UConn Huskies @ BYU Cougars Preview

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This week:

The UConn Huskies will finish up the non-conference portion of their 2015 schedule on Friday night when they head to Provo, UT for a matchup with the BYU Cougars. Kickoff is set for 10:15 p.m. ET.

The Line:

According to Rivals.com odds, the BYU Cougars are favored by 18 points. The over/under on the game is 44 points.

Tickets:

According to BYU’s ticket office, there are still tickets available to the game.

Getting To The Game:

Here is link for the Provo, UT weather report. Here is a everything you need to know about LaVell Edwards Stadium including directions and parking.

JASPER HOWARD MEMORIAL

A memorial in honor of Jasper Howard, the UConn football student-athlete who tragically lost his life five years ago, was officially dedicated on November 1. 2015 at halftime. Funds for the statue were raised in a grassroots fashion with the efforts spearheaded by UConn supporters Dan and Lisa Lowry of Prospect, Conn. The lead gift for the memorial came from former UConn head football coach Randy Edsall, who was Howard’s coach with the Huskies. Donations also came from former Husky student-athletes and fans from around the country.

Howard lost his life on October 18, 2009 – hours after UConn had defeated Louisville at Rentschler Field on Homecoming. Howard recorded a career-high 11 tackles in the contest and a fumble recovery.

Funds will continue to be raised for the Jasper T. Howard Endowed Scholarship Fund at UConn, which is presented annually to a cornerback on the Husky football team who best embodies the qualities of Howard.

For information on how to contribute to that fund, please visit http://s.uconn.edu/howardscholarship.

The statue is made of barre grey granite quarried in Barre, Vt. It is a three-piece memorial that has an overall height of seven feet and weighs 3.25 tons. The top piece of granite is carved into mirror 6’s so whether viewing from the front or back it is a 6 and is colored to replicate the home jersey Howard wore.

The pedestal which the 6 sits on top of is lettered on the East and West facing sides. The east side has a quote from Jasper and is accented by 23kt gold leafed letters. The west side contains a narrative of Jasper’s life and a porcelain picture of Jasper. K. G. Keena Memorials of East Hartford, Manchester Monument Company of Manchester and Wethersfield Monument of Wethersfield designed, created and installed the piece.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television:

Friday night’s game will be televised live nationally on the ESPN2. Eamon McAnaney is on play-by-play and Rocky Boiman does 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. The 2015-16 year marks the 24th consecutive season that WTIC is the flagship for UConn sports.

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.

Norman, who is in his 35th season of being part of the UConn radio team, is ranked 14th in country in terms of consecutive years broadcasting college football for a single school – play-by-play or color. Bob Robertson of Washington State leads the way with 49. The survey was done by the Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications Office.

For home noon games, the day beings early for WTIC at 5:30 a.m. with “Ray at the Rent” with Ray Dunaway. The Tailgate Show is next with Bob Joyce and Nathan from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The IMG Network pregame show with Joyce and – new to the broadcast team this year — former Husky quarterback Casey Cochran at 10:30 a.m. with the game broadcast starting at 11:30 a.m.

In addition, the games can be heard on the TuneIn Radio app.

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

The BYU game will also be available on Sirius Radio Channel 84 and XM Channel 84.

BYU Cougars Radio:

The exclusive radio home of BYU football and flagship of the Cougar Sports Network is KSL Newsradio in Salt Lake City. The “Voice of the Cougars” is Greg Wrubell, now in his 14th season as play-by-play commentator. A BYU alum, Wrubell is in his 23rd year on the broadcast crew, having served as the sideline reporter before stepping into the booth.

Wrubell’s on-air partner and game analyst is ex-Cougar quarterback Marc Lyons, who begins his 34th season on the BYU Football broadcasts.

KSL’s BYU Football broadcasts are heard via satellite on BYU Radio (SiriusXM 143) and over network affiliates in Utah, Idaho and Nevada. Coverage is also available online at ksl.com, which streams BYU Football games to a world-wide audience.

Last Week:

The UConn Huskies lost to Navy 28-18 while BYU was shutout 31-0 by Michigan at the Big House.

History:

Friday’s game is the second meeting between UConn and BYU in the sport of football as the two teams kicked off the 2014 season with a 35-10 BYU win at Rentschler Field on August 29. The game marked the head coaching debut of UConn’s Bob Diaco.

Connections:

UConn does not have any players from Utah on its roster while BYU does not have any Connecticut natives on its roster.

UConn assistant coaches Don Patterson and Frank Verducci were on the Iowa staff when BYU and Iowa played to a 13-13 tie in 1991 Holiday Bowl.

UConn assistant coach Kevin Wolthausen was on the 1994 Oklahoma staff that played BYU in the Copper Bowl.

UConn Notes:

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

UConn head coach Bob Diaco made his UConn and collegiate head coaching debut on August 29, 2015 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 2015 schedule.

Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.

The captains of the 2015 UConn Huskies football team are Marquise Vann, Julian Campenni, Andrew Adams and Andreas Knappe.

The Huskies were picked to last in the eastern division of the American.

UConn defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter and former All-American linebacker John Dorsey are on the 2016 National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame ballot. The announcement of the 2016 Class will be made on Jan. 8, 2016.

The trip to BYU is also the longest in UConn football regular season history at approximately 2,023 miles – only topped by UConn’s trip to the Phoenix area for the 2011 Fiesta Bowl.

BYU is the second independent team that UConn has played this year after defeating Army by a 22-17 score on Sept. 12. UConn has an all-time record of 6-3 against the three current FBS independents (1-0 vs. Notre Dame with a win in 2009, 0-1 vs. BYU and 5-2 vs. Army).

UConn’s trip to BYU this year is the ninth-longest in college football this season.

Connecticut boasts a 48-31 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season.

UConn used a total of 51 players in its victory against Villanova on September 3 and then used 55 in the win against Army. The Huskies used 47 players on the road against Misssouri and then 55 vs. Navy on Saturday.

Two true freshmen made their collegiate debuts against Villanova in wide receiver Tyraiq Beals (East Orange, N.J.) and kicker Michael Tarbutt (Grimsby, Ont.). Three more freshmen made their collegiate debut on Saturday vs. Army – linebacker Dallas Parker (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), WR Hergy Mayala (Montreal, Que.) and tight end Chris Lee (Severna Park, Md.). Freshman wide receiver Aaron McLean (Southboroough, Mass.) made his collegiate debut vs. Missouri.

First or second year players have accounted for 44 of UConn’s 67 receptions this season and only two have been made by a player in final year of eligibility.

Lombardi Award Watch List

LB Graham Stewart
LB Marquise Vann

Rimington Trophy Watch List
C Ryan Crozier (out for season with injury)
Presented annually to the most outstanding center in college football.

Wuerffel Trophy
OT Andreas Knappe
Presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach Florida. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team Nominee
OT Andreas Knappe
The Good Works Team recognizes players from across the country who exemplifies a superior commitment to community service and volunteerism.

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