Paw Prints – Western Michigan Broncos (2-2) @ UConn Huskies (2-2) Preview

Paw Prints - UConn football

This week:

Western Michigan Broncos @ UConn Huskies

The UConn Huskies will finish up the non-conference portion of their schedule on Saturday afternoon when they’ll host the Western Michigan Broncos at 3:30 p.m. at Rentschler Field.

Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Broncos.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Rivals.com odds, UConn is favored by three points. The over/under is 44 points.

My prediction is UConn 27 Western Michigan 17

Tickets:

According to Ticketmaster.com, there are still plenty of 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 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.

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 will be televised by SNY in the Connecticut and Northeast region. Bob Picozzi is on play-by-play while former North Carolina head coach John Bunting is on color. It will also be available online at ESPN3.com.

In the Kalamazoo area, the game will be broadcast on WZZM.

The game will also be replayed on SNY in a condensed mode on the “Husky Power Hour” on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be replayed in its entirity on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m.

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.

Western Michigan Radio:

The game will be broadcast live on the Bronco Radio Network: 96.5 FM (Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan); 96.1 FM (Hollad, Grand Rapids, Muskegon), 94.1 FM (Lansing, Jackson, Battle Creek), and 94.3 FM (Detroit). Robin Hook (play-by-play) and Monty Porter (analysis) will have the call beginning at 11 a.m.

To continue reading the Western Michigan Broncos @ UConn Huskies preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week:

The Huskies went on the road and beat the Buffalo Bulls 17-3. The Broncos gave the Illinois Fightin Illini all they could handle in a 23-20 loss.

History:

Saturday’s game is just the second-ever meeting between UConn and Western Michigan in the sport of football. The only other meeting was a 41-27 victory by the Huskies on Nov. 1, 2003 at Rentschler Field — in the stadium’s debut year.

Connections:

There are no players from the state of Michigan on the UConn roster and likewise there are no Connecticut players on the WMU roster.
WMU head coach Bill Cubit played at Delaware from 1971-74 and UConn dropped three games to UDel during his career, including games in Storrs in ‘72 and ‘74.
UConn special teams coordinator/running backs coach Clayton White was an assistant at Western Michigan in 2006 working with the DBs as the team played in the International Bowl.
WMU safeties coach Rich Nagy is a 1987 Trinity graduate was a GA there in 1988…He is a native of Fairfield and his younger brother Charlie Nagy was a baseball All-American at UConn, an All-Star major leaguer for 14 years mostly with the Cleveland Indians and now the pitching coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Connecticut assistant head coach/defensive line coach Hank Hughes was the defensive line coach at Memphis (1998-2000) and coached current WMU defensive line coach Lou Esposito.
WMU head coach Bill Cubit has faced Cincinnati and West Virginia during his tenure but was not on staff in 2003 when the Broncos last faced Connecticut. Director of football operations Tim Knox and director of medical services Kyle Blecha are the only two members of the staff that were on staff the only other time WMU played UConn.

Other UConn News:

Here are the quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni’s press conference as well quotes from some of the players. You can watch Pasqualoni’s press conference if you have the time.

Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.

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.

With the Sept. 3 win vs. Fordham and Saturday’s win vs. Buffalo, Pasqauloni is also first in league history in overall wins with 109 to top the mark of Beamer with 108. The distant third is Don Nehlen of West Virginia at 61.

Pasqualoni became the first Husky coach since 1923 to win his UConn coaching debut. The last coach to win a Husky debut was Sumner Dole in 1923.

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

Connecticut enters Saturday’s meeting vs. Western Michigan with a 17-2 record against opponents from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) since making the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2002. The two losses includes a 30-16 defeat at Temple last year. Prior to that game, Connecticut’s last loss to a MAC opponent came back on Sept. 28, 2002, when it dropped a 24-21 overtime decision vs. Ball State.

UConn’s record vs. MAC teams also includes wins over Ohio in 2009 and Temple in 2008 during the regular season and against Buffalo in the 2009 International Bowl.

Connecticut boasts a 42-19 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to the FBS in 2002.

The Huskies have won 17 of their last 23 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, Michigan and Temple in ‘10 and Vanderbilt and Iowa State in ‘11.

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) and 2-2 (2011).

Here are the categories where UConn is ranked in the top 40 in the 2011 NCAA statistics.

Rushing Defense – 24th at 91.25 yards (Fifth in BIG EAST)
Pass. Eff. Defense – 10th at 96.44 (First in BIG EAST)
Total Defense – 14th at 272.00 (First in BIG EAST)
Scoring Defense – 12th at 13.50 (First in BIG EAST)
Pass Defense – 23rd at 180.75 (First in BIG EAST)
Sacks – 14th at 3.25 (Second in BIG EAST)
TFL – 9th at 8.25 (Fourth in BIG EAST)

Individual leaders

Rushing – Lyle McCombs, 45th at 91.50 (Third in BIG EAST)
Sacks – Sio Moore, t16th at 0.88 (Third in BIG EAST)
Interceptions – B. Jones/J. Johnson, t21st at .5 (t3 in BIG EAST)
TFL – Kendall Reyes, T21th at 1.63 (Third in BIG EAST)
Teddy Jennings, T24th at 1.50 (Fourth in BIG EAST)

Notes from this week’s opponent Western Michigan:

Here is video from Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit’s press conference.

Western Michigan’s flight trip to Connecticut is its first plane travel trip since the 2008 Texas Bowl. The 2009 and 2010 seasons marked the fi rst time the Broncos had gone back-to-back seasons with a flight travel trip since the 1986 and 1987 seasons.

Western Michigan is 2-8 against teams currently in the Big East with both all-time wins coming against Louisville (prior to the Cardinals joining the conference).

Western Michigan’s last game against a Big East team came in the 2007 opener at West Virginia after closing out the 2006 season against Cincinnati in the 2007 International Bowl.

WMU boasts three team members on preseason watch lists (Alex Carder — O’Brien, Manning; Jordan White — Biletnikoff; Kevin Galeher — Rimington).

WMU has two former players on the coaching staff — Ryan Cubit (2004-06) – Quarterbacks; Jake Moreland (1996-99) – Tight Ends.

WMU goes on the road to face a bowl team from the 2010 season six times this year (Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Miami).

WMU has a live horse lead the team onto the field during home games in 2011, marking the first season since 1997. The horse, named Triumph by the fans via an online poll, is ridden by WMU freshman Alyssa Davison. WMU is 2-0 with Triumph so far this season.

Friday UConn Football Links:

Predictions: Big East Week 5 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

What to watch in the Big East: Week 5 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Martin Hyppolite practicing, other Thursday notes [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

Recruits Visiting This Weekend, Puyol Talks About Record 54 FG [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Video: Watch Kicker And UConn Recruit Bobby Puyols’ 54-Yard Field Goal [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Thoughts From UConn Coach Pasqualoni Pre-Western Michigan [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Thursday update [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Game Preview – Connecticut Huskies vs. Western Michigan Broncos [BigEast.org]

Military Appreciation Day [UConnHuskies.com]

Top UConn football booster gives his blessing to move to ACC [Danbury News-Times]

McEntee Starting; Huskies Not Pleased With 2-2 Record [Hartford Courant]