This week:
The UConn Huskies head out on the road for the first time this season as they’ll be in Tampa, FL on Friday night to take on the South Florida Bulls in an American Athletic Conference Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
The Line:
According to Rivals.com odds, South Florida is favored by two points. The over/under is 43.5 points.
Tickets:
According to Ticketmaster.com, there are still tickets available to the game. You can also check TiqIq for secondary market tickets as well.
Getting To The Game:
Here is link for the weather report.
Here is directions to Raymond James Stadium, parking map for Raymond James Stadium, Raymond James Stadium info, seating chart for Raymond James Stadium and their clear bag policy.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
Friday’s game will be televised nationally by ESPN. Dave Flemming is on play-by-play with Danny Kanell on color and Allison Williams on the sidelines.
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.
The USF game will also be available on Sirius Radio Channel 92 and XM Channel 101.
Here is a full list of stations on the UConn IMG Radio Network.
South Florida Bulls Radio:
USF game broadcasts will again be aired on 98.7-FM The Fan, the Bulls’ flagship station, along with 1010-AM WHFS with Jim Louk (play by play) and Mark Robinson (analysis) returning for their 17th season. The staff welcomes the addition of new sideline reporter Alex Perlman.
Jim Lighthall and Justin Pawlowski will again serve as the USF football broadcast’s pregame and postgame hosts with Paul Roper serving as the network studio host. All games will feature a two-hour pregame show in Tampa and a one-hour pregame show on network affiliates.
Last Week:
UConn lost to Boise State 38-21 while North Carolina State spanked USF 48-17.
History:
Friday’s game is the 12th meeting between UConn and USF and the Bulls lead the series 6-5. For the first time this season, UConn will be playing an opponent it has met before as the BYU, Stony Brook and Boise State games were all first meetings.
Connections:
UConn has 11 players from the state of Florida on its roster –, freshman offensive lineman Ryan Crozier (Plantation), redshirt sophomore John Green (Miami), redshirt freshman Javon Hadley (Miami), freshman Ron Johnson (Naples), redshirt sophomore Ellis Marder (Windermere), freshman Dan Oak (Fort Myers), redshirt senior Bryan Paull (Parkland), redshirt sophomore Bobby Puyol (North Palm Beach), redshirt freshman Kyle Schafenacker (Cooper City), redshirt junior Brandon Steg (Coral Springs) and redshirt sophomore Jhavon Williams (Delray Beach).
The USF roster is dominated by Florida players and does not have any Connecticut natives on it.
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.
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.
The Huskies were picked to finish 9th in the American in 2014.
UConn opens its second conference season in the American Athletic Conference on Friday vs. USF. UConn is 0-1 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.
The Huskies played a total of 57 players against BYU and 20 of them (35.1%) where making their first collegiate appearance. Among the highlights were redshirt freshman Joshua Marriner (Chesapeake, Va.) rushing for UConn’s lone touchdown of the night; freshman Arkeel Newsome (Ansonia, Conn.) making an 18-yard reception the first quarter; redshirt sophomore punter Justin Wain (Wilmington, N.C.) averaging 35.8 yards on four punts; redshirt freshman Tommy Myers (Coventry, Conn.) making his first career reception in the third quarter; redshirt freshman linebacker Cameron Stapleton (Staten Island, N.Y.) combining on a second-quarter sack; freshman tight end Alec Bloom (Ligonier, Pa.) having two receptions for 24 yards.
Other Huskies making their collegiate debuts against BYU: redshirt sophomore C Kyle Bockeloh (Houston, Texas), freshman LB Luke Carrezola (Langhorne, Pa.), freshman OL Ryan Crozier (Plantation, Fla.), senior DB Chris DeBerry (Torrington, Conn.), freshman LB Vontae Diggs (Downers Grove, Ill.), redshirt freshman H Blake Feagles (Ridgewood, N.J.), redshirt freshman DL Foley Fatukasi (Far Rockaway, N.Y.), redshirt freshman OL Tommy Hopkins (Hawthorne, N.Y.), redshirt freshman LB Junior Joseph (Sinking Springs, Pa.), freshman TB Ron Johnson (Naples, Fla.), redshirt freshman LB Cole Ormsby (Windsor, Conn.), freshman OL Trey Rutherford (Markham, Ontario) and freshman CB Jamar Summers (East Orange, N.J.).
Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Sean Marinan (Higganum, Conn.) saw his first college action vs. Stony Brook while redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Andreas Knappe (Silkeborg, Denmark) made his debut vs. Boise State.
Geremy Davis is sixth in the American in reception yards per game at 85.3 – which is 46th nationally.
Preseason Award Watch Lists:
Notes from this week’s opponent South Florida:
Here is video from South Florida head coach Willie Taggart’s weekly pregame press conference.
Willie Taggart is in his second season as the head coach at USF after serving as head coach at Western Kentucky from 2010-12. He led WKU to a 13-11 record, including 7-5 marks in the final two years and an appearance in the 2012 Little Caesars Bowl. Taggart has an overall record of 19-32 as a collegiate head coach. He served as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky from 1999-2006, ending his tenure as assistant head coach and QB coach. He was the running backs coach at Stanford from 2007-2009 prior to being named the head coach at WKU.
Here is South Florida’s depth chart for the game.
Here are South Florida’s 2014 roster and 2014 schedule.
The USF captains are Reshard Cliett, Andre Davis & Marvin Kloss.
USF is 1-0 in AAC openers and 6-5 all-time in conference openers having been a part of three conferences (BIG EAST, Conf. USA). USF had lost its previous three conference openers prior to last year
USF will be playing its 27th regular season weekday game in program history, all occuring since 2001. The Bulls are 9-17 in weekday appearances, going 7-7 in weekday games in Raymond James Stadium and 2-10 in road weekday games.
USF ranks 2nd in the FBS in turnovers gained (10) and has forced at least two in every game of 2014 and in 7 of the last 8 games dating to last season.
The offense has suffered the loss of three key players in QB Mike White, WR Andre Davis and G Thor Jozwiak.
FR RB Marlon Mack set a USF & AAC record with 275 rushing yards & 4 TD in his debut. He ranks 9th in the FBS in rushing (399) and 13th in rushing TD (4).
RB Marlon Mack leads the AAC in rushing and is 4th in all-purpose yards. He ranks 12th in the FBS in rushing (133 ypg) and 13th in rushing TD (4).
USF ranks 2nd in the AAC 24th in the NCAA with 39 penalty yards per game
USF leads the AAC in sacks.
USF started two true freshman in the opener and have started 9 in the last two years with 17 seeing action over that period.
USF Coach Willie Taggart removed the names from the backs of the Bulls jerseys in 2014 as reflection of the Bulls emphasis on team and unity. The move was fully supported by Bulls players and particularly senior leaders.
WR Andre Davis brings a USF record streak of 31-straight games with at least one reception into the game.
Thursday UConn Football Links:
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Breaking Bread with Bob – 9/15/14 [sox & dawgs]
UConn Football Announces Home-And-Home Series With Missouri [sox & dawgs]
Video: No Regrets For Former UConn QB Casey Cochran [sox & dawgs]
Video: Casey Cochran Talks About His Role As A Coach For UConn [sox & dawgs]
Pruitt, Paull’s Careers Over at UConn Due To Medical Reasons [sox & dawgs]
UConn’s Florida contingent looking forward to homecoming [jim fuller – new haven register]
UConn football: Squeezing something out of the OL [john silver – sny uconn]
From The Crowd: Boise State [uconn huskies]
UConn Is On The Road At South Florida, But For Some It Is Home [hartford courant]
UConn Needs Offense To Step Up Against South Florida [hartford courant]
Xavier grad, UConn quarterback Tim Boyle gaining confidence [new haven register]
Jhavon Williams bringing UConn’s No. 6 back to Florida [new haven register]
Next Week:
UConn heads out on the road for the first time this season next Friday night as they’ll be in Tampa, FL to take on the South Florida Bulls in an American Athletic Conference Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
