This week:
After winning their first two games, the UConn Huskies head to Columbia, MO for a matchup with the No. 22/20 Missouri Tigers for a noon kickoff.
The Line:
According to Rivals.com odds, the Missouri Tigers are favored by 21.5 points. The over/under on the game is 47 points.
Tickets:
According to Ticketmaster.com, there are tickets available to Saturday’s game
Getting To The Game:
Here is link for the weather report. Here is a everything you need to know about Faurot Field 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:
Saturday’s game will be televised live nationally on the ESPN. Adam Amin is on play-by-play, Kelly Stouffer does color and Olivia Harlan is the sideline reporter.
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.
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 Missouri game will also be available on Sirius Radio Channel 115 and XM Channel 191.
Missouri Tigers Radio:
Mike Kelly has the play-by-play on the Tiger Network with Howard Richards (color) and Chris Gervino (sideline). Here is a list of affiliates on the Tiger Network.
Last Week:
The UConn Huskies beat the Army Black Knights 22-17 while Missouri beat Arkansas State 27-20.
History:
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between UConn and Missouri in the sport of football. Missouri will play at UConn on September 23, 2017 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.
Connections:
There are no Missouri natives on the UConn Huskies roster. And there are no Connecticut natives on the Missouri roster.
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.
Starting with the 2015 season, the home field of UConn football will be known at “Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field” – instead of just “Rentschler Field” as it was known for since it opened in 2003.
UConn has an all-time record of 52-28 at Rentschler Field and a 29-13 mark in non-conference games.
The Huskies were picked to last in the eastern division of the American.
UConn is now 10-4 in season openers since making the jump to then-Division I-A in 2002. UConn has won 10 of its 13 season openers at Rentschler Field (2003-Indiana, 2004-Murray State, 2005-Buffalo, 2006-Rhode Island, 2008-Hofstra, 2010-Texas Southern, 2011-Fordham, 2012-UMass, 2015-Villanova) and also downed Duke, 45-14, in Durham, to open the 2007 season and Ohio University,23-16 in Athens, to open 2009.
Connecticut boasts a 48-30 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to the FBS in 2002. The Huskies have won 21 of their last 33 regular season non-league games overall.
Saturday’s game at Missouri will be the 25th time in school history that the Huskies have faced a team ranked in the Associated Press poll at the time of the contest and UConn has two victories in those games (2-22).
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.
Here is a breakdown by class of current Husky players who saw their first collegiate action last season:
True Freshmen, now True Sophomores (10)
TE Alec Bloom, LB Luke Carrezola, OL Ryan Crozier, LB Vontae Diggs, TE Steve Hashemi, TB Ron Johnson, CB Brice McAllister, RB Arkeel Newsome, OL Trey Rutherford, CB Jamar Summers.
Redshirt Freshmen, now Redshirt Sophomore (9)
DL Folorunso Fatukasi, OL Tommy Hopkins, LB Junior Joseph, WR Thomas Lucas, RB Joshua Marriner, TE Tommy Myers, LB Cole Ormsby, LB Cameron Stapleton, LB Jalen Stevens
Redshirt Sophomores, now Redshirt Junior (5)
C Kyle Bockeloh, OT Andreas Knappe, DL Sean Marinan, WR Nick Vitale, P Justin Wain
UConn used a total of 51 players in its victory against Villanova on September 3 and then used 55 in the win against Army.
Two true freshmen made their collegiate debuts against Villanova in wide receiver Tyraiq Beals and kicker Michael Tarbutt. Three more freshmen made their collegiate debut on Saturday vs. Army – linebacker Dallas Parker, WR Hergy Mayala and tight end
UConn has a 2-3 record against current teams of the Southeastern Conference with a 20-7 win over South Carolina in the 2010 Papajohns.com Bowl, a 45-14 loss at Kentucky on September 11, 1999; and a 1-2 mark vs. Vanderbilt – a 28-24 loss at Vanderbilt on October 26, 2002, a 40-21 UConn win at home on October 2, 2010 and a 24-21 loss at Vandy on September 10, 2011.
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.
Here is where UConn stands in selected NCAA Statistical Categories:
QB Bryant Shirreffs
Passing Yards Per Game, 236.0 yards per game, 47th in country, 5th in American
Passing Efficiency, 167.2, 23rd in country, 3rd in American
Total Offense, 268.0 yards per game, 39th in country, 6th in American
SS Andrew Adams
Interceptions, 1.0 per game, tied for 7th in country, tied for 1st in American
Team
Total Defense, 284.0 yards per game, 33rd in country, 3rd in American
Scoring Defense, 16.0 ppg, 36th in country, 3rd in American
Notes from this week’s opponent Missouri:
Gary Pinkel is in his 15th season as the head coach at Missouri and has a record of 115-66 at the school and has led the Tigers to bowl games in 10 of the past 12 years and to bowl victories in each of the past three seasons. Last year, Missouri was 11-3 and won the SEC Eastern Division. He has led the Tigers to the SEC Championship in each of the past two seasons. He was the head coach at Toledo from 1991-2000 with a 73-37-3 record and now has a 188-103-3 career record. He also served as an assistant coach at Kent State (1974-75), Washington (1976 and 1979-1990) and Bowling Green (1977-78).
Here is the transcript from Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel’s pregame press conference.
Here is Missouri’s roster and 2015 schedule.
Here is Missouri’s depth chart for the game.
The Missouri captains are seniors C Evan Boehm, CB Kenya Dennis, RB Russell Hansbrough and S Ian Simon.
Missouri will be without their leading rusher from a year ago in Russell Hansbrough.
Mizzou leads the SEC in scoring defense, allowing only 23 points (11.5 per game).
Mizzou also leads the SEC in total defense, yielding only 418 total yards, good for an average of 209 yards
per game and 3.0 yards per play. The next closest team in the SEC is Arkansas at 261 yards per game and 4.5
yards per play.
Mizzou leads the nation in tackles for loss with 25 on the year – highlighted by Charles Harris’ 6.0 this
season. Harris is second in the nation in TFLs.
Mizzou senior LB Kentrell Brothers was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week following his outing at Arkansas State. He leads the nation in tackling, matching a career-high with 16 tackles in each of Mizzou’s first two games.
Mizzou is tied for first in the SEC in red zone offense, going 4-for-4 with a TD and three field goals through the first two weeks.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Video: UConn Huskies Football’s Campenni Set To Battle With Mizzou’s Boehm [trueblueuconn]
Video: UConn Huskies Football Coach Bob Diaco Sees Himself In Matt Walsh [trueblueuconn]
Analysis: Huskies hitting the road [ed daigneault – waterbury republican-american]
UConn has held up well against ranked teams before [jim fuller – new haven register]
UConn’s Andrew Adams [the american]
UConn Football Insider: Lawless Fearless As Director Of Operations [hartford courant]
UConn Football Notebook: Huskies Say They Aren’t Awed By Mizzou [hartford courant]
UConn Lands Southington’s Jasen Rose; Senior QB Joins Huskies Class Of 2016 [hartford courant]
Southington quarterback Jasen Rose chooses UConn [new haven register]
Four Downs with UConn football beat writer Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant [kansas city star]
UConn is in rebuilding mode, set to face Mizzou [st. louis post-dispatch]
Next Week:
The UConn Huskies return home next Saturday, September 26, to host the Navy Midshipmen at Rentschler Field. Kickoff is scheduled for either 12 p.m. or 3 p.m. and will be announced on Saturday night.
*information compiled from UConn and Missouri’s game notes.
