Game Recaps

LEGAUX STRUGGLES AS RUTGERS RE-ENTERS RACE

Scarlet Knights, Cardinals share first place

By Raphielle Johnson

Many had questions as to how sophomore quarterback Munchie Legaux would perform in his first collegiate start as he took over for injured senior Zach Collaros. Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones didn’t think the Bearcats would change much from a strategic standpoint, and Legaux is an outstanding athlete who can give opponents fits in this system. But against one of the best defenses in the Big East Legaux struggled mightily, and Rutgers’ 20-3 win over the Bearcats turn the Big East race into a wide-open sprint to the finish line.

Jawan Jamison joined some elite company on Saturday (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Rutgers (8-3, 4-2) had their own star on the day as running back Jawan Jamison rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. The yardage established a new career high for Jamison, whose efforts made him the third freshman in school history to rush for at least 200 yards in a game. The other two are Terrell Willis and Ray Rice, which is high company to keep when discussing the history of Rutgers Football. Jamison’s first score opened the account less than four minutes into the game as Rutgers took advantage of a Cincinnati (7-3, 3-2) fumble.

Tony Miliano’s field goal from 47 yards out late in the first quarter cut the lead to 7-3, but that would be the only points for Cincinnati on the day. Legaux and company simply couldn’t get much of anything going on offense, and Greg Schiano’s defense deserves a lot of the credit. Isaiah Pead was limited to just 28 yards rushing, and without the consistency in the passing game this would prove to be the fatal blow for the Bearcats. Cincinnati finished the game with 225 yards of offense, just 25 more than what Jamison produced on the ground himself.

“I thought the players did an incredible job and the assistant coaches – Bob Fraser and all the guys,” said Schiano. “They put together a great plan and the kids executed it. It is so hard to get 11 guys to do what they are supposed to do. I think the resolve amongst our players today was excellent – the focus.”

Jamison’s score from one yard out halfway through the third quarter made the score 17-3, and given the tone of the contest essentially shut the door on the Bearcats. Cincinnati converted just four of fifteen third downs and averaged 3.8 yards per play on the afternoon. Rutgers now shares first place in the Big East with Louisville, something few people would have expected a month ago. Chas Dodd has made sound decisions with the football, and with the running game rounding into form at just the right time clinching their first-ever Big East title is a more than realistic possibility.

As for Cincinnati, with games against Syracuse and Connecticut remaining there’s the opportunity to work their way back to the top of the standings. But if Saturday’s play was any indication of what’s to come, it’s going to be a lot easier said than done. The Bearcats visit Syracuse while Rutgers visits Connecticut next weekend.

Louisville 34, Connecticut 20

After a disappointing loss to Pittsburgh (partially fueled by the release of the newest “Call of Duty” game, according to head coach Charlie Strong), the Louisville Cardinals rebounded by beating Connecticut 34-20 in East Hartford. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 174 yards and rushed for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Cardinals (6-5, 4-2), who are now one win away from clinching at least a share of the Big East title. Given how they began the season, that’s a remarkable achievement for Strong’s young team, which has for the most part rounded into form in recent weeks.

UConn (4-6, 2-3) now needs wins in its final two games to reach bowl eligibility, but given the way in which they’ve executed offensively it’s more likely that the Huskies spend the holidays at home. Johnny McEntee threw for 253 yards and a touchdown but completed just 18 of 43 passes, but the many drops were also partly to blame. Louisville eliminated the threat of the UConn rushing attack, limiting Lyle McCombs to 33 yards on ten carries, and as a team UConn rushed for just 76 yards on 23 carries. Connecticut’s bright spot on offense was wide receiver Kashif Moore, who caught seven passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in addition to another score on the ground.

Neither team was particularly good on third down, but Louisville’s play in the red zone proved to be the difference. In their three red zone opportunities the Cardinals came away with three touchdowns, while the Huskies finished two of their opportunities with Dave Teggart field goals. Louisville closes their season with a game at USF on Friday, and UConn plays their final home game against Rutgers on Saturday. UConn will close out their season at Cincinnati on December 3rd.

Miami 6, USF 3

A pitcher’s duel broke out at Raymond James Stadium, with Skip Holtz’s Bulls (5-5, 1-4) losing both the game and quarterback B.J. Daniels. Daniels went down early in the second half with a right shoulder injury, and USF didn’t threaten to score from that point forward. Luckily for the Bulls their defense played well throughout, but ultimately being on the field as much as they were proved costly on the final drive. Jake Wieclaw’s 36-yard field goal as time expired gave the Hurricanes the win, and as a result the Bulls have to wait another week for the chance to reach bowl eligibility.

USF put up just 249 yards of offense on the day, with Darrell Scott’s 57 yards on 15 carries leading the offense along with Daniels’ 98 yards passing. Miami quarterback Jacory Harris completed 27 of 35 passes for 259 yards but he was sacked six times by an aggressive USF defense. Miami finished the game with four drives of eight plays or more, with two of them resulting in points. The Hurricanes would go 61 yards on 15 plays in their final drive to win the game on Wieclaw’s kick. USF on the other hand had just two drives of ten plays, the second of which came in the middle of the second quarter. If Daniels is unable to play on Friday against Louisville, the door could be open for the Cardinals to earn their first-ever win at USF.

Next Week’s Schedule

11am (Friday) Louisville at USF (ESPN2)
7pm (Friday) Pittsburgh at West Virginia (ESPN)
Noon Cincinnati at Syracuse (Big East Network)
Noon Rutgers at Connecticut (ESPN2)

BEARCATS LOSE GAME…AND COLLAROS

How long will Cincinnati be without senior QB?

By Raphielle Johnson

Cincinnati (7-2, 3-1) entered Saturday’s game against West Virginia looking to apply a stranglehold to the top of the Big East standings. Unfortunately for the Bearcats they didn’t accomplish that mission, and they lost their starting quarterback to boot. Senior Zach Collaros was lost for the season in the second quarter with a fractured right ankle and the Bearcats fell 24-21 to the Mountaineers (7-3, 3-2) at Paul Brown Stadium. Munchie Legaux took over for Collaros and the sophomore from New Orleans kept Cincinnati in the game throughout. But the final drive of the game ended with Eain Smith blocking a Tony Miliano field goal that would have sent the game to overtime as time expired.

Cincinnati will rely on Munchie Legaux from this point forward (Photo Credit: Cincinnati Enquirer/Jeff Swinger)

“That is the maturation process and obviously when you kick in these stadiums, Paul Brown Stadium, it’s challenging as well with the swirling winds,” said head coach Butch Jones. “But that’s part of growing up and maturing into a place kicker, you know the next three years, he’s probably going to be put in a number of these situations and you learn from it and you have got to move on.”

Geno Smith had another productive afternoon for West Virginia, throwing for 372 yards and a touchdown. He’s now over the 3,500 yard mark for the season with 24 touchdown passes to just five interceptions, and records could begin to fall as the season reaches its end. Smith’s 59-yard touchdown pass to Stedman Bailey tied the game at seven with 11:37 remaining in the first quarter, answering a 40-yard Isaiah Pead touchdown run. But in a one minute, twenty-four second span in the second quarter the Mountaineers not only took a 17-7 lead but also possibly changed the tenor of the Big East race.

After a Tyler Bitancurt field goal from 28 yards out gave WVU a 10-7 lead the Mountaineer defense got after Collaros deep in Cincinnati territory, with Bruce Irvin sacking the senior and forcing a fumble that defensive lineman Julian Miller recovered in the end zone. Irvin landed on Collaros’ foot during the play, resulting in the ankle injury. While Legaux did move the Bearcats while in the game he doesn’t have the same grasp of the offense as Collaros, which could limit his ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage. But the New Orleans native got more comfortable as the game progressed, taking advantage of good field position to lead the Bearcats on a two-play, 48-yard drive to cut the WVU lead to 17-14 with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter.

“You change your back up plan a little bit and then it’s establishing a rhythm on a consistency and continuity,” said Jones. “I thought fourth quarter we had a little bit of a rhythm started with Munchie and thought he did a pretty good job. Obviously there are things we need to get corrected going into Piscataway on Saturday.”

Legaux would put together another scoring drive, this one going 52 yards on ten plays with Pead’s run from ten yards out making the score 21-17 with 13:20 remaining in the game. Pead finished with 113 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, his third 100-plus yard rushing effort in the last four games. But the Mountaineers would answer on the ensuing drive as Smith led the visitors on a 12-play, 74-yard drive that Shawne Alston capped with a one-yard touchdown run. Each team went scoreless in their next two drives, setting the stage for the Bearcats’ final try to send the game into overtime. But Miliano’s field goal from 31 yards out was blocked, giving West Virginia new life in the conference race.

But Cincinnati remains in the driver’s seat thanks to the Pitt (5-5, 3-2) Panthers, who beat Louisville (5-5, 3-2) 21-14 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Senior Day. The Cardinals struggled offensively for much of the afternoon, and while Tino Sunseri didn’t light it up he was productive enough to deliver the win. Sunseri completed 16 of 22 passes for 196 yards and a third quarter touchdown pass to Mike Shanahan while also rushing for a touchdown to make the score 21-7 in the fourth quarter. Louisville finished the game with 280 yards of offense, but it was turnovers that cost them dearly. An Eli Rogers muffed punt set up Pitt’s final scoring drive, meaning that while the other league contenders moved closer to Cincinnati the Bearcats remain in good shape to win the conference.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are USF (5-4, 1-4) and Syracuse (5-4, 1-4), who met at the Carrier Dome on Friday night. B.J. Daniels accounted for 371 yards of offense and Demetris Murray rushed for a pair of touchdowns with Darrell Scott out as the Bulls whipped the Orange 37-17 to get their first league win of the season. It was a much needed victory for Skip Holtz’s team, who had struggled mightily after running through a less than challenging non-conference slate. Syracuse on the other hand has played poor football since blowing out West Virginia, dropping three games to league opponents Doug Marrone’s team was expected to beat.

And in the other game involving a Big East team Rutgers (7-3, 3-2) beat Army 27-12 at Yankee Stadium thanks in large part to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu and running back Jeremy Deering. Sanu caught 13 passes for 129 yards on the day, breaking both the school and Big East records for receptions in a season in the process. Sanu’s 94 receptions place him ahead of Pitt great Larry Fitzgerald, who caught 92 passes in 2003. Deering rushed for 64 yards on 14 carries, as he had an easier time of breaking free than Jawan Jamison throughout the course of the game. Jamison’s 56-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put the game away after a Jordan Thomas return of a blocked punt made the score 20-12 with 6:36 remaining.

Next Week’s Schedule

Cincinnati at Rutgers (Noon, ESPNU)
Louisville at Connecticut (Noon, Big East Network)
Miami at USF (3:30 PM, ESPNU)

WEEK 10 RECAP: BEARCATS STRENGTHEN HOLD ON LEAD

Cincinnati survives late field goal attempt

By Raphielle Johnson

By the time the Cincinnati Bearcats took the field for pregame warmups at Heinz Field they likely knew what they needed to do based on the results of the two afternoon games. A win over Pittsburgh would put Butch Jones’ team in a very good spot with regards to the Big East title race with a home game against West Virginia (at Paul Brown Stadium) next week, while a loss would drop them into a tie in the loss column with Louisville and Pitt. It wasn’t pretty, as Pittsburgh led by 10 points in the third quarter, but Cincinnati bounced back and got the job done on the road. Thanks in large part to four Tony Miliano field goals and an opportunistic defense the Bearcats (7-1, 3-0) assumed firm control of the Big East race. But Coach Jones won’t allow his players to look that far ahead, choosing instead to focus on the task at hand.

“As we have seen throughout this entire football season, success can be very short-lived,” said Jones. “That’s why we will enjoy this right back to Cincinnati and then all of our focus is playing an extremely talented West Virginia football team next week. Every game is a new season and that’s the way we approach it.”

Tony Miliano made four field goals on Saturday (Photo Credit: AP/Keith Srakocic))

Zach Collaros has had better nights, as completed 19 of 32 passes for 212 yards and a pair of interceptions, but he proved to be valuable on the ground with a pair of rushing touchdowns. Isaiah Pead led the Bearcats with 118 yards rushing as Cincinnati overcame a rough night on third down, converting just two of their 13 opportunities. Pittsburgh wasn’t much better on third down but they did rush for 179 yards, with Tino Sunseri’s 64 yards (and a touchdown) leading the way. Sunseri completed 24 of 38 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown (one interception) with the majority of his yards going to Devin Street, who caught eight passes for 118 yards.

But after taking a 23-13 lead on Sunseri’s 11-yard pass to Hubie Graham the Panthers failed to score again as the tables turned in the battle in the trenches. Defensively the Bearcats ramped up the pressure on Sunseri, forcing poor throws and some questionable decision-making from the redshirt junior. And offensively Cincinnati scored 13 points on three possessions in the third quarter due to improved play from their offensive line and a pair of costly Pitt turnovers. Turnover margin, which killed Cincinnati last season, has been a key factor in the Bearcats’ 7-1 start. If Cincinnati can continue to force turnovers, it’s very possible that the Bearcats will go from no bowl one year to BCS bowl the next.

Louisville 38, #24 West Virginia 35

Louisville made the trip to Morgantown a two-touchdown underdog, thanks in large part to an offense that hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. But the young Cardinals are beginning to figure things out, and the most recent piece of evidence is their first win in Morgantown since 1990. Despite being out-gained by nearly 180 yards on the afternoon the Cardinals (5-4, 3-1) took advantage of special teams to win the field position battle, and Louisville converted all five of their red zone opportunities. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 21 of 27 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown, and Dominique Brown led the charge on the ground with 69 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

“If you look at it, [Bridgewater] is getting better and the whole offense is getting better because we are able to run the football,” said Louisville head coach Charlie Strong. “When you are able to run the football, it opens up the passing game. Teddy is doing a good job of managing the game and making the throws. Our running backs are running hard, and our offensive line is blocking well.”

Geno Smith led West Virginia with 410 yards passing and three touchdowns but it wasn’t enough on a day that saw the Cardinals keep the Mountaineers off the field by successfully moving the ball on offense. Louisville scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game, with Sinorise Perry’s 13-yard run making the score 14-7 with 5:47 remaining in the first quarter. West Virginia would answer in the second quarter with two touchdowns to take a 21-14 lead, only to see Bridgewater connect with Eli Rogers in the final seconds of the first half to tie the game going into halftime. Louisville scored the only points of the third quarter on a Chris Philpott field goal, and the special teams made a big play early in the fourth quarter.

Louisville blocked a Tyler Bitancurt field goal attempt, and Andrew Johnson’s 82-yard return of the blocked kick made the score 31-21. Shawne Alston’s second rushing touchdown of the day made the score 31-28, but the Cardinals would respond with a drive that took nearly eight minutes and resulted in Dominique Brown’s three-yard touchdown run to push the lead back out to ten. WVU quickly wend down the field for another touchdown as Smith connected with Stedman Bailey, but they were unable to recover the onside kick. As a result West Virginia finds themselves needing a lot of help to climb back into the race, beginning with a win over Cincinnati next week. Louisville may not be in great shape either due to their loss to the Bearcats, but they’re in much better shape than anyone envisioned them being in a couple weeks ago.

Connecticut 28, Syracuse 21

Paul Pasqualoni’s Huskies turned the football an amazing five times in the first half, wasting multiple opportunities to take total control of their game against Syracuse. UConn (4-5, 2-2) was outdone by a Syracuse team that returned the favor, and the Orange’s errors ultimately came back to cost them a much-needed Big East victory. As a result of the loss Syracuse (5-4, 1-3) will go another week needing a win to ensure bowl eligibility and their hopes of remaining in the Big East race are likely shot as well. Lyle McCombs led the way for the Huskies with 152 rushing yards and a touchdown, but it was quarterback Scott McCummings who provided the biggest spark. McCummings rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns in 13 attempts as UConn called on him more in the second half with Johnny McEntee once again struggling.

“Scotty is a big guy when he’s running with the ball. It just felt like the right time to do it–just a gut feeling,” said Pasqualoni of the decision to give McCummings more reps. “We felt like he was prepared for it so we put him in the game and went with it.”

Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns but he was also picked off two times, with UConn capitalizing on his second interception and cashing it in for the game-winning touchdown. Antwon Bailey failed to rush for 100 yards for the second consecutive week but Alec Lemon (9 catches for 157 yards, 1 TD) and Nick Provo (7 for 53 yards, 1 TD) proved to be effective pass-catchers for the Orange. But Syracuse once again didn’t put the ball in the end zone when they needed to as they began three straight drives in the second quarter in Connecticut territory, scoring just seven points. Put up more points there and maybe Syracuse remains a part of the Big East title conversation, but that’s no longer an option.

UConn has now won five straight in the series and Syracuse remains winless all-time at Rentschler Field, but Pasqualoni took no personal satisfaction out of beating his former employer. It was more important for the team to get back on the right track, and while questions remain on both sides of the football UConn kept their bowl hopes alive with the victory. The Huskies have a bye next week while Syracuse hosts a reeling USF team on Friday night.

Rutgers 20, USF 17 (OT)

After a four-yard Demetris Murray touchdown run with 7:38 left in the game Skip Holtz’s Bulls looked to be in very good shape to pick up their first Big East win of the season. But Rutgers would receive a boost from their special teams in the form of a Jeremy Deering 98-yard kickoff return, and from that point forward USF seemed to tighten up. Chas Dodd, who took over for the ineffective Gary Nova in the fourth quarter, led Rutgers (6-3, 3-2) on a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by his 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Coleman with 1:08 left in regulation. Despite controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball USF found themselves looking to escape with a win in the final moments…only to have Maikon Bonani miss a 27-yard field goal as time expired.

Things got even worse for USF in overtime as B.J. Daniels was intercepted by Duron Harmon on the Bulls’ third play of their lone drive, and eventually Rutgers’ San San Te would knock home the game-winner from 37 yards out. USF (4-4, 0-4) has watched the promise shown in their 4-0 start disappear, replaced by the concern that they might not even reach bowl eligibility. Daniels struggled throwing the football, squandering a solid team effort on the ground (221 yards rushing with Darrell Scott going for 100) and five sacks by the defense. Rutgers was brutal running the ball, racking up minus-7 yards on the night when factoring in sack yardage. Jawan Jamison led the Scarlet Knights with a paltry 12 yards on the ground, and combining that with Nova’s struggles it’s amazing that Rutgers had a chance to win the game in the final stanza.

Rutgers goes out of conference next week as they take on Army at Yankee Stadium, and USF heads north to take on Syracuse in a game they have to have in order to stop the negative momentum. Can Skip Holtz’s team rebound from such a tough defeat? We’ll find out on Friday night in the Carrier Dome.

Next Week’s Schedule

USF at Syracuse (8 PM Friday, ESPN2)
West Virginia at Cincinnati (Noon, ABC)
Pittsburgh at Louisville (Noon, Big East Network)
Rutgers vs. Army (3:30 PM, CBS Sports Network)

WVU WINS 17TH STRAIGHT OVER RUTGERS

Louisville brings Syracuse back to earth

By Raphielle Johnson

Rutgers went into Saturday’s matchup with #25 West Virginia looking to finally knock off the Mountaineers, who haven’t lost in the series since 1994. Things seemed to be falling into place for Greg Schiano’s team leading up to the game as well. Eric LeGrand was to lead the team onto the field, and a snowstorm that was expected to drop the first major snowfall of the season was expected to slow down the WVU passing game. But in a wild game that featured far more scoring that anyone would have anticipated, West Virginia (6-2, 2-1) made the necessary defensive adjustments at halftime, holding Rutgers scoreless as they came back to win 41-31 at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Eric LeGrand Leads His Rutgers Scarlet Knights On To The Field

Offensively the Mountaineers weren’t able to rely on their passing game as much as usual, but they made up for it by rushing for 210 yards on the afternoon. Fullback Shawne Alston, who saw limited carries leading up to Saturday, rushed for a team-best 110 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and Tavon Austin rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown on two attempts. Alston’s first touchdown run went for 52 yards and gave WVU a 7-3 lead with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter. That lead would last for fewer than three minutes as Rutgers (5-3, 2-2) capitalized on a Mountaineer turnover and took the lead on a pass from Gary Nova to Mohamed Sanu.

Shawne Alston rushed for a career-high 110 yards (Photo Credit: All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks)

But that reception would essentially be the highlight of the day for Sanu, who caught just five passes for 48 yards. West Virginia did a solid job of limiting the receiver who may be the early favorite for Big East Offensive Player of the Year, but there was also the matter of the Rutgers passing attack being out of sync for much of the afternoon. Nova completed just 18 of 46 passes on the day, and while he did have two touchdown passes there were also a pair of second half interceptions. Just as the case would be with any freshman quarterback, Nova at times struggled with the decision-making aspect of the position and Jeff Casteel’s defense was able to exploit that in the second half.

“We have to make better calls, and we have to make more plays,” said Schiano. “And we can’t make bad plays worse by turning the ball over.”

After Austin’s 80-yard touchdown run to give the Mountaineers a 14-10 lead the Scarlet Knights would answer with a 45-yard strike from Nova to Mark Harrison, and a pair of Jawan Jamison touchdown runs in the second quarter gave Rutgers a 31-21 lead at the half. West Virginia could have cut the lead before the break, but poor clock management in the final seconds led to a botched field goal attempt as time expired. Rutgers moved the ball extremely well in the first half, and their defense did a good job of containing the West Virginia attack outside of the two big runs. But after the break things bogged down offensively, with the Mountaineers closing to within three on an impressive 19-yard touchdown reception by Stedman Bailey.

Some will point to a failed fake field goal attempt on the Scarlet Knights’ first drive of the fourth quarter as a critical turning point, and while West Virginia would go down the field and score to take a 34-31 lead there was an opening for the trick play. Patrick Kivlehan’s pass to Brandon Coleman was broken up by Darwin Cook in the end zone, and the Mountaineers dodged a major bullet as a result. What killed Rutgers was a Nova fumble on the second play of the ensuing drive, setting up WVU at the Rutgers 37. Three plays later Smith and Austin would connect for the game’s final points on a 20-yard touchdown pass, with Rutgers’ final two drives ending on downs and an interception.

West Virginia converted just two of their 13 third down opportunities, but against the Big East’s best team in terms of turnovers forced they won the turnover battle with a margin of plus-3. That makes a world of difference on the road, especially when dealing with bad weather as well. Next up for the Mountaineers is a home game against Louisville while Rutgers hosts USF.

Louisville 27, Syracuse 10

Syracuse was presented with a great opportunity to build on the momentum gained last week in their emphatic win over West Virginia. But the Orange had a difficult time dealing with both prosperity and a Louisville team fired up by the return to the locker room of defensive back Anthony Conner. Conner, who broke his neck last week against Rutgers, surprised his teammates in the locker room before the game and that sparked a fire under Charlie Strong’s team. One of the key players given a boost was running back Victor Anderson, who rushed for a game-high 93 yards and a touchdown in Louisville’s 27-10 home win. The victory marks the first time since 2006 that Louisville (4-4, 2-1) has won back-to-back Big East games.

Teddy Bridgewater also played well for Louisville as he completed 17 of 24 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, setting the tone just over two minutes into the game on a 42-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. With the Orange staggering out of the gate the Cardinals took full advantage, moving ahead 14-0 on Bridgewater’s two-yard pass to tight end Josh Chichester. Defensively the Cardinals limited Syracuse to 84 yards on the ground and made life tough on Ryan Nassib with three sacks and numerous quarterback pressures. It was a far cry from last week for Syracuse (5-3, 1-2), who seemed to be incapable of doing anything wrong at home.

“I’ve said it from the beginning that we have to build a foundation for this football team and we can be successful for a long period of time,” said Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone. “I’m not going to use any excuses. Here we are in year three and it’s back and forth. To answer your question directly, we are an inconsistent football team who has to get better.”

Syracuse’s second drive of the second quarter earned them their first points of the game as Ross Krautman’s field goal from 34 yards out capping an 11-play, 61-yard drive. But that would be the most of consequence that the Orange could muster until the fourth quarter, and while neither team was particularly effective on offense in the third quarter it was Louisville who took a 17-3 lead early in the final quarter on a Chris Philpott field goal. And four minutes later Anderson, who former Cardinal Bilal Powell suggested be made “the face” of the program, essentially put the final nail in the coffin with a 61-yard touchdown run on an option toss from Bridgewater.

“It all comes from preparation,” said Bridgewater of the play. “Coach Watts does a great job of preparing me well. He just always says if you see cover zero and the safeties are matched up with the slots then the option is always the way to beat it.”

Another Philpott field goal with just under three minutes remaining made the score 27-3, and although Syracuse answered with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Nassib to Jarrod West it was too little too late. Eight days after doing whatever they wanted the Orange were limited to 246 yards of offense, and their 12 penalties for 99 yards didn’t help matters either. Could Louisville be rounding into form at just the right time after a slow start? It’s definitely possible, and given what Connecticut accomplished last season after a slow start anything is possible in this wide-open league. The same goes for Syracuse, because while they aren’t in the best spot for making a run at the Big East title they still have games against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh to play.

PHYRRIC VICTORY FOR PITT AND REALIGNMENT LINKS

Panthers lose Graham, Saddler for season

By Raphielle Johnson

One of the key story lines for the Pittsburgh Panthers going into Wednesday night’s league tilt with Connecticut was the play of quarterback Tino Sunseri in relation to their hopes of winning a Big East title. Thanks to a record-setting evening from the redshirt junior those hopes remain intact, but the aspirations of Todd Graham’s team rest even more on Sunseri’s shoulders given their personnel losses. Sunseri set a Heinz Field record for passing yards in a game with 419, completing 29 of 42 passes with two touchdown passes while also rushing for another 40 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ 35-20 win over the Huskies.

Losing Ray Graham for the year is a major blow for Pitt (Photo Credit: Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

But in victory came major setbacks, with star running back Ray Graham being lost for the season with an injury to his right knee. Also lost for the season were wide receiver Cam Saddler (sternum) and offensive lineman Matt Rotheram (right ankle), but when you lose the Big East’s leading rusher the dynamic of the season changes. Pitt (4-4, 2-1) will go with senior Zach Brown in Graham’s place and similar to the Graham the Wisconsin transfer is just as valuable in the passing game as he is on the ground.

“Zach Brown came in and did a tremendous job in all three phases of playing running back — picking up the pass protection, making sure he’s getting out on his routes and running the football,” said Sunseri following Wednesday night’s win.

Brown rushed for just 30 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries but he was the Panthers’ leading receiver, catching nine passes for 84 yards. Before the injuries began to hit it looked to be a good night for Pittsburgh in spite of the sparse crowd (the announced attendance of 40,219 was generous), with Sunseri leading the team right down the field on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead on his eight-yard run. UConn’s (3-5, 1-2) issues on defense were more fundamental on Wednesday night, with the linebackers near invisible in pass coverage and many players allowing Pitt pass-catchers yards after the catch due to poor tackling.

Of their 529 yards of offense Pittsburgh gained 433 through the air with an average of 14.4 yards per completion. Many of Sunseri’s throw were of the short variety in hopes of accounting for an offensive line that’s been hit hard by injuries and allowed the most sacks in the country. Pittsburgh ended the first quarter with a 14-0 lead as Sunseri connected with Mike Shanahan on an 18-yard strike with 54 seconds remaining, and with the Huskies unable to accomplish much offensively the home team looked to be in good shape with a 21-3 halftime lead.

“We are doing to watch the film but what we are going to say -everybody who had pass coverage responsibly could have been a little bit better,” said UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni. “At the end of the day, that’s what we will say. I thought he (Sunseri) threw the ball pretty accurately tonight so it’s not going to be just the linebackers, it will be the safeties and it will end up being the corners and it will end up being everybody.”

Johnny McEntee had a far better second half than first for UConn, throwing for 173 of his 193 yards and two scores in the final 30 minutes. But it’s still a passing attack that lacks punch when looking at both the passer and the receivers. Lyle McCombs rushed for a game-high 124 yards and it was the third time in the last four games that the redshirt freshman has surpassed the 100-yard mark. Similar to Jordan Todman last season (albeit not as productive) McCombs has been provided with minimal help in most games this season, and as a result teams are able to load the box and force McEntee to beat them. It hasn’t happened yet, and as a result it’s going to be tough sledding the rest of the way for UConn to reach bowl eligibility much less contend for a Big East title.

Next up for Pittsburgh is Cincinnati, who visits Heinz Field next Saturday night. Connecticut will host Syracuse the same day at noon.

Big East Realignment Links

- Louisville and West Virginia look to be the two choices for one spot in the Big 12…or could they both be invited?

Things got interesting early this week with reports that the Big 12 was ready to invite West Virginia, with the Mountaineers holding a press conference with the league on Tuesday in Morgantown to announce their acceptance. That didn’t happen, with the lobbying of Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell’s lobbying on behalf of Louisville being the reason why. As a result of this West Virginia senator Joe Manchin is calling for an investigation. Glorious times in college athletics these are.

The Big 12 isn’t expected to make a move until after Missouri makes its decision on whether to stay in the league or move on to the SEC (many expect Missouri to make the move), but now the Big 12 will take more time to deliberate on the matter. The bigger question is whether the Big 12 wants to remain at 10 institutions or make the move back to 12. If it’s the latter then one would have to wonder why the league wouldn’t just offer both and add another school to reach that number. Interesting days lie ahead on this subject, which may drag on for a bit (as if it hadn’t already).

- Big East officials on a western tour of sorts

Big East commissioner John Marinatto and senior associate commissioner Nick Carparelli were both in Boise on Thursday meeting with Boise State officials and making a presentation to the school about the direction of the conference and what role Boise State could play in it. This comes one day after the two were in Colorado Springs meeting with officials at the Air Force Academy. Boise State president Bob Kustra met with Big East officials in Washington on Sunday.

BEARCATS WIN THRILLER IN TAMPA

Collaros’ TD run the difference

By Raphielle Johnson

All the Cincinnati Bearcats needed to do in order to take over first place in the Big East after a wild Friday night was win at USF. True to the form of the conference that was much easier said than done but thanks to a Zach Collaros quarterback draw with 15 seconds remaining the Bearcats got it done. With the 37-34 win Cincinnati (6-1, 2-0) also becomes the conference’s first bowl-eligible team, while also handing USF a loss that means the first 0-3 start to league play in their history as a Big East member.

Zach Collaros threw for 389 yards (Photo Credit: Fred Bellet/Tampa Tribune)

Collaros threw a pair of interceptions but still put forth a solid game, completing 26 of 41 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for two more scores. USF’s B.J. Daniels also put up numbers as he threw for 409 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 54 yards rushing. But the penalties and turnovers at the worst possible times did in the Bulls, who were called for five personal foul penalties throughout the course of the game.

“Right now, I’m probably thinking a lot more about the missed opportunities today than the big picture,” said USF head coach Skip Holtz. “We had some opportunities on both sides of the ball that we couldn’t capitalize on.”

Cincinnati’s first two possessions ended without points thanks to a missed Tony Miliano field goal and the first of Collaros’ two interceptions. USF would convert that turnover into points, going 80 yards on 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead on Daniels’ 14-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Griffin. Griffin, who entered the game as the Bulls’ leading receiver on the season, would be lost in the second half to an ankle injury. But the Bulls would still be able to move the football through the air, with Deonte Welch adding five receptions for a team-high 130 yards and nine players other than Griffin catching a pass.

The Bearcats would answer with an impressive drive of their own, going 71 yards in 10 plays to tie the score at 7 with 2:21 left in the quarter on an Isaiah Pead six-yard touchdown reception. After the defense forced a quick USF punt early in the second quarter the Bearcats put together another 10-play drive, this time calling on Miliano to give them the lead. Offensively the second quarter was quiet, with the teams going scoreless until a Maikon Bonani field goal from 20 yards out as time expired to tie the score at 10. In the second quarter the two teams accounted for a combined six first downs, 2-for-11 on third down and seven rushing yards.

But a quiet first half would give way to a riveting final 30 minutes, beginning with USF’s first drive of the half. The Bulls would go 88 yards on 12 plays, taking a 17-10 lead on a Demetris Murray one-yard run. But Cincinnati wouldn’t need long to tie things up, with Collaros hitting Adrien Robinson with a 21-yard strike with 7:33 left in the quarter. After a Bonani field goal and the USF defense forcing a punt the special teams took over for the home team. Victor Marc returned the Pat O’Donnell punt 40 yards to the Cincinnati 17, setting up a two-play drive to make the score 27-17. That’s how the quarter ended, and the fans in Tampa had reason to believe that the Bulls would snap out of their funk.

But that’s not how things would go for USF as Cincinnati would score three touchdowns in the final quarter. Collaros’ three-yard run in the first minute of the fourth quarter cut the USF lead to three points, and after the Bearcat defense forced a punt the visitors were able to claim the lead. Collaros’ 30-yard touchdown pass to Alex Chisum capped a nine-play, 81-yard drive to give the Bearcats a 30-27 lead. USF blocked Tony Miliano’s extra point attempt, but a Devan Drane interception would end the subsequent drive. USF’s defense responded by getting their first stop of the quarter, setting up the drive that would culminate in a 10-yard pass from Daniels to Andre Davis to make the score 34-30 with 1:27 remaining.

Collaros and company would answer through the air, with passes of 33 yards to Kenbrell Thompkins and 21 yards to Anthony McClung moving Cincinnati into the red zone. And on the play following a USF pass interference penalty Collaros scored on a two-yard run to make the score 37-34 with 12 seconds remaining. USF would run two plays but were unable to take a shot at the end zone, dropping their record to 0-3 in Big East play.

“I did not sell the team on the losses [Friday night] in the conference,” remarked Holtz. “We told the team to take it one play at a time and to go out there and compete for the guy on your left and the guy on your right.”

Cincinnati will remain alone in first place for at least the next two weeks as they’ve got a bye in advance of a game at Pittsburgh on November 5th. USF is off next week as well, with their next game being at Rutgers on the same day. But things will be much easier for the Bearcats during the bye, because while there’s plenty to work on it’s easier to do so when the team is confident. Cincinnati did their job by not stubbing their toe, and in the Big East that could be the most convincing statement a team needs to make.

“The mark of good football team is they go on the road and find ways to win,” said Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones. Simple enough.

SYRACUSE WHIPS WVU; CARDS UPSET RUTGERS

Cincinnati is league’s lone undefeated- for now

By Raphielle Johnson

“I would trade Air Force or Navy for Syracuse every day of the week in terms of the quality of the football program. No disrespect, but that’s just an observation I think most would agree with who understand football.”

- West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck on October 4, 2011

Not sure if this comment was placed on a bulletin board within the Syracuse locker room in the days leading up to Friday’s matchup with the Mountaineers, but things got ugly for the visitors in the Carrier Dome. Ryan Nassib accounted for five touchdowns (four passing) with three of his scoring passes going to tight end Nick Provo in the Orange’s 49-26 romp. With the win Syracuse (5-2, 1-1) earned their first Big East win of the season and also won consecutive games in the series for the first time since 2000 and 2001.

Syracuse celebrates an impressive victory (Photo Credit: Frank Ordonez/The Post-Standard)

West Virginia (5-2, 1-1), who entered the game ranked 15th in the first BCS standings, could very well fall out of the Top 25 as a result of the lackluster effort. But Friday night was more about what Doug Marrone’s team did do in all phases as opposed to what West Virginia didn’t do. Syracuse put up a season-high 443 yards of offense while also posting their highest point total in the history of the series.

“We’ll go back and look at it, and I’m sure there are a lot of things that we need to improve on as we go forward in this season, but it’s always easier to do that after a win,” said Marrone. “We really haven’t accomplished anything besides winning a football game against a very good opponent.”

West Virginia once again got off to a slow start, but unlike prior games where the opposition wasn’t able to take advantage and score points Syracuse executed their game plan. On their second possession of the game Syracuse went 84 yards on 14 plays, capping the drive on a three-yard touchdown pass from Nassib to Provo. The Orange were able to keep the Mountaineer offense off the field, putting touchdowns on the board to boot. West Virginia answered with a 27-yard field goal from Tyler Bitancurt, but the Orange went down the field for another touchdown to make the score 14-3 on a Nassib 1-yard run with 10:13 left in the second quarter.

Geno Smith was able to connect with Stedman Bailey on a 64-yard touchdown pass that included some nifty footwork along the Syracuse sideline from Bailey, but Bitancurt hit the left upright to leave the score at 14-9. Then the Syracuse special teams got involved, landing a blow that staggered the Mountaineers. Dorian Graham returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and even though WVU would score to cut the lead to 21-16 things were starting to become far too simple for the home team.

“It was a momentum booster,” said Graham of the return. “Keep pushing forward. Get the defense out there to give us a chance to stop them. Then the offense can come out and take it down for another score.”

Shawne Alston’s run from one yard out made the score 21-16 with 10:07 left in the third quarter, but the West Virginia offensive and defensive units could do nothing to keep the momentum. Syracuse scored the next 21 points, with two of the scores coming on passes to their tight ends. Both Provo and David Stevens would capitalize on WVU coverage breakdowns, with the wheel route along the sideline wide open against Jeff Casteel’s 3-3-5 scheme. Nassib’s five-yard pass to Provo with 11:29 left in the game made the score 42-16 and essentially shut the door on a Mountaineer comeback.

Smith, who threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns, also threw a pair of interceptions and had a hard time finding open receivers. Two reasons why: defensive coordinator Scott Schafer dialed up the pressure, and the Syracuse secondary did its job on the back end. Smith was sacked four times and knocked down on plenty other occasions throughout the night, with the return of defensive end Chandler Jones providing a boost to the Syracuse front four. But Jones wasn’t the lone spark as linebacker Siriki Diabate was all over the field as well.

“We have a passion for our defense and how we run it,” said Diabate. “All week long during practice, we worked on getting pressure on the quarterback. I think that is what we went out there and did today.”

Smith’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Bradley Starks cut the lead to 42-23 just two minutes after Syracuse’s score, but the Orange answered right back on the ground. Bailey broke a 50-yard run on the fourth play of the drive, and just a couple plays later provided the final points with a three-yard touchdown run. This was Bailey’s fourth consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing and a touchdown, and backups Jerome Smith and Adonis Ameen-Moore also made contributions when spelling the senior. Syracuse controlled the game in all three phases, and as a result they find themselves right in the Big East title mix. As for West Virginia, they obviously remain a contender but they need to get a lot better in order to reach their goals.

“It’s been the same thing all year: we are not a very efficient football team,” said West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen. “We make some big plays, but we’re not efficient. We knew what they were going to do. We knew they were going to play a bunch of people up and blitz half the time. We have to do a better job of recognizing that.”

Louisville 16, Rutgers 14

Rutgers went into Friday night’s game as the Big East’s best team in terms of turnovers forced and turnover margin. Of course turnovers would tell the story in their game at Louisville, with three Gary Nova interceptions contributing to Louisville’s (3-4, 1-1) 16-14 victory at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Louisville ended their three-game losing streak and Rutgers’ (5-2, 2-1) four-game win streak, and threw the Big East race for a loop as well.

Despite just 14 first downs on the night the Cardinals put forth a better offensive performance thanks to their improvement on the ground aided by some shoddy tackling by the visitors. In a matchup of the two worst rushing offenses in the Big East, Louisville gained 187 yards on 34 carries (5.5 yards per rush). Jeremy Wright led the way with 108 yards on 11 carries, with his 29-yard rush in the first quarter setting up the first touchdown of the game.

“Our goal coming into this game was just to beat Rutgers pressures,” said quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. “If we had a run play going one way and they sent pressure that way then we would just flip the play.”

Each of Rutgers’ first two possessions were ended on interceptions, the second of which set up Louisville on the Rutgers 38 yard line. And one play after Wright’s 29-yard rush Dominique Brown scored from one yard out to give the Cards a 7-0 lead with 7:41 remaining in the quarter. Rutgers looked to have an answer early in the second quarter, but the first of two San San Te missed field goals (this one from 31 yards out) squandered a 29-yard drive to the Louisville 14.

Te’s second miss was even worse, as he missed a 25-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 71-yard drive. But while the Scarlet Knight offense was leaving points on the field the defense kept them in the game, and the special teams gave Rutgers good field position late in the quarter by way of a blocked punt. On fourth and goal from the one with just two seconds left in the half it looked as if Greg Schiano would settle for a field goal to go into the locker room down 7-3. But he went for it, and Savon Huggins’ score tied things up at the break.

Louisville would gain some separation in the third quarter, with a Chris Philpott 52-yard field goal giving the home team a 10-7 lead after the first drive of the period. And after the defense forced a Rutgers punt, Louisville went 68 yards in seven plays to take a 16-7 lead on Bridgewater’s 18-yards pass to Michaelee Harris. Bridgewater didn’t have the best game from a statistical standpoint, throwing for just 122 yards and completing 10 of 18 passes, but he made solid decisions for much of the game.

“It was in the game plan, they played the coverage we wanted so we checked to the play,” said Harris. “He [Bridgewater] threw the ball up and somehow I came down with it.”

But that touchdown wouldn’t be the end of the game, as Rutgers fought back to make the score 16-14 on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Gary Nova to Mohamed Sanu with 14:10 remaining. Sanu had another solid outing for the Scarlet Knights, catching 10 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. On the season the junior’s caught 65 passes and may be the early frontrunner for Big East Offensive Player of the Year.

But that wouldn’t be enough as the Scarlet Knights couldn’t execute at a consistent level offensively. Savon Huggins led the team with 36 yards rushing on 10 carries and as a team Rutgers rushed for just 91 yards on 30 attempts. Turnovers and the ground game proved to be the difference, and the fact that turnover margin resulted in a Rutgers loss was a surprise given their success leading up to Friday night.

Rutgers hosts West Virginia and Louisville hosts Syracuse next weekend.

- Louisville defensive back Antony Conner suffers a broken neck but has feeling and movement in all of his extremities.

BEARCATS WIN UGLY, OTHERS NOT AS FORTUNATE

Cincinnati retains the Keg of Nails

By Raphielle Johnson

To say the least it wasn’t the prettiest day on the field for Big East teams, with many getting off to slow starts with a couple teams being unable to recover. Cincinnati (5-1, 1-0) didn’t get off to a good start themselves against Louisville at Paul Brown Stadium, going into the locker room at the half down 16-7 after the Cardinals returned an interception 63 yards with 30 seconds left in the second quarter. But Butch Jones’ team was able to bounce back offensively while their defense limited the Cardinals to 78 yards and seven first downs in the second half in their 25-16 win. The Bearcats retain possession of the Keg of Nails Trophy, picking up their fourth consecutive victory in the series.

“We have three rivalry games but this is really our rivalry,” said Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead, who rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown. “We don’t like Louisville and they don’t like us. There’s bad blood there.”

Cincinnati beat Louisville for the 4th staight time (Photo Credit: Al Behrman/Associate Press)

Cincinnati accounted for 330 yards of offense on the day, 91 yards below their season average, but it was their defense that kept the Bearcats within striking distance. Louisville (2-4, 0-1) performed well on defense themselves, which didn’t come as much of a surprise given the improvements made by defensive coordinator Vance Bedford. But their young offense couldn’t generate enough in the way of points or yards, although Louisville’s first two drives did result in Chris Philpott field goals. The Cardinals forced Cincinnati punts on the Bearcats’ first four possessions of the game, but the home team took the lead with 5:01 left in the half on a 26-yard pass from Zach Collaros to D.J. Woods.

Collaros had a quiet day by most standards as he completed 18 of 26 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown to go along with his interception late in the half. Philpott’s third field goal of the half made the score 9-7, but things got even better for the Cardinals as Cincinnati looked to regain the lead before the intermission. Mike Evans picked off a Collaros pass and ran it back 63 yards to push the lead out to nine, but those were the final points of the day for Louisville. On their second possession of the third quarter Cincinnati pulled to within two points as Collaros’ rush from one yard out made the score 16-14. Teddy Bridgewater and the rest of the Louisville offense couldn’t accomplish much of anything through the air or on the ground, and that would eventually cost them the lead.

Pead’s 50-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter gave the Bearcats a 22-16 lead, and Cincinnati would cap the scoring with 1:21 left on a Tony Miliano field goal from 21 yards out. Will Stein did return for the Cardinals but he completed just two of four passes for six yards. Quarterback is likely the least of Louisville’s concerns at this point in time; the fact that they’ve struggled so much running the football has been the biggest indictment of the Cardinals. The offensive line lacks experience and right now their best running back is Dominique Brown, who is a quarterback (although he may have to make a Michael Bush-like move to running back). Cincinnati has a lot to improve upon as well, most notably their third down conversions (4 for 14 on Saturday) and a passing game that could use some fine-tuning. But the defense is much improved since last season, and a big reason why Cincinnati is 5-1.

“Good teams find ways to win games when they don’t play their best,” said Jones. “In the second half we got Isaiah Pead in a little bit of a rhythm. I can’t say enough about our defense. They’ve been a rock of consistency for us and it showed today. Great team win.”

Utah 26, Pittsburgh 14

It was said before Saturday’s game against Utah that the Pittsburgh (3-4, 1-1) offensive staff wanted to get star running back Ray Graham 30 touches throughout the course of the game. And on a day in which both quarterbacks struggled mightily it would have been good for the Panthers to do so. But Graham finished with just 15 touches while Tino Sunseri and Trey Anderson attempted a combined 30 passes (completing nine with Anderson being picked off twice), and Utah shook off their slow start to win 26-14 in front of a disappointed crowd at Heinz Field. To their credit the Utes are among the best defenses in the Pac-12 against the run and Graham finished with 46 yards on 12 carries (21 came on one play), but there’s no excuse for the Big East’s leading rusher to only get 12 carries.

“They dominated us defensively and took Ray away,” said head coach Todd Graham. “They were dominating the line of scrimmage up front. Obviously, we want him to have more than 15 touches.”

Pitt finished the game with 120 yards of offense, but early on it didn’t seem as if they’d be made to pay for such production thanks to their defense and special teams. Colem Peterson put the Utes on the board first with 5:08 left in the first quarter on a field goal from 23 yards out, but Buddy Jackson answered with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Special teams would strike again just over two minutes later as Antwaun Reed scooped up a blocked punt and took it into the end zone from 10 yards out. Up 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, Pittsburgh simply needed their offense to get going but the Utes wouldn’t allow it. Utah’s front seven controlled the flow of play more and more as the game progressed, and by halftime they’d cut the margin to 14-13.

“The credit goes to the defense and I can’t say enough about how our defense played and our numbers were outstanding, 120 yards of total offense,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “They played hard from start to finish (and) they played smart and did very good things.”

Two more Petersen field goals, with the second coming with 7:45 left in the game, gave the Utes a 19-14 lead that was nearly insurmountable with the way that Pittsburgh was playing offensively. Pitt may have sacked Jon Hays seven times but the Utes sacked Pittsburgh quarterbacks six times, but at least Utah had the productive John White IV. White rushed for 171 yards on 36 carries as Utah looked to relieve some of the pressure on the young Hays (making his second-ever start) by counting on their junior college transfer.

Pitt was unable to get enough time for their quarterbacks in the final minutes of the game, with defensive end Derrick Shelby picking off an Anderson pass with 1:12 remaining and returning it 21 yards for a touchdown. Shelby’s somersault into the end zone shut the door on any chances of a Pittsburgh comeback, and the Panthers are left with plenty of questions to answer in the 11 days leading up to their game against UConn.

“A game like that is frustrating but at the same time we can’t really dwell on it,” said free safety Andrew Taglianetti. “We have to bounce back. We have five conference games left and those are the big ones. We need to focus up and come back and finish strong.”

Rutgers 21, Navy 20

If not for cornerback Brandon Jones there’s a strong likelihood that Rutgers is sitting at 4-2 right now. Jones, who picked off a Navy pass in the first quarter, blocked a 34-yard field goal attempt with 4:43 remaining to preserve a 21-20 lead. And that would ultimately be the final score as Rutgers (5-1, 2-0) won their fourth consecutive game of the season. The Midshipmen were in good shape offensively on their first possession of the game, only to have Jones pick off a Kriss Proctor pass at the Rutgers 23-yard line. Gary Nova and the Scarlet Knight offense went right down the field, but a Savon Huggins fumble at the goal line turned the ball back over to the Midshipmen. Nova threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions, with Mohamed Sanu (10 catches, 100 yards) being the preferred target once again.

But it took awhile for things to get going offensively. Neither team would score in the first quarter, but Rutgers’ final possession of the period set the stage for a Jawan Jamison touchdown run from one yard out 32 seconds into the second quarter. Navy answered with a 12-play drive but a Steve Beauharnais tackle of Proctor for a loss of two on fourth and goal turned the ball over to the Scarlet Knights. Navy, who entered the game as the nation’s best rushing offense, rushed for 162 yards (less than half their average) on the afternoon as Rutgers did a solid job of fulfilling their assignments.

“All the defensive coaches did an incredible job of fighting through the game and making the adjustments,” said Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. “And a great job by our kids to take what they were instructed to do during the game and make those changes.”

But it didn’t take long for the Midshipmen to get on the scoreboard as Chris Ferguson picked off Nova and returned it 16 yards to tie things up. Rutgers would have to give the ball up on downs on their next possession at the Navy 32, and it would take all of two plays for the Midshipmen to take the lead. Alexander Teich rushed for 14 yards, and Proctor followed that carry with a 54-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-7. Proctor finished the game with 39 yards rushing on 15 carries while also throwing for 106 yards. But the leading rusher in the game was Rutgers’ Jawan Jamison, who rushed for 101 yards on 22 carries. Joe Martinek also chipped in for the Scarlet Knights with 44 yards on four carries, and as a team the Big East’s worst rushing offense accounted for 152 yards on the day.

After a Navy field goal made the score 17-7 early in the third quarter, Rutgers made their charge back into the game. Gary Nova connected with Quron Pratt from 10 yards out to cut the margin to three points with 3:28 left in the quarter, and his pass to Tim Wright with 12:57 left in the game made the score 21-17. Navy would cut the lead to one with 7:52 left on a Jon Teague 41-yard field goal, but that would be as close as they’d get thanks to the efforts of Brandon Jones. Coach Schiano didn’t want to even think about 2006 after the win, and it’s best for this young team to simply focus on the task at hand. Next up is a conference game at Louisville on Friday night.

Connecticut 16, USF 10

For the second consecutive season the USF (4-2, 0-2) Bulls found a way to lose to a Connecticut (3-4, 1-1) team that failed to score an offensive touchdown. Lyle McCombs rushed for 130 yards on 32 carries to lead the Huskies, who struggled passing the ball after two weeks of decent results. But their defense and kicker Dave Teggart did enough to keep the team within striking distance until halfway through the third quarter, with a Byron Jones fumble return providing the winning points. As for the Bulls, who weren’t consistent offensively, a season in which they were expected to contend for the Big East title could be at a crossroads in that regard.

“Offensively today, outside of the first drive and the opening drive of the second half, we couldn’t put anything together,” said USF head coach Skip Holtz. “At halftime, we only had about 75 yards. We moved the ball much better in the second half. This game is about two things, penalties and turnovers.”

USF lost 85 yards on nine penalties while UConn was penalized just three times, and the turnover margin of minus-2 didn’t help matters either. The first half was particularly ragged for both teams as the Huskies went into the locker room with a 6-3 lead thanks to a pair of Teggart field goals. USF came out of the locker room hot, going 75 yards on seven plays to take a 10-6 lead on B.J. Daniels 22-yard run. USF did a lot of their damage on that drive through the air, with Daniels hitting his receivers on quick passes and allowing them to make a play after the catch. But the Bulls soon went back to running the football, and while they did finish with 175 yards rushing the rhythm established in that scoring drive was lost.

UConn answered the USF scoring drive with one of their own, going 67 yards on eight plays to set up Teggart’s third field goal of the game. Two plays into USF’s next possession disaster would strike for the visitors as a pitch from Daniels to Darrell Scott was lost, only to be scooped up and taken into the end zone by Jones. That closed the scoring for the game as the UConn defense continued to make things tough on the Bulls when they weren’t killing themselves, and McCombs did enough to make up for a subpar passing attack. Due to their play in the non-conference portion of the schedule bowl eligibility was thrown into doubt for UConn, but a game like this is a step in the right direction despite it’s less than attactive nature.

“They were determined about not letting this game get away from them,” said UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni. “We talked last week about getting a lead in the third quarter and taking that lead into the fourth and finishing the game. We had a lead and they got that done tonight.”

Next Week’s Schedule

Rutgers at Louisville (Friday 8 PM, ESPN2)

West Virginia at Syracuse (Friday 8 PM, ESPN)

Cincinnati at USF (Saturday Noon, Big East Network)

WEEK 6 BIG EAST RECAP

Rutgers wakes up in the 2nd half

By Raphielle Johnson

The battle between first place teams in New Brunswick got off to a horrific start for both offenses, with Rutgers (4-1, 2-0) take a 6-3 lead into the halftime break thanks to a pair of San San Te field goals. During the adjustment period many wondered if both the Scarlet Knights and Pittsburgh (3-3, 1-1) would bench their starting quarterbacks, and it would have been understandable if both had done so. But Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano held off on removing Gary Nova, and the decision paid off with a pair of third quarter touchdown passes in what would become a 34-10 Rutgers victory.

Greg Schiano stuck with Gary Nova and it paid off (Photo Credit: Tom Kurdzuk/Newark Star-Ledger)

Pittsburgh on the other hand called on freshman Trey Anderson to start the third quarter in place of Tino Sunseri, and not much changed for the Panthers. The offensive line couldn’t protect either quarterback as the Scarlet Knights sacked Sunseri six times and harassed Anderson into just four yards passing on five attempts (two completions). Justin Francis finished the game with three sacks and Khaseem Greene and Wayne Warren chipped in with two apiece. Rutgers, who leads the nation in takeaways with 22, picked off Pitt passers four times (Sunseri three times) with corner Logan Ryan grabbing two.

“They were getting to us and we weren’t able to make them hurt on the blitz and you live and die by the sword of the blitz and they were living and getting a lot of pressure on us,” said Sunseri of the Rutgers defense. “We couldn’t get the ball out and couldn’t get it to our playmakers.”

But for as disappointing the effort was for Pitt, it was that good for Rutgers especially in the second half. Nova wasn’t great throwing the football but he didn’t turn the football over, throwing for 174 yards and the two third quarter touchdowns. Running backs Jawan Jamison and Savon Huggins combined to rush for 86 yards, with Huggins’ scoring run from three yards out answering a Ray Graham score early in the fourth to make the score 27-10. Graham, who rushed for a game-high 165 yards, put Pittsburgh back into the game at the start of the fourth quarter with a 64-yard run. He capped the drive on the next play, and despite being down 20-10 it wasn’t inconceivable that the Panthers could win the game.

But Rutgers was able to answer on special teams, with the versatile Jeremy Deering returning the ensuing kickoff 73 yards back to the Pitt 19. Three plays later Huggins effectively shut the door on Pittsburgh, as they had to abandon the run in favor of a passing game that was ineffective all day. Ryan returned his second interception of the day 45 yards for a touchdown with 5:26 remaining to cap the scoring, moving Rutgers to 2-0 in Big East play for just the second time in school history (2006).

“We don’t have a championship game so every week we play, it is the championship game,” said Schiano. “You don’t know what it is going to take to win this league. We will take them one at a time and at the end of the year we will add up our wins and see where it puts us. But it is exciting to be 2-0 in a good football league.”

Rutgers hosts Navy next week on Homecoming while Pittsburgh will go out of conference for the final time this season as they host Utah at Heinz Field.

West Virginia 43, Connecticut 16

Sometimes all it takes is one play to derail an upset attempt, and that’s exactly what happened to Connecticut in Morgantown on Saturday. Driving into West Virginia (5-1, 1-0) territory in the third quarter, UConn (2-4, 0-1) quarterback Johnny McEntee fumbled the football on a scramble to his left. WVU linebacker Jewone Snow picked up the ball and ran 83 yards back to the UConn 12-yard line, and two plays later Geno Smith connected with Tavon Austin to make the score 17-9. It was still a one-possession game at that point, but the wind was gone from the Husky sails on both sides of the football. The end result: a 43-16 Mountaineer win that was closer than expected for two-plus quarters.

“Johnny tucked the ball in and didn’t have anyone to throw it so he ran it, and instead of going down he stayed up, got hit, and the ball came out,” said UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni of the fateful play.

From that point forward the Huskies didn’t gain double-digit yards until late in the fourth quarter, while West Virginia put together five scoring drives on six possessions to eventually hold a 43-9 lead. Ty-Meer Brown’s interception return of a Pat Millard pass with 7:54 left in the game got the Huskies into double figures, but that was of little consolation for a team that remains winless all-time in Morgantown. Smith had another good afternoon throwing the football despite the slow start, throwing for 450 yards and four touchdowns. He’s now over 2,000 yards passing for the season, and it’s not going to take long for the junior to surpass his 2,763 yards of a season ago.

West Virginia was able to take advantage of an overmatched UConn secondary as their protection of Smith improved, with Stedman Bailey (seven catches for 174 yards, 2 TD) and Ivan McCartney (6 for 131) going over 100 yards receiving and Austin catching seven passes for 74 yards and a score. McEntee threw for 193 yards and wasn’t picked off, but the Connecticut signal-caller was sacked five times with Bruce Irvin and Terence Garvin getting two apiece. UConn couldn’t do much on the ground either, averaging just 2.3 yards per rush on the day. The Huskies were a serious underdog going into the game, and all it took for it to head in that direction was one play. Next up for the Huskies is USF at home while West Virginia has a bye week before their trip to Syracuse.

North Carolina 14, Louisville 7

It was a tough week for Louisville in the aftermath of their disappointing loss to Marshall, with things coming to a head in the form of offensive coordinator Mike Sanford not making the trip to Chapel Hill. But the young Cardinals put up more of a fight than many expected against North Carolina, with neither team accomplishing much offensively until the second half. Ultimately the Tar Heels were able to do just enough in beating the Cardinals, who drop to 2-3 on the season going into conference play.

Giovani Bernard’s three-yard run opened the scoring with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter, and he was arguably the best offensive performer on the day with 109 yards on 25 carries. But the true problem for Louisville had more to do with themselves than anything that North Carolina did. The Cardinals gave up 78 yards on nine penalties, with a few of the calls coming at the worst possible time for Charlie Strong’s team. One of those penalties kept the Heels’ first scoring drive alive UNC got Brandon Dunn to jump on 4th and 2 with North Carolina lined up to attempt a field goal.

“We started back in training camp working on that,” said UNC interim head coach Everett Withers. “We’ve got an arsenal of those kind of plays. We figure if we can get inside the kicker’s range and they jump offsides, so be it.”

The Tar Heels would score on the first drive of the fourth quarter as Bryn Renner connected with Dwight Jones on a 43-yard touchdown pass, making the score 14-0 with 12:19 remaining. Louisville wouldn’t get onto the board until 42 seconds remained in the game as Teddy Bridgewater connected with Daniel Brown on an 18-yards pass. Bridgewater completed 19 of 30 passes for 173 yards and the touchdown along with one interception while Brown led the Cardinals with 47 yards rushing on 18 carries. Louisville only allowed two sacks but the offensive line still has a long way to go as league play begins, and Sanford will rejoin the staff although Strong was unsure of what his role would be immediately after the game.

Louisville opens Big East play at Cincinnati next week with the Keg of Nails Trophy on the line.

Syracuse 37, Tulane 34

After racing out early the Orange (4-2, 0-1) made things more difficult than they had to be at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, ultimately needing a 21-yard field goal from Ross Krautman as time expired to escape with the win. Ryan Nassib got back on track for Syracuse as he completed 19 of 34 for 186 yards and two touchdows, with both touchdown passes going to Dorian Graham. Graham had his best game of the season on a night that saw Alec Lemon and Van Chew both kept under wraps as he caught four passes for a team-high 55 yards and the two scores. Antwon Bailey once again surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground, rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. The senior also caught four passes for 34 yards.

But even with the improved offensive output from Syracuse, it was Tulane who opened the scoring on an Orleans Darkwa 40-yard run just over three minutes into the game. But the Green Wave had problems stopping the Orange in the first half, as Syracuse would score the next 24 points with Nassib’s draw from four yards out making the score 24-7 with 9:06 left in the half. Darkwa scored his second touchdown of the night on a one-yard run just over three minutes later, capping a drive that saw Tulane hit on two big plays in the passing game to move down the field. Tulane finished the game with 471 yards of offense and did the majority of their damage through the air, as Ryan Griffin threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns.

Syracuse answered with a touchdown pass to Graham, but Tulane refused to back down and cut the margin to 31-24 by the half. The Green Wave refused to quit, and their defense rose to the challenge in the second half by forcing the Orange to punt on their first four possessions of the half. A Krautman field goal with 4:19 left in the game put the Orange up 34-27, but Tulane needed just three plays to tie things up as Griffin hit Xavier Rush on a 58-yard strike. But that would be the last time the Green Wave would touch the ball with Syracuse bleeding the clock while moving down the field, ultimately leading to the game-winning kick. Next up for Syracuse is a bye week before hosting West Virginia on the 21st.

“”If you don’t have any heart conditions come on out, it’s going to be fun,” said Nassib. “We play in a lot of situations that you dream of as a kid. Two minutes to go to win the game. Let’s see what you’ve got.”