Here are photos from the Temple Owls 36-10 win over the UConn Huskies on September 27, 2014 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

photo credits: ian bethune – sox & dawgs

“We are taking turns with young guys doing bonehead things, which they will eventually stop doing.”

Bob Diaco’s UConn Huskies team once again shot themselves in the foot with big mistakes that would cost his team the game, yet again.

The Temple Owls defense outscored UConn by themselves as the Owls went on to 36-10 win over the Huskies in front of 27,755 on Saturday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT

UConn falls to 1-4 (0-2 American) while Temple improves to 3-1 (1-0 American).

That boneheaded play Diaco was talking about happened at the start of the third quarter.

Temple muffed the opening kickoff and Junior Lee, UConn’s special teams god, recovered the fumble for an apparent touchdown. But unfortunately, Vontae Diggs was called offside and the kick had to be redone.

Six plays later, Owls QB P.J. Walker hit Jalen Fitzpatrick for a 42 yard touchdown pass. From what could have a 10-7 UConn lead went to a 14-3 Temple lead in a matter of minutes.

It didn’t help that for the fifth straight game the Huskies offense gave up the first points of the game.

Chandler Whitmer had led UConn down the field, eating up over eight minutes on the clock. Then as Whitmer was looking for Deshon Foxx down the field, he was hit as he threw the ball and it was picked off by Tavon Young who returned it 93 yards for a touchdown.

Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes. No matter how hard the Huskies practice to eliminate them, they still continue to make them.

Pre-snap penalties, turnovers, big plays allowed on defense, missed handoff. Not executing in the red zone.

Things that cause losing.

And if they don’t get corrected soon, it’s going to be loss after loss until they’re fixed.

“We are disappointed but not crushed,” said Diaco. “The players understand what we are going to. We have a bye-week so we are going to practice a bunch and get better.”

“So we are resolute and our spirit is not cracked. The team and coaches are upset but we also know, big picture, where we are going.”

Scoring:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Temple Owls	7	0	23	6	36
UConn Huskies	0	3	7	0	10

1st quarter

TEM – 6:23 – Tavon Young 93 Yd Interception Return (Austin Jones Kick)

2nd quarter

CON – 0:11 – Bobby Puyol 30 Yd Field Goal

3rd quarter

TEM – 12:28 – Jalen Fitzpatrick 42 Yd pass from P.J. Walker (Austin Jones Kick)

TEM – 8:28 – P.J. Walker 1 Yd Run (Austin Jones Kick)

TEM – 7:34 – Praise Martin-Oguike 11 Yd Fumble Return (Austin Jones Kick)

CON – 5:16 – Arkeel Newsome 74 Yd pass from Chandler Whitmer (Bobby Puyol Kick)

TEM – 1:09 – Team Safety

4th quarter

TEM – 13:01 – Austin Jones 47 Yd Field Goal

TEM – 7:57 – Austin Jones 34 Yd Field Goal

Offensive Players of the Game:

Temple QB P.J. Walker was 20-of-29 for 231 yards and a touchdown pass. He also had a rushing touchdown as well.

Defensive Player of the Game:

The entire Temple defense. They outscored UConn by themselves 16-10. They had a pick-six, a fumble return for a touchdown and a safety.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

Trailing just 7-3 at the start of the third quarter, Bobby Puyol’s kickoff was muffed by Temple near the goal line. It was recovered by Wilbert Lee for an apparent touchdown. Unfortunately, true freshman LB Vontae Diggs was called offside nullifying the touchdown. After that, it took Temple just six plays to find the end zone, completely changing the tone of the game.

Offensive Notes:

Chandler Whitmer was 12-of-23 for 163 yards and touchdown. He also had an interception returned for a touchdown, a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and was sacked in the end zone for a safety. He was sacked a total of three times. Tim Boyle was 1-of-4 for seven yards and threw an interception. Deshon Foxx played QB and WR. He was 1-of-1 for four yards and had three rushes for 31 yards. Max DeLorenzo led Huskies with 55 rushing yards. Ron Johnson had 37 rushing yards late in the game while Arkeel Newsome had 30 yards rushing, two catches for a 77 yards, including a 74 yard touchdown reception. Geremy Davis had eight catches for 80 yards.

Defensive Notes:

Marquise Vann led the Huskies with nine tackles. Andrew Adams had seven tackles. Kenton Adeyemi, Cole Ormsby and Julian Campenni all had sacks.

Special Teams Notes:

With Justin Wain nursing a lower leg injury, Bobby Puyol handled all of the kicking duties. He was 1-of-2 on field goals as he hit from 30 yards while missing from 45 yards. He averaged 35 yards on six punts with two downed inside the 20. Ellis Marder had a fumble recovery on a muffed punt by Temple. Vontae Diggs had a huge offside penalty on the opening kickoff of the second half.

Game Notes:

Temple Owls @ UConn Huskies 9/27/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Bob Diaco and Temple head coach Matt Rhule.

Here are the postgame notes courtesy of UConn Athletic Communications:

• Geremy Davis’ third-quarter reception moved him into seventh all-time in UConn history, passing Carl Bond (1995-1998), who had 175 receptions. Davis now has 146 receptions in his career. Davis also extended his streak to 31 games with a reception.
• Bobby Puyol punted for the first time in his career in today’s game. Puyol punted five times for 180 yards, averaging 36 yards per kick.
• Ellis Marder recovered his first fumble of his career punt on a muffed punt in the second-quarter.
• Bobby Puyol’s 45-yard miss in the second-quarter was his first miss of the season.
• Max DeLorenzo’s 55 yards were the most for a UConn running back in a single game this year.
• Kenton Adeyemi recorded his first sack of his career in the second-Quarter.
• For the second time this season, the UConn defense gave up zero points in first half.
• Arkeel Newsome’s 74-yard touchdown catch was the first touchdown of his career. The catch was also his longest of his career.
• Julian Campenni’s fourth-Quarter sack was his first of the season.
• Ron Johnson set career highs in carries (8) and rushing yards (37).
• Newsome also set career highs in carries (7) and rushing yards (30)
• Deshon Foxx played quarterback for the first time in his career in the fourth^–Quarter. He set career highs in rushing with 30 yards, highlighted by a career long rush of 26 yards.

Injuries:

Obi Melifonwu suffered an upper body injury and was in street clothes for the second half with his arm in a sling.

Ellis Marder suffered a lower leg injury and did not return.

AAC Games and Results:

Saturday, September 13

TCU 56
SMU 0

South Florida 10
(19) Wisconsin 27

Tulane 6
Rutgers 31

Cincinnati 29
(22) The Ohio State 50

Memphis 3
10 Mississippi 24

Texas State 37
Tulsa 34, 3 OT

Things to Work On:

• Continue to eliminate the things that cause losing
• Figure out how to best utilize Deshon Foxx at quarterback since they were very effective moving ball when he was in.

Up Next:

UConn is off next week. They return to action on October 11 when they head to New Orleans for a matchup with the Tulane Green Wave.

photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs

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’ll take on the Temple Owls this afternoon at 4 p.m. at Rentschler Field. If you missed our Temple vs UConn preview, be sure to check it out.

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

UConn Football links

Military Appreciation Day At Rentschler Field [sox & dawgs]

Video: The Blitz Episode 5 – Temple [sox & dawgs]

The nitty gritty: Temple at UConn (with pick) [ed daigneault – waterbury republican-american]

UConn football: Tightening up on defense [john silver – sny uconn]

Gameday Preview: Temple at UConn, 4 p.m [john silver – sny uconn]

UConn looks to solve a few problems vs. Temple [ct post]

Rivalry Resumes: Temple Comes To Rent To Face UConn [hartford courant]

Jefferson Ashiru, Marquise Vann have been UConn’s defensive foundation [new haven register]

Huskies  see some positives [the day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Solid start at FIBA Worlds for UConn’s Nurse [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Calhoun talks about his documentary, ESPN contract, etc. [gavin keefe – the day]

Jim Calhoun Documentary: The Reel Is Surreal [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Soccer. Huskies Head To Cincinnati On Sunday [uconn huskies]

W. Cross Country. Sara, Durgin Shine In Coast-To-Coast Battle In Beantown [uconn huskies]

M. Cross Country. Wilson Paces UConn at Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown [uconn huskies]

Field Hockey. No. 2 Field Hockey Drops 3-1 Contest to No. 9 Stanford on Friday Night [uconn huskies]

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Tops East Carolina In Road Match On Friday [uconn huskies]

W. Ice Hockey. MacDonnell Scores Twice, Chuli Stops 54 in 4-4 Tie Vs. No. 10 Minnesota Duluth [uconn huskies]

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Enters Hockey East: Media Day 2014 [uconn huskies youtube]

It’s Military Appreciation Day at Rentschler Field this afternoon and before the UConn Huskies take on the Temple Owls at 4 p.m., there will be plenty of pregame festivities.

If you will be at the game today, close up your tailgate a little early and be in your seats by 3:30 p.m. as members of our Armed Services will be honored. During the national anthem, a field-sized American flag will be unfurled and “Miss Hap”, the oldest surviving B-25 in the United States dating back to World War II (pictured above), will be doing a flyover.

And be sure to stay in your seats at halftime as the UConn and Temple marching bands will perform a medley of anthems that honors the branches of the military.

photo credit: imgur.com

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

Paw Prints – Temple Owls (2-1, 0-0) @ UConn Huskies (1-2, 0-1) Preview [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco & Junior Lee On Lee’s Special Teams Play [sox & dawgs]

Freshmen making an impact on defense for UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

The big comparison: Yale vs. UConn [steven lewis – the republican-american]

Mueller Named Semifinalist For Campbell Trophy [uconn huskies]

Special Teams Standout Junior Lee A Rare UConn Bright Spot [hartford courant]

Matakevich At Rent, But LB From Stratford Wears Temple Uniform [hartford courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Collier looking forward to the home stretch [carl adamec – sny uconn]

Final Day Of Prep Work For Team USA [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Calhoun talks about film “Born to Lead,” to work for ESPN [william paxton – ct post]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Continues Conference Play With Road Match at East Carolina [uconn huskies]

W. Soccer. McGuire’s OT Winner Lifts UConn Past ECU In Conference Opener, 2-1 [uconn huskies]

M. Soccer. Huskies Open Conference Play Saturday Against South Florida [uconn huskies]

W. Ice Hockey. UConn Women’s Ice Hockey: Season Preview [uconn huskies youtube]

UConn’s Gampel Pavilion to get new lighting [ap]

This week:

The UConn Huskies are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they’ll host the Temple Owls at Rentschler Field in an American Athletic Conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The Line:

According to Rivals.com odds, Temple is favored by 5.5 points. The over/under is 45 points.

Tickets:

According to UConn Huskies ticket office, there are still plenty of tickets available to Saturday’s 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.

There is a new route for the Husky Walk as the team arrives for games at Rentschler Field this year and fans get a chance to greet the team as they get off their buses and make their way to the stadium. The Husky walk, which takes place approximately, two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, will now start in the Gray Parking Lots and the team will makes its way to the large tunnel near Gate B.

The UConn team will now do its pregame warmup in front of the UConn student section on the South End of the stadium – a change from previous seasons. The Huskies will enter the stadium for pregame warmups on the concourse of Rentschler Field and go through the student section.

Once again, FanFest takes place starting four hours before kickoff up until 30 minutes before the game 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 teams signing autographs.

The break between the third and fourth quarter will feature “Coach D’s Playlist” as fans during the game will get to select a song to play based on a list they saw earlier in the game.

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 nationally by ESPNews. Eamon McAnaney is on play-by-play with Dan Hawkins on color.

Radio:

The UConn IMG Sports Network is the home of Husky football on the radio. WTIC NewsTalk 1080 in Hartford serves as the flagship station and 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.

For Saturday’s game vs. Temple, “Breakfast at the Rent” with Ray Dunaway and Scott Gray will be on from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. followed by the UConn Tailgate Show from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. with Nathan and Bob Joyce. The “UConn Football Magazine” pregame show starts at 2:30 p.m. on the entire network.

The Temple game will also be available on Sirius Radio Channel 137 and XM Channel 199.

Here is a full list of stations on the UConn IMG Radio Network.

Temple Owls Radio:

This season, all of the Owls football games will be broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic. Joining the broadcast team of Harry Donahue and Paul Palmer this season will be The Fanatic’s Harry Mayes, a Temple graduate. He will enhance the production as a sideline reporter.

Last Week:

UConn lost to South Florida 17-14 while Temple destroyed Delaware State 59-0.

History:

Saturday’s game will be the 15th time Temple and UConn have met. The series began in 1963 and currently has Temple holding a 9-5 all-time edge over the Huskies.

Connections:

UConn has nine players on its team from the state of Pennsylvania: TE Alec Bloom (Ligonier), LB Chris Britton (Harrisburg), DT Julian Campenni (West Pittson), LB Luke Carrezola (Langhorne), LB Jon Hicks (Palmyra), LB Junior Joseph (Sinking Spring), WR Brian Lemelle (Harrisburg), DE B.J. McBryde (Beaver Falls) and OG Zach Rugg (Windber).

Temple has three Connecticut natives on its roster – QB Malik Cummings (Monroe), LB Tyler Matakevich (Stratford) and OL Jaelin Robinson (New Haven).

UConn Notes:

Here is the video from UConn head coach Bob Diaco’s press conference. Here is a transcript of some his remarks from the press conference.

UConn head coach Bob Diaco made his UConn and collegiate head coaching debut on August 29th vs. BYU. Diaco served on the Notre Dame coaching staff as the defensive coordinator for the past four years and the assistant head coach for the past two. He was the 2012 winner of the Frank Broyles Award, given to the top assistant college football coach in the country and was the first Irish assistant to receive the prestigious award.

Here is UConn’s roster and 2014 schedule.

Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.

There will be a pep rally for the UConn football team on Friday, September 26 at 6:30 p.m. on campus at Fairfield Way in Storrs, CT.

The captains of the 2014 UConn Huskies football team are Geremy Davis, Byron Jones, Alex Mateas and Marquise Vann.

Despite UConn having virtually an entire new staff this year, seven of the Huskies’ full-time coaches have previously worked games at Rentschler Field. Head coach Bob Diaco, defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter and assistant coach Wayne Lineburg were on the Virginia staff for a 45-10 Husky win on Sept. 13, 2008; Assistant head coach Don Patterson was on the Buffalo staff for a 24-17 UConn win on Sept. 29, 2012; Offensive coordinator Mike Cummings was on the Western Michigan staff for a 41-27 UConn win on Nov. 1, 2003; Assistant coach Kevin Wolthausen was on the Louisville staff for a 30-20 UConn loss on Dec. 3, 2005. UConn assistant coach Mike Foley is the lone holdover on the staff and is entering his ninth season.

UConn is now 9-4 in season openers since making the jump to then-Division I-A in 2002. UConn has won nine of its 12 season openers at Rentschler Field (2003-Indiana, 2004-Murray State, 2005-Buffalo, 2006-Rhode Island, 2008-Hofstra, 2010-Texas Southern, 2011-Fordham, 2012-UMass) and also downed Duke, 45-14, in Durham, to open the 2007 season and Ohio University, 23-16 in Athens, to open 2009.

UConn has an all-time record of 49-26 at Rentschler Field and a 27-13 mark in non-conference games.

The Huskies were picked to finish 9th in the American in 2014.

UConn is 0-2 in American league openers as it lost to USF last year to open conference play. UConn had a 3-6 record in league openers as a member of the Big East Conference

Head coach Bob Diaco and his staff have seen a large number of players get into games this season – many of them first time college performers. Diaco played 57 players against BYU, 55 against Stony Brook, 56 vs. Boise State and 55 vs. USF.

Here is a breakdown by class of Husky players who have seen their first collegiate action during the first four games of the 2014 season – a total of 22 players.

True Freshmen (8)
TE Alec Bloom, LB Luke Carrezola, OL Ryan Crozier, LB Vontae Diggs, TB Ron Johnson, RB Arkell Newsome, OL Troy Rutherford, CB Jamar Summers.

Redshirt Freshmen (10)
H Blake Feagles, DL Foley Fatukasi, OL Tommy Hopkins, LB Junior Joseph, WR Thomas Lucas, RB Josh Marriner, TE Tommy Myers, LB Cole Ormsby, LB Cameron Stapleton, LB Jalen Stevens

Redshirt Sophomores (4)
C Kyle Bocheloh, OT Andreas Knappe, DL Sean Marinan, P Justin Wain

WR Geremy Davis has made a reception in 30-straight games, dating back to the 2011 season, the 11th-longest such streak in the country.

Davis is 6th in the American in reception yards per game at 72.0 – which is 73rd nationally.

Senior cornerback Byron Jones (New Britain, Conn.) had a 70-yard interception return for a TD late in the first half of Friday night’s game vs. USF. Jones also has a career fumble return for a touchdown and became just the third Husky player to have a fumble return for a TD and an interception TD in a career. Jones fumble return for a TD also came against USF – in a 16-10 UConn win in 2011. The other Huskies to achieve this feat were Yawin Smallwood (2011-13) and Anthony Carter (1996-99).

Preseason Award Watch Lists:

Geremy Davis

• Biletnikoff Award Watch List

Casey Cochran

• Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

Notes from this week’s opponent Temple:

Here is video from Temple coach Matt Rhule’s weekly pregame press conference. Here are some selected quotes from his press conference.

Matt Rhule is in second season as the head coach at Temple after an experienced coaching career as an assistant on the collegiate and professional level. Rhule had been the assistant offensive line coach with the New York Giants in 2012 before taking the Temple job. He was an assistant coach at Temple from 2006-11 working with a number of positions including defensive line, quarterbacks, offensive coordinator and tight ends.

Rhule also worked at Albright (1988), Buffalo (1999-200), UCLA (2001), Western Carolina (2002-05). He is a 1997 Penn State graduate and played four seasons at linebacker for the Nittany Lions.

Here is Temple’s depth chart for the game.

Here are Temple’s 2014 roster and 2014 schedule.

The Temple University football team will honor the memory of long-time Board of Trustee member Lewis Katz this season with commemorative “Lew” decals on the players’ helmets.

In 2013, the Temple Owls got back to a tradition of awarding single-digit jerseys to the toughest players on the team. This season, the coaches awarded four numbers and the players selected the balance.

Three players – Jalen Fitzpatrick, John Christopher and Tyler Matakevich – remained tough enough to retain their numbers from a year ago. The biggest surprise was that freshman Sean Chandler earned the respect of his peers as the players awarded him a single-digit jersey.

2 – Avery Williams 6 – Stephaun Marshall
3 – Sean Chandler 7 – John Christopher
4 – Kenneth Harper 8 – Tyler Matakevich
5 – Jalen Fitzpatrick 9 – Matt Ioannidis

Head coach Matt Rhule decided that the #1 jersey would be given to the toughest player of the week. Therefore, the #1 will be worn by a different player from game to game.

The Owls are one of only six teams in the FBS who have scored 40.0 points per game and allowed fewer than 15.0 (40.0/12.7). They join Baylor (59.3, 9.0), Texas A&M (55.3, 11.8), Ole Miss (44.0, 10.3), Duke (43.5, 11.5), and Alabama (42.0, 14.0).

Through week four of the season, Temple leads the American Athletic Conference in nine categories: total defense, passing defense, pass efficiency defense, scoring defense, turnover margin, 4th down percent defense, red zone defense, net punting, and punt returns.

On a national scale, the Owls tied for the top spot in turnover margin, where they are tied with Florida and Notre Dame at 2.67, and 4th down percent defense, in which 13 teams are tied at 0.00. In seven other categories, Temple is ranked in the Top 10.

Temple players on Preseason Watch Lists:

QB P.J. Walker

• Maxwell
• Manning
• Davey O’Brien
• CFPA QB Trophy

RB Kenneth Harper

• Doak Walker
• AFCA Good Works

OL Kyle Friend

• Rimington

LB Tyler Matakevich

• Bednarik
• Nagurski
• Butkus
• Rotary Lombardi
• CFPA LB Trophy

Thursday UConn Football Links:

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

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco & Junior Lee On Lee’s Special Teams Play [sox & dawgs]

UConn, Temple Coaches To Wear Coach To Cure MD Patch [sox & dawgs]

Breaking Bread With Bob – 9/23 [sox & dawgs]

UConn’s Mueller a semifinalist for Campbell Trophy [jim fuller – new haven register]

Passed over by UConn, Matakevich ‘found a home in Temple’ [ct post]

Diaco Says OC Mike Cummings Still In Charge Of UConn Offense [hartford courant]

Next Week:

UConn has a bye week and returns to action on Saturday, October 11 as they’ll be in New Orleans, LA to take on the Tulane Green Wave.

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

Today’s UConn football links can be found in the Thursday links section of the Temple Owls vs UConn Huskies preview.

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Lobo and Jeter Find Their Roots On CPTV [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Special times for the Nurse family [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Ollie Speaking At Middlesex County Chamber Breakfast Oct. 1, Then Huskies Will Hit Ground Running [dom amore – hartford courant]

Born To Lead: Jim Calhoun [uconn huskies]

Other UConn related links

Despite Measly Resources, Toner Built Powerful UConn Empire [hartford courant]

John Toner set tone for UConn’s athletic successes [new haven register]

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Sweeps Temple in American Athletic Conference Opener [uconn huskies]

W. Cross Country. Women’s Cross Country Readies for Coast-To-Coast Battle in Beantown [uconn huskies]

M. Cross Country. Men’s Cross Country Gears Up for Coast-To-Coast Battle in Beantown [uconn huskies]

W. Ice Hockey. Women’s Hockey Hosts No. 10 Minnesota Duluth In Season-Opening Series [uconn huskies]

Field Hockey. No. 2 Field Hockey Hosts No. 9 Stanford on Friday Night [uconn huskies]

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.

Former AD, Football Coach John Toner Passes Away [uconn huskies]

Jim Calhoun on John Toner, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 91 [john silver – sny uconn]

Geno Auriemma reacts to pass of former UConn AD John Toner [jim fuller – new haven register]

Football A-listers react to death of UConn’s Toner [jim fuller – new haven register]

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

UConn Football links

Breaking Bread With Bob – 9/23 [sox & dawgs]

UConn, Temple Coaches To Wear Coach To Cure MD Patch [sox & dawgs]

UConn’s Lee making an impact on special teams [jim fuller – new haven register]

Tuesday presser: Youth and growing pains for Huskies [john silver – sny uconn]

Diaco: Valuable lessons for UConn on road trip [ct post]

Diaco Says Focus Is On Correcting Mistakes For UConn Football [hartford courant]

Poor Offense At UConn [hartford courant]

Diaco had to ground UConn [the day]

In Diaco, the UConn players trust as should the fans [the hour]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Stewart Joins Four Former Huskies On FIBA USA Basketball Women’s Team [sox & dawgs]

Samuelson on top of the world but not satisfied [carl adamec – sny uconn]

Charles Leads Team USA Past Czech Republic [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

The World According to Phil (Nolan) [william paxton – ct post]

Other UConn related links

M. Golf. Husky Golfers Finish Third At Hawks Invitational [uconn huskies]

M. Tennis. Huskies Tripped Up by Marist, 4-3 [uconn huskies]

M. Soccer. UConn Dropped By St. John’s, 3-1, On Tuesday [uconn huskies]

W. Soccer. UConn Opens Conference Play With Trip To East Carolina [uconn huskies]

W. Soccer. UConn Prepared For Conference Play After Strong Non-Conference Start [uconn huskies]

W. Cross Country. Women’s Cross Country Readies for Coast-To-Coast Battle in Beantown [uconn huskies]

This Saturday when the UConn Huskies and Temple Owls coaches take the field at the Rent, they will do so wearing Coach To Cure MD patches.

Not only will the UConn and Temple coaches be wearing the patches but also all coaches of American Athletic Conference teams will do so too. The arm patches raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Approximately 10,000 college coaches at more than 500 institutions (including 110+ FBS teams) will participate in Coach To Cure MD events. Many will host Duchenne boys on their campuses this week as honorary game captains.

• This is the seventh year of Coach to Cure MD, a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Parent Project MD. The program has raised more than one million dollars in donations since 2008 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
• Fans are encouraged to donate five dollars by texting the word CURE to 90999, or they can donate online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org.
• At all divisions, Coach to Cure MD will involve more than 500 schools and approximately 10,000 coaches.
• This year, Coach to Cure MD will be sponsored by Northwestern Mutual, a leading financial services company. Northwestern Mutual’s sponsorship includes a large donation to Parent Project MD.
• Airtime for radio and TV public service announcements has been donated by Learfield Sports, Yahoo! Sports Radio, DIRECTV, Big Ten Network, Fox Sports, ROOT Sports and MASN.
• Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common fatal childhood genetic disorder – it is a progressive muscle disorder that causes loss of muscle function and independence.
• There is no cure and life expectancy is just in the 20’s.
• Research to find a cure is underway on many college campuses. Football fans have helped Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy make muscle research grants to Ohio State, UCLA, Florida, and Missouri among others.

From UConn via USA Basketball:

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Sept. 23, 2014) – Headlined by USA Basketball’s first four-time USA World Championship Team member Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), the 12-member 2014 USA World Championship Team was finalized on Sept. 23 in Prague, Czech Republic. The U.S. squad, which posted a 4-1 record in exhibition games and began training camp on Sept. 8, will travel to Turkey in the morning for the 2014 FIBA World Championship, which will be held Sept. 27-Oct. 5 in Ankara and Istanbul. The team was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee, chaired by USA Basketball women’s national team director Carol Callan.

Including Bird, who won gold in 2002 and 2010 and a bronze medal in 2006, named to the 2014 USA World Championship Team were: three-time USA World Championship Team member Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), a member of the 2006 and 2010 U.S. teams; 2010 USA World Championship Team gold medalists Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx); 2006 bronze medalist Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx); as well as Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Odyssey Sims (Tulsa Shock) and Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut), who will be competing in their first FIBA World Championship.

Further, seven of the eight members of the squad with prior FIBA World Championship appearances are Olympic gold medalists. Bird and Taurasi have won three Olympic gold medals; Augustus won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012; while Charles, McCoughtry Moore and Whalen earned Olympic gold at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“When you get down to the final 12-member team, you appreciate everything that all of the pool players have contributed to where we are today,” said Callan. “They all have worked hard and pushed the team during training camp to be at their very best. So, for that we are grateful, and we know that we have a great future as well. It is now exciting to have the team selected, and the committee feels that this team will compete to the standard set by previous USA Basketball World Championship Teams.”

“I think anytime a team is selected, you are always excited about who was picked and disappointed for those who weren’t picked,” said USA head coach Geno Auriemma (University of Connecticut). “We knew it was going to be difficult. We are missing so many veterans from previous World Championships and the Olympics, so it was a great opportunity for some younger players for some new faces to be added. I think they’ve done a great job. I think from what I can see, we’ve got a little bit of everything. We still have, obviously, some things that we have to work on. Brittney (Griner) is going to get here, and this will be her first time through this. Odyssey’s (Sims) first time. Breanna’s (Stewart) first time. Nneka’s (Ogwumike) first time. That’s a lot of new faces. I know our coaching staff has our work cut out for us, and we are excited to finally get the team together and get started.

“I think it’s a testament to Sue,” he added on Bird’s longevity with the USA National Team. “That’s a period of 12 years. She played right after graduating college. It is amazing that her level of play has been that consistent for that many years at a position that is not easy to play. That’s kind of who she is. She is very steady, very even keeled, unbelievable talented and wins. The players trust her, and they have confidence in her. And the coaches I think feel the same way. She’s like having a coach on the floor. We throw it out there like, ‘Wow, you’re a four-time USA World Championship Team member.’ If it were that easy, it would have been done lots of times before this. She’s accomplished something that’s very rare, and she should be very proud of herself.”

The USA National Team defeated Canada 76-51 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, then went 2-1 in the 2014 France International Tournament in Paris after taking down Australia (1-2) 72-66 on Sept. 19 and China (1-2) 99-75 on Sept. 20, before falling to host France (2-1) 76-72 on Sept. 21. In its final exhibition game, the U.S. defeated host Czech Republic in Prague 76-41 earlier tonight.

“I think you saw some of our style of play in the second half today,” added Auriemma on what he sees as the key to this team. “We want to get up and down the floor quickly, take advantage of our depth and take advantage of our athletic ability in a lot of ways. I think that’s the style that they players want to play, and it suits them and it suits me just fine. We also know that you can’t just be like that. You also have to be a really good half court team. But I think our transition game is probably going to be our style. Defensively, creating offense and keeping the pace quick enough that we can use our depth.”

Auriemma is being assisted on the sideline by DePaul University head coach Doug Bruno, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and University of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley; while University of Hartford head coach Jennifer Rizzotti serves as an advance scout and court coach for the 2014 USA squad.

The USA owns a record eight gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals in FIBA World Championship play, while compiling an all-time 97-21 record at the event. In 2010, the most recent World Championship, the U.S. finished with a perfect 9-0 record and the gold medal.

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee is charged with the selection of the 2014 USA World Championship Team and in addition to Callan, the selection committee includes: WNBA appointees Reneé Brown, WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations, Dan Hughes, San Antonio Silver Stars head coach and general manager, and Chris Sienko, Connecticut Sun vice president and general manager; and three-time Olympic and two-time FIBA World Championship gold medalist Katie Smith, who played in nearly 200 games for USA Basketball from 1993-2008, and serves as the athlete representative.

2014 USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team Roster

Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx

Sue Bird, Seattle Storm

Tina Charles, New York Liberty

Candice Dupree, Phoenix Mercury

Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury

Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta Dream

Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx

Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks

Odyssey Sims, Tulsa Shock

Breanna Stewart, UConn

Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury

Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Lynx

2013-16 USA National Team Head Coach: Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut

Assistant Coach: Doug Bruno, DePaul University

Assistant Coach: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx

Assistant Coach: Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina

Advance Scout/Court Coach: Jennifer Rizzotti, University of Hartford

Team Physician: Dave Walden, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Athletic Trainer: Ed Ryan, Colorado Springs, Colorado