From UConn and the American:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the second-straight week, University of Connecticut guard Kia Nurse (Hamilton, Ontario) was honored by the American Athletic Conference, earning the conference Freshman of the Week accolade, as announced by the league on Monday. In addition, senior forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was named to the conference’s weekly honor roll.

Nurse, who was an honor roll member last week, was tabbed as the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase MVP after leading the Huskies to wins over College of Charleston, Vanderbilt, and Green Bay this weekend. The freshman guard scored 43 points (14.3 avg) in the Huskies’ three games, including a .600 shooting percentage from the floor. She also pulled down 16 total rebounds and dished out a team-best 14 assists during the week.

Nurse has earned four starts in six games for Connecticut, averaging 13.7 points and 3.6 assists per contest. She has connected on 30 of her first 50 collegiate shots and also boasts a stellar 3:1 assist to turnover ratio.

Mosqueda-Lewis, one of three Huskies tabbed to the Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament team, is one of the nation’s most dangerous threats from beyond the arc, converting 61.5 (24-of-39) percent of her attempts from long range this season. She scored 13 points with four boards and three assists in UConn’s 89-53 win over the Phoenix in Sunday’s championship game and also boasts Connecticut’s highest scoring average at 18.0 ppg.

The pair of standouts have helped the Huskies to a 5-1 record in 2014-15, including an average margin of victory of 38.5.

The Huskies return to action on Saturday, Dec. 6 when they No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend on ESPN. Tip-off is set for 3:15 p.m.

photo credit: ©2014 ian bethune

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.

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’s Diaco sees growth in offensive line [jim fuller – new haven register]

Too Many Flags For UConn To Make Forward Progress [hartford courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: Second Half Surge Gives UConn 89-53 Win Over Green Bay For Gulf Coast Title [sox & dawgs]

MVP Nurse puts on show at Gulf Coast Showcase [carl adamec – sny uconn]

UConn notebook: Jefferson’s play lights a spark [carl adamec – sny uconn]

Technical Foul On Auriemma Gave Huskies A Spark [rich elliott – ct post]

Trip to Florida a winning proposition for UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

Game report: No. 3 UConn women 89, Green Bay 53 [ct post]

Nurse’s role with UConn continues to expand [ct post]

Huskies Pick Up Another Holiday Prize [hartford courant]

An Expert Opinion: UConn Missing That Leadership In Crunch Time [hartford courant]

UConn women win Gulf Coast Showcase tournament title [new haven register]

UConn women put away Green Bay in second half to win Gulf Coast Showcase [naples daily news]

UConn runs away with Gulf Coast Showcase title [news-press]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Photos-MBB: UConn Huskies vs Texas Longhorns – 11/30/14 [sox & dawgs]

Video: Holmes’ Three Sinks UConn In 55-54 Longhorns Win [sox & dawgs]

Wrapping Things Up at Gampel [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn-Texas postmortem [david borges – new haven register]

Post-game breakdown, video: Texas [gavin keefe – the day]

Report card: Huskies show heart, but need to show offense, too [william paxton – ct post]

UConn men: Boatright hobbled, shooting even worse [john silver – sny uconn]

Boatright’s injury adds to anguish of UConn’s bitter loss [ct post]

UConn must make shots for March to matter [ct post]

Longhorns Beat Huskies On Three-Pointer In Final Seconds [hartford courant]

Break In Schedule Helps Huskies’ Backcourt [hartford courant]

Painful Closing Seconds, Especially For Boatright [hartford courant]

5 UConn Men’s Lessons Learned: They’re Losing Their Touch [hartford courant]

Loss to Texas hurts for UConn — literally [new haven register]

Texas turned to Plan B for game-winning shot against UConn [new haven register]

Huskies fall short [the day]

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.

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

It’s game day for the UConn men’s basketball team as they’ll take on the Texas Longhorns at Gampel Pavilion. Tip is scheduled for high noon and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and will also be available on WatchESPN. If you can’t watch the game you can always listen on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network.

It’s also game day for the UConn women’s basketball team as they are in Estero, FL for the Gulf Coast Showcase. Tonight at 8:30 p.m., they’ll take on the Green Bay Phoenix in the finals. The game will be televised locally on SNY and will be available on WatchESPN outside of the SNY footprint. If you can’t watch the game you can always listen on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network.

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

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: UConn Women Drub Vanderbilt 91-52 [sox and dawgs]

UConn women’s game report: Nurse, Tuck starring in starting roles [ct post]

Stewart gets a lot of help from her friends [ct post]

UConn Beats Vanderbilt, 91-52 [hartford courant]

5 UConn Women’s Lessons Learned: Impressive Start For Tuck, Nurse [hartford courant]

Sources Say Complaint Came From Vanderbilt [hartford courant]

UConn routs Vanderbilt, reaches Gulf Coast Showcase title game [new haven register]

Tuck, Nurse lead UConn to rout of Vanderbilt [sny uconn]

Notebook: Nurse enjoying Canadian reunion [sny uconn]

Huskies All Access: Kathy Auriemma [sny uconn]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Boatright wishes Texas wasn’t missing Taylor for showdown [ct post]

Barnes Wants Texas To Be Like UConn And Play A Tough Schedule [hartford courant]

UConn men set for top 10 test from Texas [new haven register]

Ollie knows how important today’s game is [the day]

UConn Football links

Memphis Exacts Revenge Over UConn Earning Share of AAC Title [sox and dawgs]

UConn Football: Memphis Post Game Wrap [uconn huskies youtube]

Boyle getting his snaps a little too late [ct post]

UConn Is No Match For Memphis [hartford courant]

Mistakes Leave Boyle ‘Disappointed’ [hartford courant]

QB Nebrich, After Leaving UConn, Excelling At Fordham [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. UConn Tops Yale, 3-1, In Nutmeg Classic Consolation Game [uconn huskies]

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Shutout at Brown, 1-0 [uconn huskies]

M. Ice Hockey. Offensive Troubles Continue [hartford courant]

The Memphis Tigers went into Saturday’s game against the UConn Huskies with one thing in mind, winning at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

On the other hand, UConn was looking to play spoiler and gain some momentum heading into the final week of games and the offseason.

Well it turned out that Memphis was the better team on Saturday as they took advantage of UConn mistakes as they went on to a 41-10 win in front of 35,102 at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN

The Huskies drop to 2-9 (1-6 American) while the Tigers improve to 9-3 (7-1 American).

At key times during drives, Jhavon Williams, Jamar Summers and John Green were called for pass interference or defensive holding. Those calls helped Memphis put the game away.

“We just have some young guys on the perimeter that were exposed a little bit,” said UConn head coach Bob Diaco. “But they fought and they battled, they were just a little bit handsy, and they were game-changing penalties.”

For the most part, the Huskies didn’t play badly at all. There were some questionable play calls but Ron Johnson ran the ball with the authority behind the constantly improving offensive line.

Even quarterback Tim Boyle had time to throw, a luxury that wasn’t afforded to him last year or earlier in the year for Casey Cochran and Chandler Whitmer.

As Diaco would say, they need to continue to eliminate the things that cause losing like pass interference penalties, pre-snap penalties, missed chip shot field goals.

Look, this UConn team might not be good right now but you can see what Diaco is doing is starting to take shape. And as these younger players get more mature, you should see less and less of plays that cause losing and more that create winning moments.

Until then, everyone needs to be patient.

Scoring:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
UConn Huskies	0	3	0	7	10
Memphis Tigers	6	7	21	7	41

1st quarter
MEM – 4:59 –Jake Elliott 21 Yd Field Goal

MEM – 0:44 – Jake Elliott 22 Yd Field Goal

2nd quarter

MEM – 1:55 –Keiwone Malone 6 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick)

CON – 0:03 – Bobby Puyol 45 Yd Field Goal

3rd quarter

MEM – 7:36 – Keiwone Malone 9 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick)

MEM – 3:15 – Tevin Jones 12 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick)

MEM – 0:53 – Phil Mayhue 21 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick

4th quarter

CON – 12:22 – Arkeel Newsome 39 Yd pass from Tim Boyle (Bobby Puyol Kick)

MEM – 5:09 – Jarvis Cooper 1 Yd Run (Jake Elliott Kick

Offensive Players of the Game:

Memphis QB Paxton Lynch was 22-of-41 for 194 yards and four touchdowns. He also had nine runs for 40 yards.

Defensive Player of the Game:

UConn S Andrew Adams had 13 tackles including 12 solo.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

To me I think Bobby Puyol’s missed chip shot field goal in the second period was a big turning point. At that point, UConn was moving the ball very easily down the field and was only trailing 6-0. Had he made it, it would have been 6-3 and there’s no telling how the game would have turned out.

Offensive Notes:

Tim Boyle made his second consecutive start and was 12-of-24 for 160 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble. Ron Johnson had 22 carries for 67 yards while Max DeLorenzo had five carries for 37 yards and two catches for 18 yards. Geremy Davis had five catches for 62 yards while Noel Thomas had four catches for 41 yards. Arkeel Newsome’s only catch was good for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive Notes:

Andrew Adams led the way for UConn with 13 tackles. Obi Melifonwu had eight tackles and a pass breakup. Jhavon Williams had six tackles and a pass breakup. Cole Ormsby had the only sack of the game for the Huskies.

Special Teams Notes:

Justin Wain averaged 36.9 yards on nine punts with two touchbacks. Bobby Puyol was 1-of-2 on field goals (made from 45, missed from 31) and was 1-for-1 on extra points. Arkeel Newsome had 16 yards on his only kickoff return.

Game Notes:

UConn Huskies @ Memphis Tigers 11/29/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Bob Diaco and Memphis head coach Justin Fuentes.

Injuries:

No major injuries for the Huskies during the game.

Next game:

UConn finishes up the 2014 season at home next Saturday when they’ll host the SMU Mustangs at 12 p.m.

photo credit: john woike – hartford courant

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.

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

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies football team as they are in Memphis, TN to take on the Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNews. The game will also be available on WatchESPN. If you can’t watch the game, you can always listen to the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network.

It’s also game day for the UConn women’s basketball team as they are in Estero, FL for the Gulf Coast Showcase. Tonight at 8:30 p.m., they’ll take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in the semifinals. The game will be televised locally on SNY and will be available on WatchESPN outside of the SNY footprint. If you can’t watch the game you can always listen on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network.

The UConn men’s hockey team is also in action this afternoon as they’ll take on the Brown Bears at Meehan Auditorium at 4 p.m. There is no television coverage of the game but you can listen to it on WHUS 91.7 FM or WHUS.org.

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

UConn Football links

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco On Greatest Disappointment of 2014 [sox & dawgs]

Video: The Blitz Episode 11 – Memphis [sox & dawgs]

UConn’s freshman class learning on the job [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Goes Into Memphis With Much To Prove [hartford courant]

Losing tough for UConn football team’s former high school stars [new haven register]

UConn looks to spoil Memphis’ party plans [the day]

Memphis Tigers playing for AAC title [jackson sun]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: UConn Women Tame The Cougars, 85-24 [sox & dawgs]

Butler Missing Time With Her Teammates [john altavilla – hartford courant]

UConn’s Holiday Plan Next Season Still Unclear [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Harry Perretta And The Old Big East [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Auriemma And The Frosty Conditions Inside Germain Arena [rich elliott – ct post]

Mosqueda-Lewis Returned In Style For Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

Nurse, Tuck Thriving As Starters For Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn’s Mosqueda-Lewis returns in style [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn wins sloppy Gulf Coast Showcase opener [jim fuller – new haven register]

Women’s Basketball Advances to Play Vanderbilt on Saturday [uconn huskies]

Game report: KML, UConn bounce College of Charleston [ct post]

Mosqueda-Lewis happy to be back on court contributing [ct post]

Huskies Pound Charleston, 85-24 [hartford courant]

High Expectations For UConn Freshman Gabby Williams [hartford courant]

5 UConn Women’s Lessons Learned: Huskies Can’t Be Iced [hartford courant]

UConn women crush College of Charleston at Gulf Coast Showcase [new haven register]

Huskies show that change can be good [sny uconn]

Ex-Vanderbilt point guard Lister on UConn’s side [sny uconn]

UConn women roll, will face Vanderbilt in Gulf Coast Showcase semifinals [naples daily news]

UConn women’s basketball trounces College of Charleston [news-press]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn Men Heading To Battle 4 Atlantis in 2015 [sox & dawgs]

No. 24 UConn Set For Sunday Showdown With No. 7 Texas [uconn huskies]

Texas coach Barnes welcomes playing strong programs such as UConn [ct post]

Ollie Reinstates Calhoun, Lubin; Texas Up Next [hartford courant]

Ollie, UConn reinstate Omar Calhoun, Rakim Lubin from suspension [new haven register]

Ollie is hoping to have Purvis available for Sunday’s game [the day]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. Distant Cousins Who Are Close On The Ice [hartford courant]

W. Volleyball. UConn Volleyball Rounds Out 2014 with Sweep of Tulane [uconn huskies]

W. Ice Hockey. Chuli Stops 51 In 2-1 Overtime Setback To No. 5 Clarkson [uconn huskies]

From UConn:

STORRS, Conn. — In 2011, when the Battle 4 Atlantis college basketball tournament on Paradise Island in the Bahamas was born, the University of Connecticut was part of the first field of teams.

The Huskies, who emerged from that tournament with a third-place finish, will return to the Bahamas next November, for the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis, joining an extremely strong field. Syracuse, Michigan, Texas, Gonzaga, Charlotte, Texas A&M, and Washington, plus UConn, will make up the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis bracket. The tourney will take place on Nov. 25-27, the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Thanksgiving week.

UConn has played a combined total of 114 games against the rest of the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis field, including 91 against former longtime Big East Conference rival Syracuse. The Huskies and the Orange have not met since the Big East Conference broke apart at the end of the 2012-13 season. UConn has a record of 54-60 in games against the Battle 4 Atlantis field.

UConn has participated in a November tournament for 10 consecutive seasons and has a combined record of 27-5 in those tournaments, including five championships and four runner-up finishes. Last week, the Huskies finished second in the 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Earlier this week, it was announced that UConn would also participate in the 2016 Maui Invitational in November, 2016.

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.

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 Women’s Basketball links

Video: Morgan Tuck’s Presence on Court Should Help Breanna Stewart [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn’s Kia Nurse Bounced Back Nicely Against Creighton [sox & dawgs]

UConn’s Tuck making progress on journey to full health [ct post]

Auriemma Sees Early Games As A Test Drive For Players [hartford courant]

High Expectations For UConn Freshman Gabby Williams [hartford courant]

UConn women playing three games in Gulf Coast Showcase [new haven register]

Williams, Huskies set for Gulf Coast Showcase [sny uconn]

Watch: UConn Huskies All Access [sny uconn]

UConn favored in Gulf Coast Showcase, but coach is wary [the news-press]

UConn women’s basketball still going strong [the news-press]

UConn women come into loaded Gulf Coast Showcase at Germain Arena [naples daily news]

UConn Football links

UConn football player deserved better from Diaco [ct post]

UConn Losses, On Field, On Roster, Keep On Mounting [hartford courant]

Let’s See What Boyle Can Do For Two Full Games [hartford courant]

Davis Struggling With Lack of Playing Time For UConn Football [hartford courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Rick Barnes ruminates on UConn, Kevin Ollie [david borges – new haven register]

No X-rays for Purvis, UConn guard probable for Texas game [william paxton – ct post]

UConn’s Purvis Probable For Texas Game; No Update On Suspended Players [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Host Loaded Field For 2014 Nutmeg Classic [uconn huskies]

W. Volleyball. Huskies Win Five-Set Thriller Against Houston on Wednesday [uconn huskies]

M. Golf. UConn Men’s Golf Inks Three [uconn huskies]

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Men’s Hockey Team Embraces The Goal Of Giving [hartford courant]

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.

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

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco on Incoming QB Recruit Tyler Davis [sox & dawgs]

Breaking Bread with Bob – 11/25/14 [sox & dawgs]

UConn Huskies Depth Chart For Memphis Tigers [sox & dawgs]

UConn’s Diaco: “I am going to get it done” [jim fuller – new haven register]

Tuesday presser: What will future offense look like? [john silver – sny uconn]

UConn Notes: Diaco Still Looking For That Good Road Game [hartford courant]

Optimistic Bob Diaco forced to deal with reality at UConn [new haven register]

Despite UConn’s woes, Adams looks forward to each chance [the day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Stewart, KML Named 2014-15 ‘Wade Watch’ Candidates [sox & dawgs]

Tuck’s ‘role’ call — contributor and leader [sox & dawgs]

Mosqueda-Lewis Back At Practice [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Begins Play at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Friday Night [uconn huskies]

UConn Women’s Insider: Huskies Seek Perfect Host For Next Thanksgiving [hartford courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn Men’s Insider: West Virginia Hit Huskies’ Target, Now What? [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Travels to Brown Saturday Afternoon [uconn huskies]

UConn Club. From The Crowd: Football vs. Cincinnati [uconn huskies]

W. Track. Former UConn Standout Highsmith Honored by East Haven High School [uconn huskies]

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Hosts Houston at 2 p.m. on Wednesday [uconn huskies]

M & W. Swimming. UConn Adds Matt Donovan To Coaching Staff [uconn huskies]

As we learned on Sunday, the Boston Red Sox and former Red Sox farmhand Hanley Ramirez have agreed to a four-year deal.

The deal is worth $88 million over the four years with a vesting option for a fifth year at $22 million.

Here’s the release from the Red Sox:

BOSTON, MA-The Boston Red Sox today agreed with left fielder Hanley Ramirez on a four-year contract through the 2018 season. To make room on the 40-man roster, infielder Juan Francisco was designated for assignment. Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

A three-time National League All-Star, Ramirez, 30, hit .283 with 35 doubles, 13 home runs, 71 RBI, 56 walks, and 14 stolen bases in 128 games for the division-champion Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 as the club’s primary shortstop. He hit .321 with runners in scoring position, eighth best in the National League, and ranked 10^th in the NL in both on-base percentage (.369) and RBI ratio (6.3 AB/RBI).

Ramirez, who will wear No. 13, is the only major leaguer with at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in each of the last nine seasons beginning in 2006, his first full big league campaign.

Following a mid-August stint on the disabled list in 2014, the right-handed batter hit .305 in his final 28 regular season games, including a .440 average (22-for-50) over his last 16 contests.

Over the last two seasons, he ranked sixth in the National League with a .306 average, 11^th with a .382 on-base percentage, and sixth in slugging (.525). His .907 OPS in that time ranked ninth in the majors and fifth in the NL behind only Troy Tulowitzki (.974), Paul Goldschmidt (.946), Andrew McCutchen (.931), and Michael Cuddyer (.907).

Originally signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent in 2000, the Dominican native made his big league debut in 2005. The following offseason, nine years ago yesterday, he was traded to the Florida Marlins as part of a seven-player deal that brought Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett to Boston.

Ramirez joins Miguel Cabrera, Matt Holliday, and Albert Pujols as the only active major leaguers with at least a .300 batting average and a .500 slugging percentage in 5,000 or more plate appearances.

In 2006, his first season with the Marlins, Ramirez hit .292 with 17 home runs and 51 stolen bases and was named NL Rookie of the Year. He hit at least 20 homers over each of the next four seasons, earning All-Star Game starts in three consecutive years from 2008-10.

He was named to the NL’s Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Team both in 2008, when he led the majors with 125 runs scored, and in 2009, when he topped the NL with a .342 batting average and finished second in NL Most Valuable Player voting.

Acquired by the Dodgers in July 2012, Ramirez has hit .356 (16-for-45) with seven extra-base hits and nine RBI in 13 career postseason games, all during the last two seasons.

In 1,223 career games over parts of 10 major league seasons with the Red Sox (2005), Marlins (2006-12), and Dodgers (2012-14), he has hit .300 with a .373 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, 822 runs scored, 303 doubles, 30 triples, 191 home runs, 654 RBI, 506 walks, and 261 stolen bases in 1,223 games. Primarily a shortstop, Ramirez has also played 98 games at third base, all in 2012.

He played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in both 2009 and 2013, when the Dominican team won all eight games en route to the WBC title.

Francisco, 27, had been claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. The left-handed batter played 106 major league games in 2014, all for Toronto, and hit .220 (63-for-287) with 16 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, and 43 RBI. Over his major league career, the Dominican native has played 197 games at third base (161 starts) and 87 games (77 starts) at first base, hitting .236 (235-for-996) with 50 doubles, four triples, 48 home runs, and 152 RBI in 404 games for the Cincinnati Reds (2009-11), Atlanta Braves (2012-13), Milwaukee Brewers (2013), and Blue Jays (2014).

photo credit: matt stone – boston herald

UConn Huskies head football coach Bob Diaco held his weekly pregame press conference on Tuesday afternoon in anticipation of Saturday game against the Memphis Tigers and talked about a myriad of things.

Diaco started things off by congratulating the 2014 UConn Huskies field hockey team on their second straight NCAA Field Hockey Championship. He said it’s a lesson of depth and strength.

He went on to congratulate Cincinnati for the job they did. He stated they blocked well, tackled, ran to the ball and catch the ball. He said they played fundamental football.

He said 34 of Cincinnati’s 41 points came on scoring drives of less than 60 yards.

He said they are excited to be playing a meaningful game on Saturday with the Memphis Tigers playing for first place. He said it would be a great challenge.

He was asked about Tim Boyle and what he saw and stated that he liked the sights and sounds from bowl. He sounded like an owner, not a hired worker. He said he had good mechanics, there were no formation issues and only one offensive penalty.

He said as the game went on Boyle got better mechanically. He said Boyle’s best football is in front of him.

He stated the offensive call patterns have been to help the offensive line growth. We haven’t seen as many strikes down field because of this. Tim and Chandler Whitmer didn’t throw any INTs due to the system and call patterns.

He said Andreas Knappe and Richard Levy look nothing like they did earlier in the season. He said Boyle can stretch the field vertically.

He stated this was not the offensive system he wants to run. It’s more out of necessity. He wants it to be heavy run, motion, swing passes to running backs, etc.

He talked about how Ryan Crozier has done a good job and looks like a good guy. He still needs to develop skill and strength but you can only do one of those at a time.

While the defense did give up 41 points, he wasn’t displeased with their performance. He said he may have overcoached them on Cincinnati’s screen game.

He talked about the tough time Justin Wain had punting the ball early on. He’s still learning new fundamentals. They got him fundamentally back on track. He’s been very coachable and his brothers on the sidelines helped him get back on track as well.

He said Memphis is a completely different team than last year. They are in year three. He said the AAC is planning on having the trophy there. He said that all the Memphis players love each other, play together, believe in the systems and play as one.

He wants the team to go on the road and play well as they’ve been inconsistent there. It’s about learning lessons.

He said he’s much better as a head coach than he was when he took over. Still has very far to go.

He said he’d think he’d like to play for himself.

He said it was great to hear Boyle step up with his postgame comments after Saturday’s loss. It’s an incredible feeling.

He stated Boyle could start but it was only Tuesday and too early tell (note: during Boyle’s interview after Diaco spoke, Boyle did say he was the starting QB).

He said they’ll go into spring camp with every position open for battle. He said Boyle will have the leg up but will have competition from incoming freshman Tyler Davis and redshirt sophomore Bryant Shirreffs. He said Shirreffs is good with his feet and reminds him of BYU QB Taysom Hill.

He said that Jefferson Ashiru decided he didn’t want to be on the team anymore. He said he wishes him well with whatever he does.

He said he wants to see effort in all three phases of the game, passion and smart football over the final two weeks. Higher level execution in all three phases.

He stated that Memphis QB Paxton Lynch is a great QB, he’s fun to watch. Lynch shows he clearly in charge. He said he can throw on the move, run the ball. He said they like to run the option with him at times. He said their running back is a make you miss guy. He said their offensive line is solid.

Diaco loves the structure of the Memphis D. He said they have a great fit and integrity in the front.

He said they have a kickoff specialist who has at least 40 touchbacks.

He talked about Tyler Davis some more in that he turned his high school program around. He was part of a locker room of something exciting that was going on. He’s a big guy who can run.

He said the greatest disappointment right now is that he and the team feel bad about the record for UConn Country, the former players and alumni.

We’ll be back throughout the week with videos leading up to the game on Saturday.