Louk's Closer Look: Bulls Ready for Road Test at UConn
NEXT GAME: USF (1-3, 0-1) at UConn (1-3, 0-1)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/noon
LOCATION: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn.
TV/RADIO: CBS Sports Network (
live stream at noon, TV air time 7 p.m.)/USF Radio Network:
Over the Air: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 11-5 (Bulls won last meeting, 38-30, in 2018)
GAME NOTES: USF (PDF) |
UConn (PDF)
By JIM LOUK
Voice of the Bulls
TAMPA, OCT. 3, 2019 – A big part of USF's football history may come to a close Saturday.
With UConn's imminent conference departure, this is the last scheduled visit to Hartford for the Bulls, and their last scheduled game against one of their most common opponents. There's some urgency on both sides. Both the Bulls and Huskies are 1-3, and both lost their conference opener last week.
Here's a little information on the matchup, which has more history than most for the Bulls:
- First a word about the start time, which has been moved up until noon. There is concern over mosquito-borne illness in the northeast, so playing in the daylight hours at this time of year certainly makes sense. Most visiting teams will tell you that daytime games make for easier scheduling on the road, so we'll see if the Bulls can make the unusual circumstance work to their advantage.
This will be the 17th meeting in the series. The Bulls won the first one in 2000 in the only game played on the UConn campus. Throughout the Big East and American years, the teams have played every season. UConn won the first four in Hartford, but the Bulls have won the last three.- The Bulls have beaten the Huskies seven times in a row. USF's last loss in the series was back in 2011.
- USF still has some great defensive statistical marks for the season. The Bulls are No. 2 nationally in turnovers forced (13), No. 3 in fumbles recovered (7), and No. 3 in tackles for loss (9.8 per game).
- Even though the Bulls hold a commanding 11-5 series advantage over the Huskies, most of the games have been close. Twelve of the 16 games have been decided by 10 points or less. UConn has never beaten the Bulls since both teams joined the American.
With nine career receiving touchdowns, Mitchell Wilcox could move up to ninth all-time at USF in this game. If he gets one touchdown reception, he'll tie RJ Anderson and Hugh Smith on the all-time list.- The Huskies football program dates back to 1896. They made the 1-AA playoffs in 1998 (under head coach Skip Holtz) and have played in six bowl games, the most recent being in 2015.
- UConn has played in six conferences, including the Yankee, Atlantic 10, and Big East. The Huskies were a football independent from 2000 to 2003 and are expected to return to that status after this season.
As mentioned, kickoff is now scheduled for noon. TV will handled by the CBS Sports Network with live streaming at noon and the tape-delayed broadcast set for 7 p.m. Our radio coverage begins bright and early at 10 a.m. with our first pregame hour exclusive to USF Bulls Unlimited through the free iHeart radio app. We'll start on WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM at 1 p.m.
The Bulls return home after this for the homecoming game against first time opponent BYU. It's the only home game in October for the Bulls, so make sure to call 1-800-GoBulls, or visit USFBullsTix.com to get your tickets. Horns Up!
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
– #GoBulls –
