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BIG EAST MONDAY MORNING QB: WEEK #9

by Michael Pina

After nine weeks, two teams look like they’re starting to separate themselves from the rest of the league as both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh find themselves ranked in the top 15 with the Panthers looking forward to a November 14th nationally televised primetime showdown against Notre Dame. Last year’s Irish vs. Panther match-up played out like an intense online Texas Hold em duel, but instead of a pair of card sharks matching wits, a pair of former NFL coaches, Dave Wannstedt and Charlie Weiss, tried to call the other’s bluff.

One of the biggest question marks right now in the conference however, is coming out of upstate New York where the Syracuse Orange’s best player Mike Williams abruptly quit the program this morning in a surprising development.

On to this past week’s games. We only had four of them, but two of the conference match-ups really showed just how competitive Big East football has become. Any team (except Louisville) can win on any given Saturday.

#25 South Florida (6-2, 2-2) vs. West Virginia (6-2, 2-1) (30-19 South Florida win)

Coming into this game, West Virginia had shaped themselves into an extremely explosive ball club, with Noel Devine looking and acting like the six point threat he is every time the ball is tucked inside his forearm. On Friday their defense, in particular the secondary, was seriously taken advantage of.

Behind B.J. Daniels, South Florida (one of the most up and down, unpredictable teams in the nation) and his three touchdown passes, the Bulls surprised everybody but themselves on how talented a football team they can be.

Noel Devine ran for just 42 yards, three more than his quarterback, but the Mountaineers remained in the game up until the fourth quarter when the Bulls’ stingy defense didn’t allow Devine to get outside or Jarrett Brown to have any kind of success in the passing game.

#5 Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0) vs. Syracuse (0-3, 3-5) (28-7 Cincinnati win)

The story on the field here was clearly Cincinnati back-up quarterback Zach Collaros who threw for four touchdowns and no interceptions. Through two and a half games of action, Collaros has a completion percentage of 75 percent, nine touchdowns, one interception and 213 yards rushing. He’s making coach Brian Kelly look like a genuine genius while at the same time keeping the Bearcats perfect season hopes alive.

On the flip side, Syracuse is in shambles. The details are a little shady as of right now, but what we do know is that star wide receiver Mike Williams quit the team this morning. This isn’t as shocking as it seems, as Williams had a few off the field problems with new head coach Doug Marrone and his strict policies.

Williams is one of the best wide receivers in the nation and quite possibly could be selected on the NFL draft’s first day.

Rutgers (6-2, 1-2) vs. Connecticut (4-4, 1-3) (28-24 Rutgers win)

If you missed the final minute of this contest, it’s a must see.

The Huskies looked like they were going to win in dramatic fashion in their first home game since the death of Jasper Howard when on fourth and goal with 38 seconds left, Jordan Todman rumbled into the end zone to take a 24-21 lead.

Rutgers immediately responded on an 81-yard touchdown catch by Scarlet Knight’s receiver Tim Brown, a childhood friend of the deceased Howard and the magic was effectively sucked out of Rentschler Field.

The Huskies have now lost four games this season by a combined 13 points. Things have been tougher than tough in more ways than one, but Connecticut keeps on fighting.

Louisville (3-5, 0-3) vs. Arizona State (21-13 Louisville win)

With a 21-3 lead late in the third quarter, Louisville almost choked away an out of conference contest against Arkansas State.

Granted they were forced to start redshirt freshman Will Stein, who finished with 232 yards and one interception, but the Cardinals defense gave everybody a scare before the Red Wolves’ Corey Leonard let a possible tying touchdown pass soar over his intended receiver’s head in the end zone.

Louisville has four games remaining on their schedule; all against tough Big East opponents. The 2009 season couldn’t come to a close any quicker for Cardinals fans.

Big East Top Performers

Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros- Looking like a young Matt Grothe, Collaros is making more plays outside of the pocket than in it.

Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage- In his first Big East road start, the freshman threw for three touchdowns, including a game winner in the game’s closing moments.

Quote of the Week

“Could we be [undefeated]? Yeah, but the reality of it is that we’re four and four,” he said. “And the reality of it is, we’ve got to understand how to finish these games off and make the plays at the end in order to win.”
-Connecticut Head Coach Randy Edsall

Power Poll

Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
South Florida
West Virginia
Rutgers
Connecticut
Louisville
Syracuse