This week:
The UConn Huskies return home to Rentschler Field on Saturday afternoon for their final non-conference game as they host the Buffalo Bulls. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Bulls.
The Line/Prediction:
According to Rivals.com odds, UConn is favored by 16 points. The over/under is 41.5 points.
My prediction is UConn 34 Buffalo 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.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
Saturday’s game is being televised live by as the BIG EAST Network Game of the Week by ESPN Regional TV. The game is seen live in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania by SNY.
Eamon McAnaney is on play-by-play with David Diaz-Infante on color and Paul Carcaterra is the sideline reporter.
In addition to SNY, the game will be seen on 40 other outlets, including: WPVI-ABC in Philadelphia, WCIU in Chicago, KTXD in Dallas-Ft. Worth, MASN in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, WFTS-ABC in Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., Brighthouse Networks in Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla., WTAE-ABC in Pittsburgh, Time Warner Cable in Milwaukee, WKRC-CBS in Cincinnati, WHAS in Louisville, Cox New England and Cox New Orleans.
The game will also be replayed on SNY in a condensed mode on the “Husky Power Hour” on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., on Monday, Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. (Connecticut only), and Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 7 a.m. The game will be replayed it is entirety on Monday, Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. and Wednesday, Oct 3 at 11:00 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. Buffalo game will also be available on satellite radio on Ch. 137 on Sirius and 193 on XM.
Buffalo Radio:
UB Athletics will begin its fourth year with The Breeze (1230 AM) and WLVL (1340 AM). UB football will air on WHTK (1280 AM) in Rochester. In addition, UB’s football games will be available on the web on UB’s athletic website (www.buffalobulls.com) and WECK’s website (www.weck1230.com). Paul Peck has the call with Jim Kubiak (analysis) and Nick Mendola (sideline). Scott Wilson will host the pre and postgame show.
To continue reading the UConn Huskies @ Western Michigan Broncos preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Last Week:
UConn fell to the Western Michigan Broncos 30-24. The Broncos lost to Kent State 23-7.
History:
Saturday’s game will be the 19th time Buffalo and UConn have met and UConn leads the series by a 15-4 count.
Connections:
UConn has seven players from the state of New York: WR John-Luke Bogue (New Rochelle), FB Reuben Frank (Poughkeepsie), S Wilbert Lee (Brooklyn), LS Dominick Manco (Lagrangeville), TB Lyle McCombs (Staten Island), DT Mykal Myers (Newburgh), DT Shamar Stephen (Brookville).
There are no Connecticut natives on the Buffalo roster.
UConn AD Warde Manuel had the same position at Buffalo from 2006-2012.
UConn Senior Associate AD Doug Gnodtke was also at Buffalo in a similar position from 2010-12.
Paul Pasqualoni posted a pair of wins over Buffalo during his tenure as the head coach of Syracuse — 63-7 on Sept. 2, 2000 in Syracuse and Sept. 11, 2004 in Buffalo by a 37-17 count. He is now 3-0 vs. Buffalo with his 2011 win as the UConn coach.
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 114. He is just one of two league coaches in history to win four BIG EAST Championships. His overall college coaching record stands at 148-84-1 (34-17 at WCSU, 107-59-1 at Syracuse and 7-9 at UConn).
UConn faces its third MAC opponent this week after opening with UMass and travelling to Western Michigan last week.
Connecticut enters Saturday’s meeting vs. Buffalo with an 18-4 record against opponents from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) – including last Saturday’s loss at Western Michigan — since making the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2002.
Here is where UConn stands in the lastest NCAA statistics:
- Total Defense – 5th at 213.00 yards per game
- Rushing Defense – 4th at 57.50 yards per game
- Passing Defense – 11th at 155.50 yards per game
- Scoring Defense – 24th at 15.25 points per game
- Sacks – 7th at 3.75 per game
- Tackles For Loss – t8th at 8.50 per game
- Total Offense – 106th at 314.75 yards per game
- Rushing Offense – 108th at 106.75 yards per game
- Passing Offense – 87th at 208.00 yards per game
- Scoring Offense – 92nd at 23.00 points per game
- Punt Returns – 14th at 18.00 yards per return
Here is where UConn individuals stand in NCAA leaders
- Trevardo Williams – t7th in sacks at 1.38 per game
- Yawin Smallwood – t4th in tackles for loss at 2.38 per game
T21st in sacks at 1.00 per game
t13th in tackles at 10.50 per game - Sio Moore t34th in sacks at 0.88 per game
- Nick Williams 8t12th in punt returns at 17.67 per return
36th in kickoff returns at 24.44 yards per return
Notes from this week’s opponent Buffalo:
Here is video of Buffalo Bulls head coach Jeff Quinn’s press conference.
Jeff Quinn is in his third season in charge of the Buffalo program. His first Buffalo team had a 2-10 record in 2010 and the Bulls were 3-9 in 2011. Quinn had last been the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Cincinnati of the BIG EAST for three years. Before coming to the Bearcats, he was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Central Michigan. He came to CMU in 2004 after coaching for 15 seasons at Grand Valley State, where the team won back-to-back national championships in 2002 and ‘03.
Branden Oliver was showered in preseason accolades this past summer, putting his name on three preseason award watch lists. The junior made The Walter Camp, Maxwell Award, and Doak Walker Award watch lists honors. He was the first Bulls ever to make the Maxwell watch list, and he was the only Mid-American Conference player to make all three lists.
Linebacker Khalil Mack was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award watch lists.
It has been 10 years since Buffalo has returned a punt for a touchdown. The last UB player to return a punt for a touchdown was Andre Forde against Lehigh (83 yards) on Aug. 29, 2002. The Bulls have the longest drought in the FBS of not returning a punt for a touchdown.
Buffalo scored 56 points against Morgan State on Sept. 8 – a Division I-A record for points scored by a UB team. It marked the second time under Jeff Quinn that the Bulls have scored 50+ points in a game. Buffalo scored 51 points against Akron on Nov. 19 of last season.
The Bulls are looking for their second ever win over an AQ BCS opponent. Buffalo won at Rutgers, 34-11, in 2002.
Alex Neutz leads the nation in receiving touchdowns per game (2). He has already set a season high with 6 touchdown receptions. He had four TDs in both 2010 and 2011. He is the first UB player with a touchdown reception in three straight games since Naaman Roosevelt caught a TD catch in seven straight games in 2008.
The Bulls have 14 sacks though three games – the most of any team in the MAC. In addition, 10 of the other MAC teams have played four games.
Thursday UConn Football Links:
UConn Football Welcomes EBV Participants, Notes [desmond conner – hartford courant]
UConn-Buffalo Coaches Taking Part in Coach To Cure MD Saturday [desmond conner – hartford courant]
Big East predictions: Week 5 [matt fortuna – espn.com]
What to watch in the Big East: Week 5 [matt fortuna – espn.com]
Geremy Davis Has The Hot Hands [uconnhuskies.com]
UConn WR Tebucky Jones Wants More Playing Time [hartford courant]
Chemistry class [journal inquirer]
Preview: Buffalo Bulls at Connecticut Huskies [cbssports.com]
Next Week:
UConn will open up Big East play next Saturday as they head to Piscataway, NJ for a matchup with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Kickoff is slated for high noon.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
