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A LOOK AHEAD TO WEEK #9 IN BIG EAST FOOTBALL

South Florida looks to salvage season hosting West Virginia this week

By Raphielle Johnson

Having the look of a possible Big East title contender at the end of September, the USF Bulls once again had issues once the calendar hit October. Losing the conference home opener to Cincinnati shouldn’t have been as costly as it’s become given how good the Bearcats are. But USF (5-2, 1-2) hasn’t shown themselves to be the best at managing the disappointment of losing a “big game”, following up that loss with a beating at the hands of Pittsburgh last week.

USF was never in that game, going into the locker room at the half down 31-7 on their way to a 41-14 defeat. Now they’ve essentially been relegated to the role of spoiler, yet thanks to their schedule this is their last shot at derailing a contender. West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) comes to town on Friday night (8 PM on ESPN2), hoping to limit their turnovers and avenge their loss at Raymond James Stadium two years ago. The Mountaineers should be in good spirits following a wild 28-24 victory over Connecticut in an emotional game last Saturday.

Noel Devine’s touchdown run with 2:10 go won the game, and the ability of he and Jarrett Brown to find running lanes makes gap discipline very important for Bob Diaco’s defense. “Discipline” is a good word to use for this big game with USF ranking dead last in the conference in penalties. This team isn’t good enough to give away 79.7 yards per game, and in their last two games they’ve lost 113 (Cincinnati) and 71 (Pittsburgh) yards in penalties. Unless your talent is superior by a wide margin you can’t compete for championships doing that.

West Virginia had some issues defensively in regards to big plays in the passing game against the Huskies, but can B.J. Daniels be accurate enough to make them pay? He’s completed just 47.5% of his passes in the last two games, attempting just eight in the loss to the Panthers. If USF can run the ball (WVU is 2nd in the Big East in rushing defense) that may not be an issue. But if Chris Neild, Reed Williams and company can take away the Bulls’ spread run game that will put a lot of pressure on the right arm of the redshirt freshman. And that could likely be a bad thing for USF.

It’s a “circle the wagons” game for the Bulls while West Virginia looks to keep pace in the conference title race. And until USF learns how to treat every game as a season unto itself they’ll have to settle for the spoiler role in the future.

The rest of the Big East schedule this weekend:

Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0) @ Syracuse (3-4, 0-2) Noon on ESPNU

It’s unknown for sure whether or not Tony Pike (forearm) will be able to go but Brian Kelly is preparing Zach Collaros as if he’s going to be the starter. Not that going to Collaros cost the Bearcats much against Louisville last weekend; Zach completed fifteen of seventeen passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns (no interceptions), also rushing for fifty-two yards in the 41-10 victory. His versatility will pose a serious problem for a Syracuse defense that ranks seventh in total defense and last in pass defense. The fact that the Orange are the best in the conference at defending the run, giving up just over eighty-three yards per game, likely won’t do them much good when it comes to slowing down the likes of Mardy Gilyard and Armon Binns.

Their success will open things up for backs Isaiah Pead and Jacob Ramsey; this one could get out of hand. The Syracuse offense is still searching for results, beating a bad Akron team on the strength of RB Delone Carter (170 yards, 3 TDs). If that performance is a sign of things to come Syracuse may be able to keep the ball away from the explosive Cincinnati offense. But they’re still last in the Big East in rushing offense and total offense, and going up against a defense that leads the conference in interceptions (13) and ranks second in sacks (29) certainly won’t help matters. A win would be huge for the growth of Doug Marrone’s program but all signs point towards a Bearcat victory.

Rutgers (5-2, 0-2) @ Connecticut (4-3, 1-2) Noon on Big East Network

Saturday marks the first home game for the Huskies since the passing of CB Jasper Howard, and they’ll be looking to continue their progression in the passing game against a defense that is second in the conference against the pass. Cody Endres did throw three interceptions against West Virginia last weekend but the 378 yards and two scores may be a sign that the air attack is ready to take the next step. It also doesn’t hurt that WR Marcus Easley has stepped up his play exponentially in his final campaign. For an offense that’s lacked a big-play threat on the perimeter he’s been a welcome contributor.

Rutgers has five wins against non-conference opponents but they haven’t fared as well against Big East foes. The key for Greg Schiano’s team will be the health of the running game. Joe Martinek rushed for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Scarlet Knights’ 27-10 victory at Army. Connecticut ranks sixth in the conference in total defense, a departure from previous years in which the Huskies were among the league’s best units, so there could be some openings for Tom Savage and company.

But if they fail to keep tabs on where DE Lindsey Witten (league-leading 10.5 sacks) is at all times the freshman could spend a lot of time picking himself up off of the Rentschler Field turf. This should be a close football game with the advantage going to the team that wins the turnover battle (Rutgers leads the conference in turnover margin).

Arkansas State (2-4, 1-2) @ Louisville (2-5, 0-3) 3:30 PM on Big East Network (Local)

The Cardinals need a win here, much like they did against Southern Miss a couple of weeks ago. And like the Golden Eagles the Red Wolves have the ability to be a dangerous opponent, having won at Texas A&M last season. Picked to be a contender for the Sun Belt title the Red Wolves ended a four-game losing streak with a win over Florida International last weekend. QB Cory Leonard can be a threat on the ground, having rushed for 120 yards in the win, supplementing the consistent showing of RB Reggie Arnold. These are the two players most important to Arkansas State’s offensive efficiency and the Cardinals must contain them if they’re to win.

Louisville’s quarterback situation went through the ringer at Cincinnati last week with Adam Froman and Justin Burke both failing to finish the game, leaving the job to Will Stein. The three quarterbacks combined to throw for just 145 yards, and with backs Darius Ashley and Victor Anderson kept under wraps that was a recipe for a blowout. The Cardinals are sixth in the Big East in total offense and dead last in scoring offense, and this game likely represents their best opportunity to pick up another win before the end of the season.

Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0) has a bye in advance of their game against Syracuse on November 7th.