This week:
The UConn Huskies look to open the 2009 season with a win over the Ohio University Bobcats at Peden Stadium in Athens, OH on Saturday night.
Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Bobcats.
The Line/Prediction:
According to Rivals.com, the Huskies are favored by 3.5 points and the over/under is 46.5 points. My prediction for the game is UConn 27 Ohio 17.
Tickets:
As of the time of this post, there are still tickets available.
Getting To The Game:
Here is a weather report for the Athens, OH area. Here are directions to Peden Stadium, parking information, a seating chart and the stadium policies.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
The game will be available on ESPN360.com with Michael Reghi on play-byplay while former California and New England Patriots safety Je’Rod Curry is on color. Mark Balk is the producer while Stephanie Cavaco directs.
ESPN360.com is available at no cost to customers who receive their high speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. It is available via dozens of Internet Service Providers nationwide and in early August it was added to more than 15 million Comcast households nationwide, making it available in nearly 41 million households – a majority of US broadband homes. It is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
Radio:
For the 18th 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 side lines and Eric Davis on production.
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. For a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network, click here.
Ohio University Radio: The flagship radio station for the Ohio Sports Network is WXTQ-105.5 FM in Athens. Voice of the Bobcats Russ Eisenstein serves as the play-by-play voice. Broadcasting veteran Rob Cornelius will serve as the color analyst, while Caleb Troop is the broadcast’s sideline reporter. The network has nine affiliates throughout Ohio and West Virginia.
2009 Citizens Bank Ohio ISP SportsNetwork Affiliates: WXTQ (105.5 FM) Athens; WYTS (1230 AM), Columbus; WMPO (1390 AM) Middleport, WJAW (100.9 FM) McConnelsville; WJAW (630 AM) St. Mary’s W.Va.; WMOA (1490 AM) Marietta; WRAC (103.1 FM) West Union; WHNK (1450 AM) Parkersburg, W.Va.
Internet: Every Ohio Sports Network broadcast is available on the internet via Stretch Internet. Visit OhioBobcats.com and click on the appropriate links to access the broadcasts.
Last Week:
This is the season open for both teams.
History:
This is just the second time the two schools have met. They met back in 2002 at Memorial Stadium on UConn’s campus. The Huskies beat the Bobcats 37-19 behind Dan Orlovsky’s 224 passing yards with a touchdown. It was the final season of play at Memorial Stadium before the Huskies moved to their current home at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT
Connections:
UConn has two Ohio natives on its roster — senior defensive end Lindsey Witten of Cleveland and redshirt freshman defensive end Ted Jennings of Dayton. Ohio does not have any Connecticut natives on its roster. There are 52 Ohio natives on its preseason roster.
New UConn offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Moorhead was an assistant at Akron of the Mid-American Conference for five years from 2004-08 and had a 3-2 mark vs. Ohio.
Other News:
Here are some quotes from Randy Edsall’s press conference on Tuesday.
The Huskies have put together a 16-22 road record since 2002. In non-conference road affairs over that same span, Connecticut has posted a mark of 13-9 and has won five of its last seven such games, including the 2009 International Bowl win over Buffalo. The Huskies posted a 1-1 mark in non-conference road games in 2008 with a win at Temple and a loss at North Carolina.
Here’s the categories where UConn was in the top 30 in the final 2008 NCAA statistics:
- Rushing Offense 13th at 216.38 (First in BIG EAST)
- Rushing Defense 16th at 109.77 (Second in BIG EAST)
- Passing Defense 9th at 168.23 (First in BIG EAST)
- Pass Eff. Def. 9th at 101.51 (First in BIG EAST)
- Total Defense 6th at 278.00 (First in BIG EAST)
- Scoring Defense 22nd at 19.77 (Third in BIG EAST)
- Interceptions 15th with 18 (First in BIG EAST)
- Sacks Allowed 14th at 1.15 (First in BIG EAST)
What’s The Team Motto This Year? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
Thursday update [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]
The picks, week 1 [Ramblings from The Runway]
Football Preview Weekish: Defensive line [TheUConnBlog.com]
Football Preview Weekish: Cincinnati [TheUConnBlog.com]
Football Preview Weekish: Notre Dame [TheUConnBlog.com]
Football Preview Weekish: Syracuse [TheUConnBlog.com]
Update from the head coach [Neill Ostrout – Connecticut Post]
Joining Lutrus At LB… [Hartford Courant]
The Media: How The State Covers The Huskies [Hartford Courant]
Playing Hard Ball: Progression Of The UConn Schedule [Hartford Courant]
No Holes In The Lineup [Hartford Courant]
Huskies Need Senior To Fill Void At Defensive End [Hartford Courant]
Zach Frazer: Stepping Up In The Pocket; Eager To Quiet Skeptics [Hartford Courant]
Revamped UConn Offense: Moorhead Installs Uptempo Look [Hartford Courant]
Edsall: The First 10 Years [Hartford Courant]
A Look At The Teams Of The Big East Conference [Hartford Courant]
Grills, Thrills, Ills And Spills [Hartford Courant]
Randy Edsall: In 10 Years He’s Been A Big-Time Builder [Hartford Courant]
UConn at Ohio: Who’s got the edge? [Connecticut Post]
LIVE CHAT transcript: UConn football [New Haven Register]
Vegas showing no love for Huskies [New Haven Register]
UConn’s Junior traveling the path to success [New Haven Register]
UConn position previews [New London Day]
Everywhere are signs [New London Day]
Mountains beyond mountains [New London Day]
For Ohio coach, Huskies are the big dogs [Waterbury Republican-American]
New radios let UConn fans hear while they cheer [Waterbury Republican-American]
Change is in the air [Journal Inquirer]
Small town, big-time talent [Journal Inquirer]
They’ve got options [Journal Inquirer]
People and places [Journal Inquirer]
UConn’s Visit to Notre Dame Will Earn Likely Record Payday for Huskies [Fanhouse]
Skip Holtz: Former UConn Coach Has No Regrets [Hartford Courant]
Next Week:
The Huskies return to the friendly comforts of Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT to open up the first of six home games next Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. They will be hosting the North Carolina Tar Heels.
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