This week:
After losing a heartbreaker last weekend, the UConn Huskies are back in action on Saturday as they’ll host the Navy Midshipmen in an American Athletic Conference game at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
The Line:
According to Rivals.com odds, the Navy Midshipmen are favored by seven points. The over/under on the game is 47.5 points.
Tickets:
According to UConn Huskies ticket office, there are 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.
The 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, starts 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.
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.
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.
Pregame this week –
- A moment of silence will be held before the game to honor former UConn Huskies men’s soccer coach Joe Morrone.
- The national anthem will feature a large American flag that cover the field and will be sung by soloist Frank May
- The United States Naval Academy Band will be in attendance and perform with the UConn Marching Band at halftime
- There will be a recognition of all military members at halftime including the playing of the songs of all military branches
- The latest class of the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame will be recognized
- Between the third and fourth quarters, a number of individuals will be sworn into the United States Air Force on the field
- Recently-retired UConn-Avery Point baseball coach Roger Bidwell will be recognized
- There will be a post-game football toss for all children on the field
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 CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan is on play-by-play, Corey Chavous does color and Lauren Gardner 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.
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 like this week’s Navy game, the day begins 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.
The Navy game will also be available on Sirius Radio Channel 134 and XM Channel 101. The game can also be heard on the TuneIn Radio app.
Here is a full list of stations on the UConn IMG Radio Network.
Navy Midshipmen Radio:
The Navy Football Tailgate Show on WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM will air at 10:00 AM.
The Navy Football Pregame Show with Pete Medhurst, Omar Nelson and Joe Miller will get underway at 11:00 AM, followed by game action beginning at 12:00 PM on the Navy Radio Network.
Last Week:
The UConn Huskies fell to the Missouri Tigers 9-6 while Navy beat the East Carolina Pirates 45-21.
History:
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between UConn and Navy since the 2006 season and the Mids lead the series by a 6-1 count. UConn’s only win came in the 2002 season with Dan Orlovsky at quarterback.
Connections:
UConn does not have any players from Maryland on its roster while freshman Alec Kenner (Wallingford) is on the Navy roster.
The Naval Submarine Base New London, located in Groton, is the primary East Coast submarine base for the Navy with 6,500 military personnel stationed there. In addition, General Dynamics Electric Boat, located in Groton has been a primary builder of submarines for the Navy for more than 100 years.
UConn Notes:
Here is a transcript of some UConn Huskies head coach Bob Diaco’s remarks from the pregame press conference.
UConn Huskies 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 Huskies roster and 2015 UConn Huskies football schedule.
Here is the UConn Huskies depth chart for the game.
The UConn Huskies are 2-1 (0-0 American)
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 19-9-4 all-time against the current four service academies, including a 13-1-4 mark against Coast Guard, located in New London, Conn., with the last meeting coming in 1947. UConn has never played Air Force and is 5-2 vs. Army, including this season’s win.
With the UConn Huskies’ wins over Army and Villanova and a loss to No. 22/20 Missouri, the Huskies are off to a 2-1 start for the first time since 2012. UConn was also 2-1 in 2009 and won its first five games in 2007 and ’08. With those 2-1 starts, UConn went to bowl games in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
The UConn Huskies are now 2-23 against ranked teams.
Connecticut boasts a 48-31 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.
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.
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 (Southborough, Mass.) made his collegiate debut on Saturday vs. Missouri.
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.
UCONN AND NATIONAL LEADERS
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, 148.4, 42nd in country, 5th in American
Total Offense, 268.0 yards per game, 39th in country, 6th in American
SS Andrew Adams
Interceptions, 0.7 per game, tied for 16th in country, tied for 2nd in American
DT Foley Fatukasi
Sacks, 0.83 per game, tied for 44th in country, tied for 4th in American
Team
Total Defense, 279.3 yards per game, 18th in country, 1st in American
Scoring Defense, 13.7 ppg, 15th in country, 1st in American
Rushing Defense, 126.3 ypg, 37th in country, 5th in American
Pass Efficiency Defense: 111.33, 41st in country, 1st in American
Tackles For Loss: 7.3 per game, 27th in country, 3rd in American
Notes from this week’s opponent Navy:
Ken Niumatalolo is in eighth year in charge of the Navy program and has a career record of 59-35 at the school. He was named Navy’s head coach at the end of the 2007 regular season and coached the team in the Poinsettia Bowl. His first full season was 2008 and he has led Navy to bowl appearances in six of those seasons with three wins. Niumatalolo was an assistant coach at Navy from 2002-2007 and also 1995-98. He also had coaching stints at Hawaii (1990-94) and UNLV (1999-2001).
Here is the video from Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo’s pregame press conference.
Here is Navy’s depth chart for the game.
Here are Navy’s 2015 roster and 2015 schedule.
Navy is 3-0 (1-0 American)
Navy is one of just two schools to produce a President of the United States (Jimmy Carter), a Heisman Trophy winner (Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach) and a Naismith Award winner (David Robinson).
The other school to match that feat is Michigan, who produced President Gerald Ford, Heisman winners Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson and Naismith Award winner Trey Burke.
After having played as an Independent for the previous 134 seasons, the Navy football program is making its debut as a member of the American Athletic Conference this fall.
Senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds and senior nose guard Bernard Sarra will serve as team captains for the 2015 football season.
The Mids enter Saturday’s contest having won six straight games and eight of the last nine dating back to last year.
Navy plans to run 729 pounds of fullback at the opposition this fall as seniors Chris Swain (6-1, 245) and Quentin Ezell (6-1, 253) and junior Shawn White (6-1, 255) combine to give the Mids a three-headed monster at fullback.
Keenan Reynolds’ 70 career touchdowns are the most in NCAA history by a quarterback and the most by any player in school history.
Senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds is on the preseason watch list for the Walter Camp Award (Player of the Year), Davey O’Brien Award (Quarterback of the Year), Manning Award (Quarterback of the Year), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Quarterback of the Year) and the Maxwell Award (Player of the Year). Reynolds is one of just 15 players on all five lists.
Senior fullback Chris Swain is on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award (Running Back of the Year)
Senior defensive end Will Anthony is on the preseason watch list for the Rotary Lombardi Award (Lineman or Linebacker of the Year)
Senior outside linebacker Myer Krah is on the preseason watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy (community service) and the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Friday UConn Huskies Football Links:
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Navy offensive coordinator impressed with UConn defense [jim fuller – new haven register]
UConn Football Insider: Far From Home, Jhavon Williams Balances School, Sport [hartford courant]
Navy’s Keenan Reynolds Enjoys Proving Naysayers Wrong [hartford courant]
UConn-Navy: The Task Is To Contain Midshipmen Running Game [hartford courant]
Fake job cost UConn a win, but shouldn’t cost team any fans [the hour]
Next Week:
The UConn Huskies are on the road as they’ll head to Provo, UT for a matchup with the BYU Cougars on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET.
*information compiled from UConn and Navy’s game notes.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
