The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
UConn at Memphis
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.
Records: UConn 1-4 (0-2 American Athletic Conference); Memphis 3-2 (0-2)
TV: CBSSN
Radio: The River 105.9 ESPN, WINE-940, WXLM-980, WAVZ-1300; WILI-1400 (simulcast on 95.3 FM), WATR-1490
THINGS TO WATCH
1. On the mend: After an impressive opening drive, UConn’s offense never get rolling last week against Cincinnati. One of the issues was that senior quarterback David Pindell finished with season-low marks with five rushing attempts and 22 rushing yards. Pindell admitted that the knee injury he suffered in the previous week’s loss at Syracuse impacted his ability to make plays with his legs. Pindell said he is feeling much better heading into this game. Pindell needs 68 yards to join Pete Petrillo and Bryant Shirreffs as the only UConn quarterbacks with 500 yards rushing in a season.
2. Feeling the pressure: Not much went right for the Huskies last week, but one positive sign was the fact that UConn held Cincinnati star defensive lineman Cortez Broughton without a sack or tackle for a loss. Right tackle Matt Peart, who was named to the Pro Football Focus’ American Athletic Conference Team of the Week for his play, played a major role with a strong bounce-game effort. Memphis will test the Huskies’ line especially Bryce Huff, who had five tackles for loss in the Tigers’ last outing.
3. Not coming down to the wire: In the three previous meetings between the teams, the game’s outcome was decided early. Casey Cochran and Geremy Davis set UConn single-game passing and receiving marks in a season-ending 45-10 win in 2013. Memphis evened the score the following year with a 41-10 victory behind Paxton Lynch’s four TD passes before the Tigers set a program mark with eight touchdown passes in last season’s 70-31 dismantling of the Huskies. Anthony Miller played a starring role in that win and he is now a rookie with the NFL’s Chicago Bears but with the Tigers coming off an upset loss to Tulane, it seems likely that the Memphis players will have something to prove in Saturday’s homecoming game.