UConn Huskies (5-5, 3-3 American)
vs. No. 13/14 Houston Cougars (10-0, 5-0 American) November 21, 2015 | 3:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU | UConn IMG Radio Network Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field (40,000) East Hartford, Conn.
The Coaches
UCONN HEAD COACH BOB DIACO UConn head coach Bob Diaco is in his second year as the head coach at UConn and his second overall as a collegiate head coach. Diaco served on the Notre Dame coaching staff as the defensive coordinator from 2010-13 and was the assistant head coach in 2012 and ‘13. 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. He was a semifinalist for the award in 2011. Diaco joined the Notre Dame staff in 2010 as defensive coordinator and inside linebacker coach, took responsibility for the entire linebacker position in 2011 and added responsibilities as associate head coach in 2012. His 2012 Irish defense ranked among the top 10 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 12 different categories as the school played in the BCS National Championship Game and posted an overall record of 12-1. Diaco has an impressive coaching resume as he served at Virginia (2006-08) as the linebackers and special teams coordinator and Cincinnati (2009) as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach before joining the Notre Dame staff. A native of Cedar Grove, N.J., and a 1995 Iowa graduate, Diaco began his coaching career in 1996-97 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. He then served on the staffs of Western Illinois (1999-2000) as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach, Eastern Michigan (2001-2003) working with the same positions and Central Michigan (2005) as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection at Iowa as a linebacker under Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry and was named the team’s co-MVP in 1995, starting in all 23 games over his junior and senior seasons. HOUSTON HEAD COACH TOM HERMAN Tom Herman is in his first year at Houston and his first year as a collegiate head coach. Herman was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State from 2012-14 as the Buckeyes won the 2015 College Football Championship. He has deep coaching roots in the state of Texas with assistant coaching stints at Iowa State (2009-11), Rice (2007-08), Texas State (2005-06), Sam Houston (2001-04), Texas (19992000 as a GA) and Texas Lutheran (1998). Herman is a 1997 Cal Lutheran graduate, where he played wide receiver.
UConn Schedule/Results Date Opponent (TV) Score/Time 9/3 VILLANOVA (SNY) W, 20-15 9/12 ARMY (CBSSN) W, 22-17 9/19 at Missouri (ESPN) L, 9-6 9/26 NAVY * (CBSSN) L, 28-18 10/2 at BYU (ESPN2) L, 30-13 10/10 at UCF * (ESPNews) W, 40-13 10/17 USF * (ESPNU) L, 28-20 10/24 at Cincinnati * (CBSSN) L, 37-13 10/30 EAST CAROLINA * (ESPNU) W, 31-13 11/7 at Tulane *(ESPNews) W, 7-3 11/21 HOUSTON * (ESPNU) 3:30 p.m. 11/28 at Temple * (ESPNU) 7 p.m. *Denotes American Athletic Conference Game
Houston Schedule/Results Date Opponent (TV) Score/Time 9/5 TENNESSEE TECH W, 52-24 9/12 at Louisville W, 34-31 9/26 TEXAS TECH W, 59-14 10/3 at Tulsa * W, 38-24 10/8 SMU * W, 49-28 10/16 at Tulane * W, 42-7 10/24 at UCF * W, 59-10 10/31 VANDERBILT W, 34-0 11/7 CINCINNATI * W, 33-30 11/14 MEMPHIS * W, 35-34 11/21 at UConn * 3:30 p.m. 11/27 NAVY * 12 p.m. *Denotes American Athletic Conference Game
Radio & TV Coverage TELEVISION COVERAGE Saturday’s game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU. Allen Bestwick is on play-by-play and Dan Hawkins does color. Jim Gaiero is the producer. RADIO COVERAGE 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. The 2015-16 football and men’s and women’s basketball season also marks the third year that the radio rights are held by IMG College, which is UConn’s multi-media rights partner. UConn men’s hockey, a member of the prestigious Hockey East Conference, joins the IMG and WTIC lineup this season with game broadcasts and a coach’s show. Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) call the action with Kevin Nathan on the sidelines and Anthony “Rex” McCalla on production. 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.
Quick Hits •
UConn running back Arkeel Newsome is 20h in the country all-purpose yards at 140.30 per game (2nd in American) and 39th in country in kickoff returns at 24.0 per return (4th in American).
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The Huskies sit at five wins on the season – needing a win in one of their last two games to be bowl eligible for the first time since the 2010 season.
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Houston enters the game ranked No. 13 in the latest Associated Press poll – the highest-ranked team to play at Rentschler Field since UConn beat No. 11 USF on October 27, 2007.
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Sophomore cornerback Jamar Summers lead the American and is tied for fourth nationally in interceptions with 0.6 per game.
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UConn is tied for seventh in the country in interceptions with 15 and is tied for first in the American. The Huskies are also 18th nationally and third in the American in turnover margin.