This week:
The UConn Huskies open up the home portion of their Big East schedule on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Rentschler Field when former Huskies head coach Skip Holtz brings his South Florida Bulls to East Hartford, CT.
Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Bulls.
The Line/Prediction:
According to Rivals.com odds, South Florida is favored by 7.5 points. The over/under is 46.5 points.
My prediction is South Florida 34 UConn 17.
Tickets:
According to Ticketmaster.com, there are still some tickets available for the game.
Getting To The Game:
Here is link for the weather report. Here is all the parking info you will need for the game, this link includes directions to Rentschler Field. Here is a Rentschler Field seating chart and here is some general information for Rentschler Field.
The parking lots will open up 4 hours before kickoff. Here is a list of the tailgating rules at the Rent.
At UConn home games, FanFest takes place starting four hours before kickoff up until 30 minutes before the game. This year, it moves to between Gates A and B outside the stadium gates.
The offerings change each game, but activities typically include inflatable games for children, live bands, promotional vehicles and UConn student-athletes from various team signing autographs.
The “Husky Walk” is a chance for fans to welcome the UConn teams as they get off the team buses and head to the stadium. That takes place at approximately two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff between Gates A and B.
Once again this season at the end of home games, the UConn team will sing the “UConn Husky” fight song in front of the student section at Rentschler Field.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
Saturday’s game will be televised by SNY in the Connecticut and Northeast region as part of the BIG EAST Television Network. Jim Barbar is on play-byplay while Christian Fauria is on color. It will also be available online at ESPN3.com.
The game will also be replayed on SNY in a condensed mode on the “Husky Power Hour” on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday, Oct. 17 at 8:00 a.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be replayed in its entirity on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Radio:
For the 20th consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the UConn Radio Network. WTIC is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada.
Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the sidelines.
The UConn pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff, while home games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air two and a half hours prior to the game with Arnold Dean.
UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com. Here is a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network.
South Florida Radio:
USF’s radio broadcast with Jim Louk, Mark Robinson and Mike Pepper can be heard on 12 affiliates statewide and nationally on Sirius satellite radio channel 117. In addition, 1300 WQBN will broadcast the game in Spanish with David Cuevas and Angel Rodriguez behind the microphones. Both USF radio broadcasts can be heard through BullsVision Radio on GoUSFBulls.com.
To continue reading the South Florida Bulls @ UConn Huskies preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Last Week:
The Huskies went on the road and a bad second half led to a 43-16 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers. USF was off last week and fell to the Pittsburgh Panthers 44-17 in their Big East opener on September 29th.
History:
Saturday’s game is the ninth meeting between UConn and South Florida with the series tied at 4-4. UConn has won four of six BIG EAST meetings — with the home team winning the first five before UConn broke through at USF last year.
Connections:
- The UConn roster has six players from Florida on it — freshman Tyree Clark (Tampa), redshirt fresman Mark Hansson (Clearwater), senior Twyon Martin (Parkland), redshirt freshman Bryan Paull (Parkland), redshirt freshman Brandon Steg (Coral Springs) and redshirt freshman Gilbert Stlouis (Davie).
- The USF roster, dominated by Florida players, does not have any Connecticut natives on it.
- USF head coach Skip Holtz was born in Willimantic, Conn., when his father Lou Holtz was an assistant at UConn from 1964-65.
- Skip Holtz later became the head coach at UConn from 1994-98 and led UConn to the NCAA Division I-AA playoff in 1998.
- USF offensive coordinator Todd Fitch was on the UConn staff from 1994-98.
- USF assistant Vernon Hargreaves was an All-American linebacker at UConn in 1982-83 and was on the UConn coaching staff from 1985-87 and 1989-97.
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.
UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni has won more BIG EAST Conference games (league contests only) than any other coach in history. Pasqualoni has 62 league wins from 1991-2004 while Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech is second with 57.
With the Sept. 3 win vs. Fordham and the win vs. Buffalo, Pasqauloni is also first in league history in overall wins with 109 to top the mark
He is just one of two league coaches in history to win four BIG EAST Championships. His overall college coaching record stands at 143-80-1 (34-17 at WCSU, 107-59-1 at Syracuse and 2-4 at UConn)
A number of members of the 2011 Huskies were named to preseason “Watch Lists” for 2011. They are:
- Sophomore Tight End Ryan Griffin (Londonberry, N.H.)
- John Mackey Award Watch List
- Senior Kicker Dave Teggart (Northborough, Mass.)
- Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award
- Senior Defensive Tackle Kendall Reyes (Nashua, N.H.)
- Outland Trophy, given to the best interior lineman in the country
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the best defensive player in the country;
- Lombardi Award, given to the best offensive or defensive lineman in the country.
- Senior center Moe Petrus (St. Laurent, Que.)
- Outland Trophy
- Lombardi Award
- Senior offensive tackle Mike Ryan (Tamaqua, Pa.)
UConn now has a 3-5 record in BIG EAST openers with last week’s lost at West Virginia. UConn has lost three straight BIG EAST openers as it fell 24-21 at Pittsburgh in 2009.
In terms of BIG EAST home openers, UConn has won six of those seven games and the four past games in a row. UConn’s only BIG EAST home opener loss came in 2006 against fourth-ranked West Virginia.
UConn finished the non-conference portion of the regular season with a 2-3 record. That record could have been easily better as UConn lost to Vanderbilt, Iowa State and Western Michigan by a combined 14 points and led in the fourth quarter of each game.
Saturday’s loss at West Virginia was the first game this season that the Huskies did not hold a fourth quarter lead.
Saturday’s game vs. West Virginia marked the 18th time in school history that the Huskies faced a team ranked in the Associated Press poll at the time of the game. UConn’s only win in those 18 games came on Oct. 27, 2007 with a 22-15 win over No. 11 USF.
UConn owns an all-time mark of 22-27 in BIG EAST Conference games since joining the league for football in 2004. The Huskies posted their best conference record with a 5-2 mark in 2007 and ‘10.
UConn had a five-game BIG EAST Conference games win streak broken on Saturday at West Virginia. It was the longest in school history.
UConn is 27-17 in games following a loss since Oct. 26, 2002.
Here are the categories where UConn is ranked in the top 40 in the 2011 NCAA statistics.
- Rushing Defense – 6th at 74.67 yards (Second in BIG EAST)
- Sacks – 16th at 2.83 (Fifth in BIG EAST)
- TFL – 13th at 7.83 (Fifth in BIG EAST)
Individual leaders
- Rushing – Lyle McCombs, t34th at 95.83 (2nd in BIG EAST)
- TFL – Kendall Reyes, t9th at 1.67 (First in BIG EAST)
Notes from this week’s opponent South Florida:
Here is the video from the pregame press conference of USF head coach Skip Holtz.
USF Athletics announced that it will honor the beloved Lee Roy Selmon in numerous ways throughout the season and into the future. On Friday, Sept. 9, USF President Judy Genshaft announced that the home of USF athletics will now be named the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center. In addition, gameday and season-long initiatives honoring the former USF Director of Athletics and Hall of Fame great will include the football team wearing a number 63 decal on their helmets for all football games, all 19 USF teams, including the football team, wearing the initials LRS on all uniforms in all games throughout the 2011-12 year and the university creating a number 63 flag, which the football team and spirit squads will carry onto the field for all home and away games.
The Bulls are 1-3 when playing at Rentschler Field.
USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to produce five straight eight-win seasons and one of just 10 that play in BCS conferences. The Bulls have gone 8-5-in each of the last three season to go along with 9-4 records in 2006 and ‘07.
USF played in a bowl game for the sixth consecutive season in 2010. The Bulls are 4-2 in those six bowl games, including victories in each of the last three seasons. USF is one of just four programs nationally that has won three consecutive bowl games.
Skip Holtz was one of 22 head coaches on the FBS level that took over new programs last year. Out of the that group, Holtz was one of just five coaches that produced at least eight wins and one of just four that led their teams to a bowl victory.
After spending the first six seasons of program history as an independent, USF joined Conference USA in 2003, and then, in 2005, moved to the BIG EAST. Overall, USF is 28-31 (.475) in eight years as a conference member. The Bulls were 8-8 (.500) over their two-year span with C-USA and have gone 20-23 (.465) in the BIG EAST. First-year head coach Skip Holtz has posted a 53-35 (.602) conference record in his 11 years as a head coach and has won two conference championships (C-USA: 2008 and ’09
Friday UConn Football Links:
Big East second-half preview [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
Predictions: Big East Week 7 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
What to watch in the Big East [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
Another comeback in store for UConn? [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
Video: Game of the week [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
Big East: Did you know? [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
USF-UConn Thoughts From UConn Coach Paul Pasqualoni [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
DC also answered some questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
Thursday update [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]
Game Preview – Connecticut Huskies vs South Florida Bulls [BigEast.org]
Football: Breast Cancer Awareness [UConnHuskies.com]
UConn Needs WRs Geremy Davis, Tebucky Jones To Step Up [Hartford Courant]
UConn Needs To Contain South Florida’s Daniels [Hartford Courant]
Mid-term test for Huskies [Journal Inquirer]
USF notes: Bulls wary of UConn defense [Tampa Tribune]
Next Week:
The Huskies are off next week and return to action on Wednesday, October 26th when they’ll travel to the Steel City to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers.
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We learned earlier in the week that some anonymous sources in the Red Sox front office had leaked the personal information about former skipper Terry Francona. And with the Boston media having a field day with it, Red Sox owner John Henry decided to take matters into his own hands by showing up on the show hosted by Tony Massarotti and Michael Felger on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Friday.
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