For the second straight year, the UConn Huskies football team had no answers for Alex Carder and the Western Michigan Broncos passing attack. But in the end, it was a huge turnover that cost the Huskies a chance for a win.

Desmond Bozeman’s 53 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown turned out to be the difference as the Broncos beat the Huskies 30-24 in front of 10,328 at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, MI on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Huskies fall to 2-2 while the Broncos improve to 2-2. It’s the second straight year, Western Michigan has beaten UConn.

The problem all season long for the Huskies has been the offense and the inability of the offensive line to block. The strong part had been the defense.

On Saturday, it was inability of the offensive line to block in the first half and the fact that Carder was carving up the UConn defense.

I have said in the past that the UConn defense wasn’t going to be able to carry this team all year and that was the case.

Last year Carder torched the Huskies for five touchdowns with quick drops and quick passes. He did more of the same before leaving with a hand injury late in the third quarter.

We’ve seen the UConn defense get alot of pressure on the opposing quarterbacks but with Carder’s quick drops they were unable to do that. With the quick slants and other short passes, Carder was able to move the ball down the field.

It was nice to see the offense make some significant improvements. With the wildcat being ineffective, the Huskies, once adjustments were made, were able to move the ball down the field.

We finally saw Chandler Whitmer throw his first touchdown pass of the season, three in all. But it was the six sacks allowed by the offensive line that’s concerning right now.

Even though Lyle McCombs did rush for over 100 yards and Whitmer threw for over 300, the missed blocks in the first half hurt. McCombs was probably a block or two a way from breaking things open in the first half. But since they didn’t and Carder was able to move the ball down the field, the Huskies found themselves in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

It’s just another frustrating loss for the Huskies. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. 

Hopefully they can figure things out and get things going. Big East play is just around the corner.

Scoring:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
UConn Huskies	0	7	7	10	24
Western Michigan Broncos	3	14	7	6	30

1st quarter

WMU – 12:53 – Andrew Haldeman 44 Yd Field Goal

2nd quarter

WMU – 12:10 – Antoin Scriven 1 Yd Run (Andrew Haldeman Kick)

WMU – 08:39 – Dareyon Chance 9 Yd Run (Andrew Haldeman Kick)

CON – 02:36 – Ryan Griffin 9 Yd Pass From Chandler Whitmer (Chad Christen Kick)

3rd quarter

WMU – 09:47 – Josh Schaffer 30 Yd Pass From Alex Carder (Andrew Haldeman Kick)

CON – 04:15 – John Delahunt 2 Yd Pass From Chandler Whitmer (Chad Christen Kick)

4th quarter

CON – 08:47 – Chad Christen 32 Yd Field Goal

WMU – 07:12 – Desmond Bozeman 53 Yd Fumble Return (Pat Failed)

CON – 00:54 – Geremy Davis 7 Yd Pass From Chandler Whitmer (Chad Christen Kick)

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

Offensive Player of the Game:

Before leaving, Alex Carder was on his way to winning this. Nothing changes. He threw for 237 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive Player of the Game:

Desmond Bozeman finish the game with 12 tackles with two of them going for a loss of six yards. He had two sacks but it was his fumble recovery return for a touchdown that was the difference.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

With UConn trying to drive down the field to tie the game up in the 4th quarter, Desmond Bozeman sacked Chandler Whitmer, forcing a fumble. Bozeman picked it up and ran it back for a touchdown.

Offensive Notes:

Chandler Whitmer was 28-of-44 for 333 yards and three touchdowns. He threw one interception and was sacked six times. Lyle McCombs had 23 carries for 119 yards and caught two passes for 28 yards. Geremy Davis had nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. Shakim Phillips had four catches for 42 yards. Ryan Griffin had three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. John Delahunt also had three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive Notes:

Jory Johnson led the Huskies with 10 tackles and forced a fumble. Byron Jones had nine tackles while Sio Moore and Blidi Wreh-Wilson each had seven. Trevardo Williams had four tackles and one sack.

Special Teams Notes:

Chad Christen went 1-of-2 on field goals. He missed from 51 yards wide right while he was good from 32 yards. He also made all three of his extra points. Nick Williams had three punt returns for 32 yards and four kickoff returns for 87 yards. Taylor Mack returned one kickoff for 18 yards. Cole Wagner had eight punts for a 42 yard average. He had one touchback and one downed inside the 20.

Injuries:

The only injury I saw during the game was to center Alex Mateas.

Officials:

Referee: Tom McCabe  •  Umpire: Mark Shupe  •  Linesman: Dan Richard  •  Line judge: Mike Maisner  •  Back judge: Matthew Edwards •  Field judge: Kyle DeBuse  •  Side judge: Tim MaGuire

Game Notes:

UConn Huskies @ Western Michigan Broncos 9.22.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni and Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit.

Here are the starters for the Huskies

OFFENSE

LT	72	Bennett, Jimmy
LG	69	Greene, Steve
C	73	Mateas, Alex
RG	63	Masters, Adam
RT	77	Friend, Kevin
TE	89	Delahunt, John
TE	94	Griffin, Ryan
WR	31	Williams, Nick
FB	47	Frank, Reuben
QB	10	WHITMER, Chandler
TB	43	McCombs, Lyle

DEFENSE

DE	48	WILLIAMS, Trevardo
DT	53	Wirth, Ryan
DT	56	Pruitt, Angelo
DE	59	STEPHEN, Shamar
ILB	33	SMALLWOOD, Yawin
ILB	28	Johnson, Jory
CB	5	WREH-Wilson, Blidi
S	16	Jones, Byron
S	22	Adams, Andrew
S	15	Brown, Ty-Meer
CB	7	Gratz, Dwayne

Big East Games and Results:

Saturday, September 22

Temple 13
Penn State 24

Gardner-Webb 10
Pittsburgh 55

South Florida 27
Ball State 31

Rutgers 35
Arkansas 26

Louisville 28
Florida International 21

Syracuse 10
Minnesota 17

Things to Work On:

• Blocking. Blocking. Blocking
• Get back on track defensively.

Up Next:

UConn returns home to Rentschler Field next Saturday afternoon to host the Buffalo Bulls. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.

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

Photo credit: cloe poisson – hartford courant (no. 20 in gallery)

I think we all thought that when the Baltimore Orioles got off to their hot start to the 2012 MLB season, we all thought they’d fade away. Of course, we are the same people who thought the Boston Red Sox would turn their season around.

Well folks, the Orioles haven’t gone away and we all know what’s happened with the Red Sox.

Behind three RBIs from Matt Wieters, the O’s were able to beat the local nine 4-2 to keep pace in the AL East race. Last night also marked the first time that Jon Lester had ever lost a start to them. He was 14-0 in 20 career starts before that.

With the New York Yankees walking off with the win in 10 innings, the Orioles stay one game behind in the AL East. The Orioles are one game ahead of the Oakland A’s, who were the victims of the Yankees’ walkoff, in the AL Wild Card standings. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are 3.5 games out of the second wild card spot.

Honestly, I didn’t think Lester pitched all that badly. He certainly looked a lot better than he had earlier in the season. But with the Orioles much improved offensively, they took advantage of Lester when he did make mistakes.

He left a few pitches up in the zone in the 4th inning after his team had given him a 1-0 lead in the 3rd and that resulted in two runs for the visiting nine. And after the offense tied it back up in the 5th, he gave it back in the 6th.

After Lester had gotten J.J. Hardy to ground out to start the inning, he walked Adam Jones, who then scored on a Wieters double. A wild pitch from Lester moved Wieters up 90 feet and then he came around to score on a Mark Reynolds single to finish off the scoring for the evening.

Offensively, the Summer of Pedro Ciriaco came to a close (it’s fall today) with two more hits. Scott Podsednik added two hits as did Daniel Nava.

There was a scary moment in the 9th when Mark Melancon hit Robert Andino in the head with a pitch. Andino did take exception with it as he’s been a thorn in the Red Sox side, especially since the last game of 2011. I can tell you that I personally don’t think it was done on purpose. We’ve all seen how wild Melancon has been this season at times. Plus he wasn’t even with the Red Sox when all that went down last year.

To see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and morning, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After falling last night, the Boston Red Sox look to try and play spoiler this afternoon in the second game of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at historic Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Aaron Cook makes his 17th start of a disappointing 2012 season. In his previous 16 starts, Cook is 4-10 with a 4.93 ERA. Both of his career starts against the Orioles have come this season in which he is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA (8 ER/8 IP). He allowed six runs in 2.2 innings of work in his lone Fenway start against them.

Randy Wolf makes his 25th start (30th appearance) but just his second start (fifth appearance) in an Orioles uniform. In 29 combined appearances (24 starts), Wolf is 5-10 with a 5.66 ERA. In four appearances (one start) with the O’s, Wolf is 2-0 with a 5.22 ERA. He’s made six career starts against the Red Sox and is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA. Four of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA.

Here are today’s lineups:

85-64		68-83
1. Nate McLouth	LF	1. Pedro Ciriaco	DH
2. J.J. Hardy	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Adam Jones	CF	3. Cody Ross	RF
4. Matt Wieters	C	4. Ryan Lavarnway	C
5. Jim Thome	DH	5. Mauro Gomez	1B
6. Mark Reynolds	1B	6. Mike Aviles	SS
7. Chris Davis	RF	7. Danny Valencia	3B
8. Manny Machado	3B	8. Daniel Nava	LF
9. Ryan Flaherty	2B	9. Scott Podsednik	CF
Randy Wolf	SP	Aaron Cook	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES:

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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

O my, Jon Lester loses [boston herald]

Dan Duquette’s Birds rise as Sox hit bottom [boston herald]

Lester: End inevitable [boston herald]

Middlebrooks trying to stay busy [boston herald]

Professor uses Red Sox to teach philosophy [boston herald]

A league of their own [csn new england]

Lester suffers first career loss to Orioles [csn new england]

Lester: All about adjustments [csn new england]

Sox Notes: Ellsbury, Matsuzaka, rotation, minor leagues [csn new england]

O’s beat Lester for 1st time, 1 back in East [espn boston]

Trying to avoid some dubious history [espn boston]

Which Boston Red Sox position players will be back in 2013? [espn boston]

Ellsbury out again with undisclosed injury [espn boston]

Ellsbury out of the lineup again [extra bases]

Matsuzaka lined up for Game 162 [extra bases]

Jon Lester finally loses to Orioles [full count]

Jacoby Ellsbury Dealing With Cryptic ‘Situation’ That Will Keep Outfielder Out of Red Sox Lineup [nesn.com]

Jon Lester Suffers First Career Loss to Orioles After Red Sox Offense Fails to Deliver [nesn.com]

Cook looks to snap Red Sox’s three-game skid [redsox.com]

Valentine: Ciriaco makes sense in leadoff slot [redsox.com]

Stewart called up, likely to get one more start [redsox.com]

Iglesias: ‘Every day you’re learning something’ [redsox.com]

Cherington: ‘Good step forward’ for minors [alex speier – weei.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, be sure to head over to the Baltimore Sun and MASN websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother the Oriole Post for all of your Orioles needs.

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

photo credit: getty images, getty images, getty images

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 football team as they are in Kalamazoo, MI to take on the Western Michigan Broncos. Kickoff is schedued for 2:04 p.m.

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

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

UConn Football links

Big East Week 4: Did you know? [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Andrew Adams making an impact [jim fuller – new haven register]

Who will win in Kalamazoo? [lee lewis – republican-american]

Proving his Wirth [john silver – journal inquirer]

QB Carder presents big challenge to Huskies [ct post]

UConn Faces Rematch With Carder And Western Michigan [hartford courant]

Christen has a hold on new job [journal inquirer]

Pest Western [journal inquirer]

Huskies eye payback against Western Michigan [new haven register]

Huskies hoping for revenge against Broncos [norwich bulletin]

UConn faces another road challenge [the day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Geno’s Mother Being Denied Her Right To Vote [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Dolson Named to Wade Watch List, Optimistic About Upcoming Season [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jabari Parker Visit Shows Huskies Are Still Players [dom amore – hartford courant]

Larry Brown on Kevin Ollie: ‘UConn Has Something Special Here’ [dom amore – hartford courant]

Top 20 players in the Calhoun Era [kevin duffy – ct post]

Recruiting Roundup: September 21 [kevin duffy – ct post]

Calhoun’s top 5 UConn teams [ct post]

The career of Jim Calhoun: A timeline [ct post]

Other UConn related links

W. Cross Country. Huskies Set for CCSU Ted Owens Invitational on Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. No. 2 Men’s Soccer Set For BIG EAST Opener vs. No. 13 St. John’s Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Cross Country. Huskies Set for Ted Owen Invitational [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. UConn Blanked By No. 19 Georgetown, 4-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Huskies Battle to 3-1 Victory Over Wildcats [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Hunnable’s Two Goals Lift No. 5 Field Hockey Over No. 16 UNH in Double-Overtime [uconnhuskies.com]

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

After splitting their four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox return home to host their final homestand of the 2012 season. Tonight, they’ll kick off the five-game homestand with the first game of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at historic Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Jon Lester makes his team-leading 31st start and what should be his final Fenway Park start of 2012 tonight. In his previous 30 starts, Lester is 9-12 with a 4.95 ERA. He’s made two starts against the O’s this season and has no record with a 3.75 ERA (5 ER/12 IP). Lester has not lost to the Orioles in 20 career starts as he is 14-0 with a 2.49 ERA. Half of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 7-0 with a 2.47 ERA.

Rookie Miguel Gonzalez makes his 13th start (16th appearance) for the still very relevant Orioles. In his previous 15 appearances (12 starts), Gonzalez is 6-4 with a 3.57 ERA. Both of his two career appearances (one start) against his former organzation have come this season where he is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA (3 ER/10 IP). His one lone Fenway appearance came back on June 7th when he allowed one run in four innings of work.

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups,batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you’re on the home page.

Here are today’s lineups:

85-64		68-83
1. Nate McLouth	LF	1. Pedro Ciriaco	3B
2. J.J. Hardy	SS	2. Scott Podsednik	CF
3. Adam Jones	CF	3. Dustin Pedroia	2B
4. Matt Wieters	C	4. Cody Ross	RF
5. Mark Reynolds	1B	5. Ryan Lavarnway	C
6. Lew Ford	DH	6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
7. Manny Machado	3B	7. James Loney	1B
8. Endy Chavez	RF	8. Daniel Nava	LF
9. Robert Andino	2B	9. Jose Iglesias	SS
Miguel Gonzalez	SP	Jon Lester	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES: The Red Sox have called up Pedro Beato, Zach Stewart and Danny Valencia from Triple-A Pawtucket.

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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

First Pitch: Sox need revitalized Lester to help with turnaround [csn new england]

Pedroia ‘insistent’ on playing Friday night [csn new england]

Valentine: No intention of sitting starters [csn new england]

Pedroia plays, Ellsbury sits against Orioles [espn boston]

Red Sox give Ellsbury a rest [extra bases]

Bobby Valentine: Jacoby Ellsbury dealing with ‘a little situation’ [full count]

Greenville Drive 2012 review: Catchers rally from slow starts [goupstate.com]

The second coming of Dan Duquette [tony massarotti – boston globe]

Red Sox-Orioles Series Has Plenty of Playoff Implications, for Baltimore At Least [nesn.com]

Jose Igelesias’ Bat Finally Heats Up as Red Sox Open Series With Magic Orioles [nesn.com]

Daisuke Matsuzaka to Be Skipped Over in Red Sox Rotation in Favor of Zach Stewart Starting [nesn.com]

Red Sox Promote PawSox Players, Coaches in Last Stretch of Season [nesn.com]

Dustin Pedroia Opts Against Taking Day Off to Spend With Family, Commits to Playing Friday [nesn.com]

Winning by losing in the final two weeks [projo sox blog]

Ellsbury out of lineup again [projo sox blog]

PawSox coaches join Red Sox staff [projo sox blog]

Triple-A call-up Stewart to get one more start [projo sox blog]

Lester, O’s Gonzalez square off in series opener [redsox.com]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

Yup after entering the bottom of the 9th last night with a 4-1 lead, that happened to the Boston Red Sox.

At this point, do we even need to say anything else about 2012?

We’ll be back later today with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

2012 disaster all on Bobby Valentine [boston herald]

Clay Buchholz back at it [boston herald]

Jose Iglesias gives his backers a boost [boston herald]

Daniel Bard has good idea where his problems started, and when they might turn around [rob bradford – weei.com]

Rays stun Red Sox with ninth inning rally, win 7-4 [csn new england]

Iglesias finds success at the plate [csn new england]

Sox stumbling home after Rays walk off [espn boston]

Andrew Bailey, Vicente Padilla Spoil Chance to Cap Memorable Game for Red Sox [nesn.com]

Aviles returns to lineup, shifts over to hot corner [redsox.com]

Atchison’s back to old self since returning [redsox.com]

Ciriaco struggles during first start in center field [redsox.com]

Iglesias caps three-hit night with first career homer [redsox.com]

Must-lose situation? How losing now could help Red Sox reload [alex speier – weei.com]

MINOR LEAGUE LINKS

Beyeler proud of PawSox at season’s end [csn new england]

Reaping the rewards: Beyeler, Sauveur to join Red Sox’ staff for rest of season [pawtucket times]

SoxProspects.com celebrates its ninth anniversary today [soxprospects.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

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

Paw Prints – UConn Huskies (2-1) @ Western Michigan Broncos (1-2) Preview [sox & dawgs]

Yawin Smallwood coming up big for UConn [andrea adelson – espn.com]

UConn CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson Listed As Probable For Western Michigan [desmond conner – hartford courant]

What to Watch in the Big East: Week 4 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Wreh-Wilson, Masters expected to play Saturday [jim fuller – new haven register]

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

Wreh-Wilson probable [john silver – sny.com]

Connecticut to Play Western Michigan in Kalamazoo [bigeast.org]

Pasqualoni Says Wreh-Wilson OK To Play For UConn On Saturday [hartford courant]

Alex Carder Has Moved On From Last Year’s UConn Game [hartford courant]

Pass Perfect [hartford courant]

UConn Needs To Look Beyond East Hartford [hartford courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Kevin Ollie Helped Mentor a Young LeBron James [david borges – new haven register]

Moore: “I’ve got faith that I’ll get the job.” [gavin keefe – the day]

Coaching Profile: Kevin Ollie [uconn huskies basketball

Jabari Parker adds UConn to list [espn chicago]

Huskies After Top Recruit Parker; Moore Could Be Added To Staff [hartford courant]

Kevin Ollie as head coach no surprise to former Cavs’ GM Jim Paxson [new haven register]

Moore hopes to return to UConn [the day]

Tolksdorf is adjusting to life as one of the newest Huskies [the day]

New UConn coach a HS football fan [the hour]

Other UConn related links

W. Soccer. Women’s Soccer Takes on No. 20 Georgetown Friday at 3 p.m. [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Hosts Villanova Friday; Georgetown Sunday [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Tennis. Men’s Tennis Sweeps Hartford at Home, 7-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

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

After being spanked last night, the Boston Red Sox look to avoid a split of their four-game set tonight in the finale of a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Clay Buchholz will make his 27th start of 2012 tonight for the Red Sox. In his previous 26 starts, Buchholz is 11-6 with a 4.33 ERA. He’s made four starts against the Rays this season and is 1-2 with a 4.62 ERA. Buchholz has made 12 career starts against the Rays and is 5-4 with a 2.76 ERA. Seven of those starts have come at the Trop where he is 3-3 with a 2.89 ERA.

David Price goes for win No. 19 in his 29th start of the season. In his previous 28 starts, Price is 18-5 with a 2.54 ERA. He’s made three starts against the Red Sox this season and is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA. Price has made 13 career starts against the visiting nine and is 7-4 with a 3.15 ERA.

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups,batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you’re on the home page.

Here are today’s lineups:

68-82		79-70
1. Pedro Ciriaco	CF	1. Desmond Jennings	LF
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. B.J. Upton	CF
3. Cody Ross	DH	3. Ben Zobrist	SS
4. Ryan Lavarnway	C	4. Evan Longoria	3B
5. Mauro Gomez	1B	5. Matt Joyce	RF
6. Mike Aviles	3B	6. Jeff Keppinger	2B
7. Daniel Nava	RF	7. Luke Scott	DH
8. Scott Podsednik	LF	8. Carlos Pena	1B
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Jose Molina	C
Clay Buchholz	SP	David Price	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES:

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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

Red Sox, Orioles Worlds Apart in 2012, but Sox Can Exact Revenge From Last September’s Collapse [tom caron -nesn.com]

Sox discuss but take no action in suspending Aceves [csn new england]

First Pitch: Rays mediocrity will last without financial help [csn new england]

Gammons: I’ve heard the rumors of Cano and PED use [csn new england]

Beyeler proud of PawSox at season’s end [csn new england]

Red Sox to call up Beato, Stewart, Valencia [csn new england]

Lucchino: Sox prospects on faster track [espn boston]

Mike Aviles shifts over to third base [extra bases]

How Cody Ross is viewing another potential round of free agency [full count]

Larry Lucchino on D&C discusses whether Cody Ross, John Lackey or Alfredo Aceves might return [full count]

Red Sox Need Someone Other Than Jacoby Ellsbury to Step Up in Series Finale With Rays [nesn.com]

Dump Dice-K [projo sox blog]

O’s deserve extra credit; Red Sox rate an “F” [projo sox blog]

PawSox celebration draws about 200 to City Hall [projo sox blog]

How the 40-man roster affects September callups [projo sox blog]

Ciriaco in CF for Ellsbury [projo sox blog]

Aviles slides to third for Iglesias [projo sox blog]

Buchholz looks to end Sox’s road trip with win [redsox.com]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

This week:

The UConn Huskies hit the road for the second straight week as they head to Kalamazoo, MI to take on the Western Michigan Broncos at Waldo Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2:04 p.m. (EDT).

Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Broncos.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Rivals.com odds, UConn is favored by 1.5 points. The over/under is 42.5 points.

My prediction is UConn 27 Western Michigan 17.

Tickets:

According to the Western Michigan ticket site, there are still tickets available for the game.

Getting To The Game:

Here is link for the weather report for Waldo Stadium. Here is a seating chart for Waldo Stadium (bottom of page). Here is all the information you need about Waldo Stadium, including parking and directions.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television:

Saturday’s game is being televised live by ESPN3. Dave Gutowsky is on play-by-play with Bob Chmiel on color and Brooke Weisbrod is the sideline reporter.

The game will also be replayed on SNY in a condensed mode on the “Husky Power Hour” on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and Monday, Sept. 24 at 9:30 a.m. (Connecticut only) and Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 12:00 p.m. (Connecticut only). The game will be replayed it is entirety on Monday, Sept. 24 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 2:00 p.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. Western Michigan game will also be available on satellite radio on Ch. 93 on Sirius and 194 on XM.

Western Michigan Radio:

The game will be broadcast live on the Bronco Radio Network: 96.5 FM (Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan); 94.1 FM (Lansing, Jackson, Battle Creek), 101.3 FM (Grand Rapids) and 1310 AM (Detroit).  Robin Hook (play-by-play) and John Creek (analysis) will have the call beginning at 1 p.m. (CDT)

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

Last Week:

UConn beat their former head coach and the Maryland Terrapins 24-21. The Broncos fell to the Minnesota Gophers 28-23.

History:

Saturday’s game is just the third-ever meeting between UConn and Western Michigan in the sport of football and the first at WMU. The series is tied 1-1. Western Michigan won last year 38-31 while UConn won the first ever meeting in 2003 41-27.

Connections:

There are no UConn players from the state of Michigan and there are no WMU players form Connecticut.

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 defensive coordinator Rich Nagy is a 1987 Trinity graduate was a GA there in 1988. He is a native of Fairfield and his younger brother Charles 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.

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 114. He is just one of two league coaches in history to win four BIG EAST Championships. His overall college coaching record stands at 148-83-1 (34-17 at WCSU, 107-59-1 at Syracuse and 7-8 at UConn).

Connecticut enters Saturday’s meeting vs. Western Michigan with an 18-3 record against opponents from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) since making the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2002. The losses include a 30-16 defeat at Temple in 2010 and a 38-31 loss to Western Michigan last year. UConn has already defeated UMass from the MAC this year and plays host to Buffalo next Saturday.

The Huskies have put together a 23-32 road record since 2002. In non-conference road affairs over that same span, Connecticut has posted a mark of 18-11 and has won ten of its last 14 such games.

Connecticut now boasts a 44-21 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to the FBS in 2002.

Here is where UConn stands in the latest NCAA statistics:

• Total Defense – 3rd at 174.00 yards per game
• Rushing Defense – 5th at 51.00 yards per game
• Passing Defense – 5th at 123.00 yards per game
• Scoring Defense – 11th at 10.33 points per game
• Sacks – 3rd at 4.67 per game
• Tackles For Loss – 1st at 10.67 per game
• Total Offense – 115th at 278.00 yards per game
• Rushing Offense – 99th at 111.67 yards per game
• Passing Offense – 108th at 166.33 yards per game
• Scoring Offense – 93rd at 22.67 points per game
• Punt Returns – 11th at 21.14 yards per return
• Sacks Allowed – 38th at 1.33 per game

Here is where UConn individuals stand in NCAA leaders:

• Trevardo Williams – t5th in sacks at 1.50 per game
• Yawin Smallwood – t1st in tackles for loss at 3.00 per game
  t8th in sacks at 1.33 per game
  t10th in tackles at 11.67 per game
• Sio Moore t12th in sacks at 1.17 per game
• Nick Williams 8th in punt returns at 21.17 per return
  28th in kickoff returns at 26.60 yards per return

Notes from this week’s opponent Western Michigan:

Here is the audio of Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit’s press conference. You can also read his quotes if you don’t have time to listen.

Bill Cubit is in his eighth season in charge of the Western Michigan program. He has an overall record of 48-41 with the program and a 34-21 MAC record. In 2008, he led the team to nine wins for just the third time in program history and the team played in the Texas Bowl. He also led WMU to an appearance in the International Bowl following the 2006 season and the Little Caesars Bowl in 2011.

Before taking the reigns of the team in 2004, he was the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Stanford in 2003. He was also the offensive coordinator at WMU from 1997-99. He also has coaching stops at Rutgers (2001-02), Akron (1990-91), Florida (1989), Central Florida (1983-85) and Swarthmore (1975-76). He has also been a successful high school head coach.

Western Michigan ranks among the conference’s elite under head coach Bill Cubit:

• MAC Wins – 34 (4th)
• MAC Winning Percentage – .618 (4th)
• BCS Wins – 4 (T-2nd)
• Academic All-Americans – 5 (1st)
• NFL Draftees – 6 (T-2nd)

WMU boasts four members on preseason watch lists (Alex Carder — Walter Camp POTY, Davey O’Brien, Unitas Golden Arm, Manning, Senior Bowl; Kevin Galeher — Rimington; Dann O’Neill — Senior Bowl; Johnnie Simon — Jim Thorpe).

No player that scored a point for WMU against UConn in 2011 are on the 2012 roster.

New linebacker coach Tim McGarigle is the NCAA FBS leader in career tackles (545).

Western Michigan has played four of the eight programs currently in the Big East and WMU has a 3-8-0 record against them. Connecticut is the last Big East team the Broncos faced, defeating the Huskies last season.

• Cincinnati – 0-3
• Connecticut – 1-1
• *Louisville – 2-2
• Pittsburgh – 0-0
• Rutgers – 0-0
• South Florida – 0-0
• Syracuse – 0-0
• #West Virginia – 0-2

* Louisville joined the Big East in 2005
# left Big East after 2011 season

Alex Carder, Eric Monette and Dann O’Neill are leaders on the WMU football team and are showing their leadership in another area. The trio are growing out their hair to be used for Locks of Love and organization that takes donated hair to make wigs for cancer patients.

Thursday UConn Football Links:

Big East predictions: Week 4 [andrea adelson – espn.com]

UConn RB Coach Clayton White Talks About The Play Of Starter Lyle McCombs [desmond conner – hartford courant]

UConn Sophomore Linebacker Yawin Smallwood And His Personal Goal [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Part II: More From UConn Offensive Coordinator George DeLeone [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Norris’ time is now [john silver – sny.com]

Bridgewater, Smallwood At The Top of Their Class [bigeast.org]

DeLeone Vows To Fix UConn’s Offense [hartford courant]

Going deep [journal inquirer]

Football potential still needing work [norwich bulletin]

Next Week:

The Huskies return home for their final non-conference game next Saturday as they host the Buffalo Bulls at Rentschler Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.

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

Today’s UConn football links can be found in the Thursday links section of the UConn vs Western Michigan preview.

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Hartley continues to add to her game [jim fuller – new haven register]

Auriemma, Dailey have eye on the future [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Ex-Husky Moore could join staff [kevin duffy – ct post]

No Longer Coach, Jim Calhoun Will Still Be Paid Nicely At UConn [hartford courant]

Website Says Ricky Moore Could Join Ollie’s Staff [hartford courant]

Ex-Husky Ricky Moore may join coaching staff [new haven register]

Other UConn related links

M. Tennis. Men’s Tennis Competes at Brown Invitational [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Cross Country. Crevoiserat & Zrinyi Gain Valuable Experience at World Junior’s Track & Field Championship [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Tennis. Weinberg Shines at Quinnipiac Invitational [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Field Hockey Squares-Off Against New Hampshire Under the Lights on Friday in Storrs [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Field Hockey Rated No. 1 in RPI [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Huskies Take Three-Set Victory at Sacred Heart [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Diouf Notches A Pair To Down Boston College at Home, 2-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

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

For the first time since 1997, the Boston Red Sox will finish with a record under .500. That year they ended up at 78-84. Since then the least amount of wins they’ve had was 82 in 2001.

Thanks to the Tampa Bay Rays and their 13-3 shellacking, the Red Sox will probably finish with their least amount of wins since that 1997 team although 1992’s 73 wins seems more appropriate. We won’t count the 54 wins in the 1994 season which was shortened by the strike.

If Daisuke Matsuzaka was hoping to make an impression on the Red Sox brass in regards to sticking around next season and maybe beyond (he is a free agent after the year), he has a really funny way of showing it.

He loaded up the bases in the 2nd inning by allowing three straight singles to start it. In the past, we’ve seen Dice-K work some magic and escape these types of situations. That didn’t happen last night as he walked Matthew Joyce to bring in the first run of the game for the Rays. However, he recovered to strike out Carlos Pena and then forced the fleet of foot Jose Molina to ground into an inning-ending double play.

After the offense had given him a 3-1 lead in the top half of the 3rd on a Jacoby Ellsbury single then a Dustin Pedroia fielder’s choice, Dice-K gave them back one run on a Ben Zobrist single. The 4th inning would be Dice-K’s undoing though.

Jeff Keppinger led off with a solo home run to tie the game. Joyce followed with a single and then came around to score when Pena exacted his revenge with a two-run blast. Molina knocked Dice-K from the game with a double. Alfredo Aceves came on and got the three outs in the inning but that was his only bright spot as well.

Aceves and Daniel Bard both came unglued in the 6th when the Rays scored seven runs. Andrew Miller was also at fault later in the inning as he walked the only two batters he faced.

Here’s the issue with Aceves and Bard.

I’m not blaming them at all. It’s not their fault they haven’t pitched in almost a week although it could be Aceves’ because of his antics. We all know that Aceves in the doghouse of skipper Bobby Valentine and hadn’t pitched because of what transpired last week. We all know the troubles Bard has had this season.

My 100% blame on this goes to Valentine.

If he’s not pitching them, you can’t expect them to be sharp no matter how much bullpen work they do. It’s just not the same as game action facing live hitters.

I think we are all sick and tired of the decisions Valentine has made as of late. This just compounds the situation.

I hope for our sakes that his sorry ass is fired at the end of the season.

We’ll be back later today with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Daniel Bard blows up again [boston herald]

John Lackey could be answer [boston herald]

Evan Longoria relates to Sox rookie Will Middlebrooks [boston herald]

Valentine: Red Sox pitching ‘tough to look at’ [rob bradford – weei.com]

Rays rout Red Sox, 13-3 [csn new england]

Aceves, Bard struggle in loss to Rays [csn new england]

Rapid Reaction: Rays 13, Red Sox 3 [espn boston]

Ugly defeat assures losing season [espn boston]

Sox look to add heavy hitter in front office [espn boston]

Unraveling the mystery of Bobby Valentine and his bench coach [full count]

Opinion: Time to shut down Daniel Bard [full count]

Red Sox Bullpen Victimized by Six Walks in Sixth Inning, Ensuring Losing Season [nesn.com]

Bogar interviews with Astros [projo sox blog]

How soon might Red Sox sign Middlebrooks long-term? [projo sox blog]

Cut 4: Ross wears son’s pants for BP [redsox.com]

Aceves stays upbeat despite demotion in ‘pen [redsox.com]

Bogar interviews with Astros, will let process play out [redsox.com]

With Iglesias’ arrival, Aviles short on playing time [redsox.com]

Ciriaco to get another look in outfield [redsox.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

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

photo credit: getty images