This week:
The UConn Huskies will open up their 2011 season on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. against the Fordham Rams at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.
Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Rams.
The Line/Prediction:
According to 5Dimes.com via Yahoo Sports!, the Huskies are favored by 40 points. There is no over/under listed.
My prediction for the game is UConn 45 Rams 3.
Tickets:
According to Ticketmaster.com. there are plenty of tickets available left for the game.
Getting To The Game:
Here is link for the weather report. 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. This year, it moves to 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 team signing autographs.
The “Husky Walk” is a chance for fans to welcome the UConn teams as they get off the team buses and head to the stadium. That takes place at approximately two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff between Gates A and B.
Starting 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.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
Thursday’s game will be televised by ESPN3.com. Bob Picozzi is on play-by-play while Christian Fauria is on color.
Radio:
For the 20th consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the 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.
The UConn pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff, while home games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air two and a half hours prior to the game with Arnold Dean.
UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com. Here is a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network.
Fordham Radio:
All 2011 Fordham University football games will be broadcast live by WFUV (90.7 FM), home of the longest-running sports talk radio show, One-on-One. The 50,000 watt public radio station reaches the entire tri-state area 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Kyle Kesses will handle the play-by-play duties with Ricky Cibrano on color commentary for the Connecticut game. TBA will be on the sidelines for the WFUV broadcast crew while Chris Hilk will serve as the producer/engineer.
The broadcast will begin with the pre-game show, 15 minutes before kickoff and will conclude with a 15 minute post-game report.
To continue reading the Fordham Rams @ UConn Huskies preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Last Week:
This is the season opener for both teams.
History:
This will be just the second matchup of these two teams. The only matchup came in 1935 which saw the Rams beat the Huskies 35-0.
Connections:
The UConn roster has six players from the state of New York on it — including freshman Wilbert Lee of Brooklyn and Lyle McCombs of Staten Island and Shamar Stephen of Brookville.
The 2011 Fordham roster has eight players who hail from Connecticut, led by senior linebacker Andre Delaire (Bloomfield), safety Brendan Melanophy (Danbury) and tight end Nick Talbert, who will be returning home to Hartford. Other Rams who are natives of the Nutmeg State are Andrew Milmore (Fairfield), Billy DeLuca (Riverside), Jordan Chapman and Jake Rodriques (Southington) and Brett Biestek (Wallingford).
UConn QB coach Joe Moorhead is a 1996 Fordham graduate and was a second team All-Patriot League selection as a senior.
Husky linebackers coach Jonathan Wholley was on the 2009 Fordham staff coaching the running backs.
Fordham HC Tom Masella was the assistant head coach on the UConn staff in 1998 as the team went to the NCAA Div. I-AA playoffs.
Fordham DB coach Tim Cary was a graduate assistant on the UConn staff from 2007-09.
Ram Director of Football Operations Patrick Maguire is a 2009 UConn graduate and was a student assistant coach.
Other UConn News:
Here are the quotes from Paul Pasqualoni’s first game press conference. Also included in there are quotes from LB Sio Moore, OT Mike Ryan, P Cole Wagner, QB Scott McCummings, CB Blidi-Wreh Wilson, QB Johnny McEntee, QB Michael Nebrich, RB D.J. Shoemate and DT Kendall Reyes.
Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.
Here’s a preview of the Huskies from SNY which is the television home of UConn Football.
UConn is 7-2 in season openers since making the jump to then-Division I-A in 2002.
UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni has won more BIG EAST Conference Games (league contests only) than any other coach in history. Pasqualoni has 62 league wins from 1991-2004 while Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech is second with 57.
Pasqauloni is second in league history in overall wins with 107 and is on the verge of breaking that record as Beamer has 108. After Beamer and Pasqualoni, the distant third is Don Nehlen of West Virginia at 61.
Pasqualoni is making his debut on Thursday as the Husky coach. He is looking to become the first UConn coach since Sumner Dole in 1923 to win his first game at UConn.
Connecticut was picked sixth in the BIG EAST preseason media poll.
UConn posted an 8-5 record last year, including a trip to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl — the first BCS game appearance its history. UConn won its second BIG EAST title in four years and its first-ever Lambert Trophy.
The 2010 UConn football team won the BIG EAST Championship and advanced to play in the school’s first-ever BCS game — the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. UConn made the bowl eligible mark for the sixth time in the past eight seasons — and the fourth consecutive.
Connecticut boasts a 40-18 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to the FBS in 2002.
UConn kicks off its 112th season of intercollegiate football, its ninth at Rentschler Field and its eighth as a member of the BIG EAST Conference.
UConn presently stands at 39-12 all-time at Rentschler Field including a 22-4 mark in non-conference games.
The Huskies have won 15 of their last 20 regular season non-league games overall with the only blemishes coming via a one-point loss at Virginia (17-16) in 2007, losses to North Carolina in 2008 and ‘09 and Michigan and Temple in ‘10.
UConn has posted the following records in non-conference regular season games: 6-6 (2002), 9-3 (2003), 4-1 (2004), 3-1 (2005), 3-2 (2006), 4-1 (2007), 4-1 (2008), 4-1 (2009), 3-2 (2010).
A number of members of the 2011 Huskies were named to preseason “Watch Lists” for 2011. They are:
- Sophomore Tight End Ryan Griffin (Londonberry, N.H.)
- John Mackey Award Watch List
- Senior Kicker Dave Teggart (Northborough, Mass.)
- Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award
- Senior Defensive Tackle Kendall Reyes (Nashua, N.H.)
- Outland Trophy, given to the best interior lineman in the country
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the best defensive player in the country;
- Lombardi Award, given to the best offensive or defensive lineman in the country.
- Senior center Moe Petrus (St. Laurent, Que.)
- Outland Trophy
- Lombardi Award
- Senior offensive tackle Mike Ryan (Tamaqua, Pa.)
- Lombardi Award
Here are the categories where UConn was in the final top 40 in the 2010 NCAA statistics:
- Rushing Offense – 35th at 174.69 (Second in BIG EAST)
- Pass Eff. Def. – 28th at 116.43 (Fourth in BIG EAST)
- Scoring Defense – 35th at 22.00 (Sixth in BIG EAST)
- Kickoff Returns – 3rd at 27.04 (First in BIG EAST)
- Interceptions – t5th at 19 (First in BIG EAST)
- Tackles For Loss – t26th at 6.69 (Second in BIG EAST)
- Sacks Allowed 20th – at 1.15 (First in BIG EAST)
- Turnover Margin 11th – at +0.92 (First in BIG EAST)
Here were UConn’s ranked individual leaders:
- Jordan Todman — Second in rushing at 141.25 and First in BIG EAST, 15th in all-purpose rushing at 156.67 and Second in BIG EAST
- Nick Williams — First in kickoff returns at 35.29 and First in BIG EAST
- Dave Teggart — t26th in scoring at 8.54 and First in BIG EAST, Fourth in field goals at 1.92 and First in BIG EAST
- Lawrence Wilson — 29th in tackles at 9.46 and First in BIG EAST
- Jesse Joseph — t26th in sacks at 0.71 and Fourth in BIG EAST
Notes from this week’s opponent Fordham:
The Fordham University Rams are 45-28 all-time in season openers since 1920, 6-16 since moving to the NCAA FCS in 1989.
This will be Fordham’s first ever game against an NCAA FBS school (the FBS was started in 1998). The last time the Rams faced a current member of the NCAA FBS was on November 20, 1954 when Fordham fell to Syracuse, 20-7.
Fordham enters the season after going 5-6 last season.
As a result of the awarding of football scholarships beginning in the 2010 season, the following stipulations will apply to the 2011 Fordham season:
- The Rams will not be eligible for the 2011 Patriot League championship or the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs (the Rams will be eligible for an NCAA FCS At-Large bid).
- Fordham will continue to be an associate member of the Patriot League in football but all games played by the Rams against other Patriot League institutions will not count in the league standings.
- Fordham student-athletes will not be eligible for regular season or end-of-year league awards.
- Fordham’s matchups against Patriot League opponents will remain as League games, and will be included in the League-only statistics. Fordham will also be a part of the Patriot League overall statistics, and will be included as a Patriot League member in NCAA statistics.
- Fordham’s student-athletes will continue to follow the same academic and eligibility requirements as other League members, meeting the League’s academic index standards. Because of this, Fordham’s student-athletes will still be eligible for academic honor roll recognition.
Big East: Did you know? [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
Game Preview – Connecticut vs. Fordham [BigEast.org]
Instant Replay [BigEast.org]
Rams from Connecticut excited to face Huskies [CT Post]
Fordham at UConn: Who has the edge? [CT Post]
UConn’s Teggart ready to show grace under pressure [CT Post]
Hartford Courant 2011 UConn preview [Hartford Courant]
UConn Punter Cole Wagner Has Some New Tricks [Hartford Courant]
Want To Watch UConn Football Opener? Check Your Internet Connection [Hartford Courant]
Can UConn gridders make up for losses? [Journal Inquirer]
UConn Football Season Preview — Home is where the ‘hut’ is for Pasqualoni [The Hour]
UConn Football Notebook — The time for talk is over as season opener looms [The Hour]
UConn will be ready for Fordham [The Hour]
Home and away: Former Syracuse coach Pasqualoni returns to Big East, takes over home-state program [The Daily Orange]
Big opportunity awaits Staten Islander Jonathan Sheridan and Fordham [Staten Island Advance]
New head coach has questions to answer, starting at QB [SNY.tv]
Hiring by Huskies surprises Pasqualoni [Charleston Daily Mail]
Detailed approach suits Edsall [Washington Times]
Blue Ribbon Preview UConn – PDF files – (About, Offense, Defense, Special Teams, Newcomers, Analysis) [ESPN Insider]
Next Week:
The Huskies will head to Nashville, TN next Saturday night (September 10th) for a matchup with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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