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BIG EAST MONDAY MORNING QB: WEEK #6

by Michael Pina

With the conferences two best teams taking a week off, the rest of the Big East was given the opportunity to make statements. West Virginia went on the road, clobbered a clearly outmatched Orange squad and made a case to be ranked in the top 25. Connecticut also went on the road, nearly beating preseason conference favorite Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. Rutgers thoroughly routed out of conference Texas Southern and Louisville barely slipped by Southern Mississippi in another average performance.

Here’s the rundown on the Big East’s four games this past Saturday and what they mean as the season nears the midway mark.

Pittsburgh (5-1) vs. Connecticut (3-2) (24-21 Pitt win)

This game was a simple case of a better team making good use of all four quarters to eek out a hard fought win. Trailing 21-6 late in the third quarter and getting almost no first half production from their quarterback, the Panthers didn’t pack things in. Instead, they made good use of their not so secret weapon, freshman running back Dion Lewis and took over, out gaining the Huskies 147 yards to just six in the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh’s secondary looked a little shaky, giving up a 79-yard-touchdown pass late in the first half on a blatant blown coverage. QB Bill Stull also looked terrible before he hurt himself late in the first half but managed to compose himself for the fourth quarter where he throw two touchdown passes and converted a crucial two point conversion to tie the game.

Connecticut showed they can play with the conference’s best, but aren’t quite there yet to be considered a part of the elite.

West Virginia (4-1) vs. Syracuse (2-4) (34-13 WVU win)

On the road against what I consider to be a Syracuse team that isn’t as bad as their record indicates, the Mountaineers showed how good they can be when they don’t carelessly turn the ball over. Jarrett Brown had an efficient day, completing 22 out of 30 passes with no interceptions.

Noel Devine had another stellar game, rushing for 91 yards and getting in the end zone twice. With this impressive performance, the Mountaineers should be in line for a top 25 ranking sooner than later. Their only loss has come against one of the most explosive offenses in the SEC at Auburn and in that game they turned the ball over several times and still remained in position to win.

Syracuse benched starting quarterback Greg Paulus at halftime after he could only complete five passes for 30 yards and an interception through the first two quarters. Sophomore Ryan Nassib came in and threw two touchdowns, one going to Mike Williams who with it tied Marvin Harrison for second on Syracuse’s touchdown reception list obtaining 20 for his career. Williams showed it doesn’t matter who throws him the ball, he’ll go up and get it; he’s the Orange’s lone bright spot right now.

Rutgers (4-1) vs. Texas Southern (1-4) (42-0 win)

If any team in the country has a clear identity, it’s the Scarlet Knights and their defense. Holding a Texas Southern team that put 75 points up just a few weeks ago (albeit against Texas College) to nil on the scoreboard and -25 yards rushing was quality.

Jonathan Freeny had 2.5 sacks for Rutgers as they totaled seven in total on the day. Texas Southern was Rutgers’ second Football Championship Subdivision opponent this season and the win won’t count towards the six needed to gain a bowl berth. Nonetheless, Greg Schiano’s club did what it was expected to do and his defense is looking like a different unit than we saw in the season’s opening loss to #8 Cincinnati.

The Scarlet Knight’s also forced four turnovers including a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Seeing if they can keep up their tough defense against conference opponents is the big question.

Louisville (2-3) vs. Southern Mississisppi (3-3) (25-23 win)

With an uninspired victory at home against a mediocre out of conference opponent, Louisville once again looked like the worst team in the Big East. It’s tough to give them this designation even after grinding out a win, but the Cardinals looked bland, trailing by a point with just over two minutes to go before kicking a winning field goal with 30 seconds to go.

Sophomore running back Victor Anderson looks like the Cardinals only real offensive option as he ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries.
Three of Louisville’s next four games are on the road against some of the most resilient teams the Big East has to offer. They should find themselves in a deep hole by the time November rolls around.

Quote of the Week

“This was Round 1. We had to come out strong and set the tone for the rest of the Big East, show them what we’re about.” — West Virginia FB Ryan Clarke

Big East Top Performers

Rutgers Junior Defensive End- Jonathan Freeny. With 2.5 sacks against Texas Southern, Freeny is now averaging over one sack per game. The junior (no relation to Dwight) is third in the Big East in tackles for loss and second in sacks.

West Virginia Quarterback Jarrett Brown- Brown showed just how devastating West Virginia could be when he doesn’t throw any interceptions as he led them to a huge road win in a raucous Carrier Dome.