UConn Beats Itself in 34-20 Loss To Louisville

Louisville's Dominique Brown, left, scores a touchdown as Connecticut's Blidi Wreh-Wilson (5) looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011.

It’s hard to win a football game when you beat yourself with stupid mistakes. And that’s what happened to the UConn Huskies on Saturday afternoon with horrible special teams to start the game, eight dropped passes, a dumb roughing the kicker penalty and then lateraling the ball at the end of the game when you still had a timeout.

The end result of all those blunders was a 34-20 loss to the Louisville Cardinals in front of 34,483 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

The Huskies fall to 4-6 (2-3 Big East) and need to win their final two games to become bowl-eligible. Speaking of becoming bowl-eligible, the Cardinals got there as they improve to 6-5 and are now tied with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at 4-2 for first place in the Big East.

The final mistake UConn made came after they successfully executed an onsides kick and recovered it on their 41 yard line with 11 seconds to go in the game. They needed to go 59 yards and had one timeout.

But after Johnny McEntee hit Ryan Griffin at the 50 yard line. Instead of falling down and calling timeout, he lateraled the ball to Isiah Moore who then threw it back to McEntee and then McEntee decided to throw another forward pass that was picked off by Malcom Mitchell who returned it for a touchdown to end the game.

Had they just called a timeout, they would have a better chance to tie the game up. Instead, they’ll probably find themselves on ESPN’s Not Top 10 later in the week.

UConn really did beat themselves in this game.

They allowed Adrian Bushnell to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. They dropped seven easily catchable balls on offense and even Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who returned after missing the last five games, dropped a sure-fire interception.

When you have an offense like UConn’s, you need all the help you can get. So when you drop seven balls in key situations, like Isiash Moore did on third down a few times, it hurts. It was just him though as Kashif Moore, Lyle McCombs and Ryan Griffin all had drops as well.

Louisville’s rushing defense wasn’t exactly spectacular coming into the game but they shutdown the combination of Scott McCummings and McCombs forcing McEntee to throw the ball 43 times. Not exactly the bread and butter of UConn’s offense as we know.

McCummings led the team 40 yards rushing while McCombs had just 33 yards. McEntee did throw for 253 yards but only completed 18 of his 43 passes with a touchdown pass and an interception.

We really can’t place blame on McEntee for this one like we’ve been able to do in the past. I really think if some of those drops had been caught, the complexion of the game probably would have changed.

At this point though, Pasqualoni has a decision to make.

Does he keep going with McEntee as his quarterback for the rest of the season? Or does he see what McCummings can do for an entire game?

Personally, I don’t think he’s got much to lose by going with McCummings in the final two games. It’s possible he could lose the final two games by doing what he’s been doing all season long. Why not try something different and see what happens.

Scoring:

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Louisville Cardinals 14 0 7 13 34
UConn Huskies 0 10 0 10 20

1st quarter

LOU – 14:45 – Adrian Bushell 100 Yd Kickoff Return (Chris Philpott Kick)

LOU – 05:51- Daniel Brown 6 Yd Run (Chris Philpott Kick)

2nd quarter

CON – 08:41- Dave Teggart 24 Yard Field Goal

CON – 00:53 – Kashif Moore 5 Yd Run (Dave Teggart Kick)

3rd quarter

LOU – 03:17 – Teddy Bridgewater 5 Yd Run (Chris Philpott Kick)

4th quarter

LOU – 09:52 – Teddy Bridgewater 1 Yd Run (Chris Philpott Kick)

CON – 08:34 – Kashif Moore 31 Yd Pass From Johnny McEntee (Dave Teggart Kick)

CON – 00:13 – Dave Teggart 37 Yard Field Goal

LOU – 00:00 – Malcolm Mitchell 36 Yd Fumble Return

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

Offensive Players of the Game:

Do I really have to pick one? Do I go with Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater who was 14-of-22 for 174 yards and interception but nine rushes for -1 yards and two touchdowns? Or do you I go with Kashif Moore who had seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown but also had some key drops? You decide because I can’t.

Defensive Player of the Game:

UConn LB Sio Moore had 13 tackles (seven solo, six assisted), a sack for a loss of 11 yards and one pass breakup.

Turning Point of the Game:

With Lousiville holding a 14-10 lead in the third quarter, UConn forced the Cardinals into a punting situation at their 13 yard line. They would have gotten good field position at Louisville’s 45 yard line. Instead, Kendall Reyes was called for roughing the punter and the five yard penalty gave the Cardinals a first down. Nine plays later, Lousiville found themselves in the end zone and never looked back from there.

Offensive Notes:

Johnny McEntee was 18-of-43 for 253 yards with one touchdown pass and an interception. He was also sacked once. Scott McCummings led the Huskies with 40 yards rushing on eight carries. He was 0-for-2 on passing opportunities. Lyle McCombs had 10 rushes for 33 yards and two catches for 23 yards. Kashif Moore had seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Isiah Moore had five catches for 60 yards and Ryan Griffin had two catches for 43 yards.

Defensive Notes:

Sio Moore led all players with 13 tackles (seven solo, six assisted), a sack for 11 yards and a pass breakup. Jory Johnson had 11 tackles (seven solo, four assisted) including three tackles for a loss of 16 yards. Yawin Smallwood had eight tackles (two solo, six assisted). Trevardo Williams had three tackles and two sacks for a loss of five yards. Dwayne Gratz had three tackles and an interception.

Special Teams Notes:

The kickoff coverage was awful except for the perfectly executed onsides kick at the end of the game. They allowed one 100 yard touchdown return and a total of 190 yards on five kickoff returns.

Injuries:

No injuries for the Huskies that I saw.

Blidi Wreh-Wilson did return to action after missing five games after injuring his knee.

Officials:

Referee: Jerry McGinn; Umpire: Richard Feeney; Linesman: Steve Matarante; Line judge: Ralph Newell; Back judge: James Downey; Field judge: Ben Vasconcells; Side judge: Chris Junjulas

Game Notes:

Louisville Cardinals @ UConn Huskies 11-19-11 box score

Here are postgame quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni as well as some of his players and Louisville head coach Charlie Strong and his players.

Here are the starters for UConn:

OFFENSE
WR 6 Moore, Kashif
TE 94 Griffin, Ryan
LT 71 Ryan, Mike
LG 69 Greene, Steve
C 57 Petrus, Moe
RG 63 Masters, Adam
RT 77 Friend, Kevin
QB 18 McEntee, Johnny
TB 43 McCombs, Lyle
FB 39 Hinkley, Mark
WR 83 Moore, Isiah

DEFENSE
DE 48 WILLIAMS, Trev.
DT 4 MARTIN, Tywon
DT 99 Reyes, Kendall
DE 91 Joseph, Jesse
SLB 3 Moore, Sio
MLB 33 SMALLWOOD, Yaw.
WLB 28 Johnson, Jory
CB 7 Gratz, Dwayne
S 15 Junior, Jerome
S 40 Brown, Ty-Meer
DB 5 WREH-WILSON, B.

The rest of the notes are courtesy of the UConn Sports Information Department:

  • The loss drops the Huskies to 2-3 in BIG EAST play and 4-6 overall
  • UConn allowed the opening kickoff to be returned 100 yards for a TD
  • RB Lyle McCombs eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau for the season in the first quarter
  • McCombs was held to 10 carries and 33 yards (both season lows)
  • K Dave Teggart connected on a 24-yard FG to put the first UConn points on the board in the second quarter
  • WR Kashif Moore rushed for a 5-yard TD run (first rush TD of his career) as well as hauled in a 31-yard TD reception
  • Moore lead the Huskies with 7 receptions and 110 yards
  • QB Johnny McEntee finished 18-43 for 253 yards with a TD and INT
  • The UConn defense registered 10 tackles for loss paced by LB Jory Johnson (13 tackles, 3.0 TFL) and LB Sio Moore (11 tackles, 2.5 TFL)
  • DL Trevardo Williams notched 2.0 sacks
  • Cole Wagner punted 9 times with an average of 41.9 yards/punt
  • The Husky offense only held the ball for 21:41 leaving the defense on the field for 38:19
  • UConn converted only 3 of 16 3rd down opportunities
  • The Huskies recovered an onside kick with 0:11 remaining

Big East Games and Results:

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Cincinnati 3
Rutgers 20

USF
Miami (FL), 3:30 p.m.

Things to Work On:

  • At this point, does it really matter.
  • Get the receivers some Stick’em. Those dropped balls killed them.
  • Shore up the holes on the kickoff coverage.
  • Make a decision at quarterback.

Up Next:

The Huskies will play their final home game of the 2011 season when they’ll host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for a noon kickoff at Rentschler Field.

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Photo credit: AP Photo

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 11/19

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

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 some of the other sports. 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’ll host the Louisville Cardinals today at noon at Rentschler Field. If you missed my Louisville @ UConn Preview, be sure to check that out.

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

UConn Football links

UConn-Louisville: Bowl Aspirations For Each [Hartford Courant]

Man Charged In Connection With Jasper Howard Killing Denied Probation [Hartford Courant]

Huskies need win to stay in league title race [New Haven Register]

Louisville, UConn chasing Big East title [Norwich Bulletin]

Huskies eyeing must-win game against Louisville [The Hour]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jim Calhoun: The Game Changes Lives [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Oriakhi struggling to get back into form [The Day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Another chapter in Stanford/UConn rivalry coming on Monday [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

So What’s New With ESPNU? [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Auriemma releases statement on Oklahoma State tragedy [John Nash – The Hour]

VanDerveer Hopes To Extend Series With UConn, Talks Ongoing [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

UConn women pair with martial arts team [CT Post]

UConn women’s basketball notebook: Auriemma, VanDerveer mourn those lost in Oklahoma State plane crash [CT Post]

For UConn Women And Stanford, The Season’s First Real Test [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. No. 5 Field Hockey Falls in Double Overtime to No. 1 UNC in National Semifinal [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. 2012 Baseball Captains Announced [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. Softball Inks Four Student-Athletes to National Letters of Intent [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Heart Rate Monitors Fine-Tune Players’ Fitness [NY Times]

M. Hockey. Gerke becoming leader for Huskies [La Crosse Tribune]

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Connecticut Whale 3, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2 (OT)

By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, November 18, 2011 – Defenseman Brendan Bell’s breakaway goal with 6.8 seconds left in overtime gave the Connecticut Whale a 3-2 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Friday night at the XL Center.

CT WhaleThe win pushed the Whale (8-4-1-2) into first place in the Northeast Division with 19 points.

David Ullstrom had two goals for the Sound Tigers, while Bridgeport goaltender Kevin Poulin made 42 saves on the night.  Carl Hagelin and Francois also scored for Connecticut, and Tim Erixon had two assists.

“It was a good finish,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander of the winning goal, on which Bell converted a lead pass from Mats Zuccarello. “It was a pretty big play by a couple pretty talented players and an exciting finish for the fans that made it out tonight.”

Poulin made a number of excellent stops, and kept the game scoreless in the first period with sprawling saves on Kris Newbury and Ryan Bourque at the 2:53 mark of the opening stanza.

Connecticut also killed off three Bridgeport power-plays in the period.

The Sound Tigers struck first at 6:10 of the second period, breaking through on the power-play on Newbury’s third minor of the night. Ullstrom put a shot from the circle past Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (15 saves), extending Ullstrom’s goal-scoring streak to seven straight games. Matt Donovan and Dylan Reese both assisted on the goal.

The Whale tied it at 13:21 of the second period, as Hagelin deflected an Erixon shot past Poulin for the equalizer. Jordan Owens also received an assist on the goal.

Bouchard gave Connecticut a 2-1 lead just a minute and a half later, scoring his first goal of the season after being acquired from the Hershey Bears last week. Bouchard’s shot from the right circle beat Poulin, after Bouchard took a pass from Jonathan Audy-Marchessault.

Despite a 29-9 shots deficit at one point in the third period, the Sound Tigers tied the game on Ullstrom’s second goal of the night at 13:10 of the frame, again on the power-play. His wide-angle shot found its way past Johnson, with the assist again going to defenseman Reese.

Poulin kept the game tied at two with a miraculous blocker save on Newbury just 30 seconds later.

The Whale finally broke through with the game-winner when Brendan Bell took a long stretch pass from Zuccarello. Bell broke in alone and made a nifty move on Poulin, tucking a backhand shot between the goaltenders’ legs. Erixon earned his second assist of the night on the play.

Despite Poulin’s big night in goal, Bell had a strategy as he skated in on the Bridgeport goaltender.

“If you can get him moving side to side, he’s got to open up his legs and there’s just so much room in between there, that’s something you learn with the big guys,” said Bell. “He’s fairly acrobatic and active for a big guy, so there’s got to be a big five-hole if you’re moving side to side.”

Connecticut will return to action on Sunday, when they face the Providence Bruins in their first head-to-head meeting of the season at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center (4:05). The Whale will return home on Wednesday night, when they host the Portland Pirates at the XL Center (7:00).

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2 at Connecticut Whale 3 (OT)
Friday, November 18, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Bridgeport 0 1 1 0 – 2
Connecticut 0 2 0 1 – 3

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Newbury Ct (hooking), 0:24; Klementyev Bri (tripping), 5:11; Newbury Ct (hooking), 5:48; Bell Ct (interference), 8:42; Donovan Bri (holding), 18:17.

2nd Period-1, Bridgeport, Ullstrom 11 (Donovan, Reese), 6:10 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Hagelin 7 (Erixon, Owens), 13:21. 3, Connecticut, Bouchard 1 (Audy-Marchessault), 14:50. Penalties-Newbury Ct (elbowing), 5:00; Marcinko Bri (holding), 8:31.

3rd Period-4, Bridgeport, Ullstrom 12 (Reese), 13:10 (PP). Penalties-Reese Bri (hooking), 8:30; Parlett Ct (closing hand on puck), 12:44.

OT Period-5, Connecticut, Bell 1 (Zuccarello, Erixon), 4:53. Penalties-Parlett Ct (hooking), 1:52; Ullstrom Bri (high-sticking), 2:09.

Shots on Goal-Bridgeport 5-4-4-4-17. Connecticut 10-13-15-7-45.
Power Play Opportunities-Bridgeport 2 / 6; Connecticut 0 / 5.
Goalies-Bridgeport, Poulin 3-4-0 (45 shots-42 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 4-3-2 (17 shots-15 saves).
A-4,283
Referees-Jarrod Ragusin (42).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Paul Simeon (66).

Ryan Boatright Suspended For Six Games

UConn guard Ryan Boatright leaps over guard Shabazz Napier during the dunk contest during the men's and women's basketball teams' First Night celebration Friday night at Gampel Pavilion. Boatright, a freshman, won the contest over freshman Andre Drummond.

We finally have a resolution to the situation involving UConn Huskies men’s basketball freshman Ryan Boatright who has been out due to an investigation by the NCAA over the receipt of a plane ticket from his AAU coach.

Here are the details from David Borges of the New Haven Register:

Boatright has been withheld from the first three regular season games by the school and will also miss the next three games, against Coppin State on Sunday and the first two games of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 24 and 25. He will be permitted to travel with the team and see action for UConn beginning with the final game of the tournament on Nov. 26.

This is good news for the Huskies as they are a little thin at the point guard position.

Shabazz Napier tweaked something last night but should hopefully be okay for Sunday’s game. If he’s not able to go, it’s quite possible you’ll see Jeremy Lamb handling the point guard duties. Freshman walk-on Brendan Allen has also seen a little action at point guard this season.

Boatright has been able to practice with the team while sitting out the two preseason games and first three games of the regular season. So it’s not like he won’t be familiar with what UConn is running out there. And while Shabazz probably doesn’t mind 40 minutes a game, Boatright will be able to come in and give him some rest.

It is a long season after all.

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Photo credit: John Woike – Hartford Courant

Red Sox Add Three To 40-Man Roster

With the MLB Rule 5 Draft coming up on December 8th, the Boston Red Sox have added three players to their 40-man roster.

Here’s the release from the team:

BOSTON, MA — The Boston Red Sox today selected left-handed pitcher Drake Britton, outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin and third baseman Will Middlebrooks to the Major League roster from Triple-A Pawtucket. With the moves, the Red Sox 40-man roster is now at 38.

Boston Red SoxThe announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

Britton, 22, spent the entire 2011 season with High-A Salem. He tied for the team lead with 26 starts while finishing second among Salem pitchers with 89 strikeouts and fourth on the club with 97.2 innings. The left-handed hurler posted a 1-13 record with a 6.91 ERA (75 ER) and 55 walks, holding left-handed hitters to just seven extra-base hits and a .226 clip (21-for-93). In 2010, Britton led Single-A Greenville starters with a 2.97 ERA (25 ER/75.2 IP) and a ratio of 9.28 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (78 K’s).

Lin, who began the 2011 season in Double-A before being promoted to Pawtucket on May 21, hit .245 (114-for-466) with 16 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 36 RBI, 72 runs and 58 walks between the two levels. A right-handed hitter, he combined to rank fifth among Red Sox minor leaguers with 28 stolen bases in 35 attempts, including a team-leading 16 swipes with the PawSox. Boston’s Minor League Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, Lin committed just four errors in 319 total chances this year for a .987 fielding percentage while appearing in 110 games in center field and 10 games in right field.

Middlebrooks spent most of the 2011 season with Double-A Portland, where he hit .302 (112-for-371) with 25 doubles, one triple, 18 homers, 80 RBI and 21 walks in 96 games. The 23-year-old placed among Eastern League leaders in RBI (4th), slugging percentage (4th, .520) and batting average (8th), and was named to both the circuit’s mid- and post-season All-Star teams as well as the Topps Double-A All-Star squad. Including 16 games with Pawtucket in his Triple-A debut to conclude the season and four rehab games with Short-A Lowell, he combined to hit .285 (125-for-439) with 23 homers and tied for the lead among Red Sox farmhands with 94 RBI.

For a full look at the 40-man roster, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (38)

PITCHERS (19): Alfredo Aceves, Matt Albers, Scott Atchison, Daniel Bard, Josh Beckett, Michael Bowden, Drake Britton, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Rich Hill, Bobby Jenks, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Andrew Miller, Franklin Morales, Stolmy Pimentel, Junichi Tazawa, Kyle Weiland.

CATCHERS (3): Luis Exposito, Ryan Lavarnway, Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

INFIELDERS (10): Lars Anderson, Mike Aviles, Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Iglesias, Jed Lowrie, Will Middlebrooks, Dustin Pedroia, Marco Scutaro, Oscar Tejeda, Kevin Youkilis.

OUTFIELDERS (6): Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Kalish, Che-Hsuan Lin, Darnell McDonald, Josh Reddick.

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Paw Prints – Louisville Cardinals (5-5, 3-2) @ UConn Huskies (4-5, 2-2) Preview

Paw Prints - UConn football

This week:

Louisville Cardinals @ UConn Huskies

After being off last week, the UConn Huskies return to action on Saturday as they’ll host the Louisville Cardinals at 12 p.m. at Rentschler Field.

Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Cardinals.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Rivals.com odds, UConn is favored by one point. The over/under is 40.5 points.

My prediction is UConn 31 Louisville 24.

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 broadcast locally on SNY. Mike Gleason (play-by-play), John Congemi (analyst) and Eamon McAnaney (sidelines) will call the game. The game will be available on 46 television stations across the country on the Big East Network.

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.

Louisville Radio:

Louisville football games are broadcast on the Nelligan Sports Network (790 WKRD/101.7 FM). Paul Rogers (play-by-play), Tony Stallings (analyst) and Doug Ormay (sidelines) have the call.

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

Last Week:

The Huskies were off last week. They beat the Syracuse Orange 28-21 their last time out. The Cardinals lost week 21-14 to the Pitt Panthers.

History:

Saturday’s game will be the eighth meeting between UConn and Louisville and the Cardinals lead the series 4-3 — although the Huskies have won three of the four last meetings.

Connections:

UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni has a 1-1 head coaching record against Louisville from his time at Syracuse…the Orange won at Louisville 15-9 on Oct. 3, 1992 and lost to the Cardinals 30-20 on Sept. 13, 2003 in the Carrier Dome.

UConn does not have any players from the state of Kentucky on its roster nor does Louisville have any Connecticut players on its roster.

Other UConn News:

Here is the video of UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni’s press conference. If you don’t have time to watch, here are the quotes from Pasqualoni’s press conference as well quotes from some of the players.

Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.

Here’s a pretty cool video about tailgating at UConn football games.

UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni has won more BIG EAST Conference games (league contests only) than any other coach in history. Pasqualoni has 64 league wins from 1991-2004 and 2011 while Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech is second with 57.

With his four wins this year, Pasqauloni is also first in league history in overall wins with 111 to top the mark of Beamer with 108. The distant third is Don Nehlen of West Virginia at 61.

Pasqualoni became the first Husky coach since 1923 to win his UConn coaching debut. The last coach to win a Husky debut was Sumner Dole in 1923.

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/Midseason 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.)
    • Lombardi Award

With four wins on the season, the Huskies need two more to become bowl eligible. The 2010 UConn football team won the BIG EAST Championship and advanced to play in the school’s first-ever BCS game — the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. UConn has made the bowl eligible mark for the sixth time in the past eight seasons — and the fourth consecutive.

UConn owns an all-time mark of 24-28 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 Oct. 8 at West Virginia. It was the longest in school history.

Here are the categories where UConn is ranked in the top 40 in the 2011 NCAA statistics:

  • Rushing Defense – 6th at 89.89 yards (Second in BIG EAST)
  • Scoring Defense – 38th at 22.33 (Fourth in BIG EAST)
  • Sacks – 24th at 2.56 (Seventh in BIG EAST)
  • TFL – 34th at 6.77 (Seventh in BIG EAST)

Individual leaders:

  • Rushing – Lyle McCombs, 16th at 109.00 (2nd in BIG EAST)
  • FGoals – Dave Teggart, 11th at 1.56 (Second in BIG EAST)
  • Sacks – Trevardo Williams, t18th at 0.72 (t3rd in BIG EAST)
  • TFL – Kendall Reyes, 27th at 1.28 (Third in BIG EAST)
    Sio Moore, -t45th at 1.17 (t6h in BIG EAST)

Redshirt freshman running back Lyle McCombs needs 19 yards to become just the second Husky freshman to rush for 1,000 in a season.

McCombs is looking for the 14th Husky season in school history of 1,000 yards of rushing. He would become the 13th Husky to reach that mark as Jordan Todman rushed for that mark in both 2009 and ‘10.

Notes from this week’s opponent Louisville:

Here is the video of Louisville head coach Charlie Strong’s press conference. If you don’t have time to watch, you can read the quotes from Strong’s press conference.

Here’s are quotes from Louisville DT Brandon Dunn.

Louisville recorded its first-ever BIG EAST shutout with a 26-0 win over the Huskies last season at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

Louisville is 1-2 all-time at Connecticut.

The Cardinals are 3-3 against the Huskies as a member of the BIG EAST Conference.

Louisville is 48-68-1 all-time against current members of the BIG EAST.

The Cardinals are 22-25 in conference play as a member of the BIG EAST. Louisville is looking for its fourth conference win for the first time since the 2006 campaign when they went 6-1 and went on to the Orange Bowl.

Louisville was the BIG EAST Champion in 2006 when they finished 6-1 in conference play.

The Cardinals are 14-10 all-time in BIG EAST home games.

The Cardinals are 8-15 all-time in BIG EAST away games and are 1-1 this season with a win over West Virginia and a loss to Cincinnati. The Cardinals are 3-2 on the road in the league under head coach Charlie Strong.

Louisville won three straight BIG EAST games for just the second time in their history when they defeated Rutgers, Syracuse and West Virginia.

The Cardinals are 4-0 this season when scoring more than 20 points and also 4-2 when allowing 20 or fewer points.

The Cardinals are 1-5 this season when scoring under 20 points in a game and are 1-8 in two seasons under head coach Charlie Strong when not reaching the 20-point plateau.

Louisville is 3-3 in the month of November under head coach Charlie Strong after wins over Syracuse (28-20) and Rutgers (40-13) and losses to South Florida (24-21) and West Virginia (17-10) in 2010. Louisville won its first game in the month of November this season with a 38-35 win over West Virginia and dropped a 21-14 decision to Pittsburgh last weekend.

Friday UConn Football Links:

Predictions: Big East Week 12 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

What to watch in the Big East: Week 12 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East coaching salaries [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East: Did you know? [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Game Preview – Louisville Cardinals at Connecticut Huskies [BigEast.org]

UConn RB Recruit Montrell Dobbs Of Ansonia Won’t Attend UConn [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

For A Few Days In 1998, Cliff Snow Was The UConn Football Coach [Hartford Courant]

UConn Still Waiting On Cornerback Wreh-Wilson [Hartford Courant]

Nick of time: Williams wants to get involved [Journal Inquirer]

Trevardo Williams’ pass-rushing ability no secret [New Haven Register]

Louisville football needs to shore up rushing defense before taking on Huskies [Louisville Courier-Journal]

Next Week:

The Huskies will play their final home game next Saturday at 12 p.m. when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights come to Rentschler Field.

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

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 11/18

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

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 some of the other sports. 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

The UConn football links can be found in the Friday football links section of the Louisville Cardinals vs UConn Huskies preview.

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jeremy Lamb Goes to Timeout [David Borges – New Haven Register]

A.J. Price To Run A Clinic This Weekend in Somers [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

UConn 80, Maine 60: Wrapping Things Up From XL Center [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

UConn men 80, Maine 60: the wrap [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Post-game breakdown, video: Maine [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Notes/Quotes from Maine: “We seem to have the ability to take the air out of the building” [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Maine Attraction [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn hears Calhoun’s message, whips Maine [CT Post]

UConn men: What we learned against Maine [CT Post]

Lamb, Oriakhi Lead Huskies Over Maine, 80-60 [Hartford Courant]

Still Waiting For Boatright [Hartford Courant]

Huskies run away from Maine in second half [New Haven Register]

Calhoun: ‘No idea who we are’ [The Day]

Huskies pull away from Black Bears [The Hour

My Sportsman: Kemba Walker [SI.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

About 4,000 tickets remaining for Stanford game [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn-Baylor Looking At Extension [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Roundtable Discussion About Women’s Basketball [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Something About Stanford For Breakfast [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

10 Things To Make You Feel Good About UConn [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Pressure Defense Could Prove Valuable For Huskies [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Encouraging signs [Journal Inquirer]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Strauss-O’Brien Announces Volleyball Class of 2016 [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Jordan Kirk Earns All-BIG EAST Volleyball Second Team Honors [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Seven Field Hockey Standouts Earn All-Region Status [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Field Hockey Set For National Semifinals [UConnHuskies.com]

Sherman’s Zachariahs Grob is a Top Polo Player for UConn [Housatonic Times]

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

In The Red Zone: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots Preview – Week 11

In The Red Zone

This Week

Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots

The New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Monday at 8:30 p.m.

The Patriots (6-3) are 3-1 at The Razor, 2-0 against the AFC West and 5-2 in the conference.  The Chiefs (4-5) are 2-2 on the road, 0-2 vs. the AFC East and 3-4 against the conference.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 15.  The over under is 46 1/2.

My Prediction is Patriots 30, Chiefs, 17.  Take the points (CHIEFS) and take the over.  I am 6-2-1 against the spread and 6 of 9 on calling the over/under in 2011.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 188th consecutive sell out dating back to the 1994 season opener.  The record includes preseason, regular season and playoff games.

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

After market tickets are available through the Official Patriots Ticket Exchange where season ticket holders can sell their unused seats to fans on the season ticket waiting list.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Foxboro make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Foxboro, MA.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking information and map and a Gillette Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

ESPN in televising the game nationally, Mike Tirico will do play by play while Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden will provide the game analysis.

The game can also be seen on the ABC affiliates in the Boston (WCVB-TV5) and Kansas City (KMBC-TV9) television markets only.

There is no DirecTV designation for this game.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play, former Patriot Gino Cappelletti does the color and new this year Scott Zolak will man the sidelines. It all starts with Gary Tanguay, Andy Gresh and Zolak with the pregame show at 5 p.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

If you are outside the broadcast are of the stations on the Patriots Radio Network you can purchase NFL Field Pass, which allows you to listen to any game live.  You can also pick which teams broadcasters you want to listen to.

All NFL Games are also available on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio also carries all the NFL games under a special additional package.  They usually only carry the home team feed.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 93, XM Channel 226 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 879.

The Chiefs Radio network has Mitch Holthus calling play by play and Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson doing the color via their flagship station KCFX-FM.  Their call is available on Sirius Channel 92, XM Channel 225 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 876.

Westwood One will carry the game to a nation wide audience with Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason on the call.  Their feed can be heard on Sirius Channel 88 and XM Channel 88.

Patriots All Access

Patriots All-Access features behind the scenes looks, interviews and breakdowns with head coach Bill Belichick and in depth features on the team.  It’s hosted by Steve Burton of WBZ-TV (Boston) and airs weekly in most New England television markets.

  • Boston MA on TV 38 Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
  • Providence RI on WNAC Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
  • Manchester NH on WMUR Saturday at midnight
  • Portland ME on WMTW Sunday at 5 a.m.
  • Hartford CT on WCTX Saturday at 5 p.m.
  • Springfield MA on WFXQ Saturday at 7 p.m.
  • Bangor ME on WVII Sunday at 11 a.m.

You can also watch it anytime on the teams website in the media section.

To continue reading the Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

The Patriots beat the Jets on the road 37-16; while the Chiefs lost to the Broncos, 17-10 at home.

History

  • Kansas City leads the all-time series 16-12-3.
  • All three ties in the series came while teams were in the AFL.
  • The teams first met in 1960 when both were part of the AFL as the Boston Patriots and Dallas Texans.
  • The Patriots are 9-6-2 as the home team in the series.
  • New England has won 4 of the last 5 meetings.
  • The two teams last met in Week 1 of 2008 at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots won 17-10 but Tom Brady tore his ACL and was lost for the season.

Patriots Team Notes

Here is the Patriots roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Patriots Schedule/Results

The Patriots overall franchise record is 406-366-9.  They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) in six appearances.  They last appeared in the playoffs in 2010 when they lost at home to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoff, 28-21.  They last appeared in a Super Bowl in 2007 losing to the New York Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.  They won the AFC Conference championship that season with playoff wins over Jacksonville and San Diego.

The Patriots are the defending two-time AFC East Champions; they have won the division 8 times since 2000.

The Patriots are dedicating the 2011 season to the memory of Myra Hiatt Kraft, the late wife of owner Robert Kraft. Every Patriots player and coach will honor Myra’s memory by wearing a patch with her initials on it in recognition of her lifelong contributions to the local and global community and her influence on the charitable mission of the entire Patriots organization. The patch will be worn on the left chest of every player throughout the season.

New England is playing its second consecutive prime time game.  It’s the first time since 2008 that they’ve had back-to-back prime time outings.

The Patriots are 2-0 at Gillette Stadium vs. Kansas City.

Since 2002 when Gillette Stadium opened the Patriots are 70-15 at home the best mark in the NFL.

New England is 20-22 all-time on MNF and 9-8 as the home team.

Patriots are 67-73-6 all-time vs. the AFC West.

The Patriots defense has allowed opponents to convert 43.1% (50 of 116) of the time on 3rd down, while the offense has a 3rd down conversion rate of 45.8% (49 of 107).

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 20 times in 9 games.

The Patriots are 3rd in the NFL in points per game with 28.8.  While they allow 22.2 points per game good for a tie for 16th in the NFL.

New England is PLUS 3 in turnover differential, tied for 10th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 10 INT and 4 fumbles, while the defense has 12 INT and 5 fumble recoveries.

Patriots Staff Notes

This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference transcript on the Chiefs.

Bill Belichick is 6-2 vs. the Chiefs in his career.  He is 4-1 against them as the head coach in New England.  He has never faced them in the post season.

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 168-97 in 16 NFL seasons.  He is 132-53 with New England and 36-44 with Cleveland.  He is 15-6 in the playoffs, 14-5 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season.  When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 183-103.

Belichick’s 183 wins are good for 9th all-time tied with Bill Parcells.

He was named NFL Coach of the Year for the 3rd time in 2010.

Belichick is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father (Steve Belichick) played in the league.  The others are current Kansas City head coach Todd Haley (Dick Haley), former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan (Dick Nolan), former Cincinnati head coach David Shula (Don Shula) and former NY Jets head coach Joe Walton (Frank Walton).

The Patriots are 13-5 under Belichick on MNF.

Patriots Possible Starters

Offense:

  • LT: Light
  • LG: Mankins
  • C: Connolly
  • RG: Waters
  • RT: Vollmer
  • TE: R. Gronkowski
  • TE: Hernandez
  • WR: Branch
  • WR: Welker
  • QB: Brady
  • RB: Green-Ellis

Defense:

  • DE: Ellis
  • DT: Wilfork
  • DT: Love
  • DE: Carter
  • OLB: Mayo
  • ILB: Tarpinian
  • OLB: Ninkovich
  • LCB: Molden
  • RCB: Arrington
  • S: Moore
  • S: Ihedigbo

Patriots Players Notes

This Tom Brady’s 12th NFL season he is 3-1 vs. the Chiefs.

Overall Brady is 117-34 as a starting QB and is 14-5 in the playoffs for an overall record of 131-39.  Brady is a 6 time Pro Bowl QB; two time NFL MVP and has won 3 Super Bowls while twice being named the games MVP.  He is also listed as the 21st Greatest Player in the History of the NFL according to the NFL Network.

In 2010 Brady won his second NFL MVP and he was the first unanimous winner in league history.

He is 11-4 in MNF games and has won 8 of the last 9.

Brady has thrown 23 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 16 times in 9 games.

Brady has 284 TD passes in his career he is now 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7th with 290.

Brady has 117 career wins he is tied with Joe Montana for 7th all-time.  Johnny Unitas is 6th with 118 and Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

The last time Brady played against Kansas City he tore his ACL when hit low in the leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 91 consecutive games including playoffs, 74 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

CB Kyle Arrington has a team leading 5 INT’s in 2011, DT Vince Wilfork and LB Rob Ninkovich are tied for 2nd with 2 each.

Arrington is tied for the NFL lead in INT’s with Green Bay’s Charles Woodson and Seattle’s Eric Weddle.

S Patrick Chung leads the team in tackles with 60, CB Devin McCourty is 2nd with 58 tackles.

DE Andre Carter leads the team with 8.5 sacks, while DE Mark Anderson is 2nd with 5.5.

Carter was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Jets.

On Wednesday Carter had a half sack taken away from him and he now shares the team record for most sacks in a game with three others.

Carter leads the defense with 16 quarterback hits, Anderson is 2nd with 7 hits.

Anderson, Wilfork, Carter and LB Jerod Mayo have each forced a fumble this season while Ninkovich, DT Kyle Love and DE Gerard Warren have each recovered an opponent’s fumble.

WR Jackie Slater leads the team in special teams tackles with 11, while LB Tracy White has 9 and LB Jeff Tarpinian has 8.

TE Rob Gronkowski has 18 TD catches in 25 career games.  They are the most for a TE in that time frame and 3rd most overall in the NFL.

On Thursday the following players were held out of practice: CB Devin McCourty (shoulder); LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and LB Dane Fletcher (thumb).  14 others were limited: WR Wes Welker (knee); C Dan Connolly (groin); G Brian Waters (knee); S Patrick Chung (foot); CB Kyle Arrington (foot); DE Shaun Ellis (ribs); RB Kevin Faulk (knee); RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (toe); LB Gary Guyton (shoulder); S James Ihedigbo (shoulder); WR Taylor Price (hamstring); WR Matthew Slater (shoulder); T Nate Solder (concussion) and T Sebastian Vollmer (back).  The three who missed practice will most likely be listed as doubtful for the game on Monday night.

S Ross Ventrone was signed to the practice squad on Thursday and CB Josh Victorian was released.  According to the NFL transactions list Ventrone is an amateur when it comes to being signed, promoted and released.

The Patriots have five New England natives on the roster they are: LB Niko Koutouvides (Plainville CT); TE Aaron Hernandez (Bristol CT); OL Donald Thomas (New Haven CT); S James Ihedigbo (Northampton MA) and DE Ron Brace (Worcester MA).  They have 8 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Deion Branch (Louisville); S James Ihedigbo (UMass); C Dan Koppen (Boston College – IR); CB Devin McCourty (Rutgers); NT Vince Wilfork (Miami), OL Donald Thomas (UConn); DE Mike Wright (Cincinnati – IR) and DE Ron Brace (Boston College).

The Patriots have 7 retired numbers: 20 – Gino Cappelletti, 40 – Mike Haynes, 73 – John Hannah, 78 – Bruce Armstrong, 79 – Jim Lee Hunt and 89 – Bob Dee.

Pro Bowl voting is open feel free to cast your votes for deserving players.

Chiefs Team Notes

Here is the Chiefs roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Chiefs Schedule/Results

The Chiefs all-time record is 399-370-12 and they are 8-14 in the playoffs with their last playoff appearance coming in 2010 when they lost to Baltimore in the Wild Card round, 30-7.  The Chiefs last played for a championship in 1993 when the lost the AFC Championship game to the Buffalo Bills, 30-13. They have won 1 Super Bowl (IV) in two appearances.

They won AFL Championships in 1962 as the Dallas Texans and in 1966 and 1969 as the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City is the defending AFC West Champion.

The Chiefs are playing the first of two consecutive prime time games.

This is Kansas City’s second MNF game of the season.

The last Chiefs victory in Foxboro was on December 2, 1990 when they won 37-7.

Kansas City is 0-2 vs. New England on Monday night.  They lost 30-24 at Foxboro Stadium on Dec 4, 2000 and 27-19 on Nov 22, 2004 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Since the 1970 merger the teams have met 14 times and the teams are 7-7.  But the two former AFL teams have never met in the playoffs.

Kansas City’s defense has 13 INT’s and 9 games it’s the most in club history since they had 18 after 9 games in 2003.

The Chiefs defense has allowed opponents to convert 39.2% (47 of 120) of the time on 3rd down, while the offense has a 3rd down conversion rate of 38.4% (48 of 125).

The Kansas City defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 9 times in 9 games.

The Chiefs are 27th in the NFL in points per game with 15.7.  While they allow 24.2 points per game good for a tie for 23rd in the NFL.

Kansas City is MINUS 1 in turnover differential, 18th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 9 INT and 7 fumbles, while the defense has 13 INT and 2 fumble recoveries.

Chiefs Staff Notes

Read what Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Todd Haley is 18-23 in his third season as a head coach.  He is 0-1 in the playoffs for an overall record of 18-24.  He has never faced New England in his career.

Haley is the son of Dick Haley who helped build the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers teams.  His father also played in the NFL has a halfback with Washington, Minnesota and Pittsburgh.

Haley is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father played in the league.

Former New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has the same position with Kansas City.  Crennel won three Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator of the Patriots.

Former Patriots Director of Player Personnel Scott Pioli is now the General Manager of the Chiefs.

Offensive Coordinator Bill Muir is a former Patriots offensive line coach from 1982-84.

Defensive Line Coach Anthony Pleasant played for New England from 2001-03 and won two Super Bowl rings.

Defensive Quality Control Coach Otis Smith was a Patriots DB in 1996 and then returned from 2000-02 and won a Super Bowl ring.

Chiefs Players Notes

Former Patriots QB Matt Cassel has never faced his former team and will not get a chance to this season as he suffered a hand injury that required surgery.  It looks like he will miss the rest of the season.

Cassel was 10-5 in 2008 for the Patriots while filling in for the injured Tom Brady.

Cassel, who is 28-27 including playoffs, made his first Pro Bowl in 2010.

What Cassel’s injury means to the Chiefs.

Starting in Cassel’s place will be back up QB Tyler Palko.  Palko is making his first NFL start.

Palko was undrafted in 2007 out of the University of Pittsburgh.  He was signed by New Orleans as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and split time between the practice squad and active roster.  In 2009 he split the season with, Arizona, the Montreal Allouettes of the CFL and Pittsburgh.  In 2010 he was signed by Kansas City and split time between the practice squad and the active roster.  This season he was named the back up to Cassel.  He did not play football in 2008.

Palko throws left-handed.

Kansas City QB’s have been sacked 22 times in 9 games.

Chiefs back up quarterback Rick Stanzi now has to prepare for a new role.

Kansas City lost S Eric Berry for the season when he suffered an injury Week 1 against Buffalo.

LB Derrick Johnson leads the Chiefs in tackles with 94.

LB Tamba Hali has the team lead in sacks with 6 and QB pressures with 19.

WR Dwayne Bowe has 41 team leading 41 catches and 4 TD’s.

The Chiefs have one New England native on the roster they are: RB Shane Bannon (Southbury CT).  They have six players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Jonathan Baldwin (Pittsburgh); TE Anthony Becht (WVU); LB Jovan Belcher (Maine); QB Tyler Palko (Pittsburgh); RB Shane Bannon (Yale – IR) and WR Jeremy Horn (UMass – Practice Squad).

Next Week

The Patriots visit the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA.  Kick off is at 4:15 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem