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A LOOK AHEAD TO WEEK #3 IN BIG EAST FOOTBALL

Statement weekend for the Big East

By Raphielle Johnson

After two weekends of games primarily against schedule fillers it’s time for the Big East to show its worth to a national audience. The conference that’s been disrespected by so many (including a few who don’t seem like they know what’s going on in the conference) will have the chance in a few marquee games to make a statement. Whether or not that message is noticed is another matter, but it surely can’t hurt the conference to win the lion’s share of its matchups.

The biggest game on the docket for the conference? That would either be defending conference champion Cincinnati visiting Oregon State (6:45 PM on Fox Sports Net) or West Virginia taking on Auburn. The pick here is Tony Pike, Mardy Gilyard and company hitting Corvallis for what will likely be a high-scoring affair. The Bearcats made the Big East’s biggest statement so far in blowing out Rutgers in the season opener and followed that up with a beating of Southeast Missouri State.

The question going into the season was how ten new starters would adjust to the change from the 4-3 to new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s 3-4 scheme. The detractors clearly ignored the fact that seven of those new starters are seniors; they’ve been through the battles. But now comes their biggest test of the young season, and the Bearcats will have to figure out a way to corral brothers James (wide receiver) and Jacquizz (running back) Rodgers if they’re to leave Corvallis with a win.

Oregon State will also have their hands full in slowing down Brian Kelly’s prolific attack, with Pike and Gilyard being two of the key weapons. In a game as close as this one looks to be, keep an eye on special teams. Gilyard is one of the nation’s best in the return game and the Bearcats have a decided advantage in that department.

Here’s the rest of the Big East schedule for Saturday, and as of Tuesday night there was no change to the television status of Connecticut/Baylor. As of right now in order to see the game you’ll have to order it at www.baylorbears.com for a fee of $6.95.

Louisville @ Kentucky (Noon EST on ESPNU)

The Cardinals weren’t especially impressive in their season-opening win over Indiana State, a team who had already lost to an NAIA team this season. This weekend brings the battle of the Commonwealth, with Steve Kragthorpe’s team looking to erase the memories of last year’s embarrassing 27-2 loss. Louisville had more turnovers (five) than points, resulting in the dominating final score despite the fact that the Wildcats outgained the Cardinals by just five yards (210-205). Justin Burke needs to rebound from a subpar effort in which he tossed a pair of interceptions, and the fact that Louisville outgained Indiana State by a ratio of 4:1 was lost in fourteen penalties and 1-for-9 on third downs. Such numbers will result in the Cardinals getting pasted in Lexington.

Rich Brooks’ Wildcats were far more impressive in their season opener, shutting out Miami (Ohio) 42-0 behind a solid effort from QB Mike Hartline and 245 yards rushing as a team. WR Randall Cobb, formerly a quarterback, provides Kentucky with a playmaker in the passing game that their in-state rivals currently lack and there are a few options at running back. But the most important player from Louisville’s point of view could be cornerback Trevard Lindley, arguably the best at his position in the country. If Burke finds him too often Lindley could take one back, as he did against the Redhawks. If Louisville doesn’t take better care of the football the end result will be a repeat of last year’s beating.

Connecticut @ Baylor (5 PM; No TV)

This is the definition of a bounce-back game, with the Huskies needing a positive result to cover up the sting of their loss to North Carolina last week. Leading 10-0 after three quarters Randy Edsall’s team paid a heavy price for being unable to move the ball consistently on offense. The running game, normally the backbone of the Connecticut offense, could only muster seventy-two yards on thirty-five carries. Combined with a passing game that hasn’t shown much progress from 2008, the Huskies eventually found themselves on the losing end of a painful loss.

Also lost was starting QB Zach Frazer (right knee), who will miss at least the next two games. Cody Endres is the man slated to take over, provided he gets over an illness in time to get in enough work in practice. If he can’t go then it will be true freshman Mike Box, who Coach Edsall wanted to redshirt this season. Baylor head coach Art Briles has no such issues at quarterback thanks to the presence of dynamic sophomore Robert Griffin III. Griffin accounted for 254 yards and four touchdowns (three passing) in last season’s meeting, a 31-28 Husky victory in East Hartford. But unlike other dual threat quarterbacks Robert takes very good care of the football, something that Riley Skinner couldn’t do (three interceptions) in Wake Forest’s 24-21 loss to the Bears two weeks ago.

The most talented position on the field Saturday when looking at the personnel for both teams: linebacker. The Huskies are solid with Scott Lutrus (missed last week due to injury but returns for Baylor), Greg Lloyd Jr. and Lawrence Wilson, and Baylor will counter with one of the Big 12’s best in senior Joe Pawelek. For Connecticut Saturday will be about more than the result; what happens and how it happens could determine their path for the rest of 2009.

Florida International @ Rutgers (5 PM on SNY)

Another game for Tom Savage and company to get their bearing about them; the Scarlet Knights aren’t expected to see a true test until they visit Maryland on the 26th. But in FIU they’ll see a familiar face in head coach Mario Cristobal, a former assistant at RU who helped establish the “State of Rutgers” recruiting pipeline that resulted in the most successful period in the history of Rutgers Football. One of the best recruiters in college football, Cristobal has some athletes on the roster that you wouldn’t have associated with an FIU before he returned to his hometown.

But even with the improvements that Cristobal has made to the Florida International program this shouldn’t not be a nail biter. Savage made a few mistakes regarding reads in the passing game against Howard last week but got away with them because the Bison couldn’t hold onto a pair of interceptions. Also, Rutgers will likely welcome back RB Kordell Young, who has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his college career. He’ll be rusty, but the Golden Panthers are a good team to see when working out those kinks.

Navy @ Pittsburgh (6 PM on ESPN 360)

The Midshipmen will provide the Panthers with an unorthodox test, and it’s one that Pittsburgh could fail if they don’t pay attention to detail. The primary objective in defending the option: assignment football, as in “do your job”. When you get guys flying around without a purpose is when things go wrong, as evidenced by Navy’s game effort at Ohio State. QB Ricky Dobbs may be the best dual threat quarterback in Annapolis in some time, possessing the ability to execute the running portion of the option attack while also being able to make opponents pay through the air. But Pitt was quite effective in last season’s meeting, “holding” the Midshipmen to 194 yards on the ground (4.1 yards per carry). If they can do the same and render Navy’s attack one-dimensional they should take care of business.

LeSean McCoy was also a big part of last year’s win, rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns. He may be gone, but Dion Lewis has proven to be one of the nation’s best freshmen in his first two games of the season. In two games Lewis has 319 yards rushing and four touchdowns, taking some pressure off of the shoulders of Bill Stull. Stull has been quite effective thus far despite the booing of the home fans in their opener against Youngstown State. The senior has a passer rating of 155.0 and five touchdown passes (one interception) this season. The yards may not be as high as some of the nation’s more prolific passers, but is he really needed to throw for 400 yards every game? If it ever gets to that point then you know that the Panthers are in trouble. If they can stay balanced against Navy then they’ll move to 3-0.

Charleston Southern @ USF (7 PM on Bullsvision)

Charleston Southern has already been to the State of Florida once this season, playing the sacrificial lamb role to Florida on the opening weekend. USF once again got off to a slow start against Western Kentucky, but they turned it on in the game’s final thirty minutes to win going away. One issue that Jim Leavitt’s team may want to get a handle on now instead of getting hurt by it in conference play: penalties. The Bulls had nine against the Hilltoppers, and while they haven’t faced an opponent that’s equipped to make them pay it’s an issue that could do irreparable harm if not handled.

Another area to work on: rushing defense. USF allowed Western Kentucky to rush for 200 yards, just one week after Tennessee held the Hilltoppers to just thirty-four yards on the ground. That can’t happen if they’re to challenge for the Big East title. Look for the Bulls to work hard at shoring up the run defense against Charleston Southern in advance of their trip to Florida State next weekend.

Northwestern @ Syracuse (7 PM on Big East Network)

Northwestern is a team that some pegged to make a move up the Big Ten standings before the season began, but they hardly looked the role in struggling to beat Eastern Michigan last weekend. While that was going on Greg Paulus and company were being dominated in Happy Valley by a very good Penn State team. Unlike last week’s road trip, however, the Orange have a game that is winnable to say the least. The Wildcats had three turnovers in last weekend’s 27-24 win, two of which came on fumbles. QB Mike Kafka is a capable signal-caller, and the skill position players are an example of the whole being better than the sum of the parts.

Syracuse needs to establish some sort of running game to have a shot at their first win of the season, not to mention winning games down the line. Doug Marrone’s team currently ranks 105th nationally in rushing offense (77.5 ypg) and 111th in total offense (228.5 ypg). You can’t expect Paulus to be a miracle worker; the best friend of a quarterback (especially an inexperience one) is a solid running game. The horses are there with Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey being two talented options, but the production hasn’t been. Northwestern allowed EMU to rush for 172 yards last weekend; Syracuse will have opportunities to make things happen on the ground, relieving Paulus of some pressure to make plays.

West Virginia @ Auburn (7:45 PM on ESPN2)

Bill Stewart’s Mountaineers looked very good in avenging last season’s loss to East Carolina with Jarrett Brown winning Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors due to his outstanding play. But things will get tougher on Saturday night with Gene Chizik bringing a new attitude to the Auburn Tigers. Auburn’s defense has always been formidable; what new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has done on that side of the ball makes Auburn a team that few WVU fans will recognize from their 2008 meeting. Rendered inept by an ill-fitting system in 2008, Auburn currently ranks fourth nationally in total offense (572.5 ypg).

Chris Todd has taken care of the football as starting quarterback with Kodi Burns coming in to provide a dual-threat change of pace. Burns leads Auburn with four rushing touchdowns while backs Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb have shared the bulk of the load in the running game (Auburn averages 345.5 yards per game on the ground). That’s a far cry from the team who took a 17-3 lead in Morgantown last season, only to give up thirty-one consecutive points while managing just 260 yards (only thirty-three in the second half) of offense in the 34-17 Mountaineer win.

Noel Devine is back, he of the career-high 207 yards in last season’s meeting. West Virginia ran for 271 yards on the night, and that was at a time in which opponents gave a lot more respect to the ground game. With Brown at the controls Coach Stewart and the offensive staff has opened things up through the air (19th nationally in total offense) while not losing their explosive ability on the ground, making this a tougher offense to corral. How well West Virginia does at Auburn will depend on two factors: their offensive balance, and the defense’s ability to stop the run. Take care of those areas and they could fly home with a win.