This week:
After becoming bowl eligible for the third straight year last weekend, the UConn Huskies will honor their 16 seniors in the regular season finale against the South Florida Bulls at Rentschler Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Here are the rosters for the Bulls and the Huskies.
The Line/Prediction:
According to Rivals.com, the Huskies are 7.5 point favorites and the over/under is 51. My prediction is UConn 34 South Florida 24.
Tickets:
As of the time of this post, there are still tickets available 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.
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:
Saturday’s game wil be televised nationally by ESPN2. Mark Jones is on play-by-play while Bob Davie is on color.
If you get ESPN360.com, you can also catch the game there.
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.
South Florida Radio
USF’s radio broadcast with Jim Louk, Mark Robinson and Mike Pepper can be heard on 14 affiliates statewide. Here is a list of the USF Radio Affiliates.
The game will also be available on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 158.
Last Week:
The UConn Huskies became bowl-eligible with a 56-31 win over the Syracuse Orange. The South Florida Bulls fell to the Miami Hurricanes 31-10.
History:
Saturday’s game is the sixth meeting between UConn and South Florida with USF holding a 4-2 edge while the two teams have split their four BIG EAST meetings — with the home team winning each one. USF is 1-2 all-time at UConn and has lost two straight nail-biters at Rentschler Field.
Connections:
- UConn has four players from Florida on its roster: Dwayne Difton of Ft. Lauderdale, Mike Lang of Largo, Greg Lloyd of Clermont and Twyon Martin of Parkland.
- The late Jasper Howard was a Miami native and attended Miami Edison High School.
Other News:
Here are quotes from UConn Huskies head coach Randy Edsall’s press conference. And here are some quotes from USF coach Jim Leavitt’s press conference.
A total of 16 UConn seniors will be honored before Saturday’s game vs. USF for their final appearance as a Husky at Rentschler Field. They are: DT Brandon Dillon, TB Andre Dixon, WR Marcus Easley, OT Mike Hicks, WR Brad Kanuch, OG Alex LaMagdelaine, WR Alex Molina, OG Mathieu Olivier, WR Kevin Poles, LB Greg Robinson, OT Dan Ryan, FB Joss Tillard, FS Robert Vaughn, DE Lindsey Witten and captains P Desi Cullen and DB Robert McClain. Also being honored will be 2009 summer graduate and former LB Matt Ashmead and student managers Christopher Blanchette of Waterbury, Conn., and Patrick Maguire of Ridgefield, Conn.
UConn is bowl eligible for the third straight season and fifth time in seven seasons.
UConn’s five losses this year have been by a combined 15 points and the Huskies have held fourth quarter leads in four of the five of the game.
- Sept. 12 vs. North Carolina: UConn led 10-0 after three quarters, but gave up 12 fourth quarter points for the loss. The Tar Heels scored the winning points on a safety when UConn was called for holding in the endzone.
- Oct. 10 vs. Pittsburgh: UConn led 21-3 late in the third quarter. Pittsburgh scored a TD with 12 seconds left in the third quarter and added a TD and field goal as time expired for the win.
- Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia: UConn led 17-14 at halftime and took a 24-21 lead with 3:50 to go in the fourth on an 88-yard TD play. West Virginia came right back and scored on a 56-yard running play with 2:10 to go for the win.
- Oct. 31 vs. Rutgers: UConn led 24-21 after taking their first lead of the game with 38 seconds to go. Rutgers scored on an 81-yard pass play for the 28-24 win.
- Nov. 7 vs. Cincinnati: This time a UConn comeback falls short. UConn trailed 30-10 at the half and 37-17 with 7:03 to go in the third. UConn then outscored the Bearcats 19-3, but failed on a two-point conversation with 5:03 to go that would have tied the game at 40-40. The two teams then traded touchdowns for the 47-45 final.
Here are the categories where UConn is in the top 30 in the 2009 NCAA statistics:
- Rushing Offense 39th at 176.91 (Third in BIG EAST)
- Scoring Offense 20th at 32.36 (Second in BIG EAST)
- Net Punting 15th at 38.21 (Second in BIG EAST)
- Punt Returns 31st at 11.53 (Second in BIG EAST)
- Kickoff Returns 6th at 26.72 (Second in BIG EAST)
- Sacks 30th at 2.45 (Fifth in BIG EAST)
In addition, Jordan Todman is 25th in the country in rushing yards per game at 98.09 while Andre Dixon is 47th at 83.36. Robert McClain is tied for 32nd in interceptions at 0.36 per game along with teammate Robert Vaughn. Desi Cullen is 22nd in punting, and third in the BIG EAST, at 43.26 yards. Lindsey Witten is fifth in sacks at 1.05 per game. Lawrence Wilson is third in tackles.
Randy Edsall won’t comment on Notre Dame job [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]
Lloyd Surgery Successful; Edsall Takes No Qs On Jobs [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
Well Now This Is Some Interesting Bowl Talk [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
Wilson a tackling machine for UConn [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]
Edsall won’t address Notre Dame talk [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]
Lloyd has surgery, no ND talk [Neill Ostrout – Connecticut Post]
UConn football notebook: Edsall not talking about Notre Dame job [Connecticut Post]
South Florida at UConn: Who has the edge? [Connecticut Post]
South Florida Defensive Ends Provide Tough Test [Hartford Courant]
Edsall refuses to address ND rumors [New Haven Register]
UConn’s Dixon nearly wasn’t around for senior season [The Republican-American]
Six Big East teams still in running for a bowl [The Pitt News]
Low Profile: Fullback Anderson Knows Role [DallasCowboys.com]
USF’s Wilson won’t play at Connecticut [Tampa Tribune]
Next Week:
The Huskies are off until their bowl game. The Huskies should learn of their destination on Sunday.
