will also return to Philadelphia via rail.
The 2012 season ushers in a new era for TU football. The Owls return to the BIG EAST Conference after a seven‐year absence.
After playing the last five seasons in the Mid‐American Conference, Temple re‐joins the BIG EAST Conference in 2012. The Owls previously played in the BIG EAST [1991‐2004] for football only. All other sports, including Temple’s men’s and women’s basketball programs, will leave the Atlantic 10 Conference and begin play in the BIG EAST starting in 2013‐14. This will be the first time in Temple’s history in which its intercollegiate athletic programs will compete in one conference.
Temple returns to Rentschler Field for the first time since 2007 and for the first time as a BIG EAST opponent.
Temple has earned bowl eligibility for three consecutive seasons (a first in school history).
Temple is looking its first road win in BIG EAST play since 2002.
Five of Temple’s 2012 opponents— Penn State (TicketCity), Rutgers (New Era Pinstripe), Pittsburgh (BBVA Compass), Louisville (Belk), and Cincinnati (AutoZone Liberty)— participated in bowls in 2011.
As elected by their teammates, Temple’s team captains for the 2012 season are seniors DB Justin Gildea, DE Marcus Green, and OL Martin Wallace. A fourth game captain will be selected for each contest.
Temple Owls in the National Statistics [as of Oct. 7]:
Rushing
- 89. Matt Brown 65.25
- 96. Chris Coyer 62.75
Passing Efficiency
- 61. Chris Coyer 133.36
Total Offense
- 82. Chris Coyer 195.25
Punting
- 11. Brandon McManus 45.77
Punt Returns
- 3. Matt Brown 20.17
Kickoff Returns
- 78. Matt Brown 20.54
Field Goals
- 12. Brandon McManus 1.75
Scoring
- 48. Brandon McManus 8.50
All‐Purpose Runners
- 10. Matt Brown 170.00
Tackles for Loss
- 98. Olaniyi Adewole 1.00
Thursday UConn Football Links:
Big East bowl watch [andrea adelson – espn.com]
Big East predictions: Week 7 [andrea adelson – espn.com]
What to watch in the Big East: Week 7 [matt fortuna – espn.com]
Husky Defense Looks For Even More [uconnhuskies.com]
Pasqualoni Breaks It Down [hartford courant]
Next Week:
UConn heads out on the road to the Carrier Dome next Friday night as they’ll take on the Syracuse Orange. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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