Football Opens 112th Varsity Season on Saturday at Connecticut

Sept. 2, 2011

East Hartford, Conn. -

Complete Fordham Game Notes | Complete UConn Game Notes

The Fordham University football Rams open their 112th varsity season on Saturday, September 3rd, as they travel up to East Hartford, Conn., to face the University of Connecticut Huskies in Rentschler Stadium at noon.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Bob Picozzi handling the play-by-play and Christian Fauria on color commentary as well as on WFUV (90.7 FM) and on the internet at wfuv.org with Kyle Kesses and Ricky Cibrano handling the announcing chores and Andrew O'Connell on the sidelines.

Fordham enters the game after going 5-6 in 2010. Connecticut enters the season after going 8-5 last fall, 5-2 in the Big East. The Huskies won the Big East championship and advanced to the 2011 Fiesta Bowl where they fell to Oklahoma, 48-20.

This will be the second meeting between Fordham and Connecticut on the gridiron. The Rams won the only other meeting, 35-0, in 1915. The game will be Fordham's first ever game against an NCAA FBS school (the FBS was started in 1998).

The Fordham University Rams are 45-28 all-time in season openers since 1920, 6-16 since moving to the NCAA FCS in 1989. They have dropped the past two openers prior to winning two straight. The Rams fell at Bryant last year, 44-30, and dropped a 41-28 decision at Rhode Island in 2009. The last Fordham season-opening win was a 16-0 shutout of Rhode Island in 2008.

Eight members of the 2011 Fordham roster hail from Connecticut, led by senior linebacker Andre Delaire (Bloomfield), safety Brendan Melanophy (Danbury) and tight end Nick Talbert, who will be returning home to Hartford. Other Rams who are natives of the Nutmeg State are Andrew Milmore (Fairfield), Billy DeLuca (Riverside), Jordan Chapman and Jake Rodriques (Southington) and Brett Biestek (Wallingford).

Additionally, the Rams have two former Huskies on their staff, wide receivers coach and football operations director Patrick Maguire, a 2009 UConn grad, and defensive backs coach Tim Cary, who served as a graduate assistant for the Huskies from 2007-09.

Rams in the News

Here are some recent links to Fordham football in the news:

Fordham football faces UConn in opener (NY Post)

Rams from Connecticut excited to face Huskies (CTPost.com)

Big opportunity awaits Staten Islander Jonathan Sheridan and Fordham (SI Advance)

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