Paw Prints – UCONN (3-0, 0-0) at Pittsburgh (2-1, 0-0)

This week

The UCONN Huskies travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers in the Big East opener for both teams. Gametime is 7:00 PM at Heinz Field, home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Panthers.

The Line/Prediction

Pittsburgh is favored by 9.5 points.

My prediction is Pittsburgh 24 UCONN 17

Tickets

As of the time of this post, there are tickets available.

Tickets to game, if available, may be purchased through Pittsburgh ticket office. You can check the availability here. You can also purchase a Family 5 pack of tickets for just 55 dollars. Click here for those details.

Getting To The Game

Here is a link for the directions to Heinz Field if you’re making the trip. Here is a link to the Heinz Field Fan Guide which will answer all your questions about tailgating, parking, and the stadium.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

ESPN Regional has the television rights to the Big East Football games not being broadcast nationally. This week’s game is being broadcast nationally on ESPNU. Dave Armstrong and Mike Gottfried have the call.

Radio

For the 16th 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 and is hosted by Bob Joyce, while at 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. For a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network, click here.

PITT RADIO: 3WS 94.5 (WWSW-FM), Fox Sports Radio 970 (WBGG-AM) and the Pitt ISP Sports Network. Bill Hillgrove calls the action, three-time Pitt All-American Bill Fralic provides color analysis and former Pitt offensive lineman Penny Semaia gives sideline
reports.

SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Every Pitt football game is available via SIRIUS Satellite Radio. The Pitt-Connecticut game will be aired on channel 119.

Last Week

UCONN squeaked by Temple 22-17. Pittsburgh lost to Michigan State 17-13.

History

This is only the 4th time these teams have met. UCONN holds the series advantage at 2-1. The home team has won each game. UCONN rallied back from a 31-14 deficit to beat the Panthers last year 46-45 and essentially cost the Panthers a bowl bid.

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Connections

• Thirteen Huskies come from Pennsylvania.
• Pitt’s Greg Gaskins and UConn’s William Beatty both played offensive line at William Penn High School in York, Pa.
• Pitt’s Jabaal Sheard and UConn’s Donnell Ford played together at Hollywood Hills High School in Broward County, north of Miami
• UConn linebackers coach Todd Orlando is a native of Pittsburgh where he attended Central Catholic High School.
• UConn’s Lindsey Witten and Pitt’s Mike Phillips were teammates at Warren G. Harding HS in Warren, Ohio.

Other News:

UCONN is 2-4 playing in active NFL stadiums.

Critics have dubbed UCONN the worst 3-0 team in the country.

The Pittsburgh players have been looking forward to this game, especially after losing last year’s game.

Oddly enough, UCONN is rated 35th in the Sagarin Rankings. Ironically, they are rated higher then Penn State.

Next Week

UCONN returns home to Rentschler Field on Saturday, September 29th to take on the Akron Zips. Kickoff is 12:00 noon.