This week:
The UConn Huskies will be looking for revenge this Saturday at 12 Noon at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT against the #19/19 North Carolina Tar Heels.
Here are the rosters for the Tar Heels and the Huskies.
The Line/Prediction:
According to Rivals.com, the Tar Heels are 4.5 point favorites and the over/under is 45.5 points. My prediction is North Carolina 27 UConn 17.
Tickets:
As of the time of this post, there are still tickets available.
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.
The parking lots will open up 4 hours before kickoff. Here is a list of the tailgating rules at the Rent. And some alternative tailgating rules can be found here.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Clay Matvick on play-by-play while former NFL guard and San Jose State standout David Diaz-Infante is on color
Radio:
For the 18th 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 side lines and Eric Davis on production.
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. For a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network, click here.
North Carolina Radio:
Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Woody Durham (play-by-play), Rick Steinbacher (color analyst) and Lee Pace (sideline) provide the call. Jones Angell will host the broadcast. Satellite radio channel 217 Sirius/193 XM.
Last Week:
The UConn Huskies beat the Ohio University Bobcats 23-16 while the North Carolina Tar Heels beat The Citadel 40-6.
History:
Saturday’s game is the third meeting between UConn and North Carolina and the Tar Heels lead the series 2-0.
The Tar Heels beat the Huskies 38-12 in Chapel Hill, NC last year behind three blocked punts by Bruce Carter.The only other meeting in the series was a 48-21 UNC win on Sept. 15, 1990 in Chapel Hill when Connecticut was still competing on the Division I-AA level.
Connections:
UConn has one player that hails from the state of North Carolina – redshirt freshman Sio Moore of Apex.
There are no North Carolina players from Connecticut and it has two players from New England – both from Massachusetts. Redshirt freshman Ryan Wirth of UConn and freshman Joshua Adams of UNC both prepped at Connecticut’s Cheshire Academy.
North Carolina assistant coach Troy Douglas is in his first year at the school after facing the Huskies the three previous years on the South Florida coaching staff.
UNC assistant Allen Mogridge was a member of the Buffalo staff from 2004-08 and 2001-02, facing UConn five times – including last season’s International Bowl.
UNC Associate AD for Communications Steve Kirschner is a Bristol native and a UConn graduate.
In 1990, North Carolina defeated UConn, 48-21, in Kenan Stadium. That game featured two current members of the UNC athletic department – associate athletic director for football Corey Holliday and associate athletic director for tickets Clint Gwaltney. Holliday scored his first career touchdown on a 58-yard pass from quarterback Todd Burnett. Gwaltney scored 12 points against the Huskies, booting two field goals and six extra points.
Other News:
Here are some quotes from UConn head coach Randy Edsall’s press conference and here is the audio of North Carolina head coach Butch Davis’ press conference.
Saturday’s game will mark the 14th time in school history that the Huskies have faced a team ranked in the Associated Press poll at the time of the game. UConn’s only win in those 13 previous games came on Oct. 27, 2007 with a 22-15 win over No. 11 South Florida. UConn first played a ranked team in the 2001 season opener at No. 9 Virginia Tech. UConn has played the country’s top ranked team once when it traveled to Miami on Oct. 5, 2002.
Connecticut boasts a 34-15 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to the FBS in 2002.
The Huskies have won nine of their last 11 regular season non-league games overall with the only blemishes coming via a one-point loss at Virginia (17-16) in 2007 and a loss to North Carolina last year.
UConn has posted the following records in non-conference games: 6-6 (2002), 9-3 (2003), 4-1 (2004), 3-1 (2005), 3-2 (2006), 4-1 (2007), 4-1 (2008), 1-0 (2009).
The Huskies went 7-0 at home in 2007 at Rentschler Field and 4-2 in 2005 after compiling a 6-1 home record in 2004. UConn’s 3-4 mark at home in 2006 was its only sub-.500 record at Rentschler Field.
The seven home wins in 2007 set a school record for a single season which was previously set in 2004. In the process, the Huskies joined the 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers as the only BIG EAST schools to ever post a perfect 7-0 home record. UConn presently stands at 29-10 all-time at Rentschler Field including an 18-3 mark in non-conference games.
Week 2 chat transcript [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]
The picks, week 2 [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]
And now, a view from Tarheelia [TheUConnBlog.com]
New offense looks quite familiar [TheUConnBlog.com]
No. 19 North Carolina at UConn: Who has the edge? [Connecticut Post]
UConn Linebacker Prepares For Next Test [Hartford Courant]
Key UConn Defender Questionable For Tar Heels [Hartford Courant]
UConn Going Green At The Rent [Hartford Courant]
UNC leery of Connecticut’s ability to run [ACC Blog – ESPN.com]
Loss of Lutrus could sting for Huskies [New Haven Register]
UNC concerned about Huskies’ ground game [Waterbury Republican-American]
Next Week:
The Huskies head to Waco, TX to take on the Baylor Bears on Saturday, September 19th at 5:00 p.m. EDT. There is no television coverage for the game.
