University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Football vs. North Carolina Game Notes
9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 8, 2009
STORRS, Conn. - On Tuesday, the UConn football team held its weekly media lunch where Randy Edsall spoke on the upcoming home opener against North Carolina to be played on Saturday, September 12 at Noon.
CONNECTICUT HEAD COACH Randy Edsall
UConn Randy Edsall has tackled the challenge of bringing a former NCAA Division I-AA team up to par with the BIG EAST in a 10-year span head on, guiding the Huskies to the 2007 BIG EAST Championship, three bowl games in the past five years with two bowl wins.
He has compiled a 59-60 career record in his 10th season at UConn, including wins in 48 of UConn's last 78 games dating back to the ninth game of the 2002 season. He has a 50-36 (.581) mark through the first 86 games of UConn's tenure at the FBS (Division I-A) level.
Immediately prior to becoming UConn's head coach in 1998, Edsall served as defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech in 1998 under George O'Leary. Edsall began his coaching career at his alma mater, Syracuse, from 1980-1990, working under Frank Maloney and Dick MacPherson in a variety of capacities. Edsall moved on to Boston College where he coached defensive backs under Tom Coughlin from 1991-93 before following Coughlin to the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, staying on the First Coast through the 1997 season.
Edsall is a native of Glen Rock, Pa., and graduated from Susquehannock High School. He was inducted into the York Area Sports Hall of Fame.
NORTH CAROLINA COACH BUTCH DAVIS
Butch Davis is in his third season as the head coach at North Carolina and has a 13-13 record at the school after posting an 8-5 mark last year and led the Tar Heels to an appearance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl against West Viriginia. He previously served as a college head coach at Miami of Fla. from 1995 through 2000 and had a 51-20 mark there. He led Miami to four bowl appearances and three BIG EAST Championships. Davis was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2001-04. He served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State (1979-83), Miami (1984-88) and for the Dallas Cowboys (1989-94), where he coached in a pair of Super Bowls. He is a graduate of Arkansas.
RADIO & TV COVERAGE
TV COVERAGE
The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Clay Matvick on play-byplay while former NFL guard and San Jose State standout David Diaz-Infante is on color. Todd Jones is the producer while Anthony DeMarco directs.
RADIO COVERAGE
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 sidelines 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.
The UConn Football Radio Network also includes WILI 1400-AM in Willimantic, WLIS 1420-AM in Old Saybrook and WMRD-1150 AM in Middletown. UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com.
HUSKIES VS. NORTH CAROLIA ALL-TIME
Saturday's game is the third meeting between UConn and North Carolina and the Tar Heels lead the series by a 2-0 count.
North Carolina defeated UConn by a 38-12 count last year on Oct. 4 in Chapel Hill. The loss was the first of the season for the Huskies, who had started the year 5-0 and were ranked No. 24 in the country coming into the game.
North Carolina blocked three UConn punts in the second quarter - with the third resulting in a touchdown. The Tar Heels led by a 17-3 count at halftime. Zach Frazer was the starting quarterback in the game for the Huskies and was 22 of 44 in the air for 210 yards with three interceptions. Donald Brown rushed for 161 yards while D.J. Hernandez had seven receptions for 103 yards.
The only other meeting in the series was a 48-21 UNC win on Sept. 15, 1990 in Chapel Hill when Connecticut was still competing on the Division I-AA level. Future NFL star Natrone Means had 11 carries for 71 yards in the game to lead North Carolina, while UConn was led in rushing by Kevin Wesley with 109 yards.
UCONN VS. THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
UConn is 4-9 against active ACC members all-time entering Saturday afternoon's showdown with North Carolina.
The Huskies are 2-0 against Duke (2004 and 2007), 0-3 against Georgia Tech (2002, 2004-05), 0-2 vs. North Carolina (1990, 2008), 0-1 vs. NC State (2003), 1-2 vs. Wake Forest (2003, 2006, 2007) and 1-1 vs. Virginia (2007 and 2008).
The Huskies also faced present ACC members Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech when they competed in the BIG EAST Conference. UConn also played Maryland in 1942, prior to the formation of the ACC. UConn was winless in those games.
UConn has played every current ACC school at some point in its history other than Clemson and Florida State.
The Huskies have future home-and-home series currently scheduled against Maryland (2012-13) along with a single home game N.C. State (2012).
UCONN AND UNC CONN-ECTIONS
UConn has one player that hails from the state of North Carolina - redshirt freshman Sio Moore of Apex....there are no North Carolina players from Connecticut and it has two players from New England - both from Massachusetts…Redshirt freshman Ryan Wirth of UConn and freshman Joshua Adams of UNC both prepped at Connecticut's Cheshire Academy…North Carolina assistant coach Troy Douglas is in his first year at the school after facing the Huskies the three previous years on the South Florida coaching staff…UNC assistant Allen Mogridge was a member of the Buffalo staff from 2004-08 and 2001-02, facing UConn five times - including last season's International Bowl ...UNC Associate AD for Communications Steve Kirschner is a Bristol native and a UConn graduate.
RENTSCHLER GAMEDAY
The UConn men's ice hockey team celebrates its 50th anniversary as a varsity program this weekend and former players and coaches will be honored during a ceremony….A new gameday program will debut on Saturday…."UConn Playbook" is a 48-page, playbillstyle magazine that will be distributed to fans for free…"UConn Playbook" is a joint production of UConn and IMG College.
SQUAD NOTES
EDSALL HAS LONGEVITY AT UCONN
UConn head coach Randy Edsall is entering his 11th season in charge of the Huskies and he is tied for the ninth-longest tenured FBS coach at his current job. In addition to Edsall, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz (a UConn graduate) and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops were all hired for their current jobs heading into the 1999 season. Joe Paterno is in his 44th season at Penn State to lead the way.
Edsall has now coached 119 games and is tied for second in games coached at UConn with Tom Jackson (1983-93) and trails leader J.O. Christian (1934-49) by only two. Edsall is the fourth coach to lead the Huskies into 100 career games, joining Christian (121), Jackson (119) and Robert Ingalls (106 from 1952-63).
Edsall's 59 career wins is third in UConn history behind Christian with 66 and Jackson with 62.
HUSKIES HAVE GONE BOWL-ING
UConn's trip to and victory in the 2009 International Bowl marked the third time in school history that the Huskies had gone to a bowl and the second consecutive. With UConn's win over Cincinnati on Oct. 25, UConn won its sixth game of the season and was "bowl eligible". UConn made the mark for the fourth time in the past six seasons. In 2003, UConn was 9-3, but did not go to a bowl because of its independent status. In 2004, the Huskies went 7-4 in the regular season and won the Motor City Bowl and in 2007, UConn was 9-3 in the regular season and went on to the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
HUSKIES ON WATCH LISTS
A number of members of the 2009 Huskies have been named to preseason "Watch Lists" for the upcoming year. They are:
Senior Tailback Andre Dixon (New Brunswick, N.J.) * Doak Walker Award Candidate
Junior Linebacker Scott Lutrus (Brookfield, Conn.) * Chuck Bednarik Defensive Player of the Year Preseason Watch List
Sophomore Kicker Dave Teggart (Northborough, Mass.) * Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List
Sophomore Tailback Jordan Todman (North Dartmouth, Mass.) * Doak Walker Award Candidate
Senior Defensive End Lindsey Witten (Cleveland, Ohio) * Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award Preseason Candidate
HUSKIES MAKE NATIONAL POLLS
Connecticut earned a spot in both national polls on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008 following its win at Louisville. UConn was ranked 23rd in the USA Today coaches' poll and 24th in the Associated Press poll. The Huskies fell out of both polls following a loss to North Carolina.
During the 2008 season, UConn was ranked in the AP top 25 one week and received votes in ten of the other 16 polls. In the USA Today poll, UConn was ARV in every week but two. UConn earned its first national rankings in 2007 as it appeared in four AP polls: 16 on Oct. 28, 16 on Nov. 14, 25 on Nov. 11 and 20 on Nov. 18. It also appeared in three USA Today polls: 20 on Oct. 28, 16 on Nov. 4 and 21 on Nov. 18.
UCONN VS. RANKED TEAMS
Saturday's game will mark the 14th time in school history that the Huskies have faced a team ranked in the Associated Press poll at the time of the game. UConn's only win in those 13 previous games came on Oct. 27, 2007 with a 22-15 win over No. 11 South Florida. UConn first played a ranked team in the 2001 season opener at No. 9 Virginia Tech. UConn has played the country's top ranked team once when it travelled to Miami on Oct. 5, 2002.
FASTEST FROM DIVISION I-AA TO THE POLLS
SCHOOL I-A DEBUT FIRST RANKING
Marshall 1997 Two years, four weeks (9/12/99)
CONNECTICUT 2002 Five years, 10 weeks (10/28/07)
South Florida 2001 Six years, three weeks (9/9/07)
Boise State 1996 Six years, 13 weeks (11/10/02)
UCONN FOOTBALL A LEADER IN ACADEMICS
The UConn football program continues to be a leader in the BIG EAST Conference in terms of academic performance by its student-athletes. In the latest release of the NCAA Academic Performance Rate (APR) results, UConn was third among the eight football schools in the BIG EAST Conference with a mark of 951 - and just five points behind the second-highest team.
UConn was the top BIG EAST team in the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) survey of last October as it graduated 77 percent of incoming freshman enrolled from 1998-2001 using the NCAA's formula.
The UConn football program also had the highest NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for African-American student-athletes among all state universities that participated in a bowl game following the 2008 season.
Last year, the program was honored by the American Football Coaches Association for its graduation of student-athletes as part of its Academic Achievement Award program. This recognition was the fourth time in the past six years that the UConn program has been honored. UConn was also recognized by the AFCA in 2003, '05 and '07.
HUSKIES VS. THE BIG EAST
UConn owns an all-time mark of 14-20 in BIG EAST Conference games since joining the league for football in 2004.
The Huskies posted their best conference record with a 5-2 mark in 2007 after tallying a combined mark of 6-14 over their first three seasons in the league.
TWO BIG EAST ROAD WINS IS A SEASON HIGH
UConn owns an all-time mark of 4-13 in BIG EAST Conference road games, since joining the league in 2004, after the wins at Louisville and Syracuse and the losses at Rutgers and South Florida. The 2008 season marked the first time that UConn won more than one BIG EAST road game.
The Huskies posted a 1-2 mark in BIG EAST road games in 2007 with a win over Pittsburgh and losses at West Virginia and Cincinnati.
HUSKIES ON THE ROAD SINCE 2002
The Huskies have put together a 17-22 road record since 2002. In non-conference road affairs over that same span, Connecticut has posted a mark of 14-9 and has won six of its last eight such games, including Saturday's opener at Ohio.
The Huskies posted a 2-1 mark in non-conference road games in 2008 with a win at Temple, a loss at North Carolina and a win over Buffalo in the 2009 International Bowl.
HUSKIES VS. NON-CONFERENCE FOES SINCE 2002
Connecticut boasts a 34-15 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to the FBS in 2002.
The Huskies have won nine of their last 11 regular season non-league games overall with the only blemishes coming via a one-point loss at Virginia (17-16) in 2007 and a loss to North Carolina last year.
UConn has posted the following records in non-conference games: 6-6 (2002), 9-3 (2003), 4-1 (2004), 3-1 (2005), 3-2 (2006), 4-1 (2007), 4-1 (2008), 1-0 (2009).
HUSKIES IN NCAA STATISTICS
Here's the categories where UCon is in the top 30 in the 2009 NCAA statistics:
Rushing Offense 19th at 259.00 (First in BIG ESAT)
Rushing Defense 21st at 61.00 (Third in BIG EAST)
Sacks 17th at 4.00 (Second in BIG EAST)
In addition, Jordan Todman is fifth in the country in rushing yards per game at 157.00 and Andre Dixon is 39th at 100.00.
TOUGH SLATE IN 2009 FOR HUSKIES
Three of UConn's five non-conference opponents this fall are members of the BCS as the Huskies play North Carolina of the ACC, Baylor of the Big 12 and independent Notre Dame.
UConn is one of just three schools who are members of a BCS conference to play three fellow BCS conference members out of league, joining Georgia and Syracuse.
HUSKIES IN THE NFL
UConn has nine former players that are currently on NFL rosters as training camps conclude. Last year, a total of six former Huskies were on active NFL rosters -- an all-time high for UConn.
The 2009 NFL Draft made history again for the Huskies as four UConn players were selected in the first 63 selections. UConn is the only BIG EAST school to have four players picked that early since the league was reorganized in 2005.
The veteran of the UConn group is entering fifth year in the league. Quarterback Dan Orlovsky is in his first season with the Houston Texans after spending his first four with the Detroit Lions.
Fullback Deon Anderson is in his third year with the Dallas Cowboys.
UConn currently has two second-year players on NFL rosters: offensive lineman Donald Thomas with the Miami Dolphins - a 2008 sixth round draft and defensive back Tyvon Branch of the Oakland Raiders - a fourth round pick.
UConn's five NFL rookies still in camps are: Donald Brown, a running back who was UConn's first All-American in the BCS era and the Huskies' first NFL First Round Draft Pick. He's with the Indianapolis Colts. There are three Huskies who were picked in the second round: Darius Butler with the New England Patriots, William Beatty with the New York Giants and Cody Brown with the Arizona Cardinals. Brown has already suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Julius Williams signed a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars last spring and remains with the team. Former UConn players released in 2009 are: Linebacker Alfred Fincher was in his second year with the Washington Redskins after playing his first three years with New Orleans; Danny Lansanah was a free agent signee of the Green Bay Packers in 2008 and was placed on the 53-man roster in early October '08; Also cut were '09 free agent signees: Tyler Lorenzen with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dahna Deleston with the Chicago Bears and Keith Gray with the Carolina Panthers.
HUSKIES IN THE CFL
In addition, there are seven former Huskies that are playing in the Canadian Football League this year - O'Neill Wilson (British Columbia Lions) and Jordan Younger (Toronto Argonauts), are both six-year players in the league. Maurice Lloyd (Edmonton Eskimos) is in his fourth year in the league while Terry Caulley (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) is in his third; Shawn Mayne (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), in his third year, Larry Taylor (Montreal Alouettes) is in his second year while Martin Bedard (Montreal Alouettes) is a rookie.
Taylor played in the Grey Cup final last year and was named the CFL Special Team Player of the Week earlier this season.
SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Each week head coach Randy Edsall issues an award for the Scout Team Players of the Week.
In recognition of their often-overlooked hard work, those players earn a spot on the Husky travel squad and the dress list for that week's game.
OHIO
Steve Greene (offense), Jerome Wiliams (defense), Matt Edwards (special teams)
GAME BALLS
After each UConn victory, head coach Randy Edsall awards game balls for the team's top performer on offense, defense and special teams. Here are this season's game ball winners: OHIO Andre Dixon (offense), Lindsey Witten (defense), Robbie Frey (special teams).
ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS:
Robbie Frey (4), Scott Lutrus (3), Desi Cullen (3), Jasper Howard (2), Mike Hicks (2), Lawrence Wilson (2), Anthony Davis, Andre Dixon, Alex LaMagdelaine, Robert McClain, Moe Petrus, Anthony Sherman, Dave Teggart, Lindsey Witten.
HUSKIES ON THE REBOUND
UConn is 20-12 in games following a loss since Oct. 26, 2002, including the International Bowl win over Buffalo in January.
BALL CONTROL IS THE KEY
A telling sign of UConn's strong performance on both sides of the ball during its tenure as a FBS program has been its ability to both record and prevent long drives. Since the start of the 2002 season, UConn's offense has strung together 66 scoring drives of at least 80 yards while the Husky defense has surrendered just 35 such marches.
UConn also holds a 17-5 advantage over its opponents in the number of 90-yard (including a 91-yarder in the opener at Ohio) and over drives since becoming a I-A program.
HUSKIES DOMINATING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL
Over the past 77 games, UConn has outgained its opponent 52 times, including the 2009 opener vs. Ohio and 10 of 13 games in 2008.
This stretch, like many UConn trends, dates back to a 28-24 loss at Vanderbilt on Oct. 26, 2002.
CONNECTICUT'S FOUR CAPTAINS
The UConn team selected four team captains for the 2009 season, Desi Cullen, Robert McClain, Scott Lutrus and Anthony Sherman.
OFFENSE NOTES
LOST A LOT OF RUSHING, LOTS COMING BACK
Obviously, the UConn offense looses a lot of rushing power from last year with the departure of Donald Brown, who had 2,083 yards last year, in addition to Tyler Lorenzen with 284. However, all is not lost. Sophomore Jordan Todman was impressive last year as a true freshman with 296 rushing yards and three TDs.
Todman had an outstanding opening night against Ohio with 157 yards on 25 carries with a TD. The 157 yards was a career high and the first 100-yard rushing game of his career.
In addition, senior Andre Dixon rushed for 100 yards in the opening win on 19 carries. Dixon rushed for 828 yards as a sophomore in 2007 and had three TDs to earn second team All-BIG EAST honors. It was the most rushing yards in a single-game for Dixon since he went for 167 in a win over South Florida on Oct. 27, 2007.
Dixon now has five career 100-yard rushing games.
The performances marked the first time UConn had two 100- yard rushers in a game since Brown and D.J. Hernandez did it in an overtime win vs. Pittsburgh on Nov. 11, 2006.
MOORE IS THE LEADING RECEIVER
Sophomore Kashif Moore was the leading receiver on the team last year with 27 catches for 273 yards for an average of 21.0 yards of receiving per game.
Moore had four receptions in his first college game vs. Hofstra and then had three against Virginia and three on Nov. 15 vs. Syracuse.
YOUNG GUYS MAKE RECEPTIONS IN DEBUT
Three diffferent receivers led the way for UConn on Saturday night with each one making two receptions. Two of those three players were in their first collegiate game. Senior Andre Dixon had two for 26 yards -- while redshirt freshman Ryan Griffin hhad two for 20 and true freshman Dwayne Difton had two for seven.
FRAZER BACK FOR SECOND YEAR
Zach Frazer made his collegiate debut in UConn's win over Louisville in 2007 at quarterback for the Huskies. He came into the game late in the first half after starting QB Tyler Lorenzen suffered a broken foot.
Frazer was 11 of 24 in the air with two TD and three interceptions in the opening night win over Ohio. The two TD passes match his entire number for all of 2008 as the Huskies had a total of five last year.
Frazer started the North Carolina and Rutgers games in 2007 for the Huskies at quarterback before suffering a head injury. He originally attended Notre Dame in 2006 and did not play for the Fighting Irish. He sat out 2007 as a transfer at UConn and finally returned to the playing field against Louisville.
He was eight of 15 in the air for 90 yards and a touchdown -- despite not having played in an organized football game since his high school senior year of 2005 in Mechanicsburg, Pa. He had his best passing numbers vs. Rutgers with 236 yards and a touchdown.
ENDRES EXPERIENCED AT QB
Cody Endres made his first collegiate start in a win over Cincinnati on October 25, 2008 at quarterback. The sophomore became UConn's third starting quarterback of 2008 after injuries to Tyler Lorenzen (foot) and Zach Frazer (head). Endres was 18 of 42 in the air for 196 yards and did not throw an interception.
He also started the West Virginia game and was 17 of 37 for 166 yards.
SHERMAN IS EMERGING RECEIVER
Sophomore Anthony Sherman enjoyed several outstanding games in the receiving department as the 2008 season came to a close. He was the second-leading receiver for the Huskies with 26 receptions for 270 yards.
Sherman had 12 receptions over the first eight games of the season, but has made 13 receptions in the past four games. Sherman had seven receptions for 51 yards against West Virginia, one catch for 10 yards vs. Syracuse and four receptions for 45 yards vs. South Florida. He had one reception for four yards vs. Pittsburgh.
DEFENSE AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
UConn's defensive unit was amongst the best in the nation in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, the UConn scoring defense was ranked 22nd in the country and third in the BIG EAST at 19.77 points per game and was sixth in the nation and first in the BIG EAST in total defense, giving up just 278.00 yards per game. UConn was also first in the league in pass efficiency defense and ninth in the country.
WITTEN HAS STRONG OPENER
UConn senior Lindsey Witten had a strong-opening night for the Huskies. He was making his ninth career start and had three sacks for a total loss of 24 yards -- including a key defensive play that resulted in a safety to put the Huskies up 16-7.
JOSEPH STARTS RIGHT AWAY
UConn freshman Jesse Joseph started his first career game for the Huskies on Saturday at defensive end and made a pair of tackles. He became the first Husky to start as a true freshmen in a season-opener since punter Shane Hussar in 2004. Tailback Terry Caulley and fullback Deon Anderson both started the season opener as true freshmen in 2005.
Joseph became the first player to start the opening game as a true freshman on defense in the UConn FBS era - since 2002. Joseph was a January 2009 enrollee.
The defensive end spot on the left side is an inexperienced one as freshman Trevardo Williams is behind Joseph. Williams, also a January 2009 enrollee, made four tackles in his collegiate debut on Saturday with a sack.
LUTRUS LEADS THE WAY
UConn sophomore Scott Lutrus led the Huskies in tackles with 106 in 2008 and also had an interception and five pass break-ups.
He had 12 tackles vs. Temple and was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll. Lutrus also led UConn in tackles in the win vs. Virginia with six and had 10 tackles and 2.5 for a loss in the win over Baylor. He led UConn with nine tackles in the win over Cincinnati. Lutrus led the Huskies with 14 tackles vs. Syracuse.
As a redshirt freshman in 2007, he make an immediate impact at the strongside linebacker post. He was third on the squad with 107 tackles, eight of which were for a loss. He also had four interceptions on the year, returning two for TDs to tie both UConn's season and career records. Lutrus' four INTS in '07 tied for the most in the nation by a linebacker.
McCLAIN MAKES FIRST START OF SEASON
Husky senior cornerback Robert McClain made his first start of the 2008 season on Nov. 15 vs. Syracuse in place of the injured Darius Butler. McClain made the most of his opportunity as he returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the game.
He had five tackles in the loss to South Florida. McClain tied for the team lead in interceptions with three - and has returned two for TDs. He was the leading tackler in the win over Buffalo in the International Bowl with eight stops and 3.5 tackles for a loss.
TEGGART ALREADY IN RECORD BOOK
Dave Teggart made his collegiate debut on Oct. 25, 2008 as the Huskies' kicker and was an impressive four-for-four on field goals and also made four extra point attempts. Teggart hit on field goals of 26, 47, 32 and 22 yards. The 47-yarder was even more impressive considering it was kicked into a strong Rentschler Field wind.
The four field goals tied a UConn single-game record with five other Husky kickers -- the most recent being Matt Nuzie against Toledo in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. Teggart finished the 2008 campaign with a 13 for 15 mark in the field goal department. The 15 field goals are tied for the fourth-highest in school history in the single-season department.
He also hit a pair of field goals against West Virginia of 36 and 38 yards and had three field goals vs. Syracuse of 23, 37 and 21 yards.
Teggart was a two-time BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week -- earning the honor after the Cincinnati and Syracuse games.
He made the first 11 field goal attempts of his collegiate career and the 11-straight is already the longest streak in school history.
Matt Nuzie made 10-straight in 2004.
Teggart is the first kicker in school history to successfully convert his first 11 field goal attempts.
In addition, he is also a perfect 11-for-11 in extra point attempts.
CULLEN HANDLES PUNTING DUTIES
Louisville native Desi Cullen entered the 2009 season as the leading punter in school history in terms of average at 40.3 yards per boot.
He solidified his role as the team's starting punter and kickoff specialist in 2007 and received a game ball in his first collegiate game -- a win over Duke. He also earned a game ball in 2008 in the wins over Virginia and Louisville.
JASPER THE RETURNER
UConn junior cornerback Jasper Howard is also the Huskies punt returner. He was second in the BIG EAST in punt returns with an average of 10.93 yards per return in 2008, which was also good for 28th in the country.
On Nov. 15, 2008 against Syracuse, he had his first career punt return for a TD with a 69-yard effort in the third quarter. Howard earned the special teams game ball in the win over Baylor.
Defensively, he had a career-high nine tackles against Louisville on Sept. 26.
STADIUM/ATTENDANCE NOTES
RENTSCHLER FIELD
The Huskies moved into brand new Rentschler Field in East Hartford for the 2003 season with the stadium opening its doors on August 30 when UConn defeated Indiana, 34-10. Conveniently located within miles of Interstates 91, 84 and 384, the home of the Huskies lies on 75 acres of land donated to the State of Connecticut from the historic Pratt & Whitney Airfield. The stadium, like the former airfield, is named for that company's founder, Frederick Rentschler. The stadium boasts a capacity of 40,000 with 38 luxury suites in a massive press box tower which helps enclose the natural grass field. While UConn football serves as the primary tenant, the facility also attracts other prominent events to Hartford. Rentschler Field hosted two concerts by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, one by the Rolling Stones and one by The Police. Several prominent international soccer contests have been played on the pitch at Rentschler Field, most notably a World Cup Qualifier between the United States and Trinidad & Tobago on Aug. 17, 2005.
A HOT TICKET
Swelling interest in the Husky football program as it gradually moved up into BIG EAST play can perhaps be best evidenced by the rise in attendance. UConn sold 28,000 season tickets in 2008 and sold its entire allotment of student season tickets at 4,700. The opening game against Hofstra saw over 5,000 Husky students attend the game.
These figures are staggering sums considering that the entire 2001 season ticket base was around 4,000. In 2002, the number reached 11,300 in the final season of Memorial Stadium. The burgeoning season ticket base more than doubled to 24,000 for the inaugural season at Rentschler Field and rose to 28,000 a year later in 2004. UConn reached an all-time high of 32,000 season tickets in 2005. SELLOUTS THE NORM
The Huskies have sold out 25 of their first 39 dates at Rentschler Field, including a stretch of 12 in a row.
UConn has played to 96-percent of capacity all-time in East Hartford, drawing 1,504,584 fans, or an average of 38,579 per game.
RENTSCHLER FIELD PROVES FRIENDLY FOR HUSKIES
The Huskies went 7-0 at home in 2007 at Rentschler Field and 4-2 in 2005 after compiling a 6-1 home record in 2004.
UConn's 3-4 mark at home in 2006 was its only sub-.500 record at Rentschler Field.
The seven home wins in 2007 set a school record for a single season which was previously set in 2004. In the process, the Huskies joined the 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers as the only BIG EAST schools to ever post a perfect 7-0 home record. UConn presently stands at 29-10 all-time at Rentschler Field including an 18-3 mark in non-conference games.
MICHIGAN, TENNESSEE AMONG THOSE COMING TO RENTSCHLER FIELD IN THE FUTURE
UConn has recently finalized an agreement with the University of Michigan for a home-and-home football series in the 2010 and 2013 seasons. UConn will travel to Ann Arbor on Sept. 4, 2010 to play in Michigan Stadium while the Wolverines will come to Rentschler Field on Sept. 21, 2013 to take on the Huskies. UConn will also play a home-and-home series with Tennessee beginning in 2015 with the Volunteers coming to Rentschler Field on Sept. 26 with a return trip to Knoxville on Sept. 3, 2016. Other upcoming non-conference opponents coming to Rentschler Field include Vanderbilt (2010), Iowa State (2011), North Carolina State (2012) and Maryland (2013). By the conclusion of the 2010 season, UConn will have played host to non-conference opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 10, Big XII and Southeastern conference at Rentschler Field.
Players Mentioned
