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BIG EAST MONDAY MORNING QB: WEEK #4

Big East has a strong week on the gridiron, highlighted by taking 2 of 3 in ACC territory

by MICHAEL PINA

In August, heading into the fall, most analysts around the country had the Big East ranked from top to bottom as one of the weakest conferences Division-I football had. Four weeks into the season and those pundits have been proven wrong.

South Florida, without starting quarterback Matt Grothe, went into Tallahassee and absolutely dominated the Seminoles, especially along the line of scrimmage. Rutgers took it to Maryland on the road as well. The Big East could not quite come up with a three-game sweep against the ACC, all on the road, as Pittsburgh squandered a large fourth quarter lead against North Carolina State, narrowly losing in Raleigh.

While the ACC’s heavyweights (Miami, Virginia Tech) are still likely the cream of the crop of the two conferences, from top to bottom, the Big East has shown to be a much more competitive conference than originally predicted.

South Florida (4-0) vs. #18 Florida State (17-7 win)

In front of the largest home crowd in Florida State
history, the Bulls absolutely demolished a strong Seminole offensive line. Freshman quarterback and Tallahassee native B.J. Daniels was the story within the story, rushing for 128 yards and throwing for 215 and two touchdowns. Daniels showed an ability to not only scramble, but elude defenders and get up field like a half back.

With Daniels in the fold and the Bulls defensive line looking like one of the best in the nation, South Florida is riding high as one of two undefeated teams remaining in the conference. Things could get very interesting during Big East play as they received 145 votes in the AP 25 list but have yet to crack the list.

Pittsburgh (3-1) vs. North Carolina State (38-31 Loss)

The first loss of the season for Pittsburgh was a tough one to swallow. With a lead for most of the contest, the Panthers stingy defense was anything but as they allowed NC State quarterback Russell Wilson to pick them apart both with his legs and right arm.

Freshman phenom Dion Lewis looked like he was on his way to another immaculate outing before being held to just 16 yards in the second half. Lewis finished with two scores.

With the ball deep in Wolfpack territory, the Panthers had an opportunity to tie the game with just under two minutes left in the game. Quarterback Bill Stull who finished with just 12
completions, two of them for touchdowns, threw the ball out of the end zone on fourth down and the game was over

Pittsburgh is still a very talented team with the best running back in the conference and a normally effective defense, but this loss was hard to walk away from and it’ll be interesting to see how they can come back next week on a nationally televised stage in Louisville.

Syracuse (2-2) vs. Maine (41-24 win)

Trailing 17-13 at halftime, this could have been a disturbing loss for the Orange. Behind running back Delone Carter’s four touchdowns, Syracuse managed to slink by two fake punts and a couple perfectly executed onside kicks to get the expected home victory against a Division I-AA opponent.

Regardless of the fact that this win came against a relatively weak team, it marked the first time the Orange have been at .500 in three years. Greg Paulus manages to remain the most creative quarterback in the conference, repeatedly ad-libbing in the pocket and more often than not making something out of nothing.

The Orange are playing better than people expected and when it comes down to being the worst team in the conference, Syracuse might be scraping that label off their backs sooner than later.

Connecticut (3-1) vs. Rhode Island (52-10 win)

Similar to Syracuse, the Huskies faced off against a heavily out matched opponent and pulled off a dominating victory.

Behind the running back duo of Andre Dixon (98 yards rushing) and Jordan Todman (three touchdowns), Connecticut led this one from the get go and never really let up.

This is one team that can’t be judged too greatly until conference play starts to heat up, but one thing for certain is that the Huskies are improving each week.

Rutgers (3-1) vs. Maryland (34-13 win)

Defense is the face of Rutgers football this season. It’s the key to their success and the reason for their sole loss. Against a relatively big name ACC opponent and in College Park none the less, the Scarlet Knights forced five turnovers and allowed just 28 yards rushing.

The first play of the game was a 36-yard interception return for a score by Rutgers linebacker Antonio Lowery. In today’s brand of football, it isn’t all that common to find a winning team put 34 points on the board while their quarterback completes less passes than a hand has fingers. With the defense playing like 11, 200-plus pound killer bees, there’s almost no need for an offense.

Rutgers started the season with an embarrassing loss, but after three straight wins they’re looking like a very tough team in an increasingly competitive conference.

Louisville (1-2) vs. Utah (30-14 loss)

This wasn’t expected to be an easy game for Louisville as they traveled to Salt Lake City and were thoroughly ravaged by one of the best teams in the country a season ago. Running back Victor Anderson’s longest run on the day was a measly six yards as he ran for 22 in total. A halftime deficit of 20-0 was more than enough to show it simply wasn’t the Cardinals afternoon.

The only team with a losing record in the Big East,
Louisville has so far been the least impressive program in the conference. All of a sudden they’re playing in a rather deep league which could make for a long October in Louisville.

#10 Cincinnati vs. Fresno State (28-20 win)

While the victory wasn’t its most impressive of the season, the Bearcats still managed to pull away with another non-conference victory. This game mirrored the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts Monday night football game as Fresno State, desperate to keep Cincinnati’s explosive off the field, dominated possession time 43:42 to just 16:18.

Similar to Peyton Manning however, Tony Pike managed to do the most with his rare opportunities, throwing for three touchdowns and 300 yards. Marty Gilyard is looking like one of the most talented receivers in the nation, as he compiled 177 more yards and two touchdowns on his nine receptions. His second score coming in the fourth quarter to extend a three point lead to 11. It was a career day for Gilyard and his sixth 100-yard performance in his last eight games.

Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews carried the ball an unbelievable 38 times in an attempt to keep the clock running and Pike and company on the sideline.

Expect this strategy to be copied by future Big East opponents later on in the season. Also expect lower scoring Cincinnati performances that could eventually lead to a loss.

Big East Top Performers:

South Florida Quarterback B.J. Daniels- A few quotes about Daniels after his memorable debut.

“He’s a great athlete. I’m glad to have him as my quarterback” – Bulls defensive end and team leader George Selvie.

“He killed us. Boy, they’ve got a great one there.” – Florida State’s legendary head coach Bobby Bowden.

South Florida’s entire defensive line- Both top performers had to come from South Florida this week and the biggest reason for the upset was the defensive line’s aggressiveness from the first quarter to the last sack. Just an absolutely demoralizing performance that should really strike fear into the hearts of every Big East offensive coordinator.