Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Report Card: UConn Vs. Syracuse [desmond conner – hartford courant]

UConn Head Coach Paul Pasqualoni Post-Syracuse [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Right guard Adam Masters out for the season [chris elsberry – ct post]

What we learned in the Big East: Week 8 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Adam Masters lost for the season [jim fuller – new haven register]

The morning after [john silver – sny.com]

RG Masters out for the year [john silver – sny.com]

Flop against Syracuse moves UConn closer to the edge [ct post]

UConn football notebook: Injury ends Masters’ career [ct post]

UConn Loses Guard Adam Masters For Rest Of Season [hartford courant]

UConn Football: Five Things We Learned [hartford courant]

Syracuse game adds injury to insult as captain Adam Masters lost for year [new haven register]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

10 Things About The Strength Of This UConn Women’s Team [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. No. 4 Field Hockey Faces Road Test at No. 2 Princeton on Sunday [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Break Into Win Column in OT [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Swimming. Men’s Swimming And Diving Opens With A Pair Of Wins [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Swimming. Women’s Swimming And Diving Opens With Two Wins [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Carlos Alvarez Notches Game Winner To Rally No. 4 Huskies Past Pitt, 2-1 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Ruutu Scores With One Second Remaining in Double-OT, Huskies Win 3-2 [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

In a move reminiscent of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney releasing his tax returns late on a Friday, the Boston Red Sox have decided to hire their new manager late on a Saturday night when most newspapers have gone to press.

According to Sean McAdam of CSN New England, the Red Sox have hired now former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell as their new skipper. Farrell takes over for Bobby Valentine who was canned at the end of the 2012 season.

Breaking: Red Sox have hired John Farrell as manager, signing him to multi-year deal. Official announcement coming soon.

— Sean McAdam(@Sean_McAdam) October 21, 2012

Farrell, who had one year left on his deal with the Jays, is reportedly receiving a four-year deal from the Red Sox. He was the pitching coach for the local nine from 2007-2010 under former manager Terry Francona who is now the manager of the Cleveland Indians.

There is no word yet on any compensation going to the Blue Jays. An official announcement is expected late Saturday night, early Sunday morning on the hiring of Farrell with the compensation announcement coming in the following days.

The Red Sox had interviewed Tim Wallach, Brad Ausmus, DeMarlo Hale and Tony Pena over the past few weeks. But it was apparent throughout the process that Farrell was the man they wanted.

And now that they’ve got their man who can hopefully turn this team around.

UPDATE: According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, the Red Sox are sending Mike Aviles to the Blue Jays as compensation for Farrell.

Source: Mike Aviles slated to be headed to Blue Jays as compensation for Farrell weei.com/sports/boston/…

— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) October 21, 2012

10/21 UPDATE: According to Alex Speier of WEEI.com, the Red Sox will also receive David Carpenter from the Jays.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: ap photo

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

UConn-Syracuse … the aftermath, or aftermess [chris elsberry – ct post]

UConn simply overmatched against Syracuse [jim fuller – new haven register]

The stomping in upstate New York: Can it get worse? [lee lewis – republican-american]

Syracuse 40, UConn 10 [john silver – sny.com]

Syracuse routs UConn [ct post]

UConn football notebook: Return to Syracuse not sentimental for Pasqualoni [ct post]

UConn Crushed On Both Sides Of The Ball [hartford courant]

UConn Remembering Jasper Howard Tragedy [hartford courant]

Dez Sez [hartford courant]

After Loss To Syracuse, UConn’s Offense Getting More Offensive [hartford courant]

Nowhere to run [journal inquirer]

Syracuse crushes Huskies 40-10 [new haven register]

Syracuse dominates Connecticut, rolls to 40-10 win [post-standard]

Syracuse’s Alec Lemon follows sour game with a sweet performance vs. UConn [post-standard]

Syracuse football team got a lift from new punt returner Ritchy Desir in victory over Huskies [post-standard]

The Syracuse football team provides a rude Carrier Dome homecoming for Paul Pasqualoni [post-standard]

Syracuse University’s ground game runs Connecticut out of Carrier Dome [post-standard]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

UConn, Auriemma embrace favorite’s role [carl adamec – sny.com]

MAAC/Fairfield Will Bid To Host 2013 NCAA Regional In Bridgeport [rich elliott – ct post]

Banks open to change as sophomore [journal inquirer]

UConn’s Auriemma pitches his plan for regional sites [asbury park press]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Recruiting Roundup: October 19 [kevin duffy – ct post]

Ollie has Calhoun’s support at UConn [andy katz – espn.com]

Other UConn related links

W. Cross Country. Huskies Finish 8th at CCSU Mini-Meet [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Comes From Behind in 3-2 Win at USF [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

The last time Paul Pasqualoni coached a game at the Carrier Dome, it was 2004 and his Syracuse Orange team walked off the field with a 38-31 double overtime win over the Pittsburgh Panthers. His return in 2012 as head coach of the UConn Huskies did not go as well as he had hoped.

A dominant Syracuse defense as well a quick tempo offense shredded apart the Huskies on both sides of the ball as they went on to a 40-10 win in front of 36,715 and nationally televised audience at the Carrier Dome on Friday night.

The Huskies fall to 3-5 (0-3 Big East) while the Orange improve to 3-4 (2-1).

This was the worst performance we’ve seen by a UConn team in Pasqualoni’s 1½ years at the helm. Yes this was even worse than last year with Johnny McEntee at quarterback.

The offensive line was pitiful, horrible, terrible and any other adjective that goes with those three. They are lucky that Chandler Whitmer is still in one piece after the pounding he took.

Last year, Syracuse was decimated by UConn’s wildcat and running offense. There was none of that on Friday night.

They held the Huskies to -6 rushing yards. They couldn’t get anything going as Syracuse had great run blitzes set up. It also seemed that they blitzed on every down whether the Huskies were running or passing. Despite probably being black and blue after all the hits he absorbed, Whitmer did throw for 290 yards.

And the defense, despite UConn’s poor record, had been the rock of this team. I’ve been saying all along there was going to come a time when the defense would finally break.

That came on Friday night as they allowed 502 yards of total offense (251 yards running, 251 yards passing). They allowed their third straight 100 yard rusher. This time around it was Jerome Smith who galloped for 137 yards.

After the offense had made 13-10 in the 2nd quarter and it looked like UConn had a fighting chance in the game despite the beating the Syracuse defense was putting on Whitmer and the offense, the Huskies D allowed the Orange to go 77 yards down the field in seven plays to make it 20-10.

It was more of the same in the second half as the Orange got the ball to start the half and took it 75 yards in five plays to make it 27-10. UConn went 3-and-out on its next possession and the Orange got three more points to ensure the Huskies would be blown out.

I’m not even sure I can put any of the blame on the defense. The play calling, as it has been lately, was terrible.

The Wildcat hasn’t really worked all season long and with UConn in the red zone in the first quarter, they went to it and Scott McCummings was stuffed. It forced UConn into a third down which they didn’t convert and they had to settle for a field goal.

The biggest problem though on Friday night was the offensive line. It was like the Syracuse defense was going up against the blocking dummies because they were constantly getting by UConn’s line and either pounding Whitmer or stopping the rushing attack of Lyle McCombs who made his return to the lineup after missing last week’s game with a sore left hand.

If you had been planning before the season to see the Huskies play in a bowl game, I’d cancel those plans.

They need to win three of their final four games just to become bowl-eligible. And with two of those games coming against Louisville and Cincinnati, both nationally ranked teams, that’s just not happening folks.

To me, it’s time for a change at either head coach or offensive coordinator. Something needs to happen quickly.

After what we watched against the Orange, do you really want to go to Rentschler Field and watch them play?

I know I don’t.

Scoring:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
UConn Huskies	3	7	0	0	10
Syracuse Orange	6	14	17	3	40

1st quarter

SYR – 10:46 – Ross Krautman 22 Yd Field Goal

SYR – 08:02 – Ross Krautman 33 Yd Field Goal

CON – 01:05 – Chad Christen 23 Yd Field Goal

2nd quarter

SYR – 08:37 – Adonis Ameen-Moore 1 Yd Run (Ross Krautman Kick)

CON – 03:39 – Ryan Griffin 32 Yd Pass From Chandler Whitmer (Chad Christen Kick)

SYR – 01:19 – Beckett Wales 3 Yd Pass From Ryan Nassib (Ross Krautman Kick)

3rd quarter

SYR – 13:12 – Prince-Tyson Gulley 4 Yd Run (Ross Krautman Kick)

SYR – 07:21 – Ross Krautman 42 Yd Field Goal

SYR – 02:00 – Alec Lemon 11 Yd Pass From Ryan Nassib (Ross Krautman Kick)

4th quarter

SYR – 12:08 – Ross Krautman 47 Yd Field Goal

To continue reading, the UConn Huskies @ Syracuse Orange recap, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Offensive Player of the Game:

Syracuse WR Alec Lemon had eight catches for 166 yards and one touchdown. One of his catches that went for 68 yards also set up a Syracuse score.

Defensive Player of the Game:

Despite the fact, they allowed 296 passing yards, I’m giving this to the entire Syracuse defense who held UConn’s running attack to -6 yards and took them out of any semblance of offense.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

After cutting Syracuse’s lead to 13-10, the Orange went down the field and scored to make it 20-10. They would end up scoring 27 unanswered points to end the game.

Offensive Notes:

Chandler Whitmer was 23-of-41 for 296 yards and one touchdown. He did throw one interception and also fumbled once when he was leveled by a Syracuse blitz. Lyle McCombs had 12 rushes for 16 yards. Scott McCummings had one rush for -4 yards. Ryan Griffin caught six balls for 72 yards and a touchdown. Geremy Davis had four catches for 79 yards while Michael Smith had four catches for 61 yards.

Defensive Notes:

Yawin Smallwood and Ty-Meer Brown led all tacklers in the game with 10 tackles each. Two of Smallwood’s tackles went for total loss of six yards. Byron Jones had seven tackles while Sio Moore had five tackles and a pass breakup. Jory Johnson also had five tackles and one QB hit. The Huskies didn’t record a sack.

Special Teams Notes:

After missing four field goals last week, Chad Christen made his only attempt from 23 yards. He was also good on his only extra point attempt. Two of his three kickoffs went for touchbacks. Cole Wagner averaged 40.9 yards on eight punts with a long of 53 yards. Two of his punts were downed inside the 20. Nick Williams had two kickoff returns for 33 yards with a long of 21.

Injuries:

Adam Masters suffered an undisclosed injury and I’m not sure if he returned to the game. Yawin Smallwood suffered an undisclosed injury but returned to the game.  Michael Smith had the wind knocked out of him late in the 4th quarter.

Officials:

Referee: Dennis Hennigan •  Umpire: Michael Delaney •  Linesman: Steve Matarante •  Line judge: Kevin Cooley  •  Back judge: Gary Dancewicz  •  Field judge: Ben Vasconcells •  Side judge: Justin Jordan

The replay booth made the right call when they initially ruled that Chandler Whitmer had fumbled in the 2nd quarter. After watching the replay, they ruled that his arm was indeed going forward. Of course there was no need for replay on the next play when the same thing happened.

Game Notes:

UConn Huskies @ Syracuse Orange 10.19.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni and Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone.

Here are the starters for UConn:

OFFENSE
WR   6  Smith, Michael
LT   72 Bennett, Jimmy
LG   69 Greene, Steve
C    50 Bullock, Tyler
RG   63 Masters, Adam
RT   77 Friend, Kevin
TE   89 Delahunt, John
WR   85 Davis, Geremy
QB   10 Whitmer, Chandler.
FB   47 Frank, Reuben
TB   43 McCombs, Lyle

DEFENSE
DE   48 Williams, Trevardo
DT   53 Wirth, Ryan
DT   59 Stephen, Shamar
DE   56 Pruitt, Angelo
OLB  3  Moore, Sio
ILB  33 Snallwood, Yawin
ILB  28 Johnson, Jory
CB   5  Wreh-Wilson, Blidi
S    16 Jones, Byron
S    15 Brown, Ty-Meer
CB   7  Gratz, Dwayne

Here are the postgame notes from the UConn Football Sports Information Department:

• The contest marked the first for Connecticut head coach Paul Pasqualoni against Syracuse, a school he compiled a record of 107-59-1 with while being the head coach there for 14 seasons
• The loss drops the Huskies record to 6-3 all-time against Syracuse, after having won the past five meetings
• Redshirt sophomore running back Lyle McCombs made his first start in three games at tailback. He was the third different Husky to start at tailback in those three games (redshirt junior Martin Hyppolite and redshirt freshman Max DeLorenzo had the other starts)
• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Chandler Whitmer had his second straight solid first quarter throwing the ball. He was eight-for-12 for 69 yards after throwing for 158 yards in the initial 15 minutes last week against Temple. He finished the first half 14-for-23 passing for 193 yards and a touchdown and finished the game with 23 completions in 41 attempts with one interception and one touchdown for 296 yards.
• Whitmer connected with redshirt senior tight end Ryan Griffin for a 32-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter. Griffin now has 105 catches at Connecticut; second-most all-time for a tight end (Brian Kozlowski has the record with 159). It was his fourth touchdown reception of the season and the eighth of his career. He tied his career-high with six receptions
• Whitmer completed passes to eight different receivers in the contest
• Redshirt junior placekicker Chad Christen made a 23-yard field goal late in the first quarter, after missing all four attempts last week against Temple
• Senior wide receiver Michael Smith had four catches for 61 yards after snagging a season-high five passes last week for 54 yards
• The 20 points scored by Syracuse in each half were the most given up by Connecticut in a half this season
• The 68-yard pass reception by Syracuse’s Alec Lemon in the third quarter was the longest play from scrimmage against the Huskies this season
• With Jerome Smith’s 133 yards, he became the third consecutive Connecticut opponent to top the 100-yard mark rushing. The Huskies did not allow a 100-yard rusher all last season.
• The Huskies only managed minus-six yards rushing in the contest. That was the lowest for the Huskies since Connecticut moved up to the FBS level in 2002. The previous low was 12 yards against West Virginia in 2005. It was the third lowest rushing total by a FBS team this season
• The Huskies were led on the defensive side of the ball by redshirt sophomore safety Ty-Meer Brown and redshirt sophomore linebacker Yawin Smallwood, who each recorded 10 tackles
• Syracuse’s 251 rushing yards represented a season-high by a Connecticut opponent

Here’s a link to Syracuse’s post-game notes.

Big East Games and Results:

Saturday, October 19

(15) Rutgers
Temple, 12 p.m.

South Florida
(16) Louisville, 3:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh
Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.

(21) Cincinnati
Toledo, 7 p.m.

Things to Work On:

At this point, does it really matter.

Up Next:

The Huskies are off next weekend. They’ll return to action on Saturday, November 3rd when they travel to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL for a matchup with the South Florida Bulls.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Photo credit: patrick raycraft – hartford courant (no. 3 in gallery), ap photo

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s football team as they are at the Carrier Dome tonight for a Big East matchup with the Syracuse Orange. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

If you missed our UConn vs Syracuse preview, be sure to check it out.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Paul Pasqualoni makes return to Syracuse [andrea adelson – espn.com]

Did you know? Big East Week 8 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

UConn’s pass defense figures to be tested tonight [jim fuller – new haven register]

Preview: UConn at Syracuse [lee lewis – republican-american]

SNY’s Sean Mulcahy previews UConn-Syracuse [sean mulcahy – sny.com]

Underperforming [john silver – sny.com]

Previewing Syracuse [john silver – sny.com]

The End of an Era: Reflections on UConn’s last Big East game at the Carrier Dome [the uconn blog]

It took a while, but UConn’s Williams picked up defense [ct post]

Turnovers Frustrating Orange This Season [hartford courant]

Against Orange, UConn Hopes To Bounce Back From Temple Loss [hartford courant]

Huskies’ defense preparing for Nassib, Syracuse [new haven register]

Coach’s return to Syracuse has Huskies hyped [ap]

Huskies, Orange in need of a win [ap]

Connecticut at Syracuse: Turnovers plague both teams [the post-standard]

Even at 2-4, the Syracuse football team faces a ‘big game’ vs. Connecticut [the post-standard]

Syracuse football defense goes into strip search mode [the post-standard]

Syracuse football coverage teams will face a stern challenge in UConn’s Nick Williams [the post-standard]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Big East media day notebook [carl adamec – sny.com]

What’s There Not To Like About Doug Bruno? [john altavilla – hartford courant]

UConn Has A Lot Going For It This Season (Part 1) [john altavilla – hartford courant]

UConn Has A Lot Going For It This Season (Part 2) [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Future Of UConn/Notre Dame Series Presently Uncertain [rich elliott – ct post]

Hartley Healing, Still Eyeing A Return To Practice Next Monday [rich elliott – ct post]

Auriemma Praises Dolson, Puts Officials On Notice [rich elliott – ct post]

Big East defectors focusing on the present [jim fuller – new haven register]

Auriemma excited to work clinic with a legend [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn’s women’s basketball ranked No. 1 in Big East [ct post]

UConn Women No. 1 In Poll [hartford courant]

Big East Commissioner Likes Women’s Tournament In Hartford [hartford courant]

Huskies picked to win Big East [hartford courant]

Current rivals may soon be non-conference showdowns [new haven register]

UConn coach says Breanna Stewart has chance to “be as good as anyone we’ve ever brought in here” [the post-standard]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Report: Noah Vonleh Trims List To 6 – Including UConn [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn 1-on-1′s: Boatright and Napier [sny.com]

Other UConn related links

M. Tennis. Huskies Fall To Marist In Dual Match [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Tennis. Women’s Tennis Blanked By UMass, 7-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer To Host Elite Clinic January 5 and 12 [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Hunnable and Boddy Score Two Goals as No. 4 Field Hockey Trounces #16 BC, 5-1 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Women’s Soccer Senior Night on Saturday at 7 p.m. Against Providence [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

The Big East held it’s women’s basketball media day on Thursday and the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team has been selected to win the Big East by the coaches.

The Huskies received 12 of the 15 first place votes with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish getting the other three.

Freshman Breanna Stewart was selected as the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year. Stefanie Dolson, Bria Hartley and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were picked to the Preseason All-Big East First Team.

2012-13 Preseason Coaches Poll
Team	Points
1. Connecticut (12)	194
2. Notre Dame (3)	182
3. Louisville	167
4. St. John s	144
5. Rutgers	143
6. DePaul	138
7. Syracuse	105
8. Georgetown	104
9. USF	97
10. Villanova	78
11. Marquette	75
12. Cincinnati	61
13. Pittsburgh	31
Seton Hall	31
15. Providence	25

To see the full list of All-Big East teams and preseason players of the year, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Preseason Player of the Year

Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame, Sr., G

Preseason Freshman of the Year

*Breanna Stewart, Connecticut, Fr., F

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team

Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut, Jr., C

*Bria Hartley, Connecticut, Jr., G

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut, So., F

*Anna Martin, DePaul, Sr., G

*Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown, Sr., G

*Shoni Schimmel, Louisville, Jr., G

*Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame, Sr., G

Monique Oliver, Rutgers, Sr., F/C

Nadirah McKenith, St. John’s, Sr., G

Shenneika Smith, St. John’s, Sr., G

Kayla Alexander, Syracuse, Sr., C

Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention

Monique Reid, Louisville, Sr., F

Laura Sweeney, Villanova, Sr., F

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

It appears Boston’s version of Lin-sanity is over as the Boston Red Sox have designated Che-Hsuan Lin for assignment to make room for Sandy Rosario who was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

Here’s the release from the Red Sox:

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today claimed right-handed pitcher Sandy Rosario off waivers from the Miami Marlins and designated outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin for assignment.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

Rosario, 27, posted a 1.04 ERA (3 ER/26.0 IP) over 25 appearances for Miami’s Triple-A club in New Orleans in 2012, all in relief, striking out 24 batters compared to just two walks while limiting opponents to a .215 batting average (20-for-93).  The right-hander finished fifth in the Pacific Coast League with 16 saves in as many chances.  In six rehab outings this season between High-A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville, the right-hander gave up four runs in 5.2 innings.  He also appeared in four Major League games with Miami in 2012, allowing six runs over 3.0 innings, and has 10 career Big League outings over the last three campaigns, all for the Marlins.  Originally signed as an international free agent in 2004, Rosario has compiled a 30-18 record with 47 saves, a 3.15 ERA (137 ER/391.0 IP) and 403 strikeouts over 181 career minor league outings, including 35 starts, in the Marlins system.

The 24-year-old Lin made his Major League debut this season, batting .250 (3-for-12) in nine games for Boston.  The right-handed hitter also appeared in 113 games for Triple-A Pawtucket and hit .247 (98-for-396) with 11 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 30 RBI, 42 runs scored, 42 walks and 15 stolen bases.  Signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent in 2007, the native of Taiwan is a .256 hitter (608-for-2,379) with 92 doubles, 26 triples, 22 home runs, 216 RBI, 377 runs, 303 walks and 145 stolen bases in 627 career minor league games over the last six years.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Paw Prints – UConn Huskies (3-4, 0-2) @ Syracuse Orange (2-4, 1-1) Preview [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn’s kicker woes [andrea adelson – espn.com]

Big East predictions: Week 8 [andrea adelson – espn.com]

What to watch in the Big East: Week 8 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Highlights from Paul Pasqualoni’s Wednesday conference call [chris elsberry – ct post]

Paul Pasqualoni preparing for return to Syracuse [jim fuller – new haven register]

Wednesday update — McCombs slated to play [john silver – sny.com]

Williams Approaching Sack Record [uconnhuskies.com]

Incomplete games [journal inquirer]

Danger in the air [journal inquirer]

Paul Pasqualoni opens up before return trip to Syracuse [new haven register]

Syracuse Football Roundtable, Week of October 15 (UConn) [troy nunes is an absolute magician]

What the P-S Won’t Tell You About…The Connecticut Huskies [troy nunes is an absolute magician]

Connecticut Huskies at Syracuse Orange [cbssports.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tina Charles Makes WNBA’s First Team; Moore And Whalen 2nd [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Auriemma Discusses Expectations, Makes One Prediction [rich elliott – ct post]

On Media Day, Big East Focuses On Women’s Basketball [hartford courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Huskies On Ranking: “Just a Name and a Number” [dom amore – hartford courant]

More Notes, Quotes From Media Day: Big East Tournament Stays In Big Apple [dom amore – hartford courant]

More From Media Day: Kevin Ollie Sees “Opportunities, Not Obstacles” [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn Coach Glen Miller Went to See Ron Patterson on Wednesday [david borges – new haven register]

Notes/Quotes from Big East Media Day: “Rick’s full of (it).” [kevin duffy – ct post]

More Notes/Quotes from Big East Media Day: “I hate using the whistle!” [kevin duffy – ct post]

Big East media day rundown (video) [gavin keefe – the day]

No, you are! [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

A brand new day [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

Alumni Profile: Emeka Okafor [uconn huskies basketball]

UConn men rated No. 9 in Big East preseason poll [ct post]

Realigned Big East basketball will have big mountain to climb [ct post]

UConn Players Napier, Olander Not Concerned About Preseason Ratings, Perceptions At Big East Media Day [hartford courant]

New Big East Commissioner Aresco Optimistic [hartford courant]

Kevin Ollie Receives Highest Of Praise From Rick Pitino [hartford courant]

A title still in sight for UConn men [journal inquirer]

New era dawns in changing Big East [journal inquirer]

Huskies picked ninth in Big East poll [new haven register]

Big East’s best get to know each other [new haven register]

UConn players unfazed by ban [the day]

Key ingredients for UConn this season: sugar, hot sauce [usa today]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Connecticut Soccer Mourns The Loss Of Jonathan “Hutch” Hutchinson [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. No. 4 Men’s Soccer Routs Seton Hall, 4-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Women’s Hockey Adds Chaisson to Coaching Staff [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. No. 4 Field Hockey Set For Showdown With No. 16 Boston College on Thursday [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Swimming. Men’s Swimming And Diving Opens Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Swimming. Women’s Swimming And Diving Opens Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Note: My apologies as I was unable to post this yesterday.

On Wednesday morning, the Big East released the predictions for the 2012-13 Big East Men’s Basketball season and the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team has been picked to finish 9th.

As we know, the Huskies are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament and are also ineligible for the Big East Tournament as of now.

The only player from the Huskies named to one of the All-Big East Preseason teams was point guard Shabazz Napier who was picked for the Second Team.

2012-13 Preseason Coaches’ Poll	Pts
1. Louisville (14)	196
2. Syracuse	175
3. Notre Dame (1)	166
4. Cincinnati	152
5. Georgetown	136
6. Pittsburgh	132
7. Marquette	121
8. USF	96
9. Connecticut	83
10. St. John’s	73
11. Rutgers	63
12. Villanova	61
13. DePaul	48
14. Seton Hall	42
15. Providence	31
(1st Place Votes in Parentheses)

To see the full list of all Big East team and preseason players of the year, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

2012-13 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Peyton Siva, Louisville

2012-13 BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year
Steven Adams, Pittsburgh

2012-13 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, G, Jr., 6-4, 221, White Plains, N.Y.
Otto Porter, Georgetown, F, So., 6-8, 205, Sikeston, Mo.
Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, C, Jr., 6-10, 225, Dakar, Senegal
Jack Cooley, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-9, 244, Glenview, Ill.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Sr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.

2012-13 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, G, Jr., 6-1, 171, Roxbury, Mass.
Cleveland Melvin, DePaul, F, Jr., 6-8, 208, Baltimore, Md.
D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s, G, So., 6-3, 202, Missouri City, Texas
Anthony Collins, USF, So., G, 6-1, 175, Houston, Texas
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-4, 205, Jamesville, N.Y.

2012-13 Preseason BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Chane Behanan, Louisville, F, So., 6-7, 250, Cincinnati, Ohio
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bowie, Md.
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh, G, Sr., 5-11, 190, Brooklyn, N.Y.
C.J. Fair, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-8, 212, Baltimore, Md.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

This week:

The UConn Huskies hit the road again and hope for better results as they will take on the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Orange.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Rivals.com odds, Syracuse is favored by 4.5 points. The over/under is 43.5 points.

My prediction is UConn 27 Syracuse 17.

Tickets:

According to Ticketmaster, there are still plenty of good seats available.

Getting To The Game:

Even though the game is being played indoors, here is the weather forecast for Syracuse, NY.·Here are directions and parking information for the Carrier Dome, a Carrier Dome seating chart as well as general information for the Carrier Dome.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television:

Friday’s game is being televised nationally by ESPN. Carter Blackburn is on play-by-play with Rod Gilmore on color while Jemele Hill is the sideline reporter.

The game will be replayed in its entirety on SNY on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. (Connecticut only) and Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 2:00 p.m. and in a condensed “Husky Power Hour” version on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 6:00 a.m., Monday, Oct. 22 at 8 a.m. (Connecticut only) and Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 11 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. Syracuse game will also be available on satellite radio on Ch. 92 on Sirius and 190 on XM.

Syracuse Radio:

Syracuse football can be heard on the Syracuse ISP Radio Network. Matt Park (play-by-play) has the call with Chris Gedney (analyst) and Brian Higgins (sidelines). The game can also be heard on Syracuse Student Radio: WAER 88.3 FM (Syracuse)

And it also available on Sirius Channel 85/XM 85.

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

Last Week:

UConn fell at home 17-14 to the Temple Owls. Syracuse lost to Rutgers 23-15 on the road.

History:

Friday’s game will be the ninth meeting all-time between UConn and Syracuse with the series dating back to UConn joining the BIG EAST Conference in 2004. UConn leads the series by a 6-2 count and has won the past five meetings between the teams. UConn has won two of four meetings at the Carrier Dome – loss 42-30 in 2004, loss 20-14 in 2006, win 39-14 in 2008 and win 23-6 in 2010.

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 Syracuse team.

UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni was the head coach at Syracuse from 1991-2004 and led the Orange to 107 wins, four BIG EAST titles and nine bowl games. Among his wins at Syracuse was a 42-30 win over UConn on October 30, 2004 in Syracuse and among his wins at UConn are the 28-21 win vs. Syracuse on Nov. 5, 2011 at Rentschler Field. Pasqualoni has a head coaching record of 61-22 in games at the Carrier Dome.

SU head coach Doug Marrone was an assistant coach at Coast Guard in New London in 1993.

UConn offensive coordinator George DeLeone was on the Syracuse staff from 1985-96 and 1996-2004, as he served as both offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator during his time there.

UConn strength and conditioning coordinator Jerry Martin is a 1978 Syracuse graduate and a four-year letterman for the Orange.

SU defensive coordinator Scott Shafer, defensive line coach Tim Daoust, linebackers coach Steve Morrison and UConn running backs coach/special teams coordinator Clayton White all coached together at Western Michigan in 2006.

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 113. He is just one of two league coaches in history to win four BIG EAST Championships. His overall college coaching record stands at 149-87-1 (34-17 at WCSU, 107-59-1 at Syracuse and 8-11 at UConn).

This is Pasqualoni’s first trip to the Carrier Dome since taking over as the head coach for UConn.

UConn owns an all-time mark of 25-32 in BIG EAST Conference games since joining the league for football in 2004.

UConn is 5-22 in Big East road games.

UConn is 33-18 in games following a loss since Oct. 26, 2002.

UConn was one of seven charter members of the BIG EAST Conference when the league was founded in 1979 and UConn is the only founding school that is currently playing football in the league and scheduled to do so in the future. The other five original members were Boston College, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Providence, Georgetown and St. John’s.

UConn has allowed back-to-back 100-yard rushers for the first time since 2009 against Notre Dame (Armando Allen) and Syracuse (Delone Carter).

The Huskies had a five-overtime-game winning streak (the longest active in the country) snapped in last week’s loss to Temple.

Last week, Max DeLorenzo (Berlin) became the first Connecticut native to start at running back for UConn since Matt Lawrence (Bloomfield) in 2004.

Here is where UConn stands in the lastest NCAA statistics:

• Total Defense – 6th at 261.00 yards per game
• Rushing Defense – 13th at 99.43 yards per game
• Passing Defense – 8th at 161.57 yards per game
• Scoring Defense – 16th at 16.29 points per game
• Sacks – t14th at 3.00 per game
• Tackles For Loss – 21st at 7.43 per game
• Total Offense – 107th at 320.57 yards per game
• Rushing Offense – 111th at 100.14 yards per game
• Passing Offense – 73rd at 220.43 yards per game
• Scoring Offense – 109th at 19.00 points per game
• Punt Returns – 27th at 12.31 yards per return

Here is where UConn individuals stand in NCAA leaders

• Trevardo Williams t13th in sacks at 1.07 per game (leads BIG EAST)
• Yawin Smallwood t23rd in tackles for loss at 1.57 per game (leads BIG EAST)
  t9th in tackles at 10.71 per game (leads BIG EAST)
• Nick Williams t20th in punt returns at 11.73 per return

Notes from this week’s opponent Syracuse:

Here’s a video of Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone with his preview for the UConn game. I could not find a video or any link to his weekly press conference.

Doug Marrone is in his fourth year in charge of the Syracuse program after coming to the school in 2009. He led Syracuse to an 8-5 record in 2010 as the team beat Kansas State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Prior to coming to Syracuse, Marrone was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints from 2006-08 and the offensive line coach for the New York Jets from 2002-05.

He also had assistant coaching stints at Cortland State (1992), Coast Guard (1993), Northeastern (1994), Georgia Tech (1995-99), Georgia (2000) and Tennessee (2001). He is a 1991 Syracuse graduate and was a three-year starter on the offensive line and earned AP All-East first team honors as a senior.

Here is Syracuse’s depth chart for the game.

In lieu of season captains, Orange head coach Doug Marrone is appointing captains on a game-by-game basis in 2012.

Friday is Fan Appreciation Day at the Carrier Dome. All Syracuse University students will receive free admission to the game, courtesy of Pepsi.

At halftime, SU will recognize the 2012 Letterwinners of Distinction. This year’s class features nine individuals – George Oechsle ‘47 (soccer), Jim Zeszutek ‘72 (wrestling), Jeff McCormick ‘83 (lacrosse), Sid Oglesby ‘65 (gymnastics), Todd Flaherty ‘70 (football), Gene Mills ‘81 (wrestling), Doug Sedgwick ‘80 (lacrosse), Deborah Gibaratz Tirico ‘89 (basketball), and Elton Fairbanks (ski coach), honorary.

A WIN AGAINST UCONN WOULD:

• Be the program’s 693rd victory, the 16th-most among FBS schools.
• Mark SU’s second straight home win and improve the team’s 2012 Dome record to 3-1.
• End SU’s five-game losing streak to the Huskies.
• Elevate the Orange’s record to 2-0 in weeknight games this season.
• Raise SU’s record to 9-7 in games played on Oct. 19.

During its more than 100 years of varsity football, Syracuse has amassed 692 victories, which is 16th on the NCAA FBS’s ledger of winningest programs. SU’s win total is the highest by a BIG EAST school, and lists third among Eastern schools behind Penn State and West Virginia.

The Orange is 3-3 all-time in six weeknight games at the Carrier Dome, including 3-1 under head coach Doug Marrone.

On July 16 2012, the BIG EAST Conference and Syracuse University announced an agreement that allows SU to terminate its BIG EAST membership and join the ACC effective July 1, 2013.

The following Syracuse players have been named to watch lists for college football’s major national awards:

• Alec Lemon
  Biletnikoff Award (outstanding receiver)
• Marcus Sales
  Biletnikoff Award (outstanding receiver)
• Macky MacPherson
  Rimington Award (outstanding center)
• Ryan Nassib
  Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (top senior QB)
  Senior Bowl Watch List
• Justin Pugh
  Lombardi Award (outstanding lineman)
  Outland Trophy (best interior lineman)
• Brandon Sharpe
  Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player)

 

Wednesday UConn Football Links:

Midseason Report: UConn [andrea adelson – espn.com]

UConn Football Commitment: Running Back Josh Marriner [desmond conner – hartford courant]

The Blitz: UConn at Syracuse [uconnhuskies.com]

Huskies Travel to Syracuse Friday Night [bigeast.org]

Improved UConn Tight End Ryan Griffin A Rare Bright Spot [hartford courant]

UConn kicker faced the music after a bad day at the office [the hour]

Next Week:

UConn is off next weekend. They’ll return to action on November 3rd when they travel to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL to take on the South Florida Bulls.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.