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BIG EAST WEEKEND PREVIEW: WEEK #13

Annual “Backyard Brawl” between Pitt & WVU takes center stage

By Raphielle Johnson

One of the fiercest rivalries in the game will be played on Friday night (7PM on ESPN2) in Morgantown and it would be a conservative statement to say that these two schools don’t like each other. The Panthers (9-1, 5-0) return to Morgantown for the first time since their upset of the Mountaineers in 2007, a result that knocked West Virginia (7-3, 3-2) out of a possible national title berth and could be seen as a program-changing result for both.

West Virginia did go on to win the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl with a dominant performance over Oklahoma, but that result changed the atmosphere surrounding Dave Wannstedt’s program. The Panthers won nine games last season and have followed that up with one of their best seasons as a Big East football member. Bill Stull, inconsistent throughout his career in the Steel City, has played the best football of his career due to improved decision-making and the presence of offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.

The Pittsburgh native calling the plays has done a masterful job of using the run (backs Dion Lewis and Ray Graham) and the pass (Jonathan Baldwin, Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham) all season long and if not for a defensive letdown in the second half at NC State the Panthers are undefeated. The match of wits between Cignetti Jr. and West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel will likely determine the outcome in Morgantown. As for the West Virginia offense, their explosive playmaking ability has sometimes been short-circuited by their propensity to turn the ball over.

The Mountaineers rank seventh in the conference in giveaways (22), a stat that bears watching on Friday night when they take on the Big East’s best defense. Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas will need to win the battle inside while the Panthers’ defensive ends, led by Greg Romeus, will need to duplicate their performance against USF in which they kept contain and made plays behind the line of scrimmage for sixty minutes. If Noel Devine and Jock Sanders can find open spaces look out. Both, along with freshman receiver Tavon Austin, have the speed to turn a routine play into something special.

The last two years it’s been Pittsburgh who has won the turnover battle and thus the game. West Virginia needs to at the least break even if they’re to gain the upper hand on their bitter rivals.

Other Games in the Big East:

Rutgers (7-3, 2-3) @ Louisville (4-7, 1-5) (Friday, 11AM on ESPN2)

The Cardinals may be closing in on the final days of the Steve Kragthorpe era while Rutgers looks to bounce back from an embarrassing performance in their loss to Syracuse last week. Neither offense is going to light up the scoreboard on its own accord and that likely means that the Rutgers defense will have the edge going into Friday’s contest. The Scarlet Knights are second in the conference in total defense while the Cardinals are seventh, which could mean opportunities for receivers Mohamed Sanu and Tim Brown. With running back Victor Anderson out and an offense that has struggled all season long you have to wonder what Louisville will bring to the table in the final chapter of what has been a frustrating campaign.

The same could have been said about Syracuse last week but all they did was dominate the Scarlet Knights behind one of the best individual defensive efforts in recent Big East history (LB Doug Hogue). The Cardinals have a consistent defensive presence in LB Jon Dempsey but there have been far too many holes in the unit this season, especially when considering that anemic offense. If Rutgers shows up for the early start ready to play they should win but you never know.

Illinois @ #5 Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0) (Friday, Noon on ABC)

Tony Pike returns to the starting lineup on Senior Day at Nippert Stadium in a game that could prove tricky for the Bearcats. Illinois has been one of the biggest disappointments in college football but there is individual talent that can burn you if they show up to play. Juice Williams returns at quarterback for the Illini after sitting out last week due to injury and WR Arrelous Benn is one of the more physically gifted receivers in the nation. But Illinois also runs a spread option attack that plays right into the hands of a defense that ranks among the nation’s best in tackles for loss.

As for the high-powered Bearcat attack they’ve got a pair of quarterbacks who bring different skill sets to the table, a fast receiving corps and a running back in Isaiah Pead who gets overlooked yet has the ability to make plays on the ground as well as in the passing game. About the only thing that can stop Cincinnati on Friday would be turnovers and the Illini haven’t been the best at forcing miscues or slowing teams down period. If things go according to plan the Bearcats may find themselves in “style points” mode when it comes to the BCS Standings.

Syracuse (4-7, 1-5) @ Connecticut (5-5, 1-4) (Saturday, Noon on Big East Network)

The Orange have no shot at getting to a bowl game but their season finale will likely qualify as such due to the presence of an emerging rival. Connecticut finally got that close win last week, beating Notre Dame in double overtime to breathe life into their bowl hopes as well as possibly preserving all Big East bowl tie-ins for Big East members. The Huskies are moving the ball more effectively thanks to the running back tandem of Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon and an improved passing attack, but they’ve had issues when it comes to stopping teams.

Traditionally one of the tougher defenses in the Big East to move the ball on, Connecticut is last in the conference in total defense. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t players for the Syracuse offense to worry about. The linebacker triumvirate of Greg Lloyd Jr., Lawrence Wilson and Scott Lutrus is one of the better units that the conference can offer and DE Lindsey Witten leads the conference with 11.5 sacks. The secondary is where the issues lie but they performed much better in the second half of their win last week. Youngsters Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz are growing more confident by the week and that should serve them well against a Syracuse passing game that relies on quick timing routes to move the ball through the air.

Greg Paulus and Ryan Nassib are at the stage where they’re splitting reps for Doug Marrone and they can be effective so long as they take care of the football. Mike Williams quit the team a couple of weeks ago but Syracuse does have a pair of solid running backs in Averin Collier and Delone Carter. The question mark for the Orange: an offensive line that’s been porous for much of the season. Defensively Syracuse is solid if not spectacular, although Doug Hogue had a performance for the ages last weekend in their 31-13 pasting of Rutgers with 6.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks.

What’s said for the Orange quarterbacks can also be said for Zach Frazer: take care of the football and the Huskies are in business. Look for a low-scoring affair at The Rent with a turnover or special teams play (where both have struggled although Syracuse’s issues may be considered worse) deciding the outcome.

Miami @ South Florida (7-3, 3-3) (Saturday, 3:30PM on ABC)

It’s been said all week that this is the kind of game that Jim Leavitt doesn’t have to worry about firing up his kids for. While that statement may be true it may also be indicative of why the Bulls have yet to break through and win a Big East title. But that discussion is for another day and both teams need this win for their seasons never mind the possible recruiting ramifications. Miami QB Jacory Harris has been banged up in recent weeks, injuring his throwing hand two weeks ago against North Carolina.

The problem for Randy Shannon has been there all season: his only backup is true freshman A.J. Highsmith. If Harris goes down or struggles with turnovers he’s essentially got nowhere else to turn but the Hurricanes have plenty of young weapons at the skill positions. Backs Graig Cooper, Damien Berry and Javarris James can all tote the football while there’s also a young corps of receivers to get the ball to through the air. The key for Miami will be to keep Harris’ jersey clean with bookends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul being two of the better pass rushers in the Big East.

USF’s offense has also had issues with turnovers, handing the ball over to the opposition nineteen times but their ability to get the ball back (+2 turnover margin) has served them well and could again this week. The Hurricanes are also still in the “considered” lot for a BCS at-large selection even though their blowout loss to Virginia Tech (also in the mix) would make it a tough sell. The motivation of breaking into Florida’s “Big Three” will play a role in the Bulls’ performance and with both teams ranking at or near the bottom of their respective conferences in penalties who can keep their emotions in check will likely win this game.