University of Connecticut will play host to Syracuse University at Rentschler Field on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET in East Hartford. This weekend's Big East Conference match-up will air live on ESPNU.
In seven previous outings, the Huskies (3-5, 1-2 Big East) lead the Orange (5-3, 1-2 Big East) by a score of 5-2.
As we highlighted right here on SB Nation in our pre-game preview, most of the talk surrounding Saturday's Big East battle is centered on Huskies coach Paul Pasqualoni, who knows the Orange team as well as anyone.
He was once their coach.
Syracuse is coming off its first Big East road game loss since 2009, a 27-10 shellacking to the Cardinals at Papa John's Stadium in Louisville. UConn wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire in its last outing either, falling to Pittsburgh 35-20 at Heinz Field back on Oct. 26.
Running back Lyle McCombs, who's averaging over 100 yards rushing per game, is sure to be a key weapon in the Connecticut offense; however, quarterback Johnny McEntee still needs to take advantage of the Syracuse secondary, which has been suspect at best.
Simply put, there's a lot on the line for both teams heading into Saturday's showdown.
Game date, time: 12 p.m. ET, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011
Location: Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut
TV channel: ESPNU
Spread: Huskies are favored by two points
Series history: UConn leads the all-time series, 5-2
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Connecticut Huskies blog The UConn Blog and Syracuse Orange blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Here’s the complete Week 10 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.