ESPN Big East Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

1. Cincinnati has flaws, after all: It was tough to spot any weaknesses in the Bearcats before Saturday. They were among the nation's leaders in nearly every statistical category and hadn't played a close game all season. But the 47-45 nail-biter over UConn exposed some areas to exploit. A team with a big, physical offensive line and strong running game can overpower Cincinnati's defense, as Ryan Mathews first showed in the Fresno State game and Jordan Todman and the Huskies screamed on Saturday night. There's one opponent left on the Bearcats' schedule that fits that description, which means ...

2. Make Pitt the Big East co-favorite: The Panthers are on a major roll right now, having won their last two games by a combined margin of 78-24. They've got a tough-nosed offensive line and a great running game behind Dion Lewis, with as many or more weapons in the passing game as Cincinnati. Pitt's defense has improved after some early struggles. Right now, the Dec. 5 showdown between the two Big East heavyweights at Heinz Field looks like a toss-up.

3. West Virginia has lost is offensive mojo: Ever since Jarrett Brown's concussion early in the Marshall game, the Mountaineers have not been the same on offense. They scored 30 points in each of their first five games and haven't done so in any of their last four contests. After putting up just 19 in a loss to South Florida, they mustered only 17 points in an uninspiring win over Louisville on Saturday. Defenses have managed to bottle up the running game the past two weeks, and the passing game has lacked rhythm. Going into this week's cauldron at Cincinnati, West Virginia will need to figure out what's wrong and get back on track.

4. No one needs a bye more than UConn: Connecticut must be the most competitive 4-5 team in America. Its five losses have now come by a combined 15 points, and the Huskies could almost as easily be 9-0. They showed incredible grit to come back from 20 points down and turn Saturday's game against Cincinnati into a shootout, a type of game they didn't seem capable of playing most of the season. Still, this team has had more heartache in one year than some programs experience in a decade. This week's off week is much deserved and needed.

5. Syracuse and Louisville lack the proper tools on offense: The Orange and the Cardinals are battling head to head this week avoid the Big East basement, and a dearth of offensive playmakers is the reason why. Louisville outplayed West Virginia in most facets Saturday, but with a walk-on quarterback, a third-string freshman running back and a mistake-prone offensive line, it couldn't get into the end zone. Syracuse badly missed Mike Williams at Pitt, as no receiver had more than one catch, and quarterbacks Ryan Nassib and Greg Paulus combined for three interceptions. Both teams play hard every game, but this could be an ugly slugfest between two teams with ugly records.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

• Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: Collaros set a Big East record with 555 yards of total offense, throwing for 480 yards and running for 75 more in the Bearcats' 47-45 win over UConn.

• Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: The senior had 12 catches for 172 yards.

• Jordan Todman, RB, UConn: Todman carried 26 times for 162 yards and four touchdowns in the loss.

• Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt: The freshman had 18 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown in a 37-10 win over Syracuse.

• Darius Ashley, RB, Louisville: The freshman had 33 carries for 164 yards as the Cardinals lost 17-9 at West Virginia.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Brian Kelly encountered an odd situation in the locker room after Cincinnati's game against Connecticut on Saturday night. He had to give his players a pep talk -- after a victory.

Judging from their muted shuffle off the Nippert Stadium turf or the downtrodden stares on some defensive players' faces, you might not have known the No. 5 Bearcats beat UConn. That's what a white-knuckle, 47-45 game will do to a team that's contending for the national title.

"I had to tell a lot of guys in there, 'We just won a football game,'" Kelly said. "They had that look about them defensively. But you've got to enjoy a win like this. It's hard to win."

Actually, winning hadn't been too difficult for Cincinnati (9-0, 5-0 Big East) before Saturday. Only one opponent had come within 10 points all season, and Fresno State never seriously threatened in that 28-20 decision.

It looked like another easy stroll for the Bearcats once they built a 30-10 halftime lead and a 37-17 cushion over UConn in the third quarter. But the ever-resilient Huskies stormed back, coming within a missed two-point conversion of erasing the entire deficit.

	Frank Victores-US Presswire
	Zach Collaros passed for 480 yards, the second most in school history, to keep Cincinnati's offense rolling.

In the process, they exposed the warts, moles and scar tissue on the Big East's beauty queen.

"It was actually good for our guys," Kelly said. "Because we hadn't been in this kind of adversity all year."

In any other week, critics would tear apart Cincinnati, harping on an alarmingly poor defense (462 total yards) and special teams problems (UConn's Robert McClain had an 87-yard punt return touchdown). But the Bearcats picked the perfect week to scuffle, as several other Top 10 teams either also skirted by or got trap-doored.

No. 4 Iowa lost, allowing Kelly's team to move up one spot in the BCS food chain. No. 7 Boise State won a similar shootout at Louisiana Tech, 45-35. No. 8 Oregon gave up 51 points in a loss at Stanford, and No. 10 Georgia Tech needed overtime to beat Wake Forest at home.

Almost every championship team has to get through a scare. So even though the Bearcats had a rare showcase opportunity on ABC in prime-time, all they really needed to do this week was survive, not worry about style points.

"We'd all like to play our best in every phase of the game, but sometimes you've just got to find a way to win," Kelly said.

All the style Saturday night came from the offense, which continues to produce at a breathtaking pace. The Bearcats piled up a school-record 711 total yards without a single turnover. Mardy Gilyard summed up the night when he sat down at the postgame interview table, scanned the stats and said, "Oh, damn."

"It's just a beautiful thing to watch once we're clicking," said Gilyard, who had 12 catches for 172 yards.

Things are clicking like an overworked mouse pad behind backup quarterback Zach Collaros. Starting his third straight game for the injured Tony Pike, Collaros passed for 480 yards, the second most in school history, and broke the school and Big East record for most total yards (555).

Collaros has played so incredibly well with his arm and his legs that Kelly isn't sure if he'll start Pike next week against West Virginia. Pike was cleared medically and received a brace for his injured left forearm late last week. Kelly had previously said the senior would automatically regain his job once healthy.

"I think I have to reconsider my decision," Kelly said.

We know the offense can score no matter who's under center. This game raised major red flags about the defense, which came into the night third in the nation in points allowed. The Big East's beefiest offensive line -- UConn's guards and tackles all weigh between 315 and 333 pounds -- rammed through the smaller players in Cincinnati's 3-4 scheme. That causes questions about whether the Bearcats' defense could handle the offensive lines of, say, Alabama or Texas in a potential BCS title game.

But those concerns aren't as glaring in a week like this. This beauty queen may have some flaws, but so do all the other contestants in this pageant.

"It's always exciting when you don't your play best game and you still get the win," linebacker JK Schaffer said. "It shows you how much better you can be and how much more you can beat teams by."

Quarterback Zach Collaros talks about Cincinnati's 47-45 win over Connecticut on Saturday night.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- It didn't look like Cincinnati would have to sweat much after building a 20-point halftime lead against UConn.

But the Huskies made the Bearcats earn every bit of this one. Isaiah Pead scored on a 13-yard run on 4th and 1 with 1:52 left to give Cincinnati a 47-38 lead. Connecticut came back for another score with 13 seconds left, but Charley Howard recovered the onside kick for the Bearcats to cap the wild and wooly 47-45 win.

Cincinnati improved to 9-0 and 5-0 in the Big East, but this was by far its toughest game of the season against an incredibly resilient opponent. The Bearcats now must answer questions about their defense, but they're just happy to face those queries after a win and not a season-crushing loss.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Unbelievable comeback by UConn. But will it be enough?

The Huskies have erased almost all of a 20-point deficit thanks to a punishing running game that Cincinnati has not been able to handle. Jordan Todman scored from two yards out on fourth down to make it 40-38, but Zach Frazer got sacked on the two-point conversion attempt.

There's 5:03 left. Zach Collaros has had one of the best passing days in Cincinnati history. Right now, he and the offense have to get some first downs, or the BCS title hopes die.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- The Bearcats have a game on their hands all of a sudden.

Cincinnati led 37-17 in the third quarter. But UConn just won't go away. A long pass to Kashif Moore set up a touchdown, and Jordan Todman completed a halfback pass for the two-point conversion.

All of a sudden, it's 40-32 and the Huskies are very much in this game. Well, if they can get a stop somewhere. Cincinnati has 652 yards of offense. Still, the Bearcats' defensive play in the second half is raising some very serious concerns.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Robert McClain returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown, bringing UConn back to within 37-24.

This is the most points the Bearcats have surrendered this year. They can't relax yet -- and they've sprung a few leaks that need to get fixed by next week, especially on special teams.

UConn is showing a lot of heart.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Tony Pike will likely be back to start next week against West Virginia. He's not going to get Wally Pipp-ed by Zach Collaros.

But I can't think of an instance in recent Big East history where a player will be replaced for non-health reasons after being this good. Collaros just continues to do it all, and you could make a strong case that he belongs on the All-Big East team. He has basically won four Big East games at quarterback since the South Florida game was in doubt when he entered it.

Collaros ran 28 yards for a touchdown on a zone-read play. He's got over 400 yards of total offense. Surely, Brian Kelly will find a way to utilize his skills even when Pike comes back.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- After six scores on six possessions on the first half, Cincinnati had to punt on its first possession. Yes, the Bearcats remembered how.

In all seriousness, no one would blame UConn too much for going through the motions in the second half after all the Huskies have been through. They can't have much left in the tank. But give them credit, because they came out and made a defensive stand early.

Jordan Todman just broke a big run to get this game back to 30-17. UConn will not lie down.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Quick analysis of the first half from Nippert Stadium, where No. 5 Cincinnati leads UConn, 30-10:

Player of the half: Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros continues to amaze in relief of Tony Pike. He's 19-of-25 for 333 yards and a touchdown and has run for a score in the first half already. The guy almost never misses.

Second guessing: UConn is vulnerable in the secondary to begin with, but the Huskies are playing too soft in coverage. Mardy Gilyard has all kinds of room to operate. With no pressure on the quarterback being applied, why isn't Connecticut dropping more help against the pass?

What it means: Cincinnati is showing the nation it is for real tonight. With other Top 10 teams faltering, especially Iowa, the Bearcats are going to be moving on up in the BCS standings come tomorrow.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Four possessions, four scores for Cincinnati.

Connecticut can be thankful that the Bearcats had to settle for field goals on two of those. Cincinnati has 320 total yards of offense with 3:49 left in the half. Quarterback Zach Collaros has been brutally efficient, completing 16-of-20 passes for 219 yards. And Mardy Gilyard continues to dominate, with nine catches for 127 yards.

If this is a shootout, I don't think the Huskies stand a chance. And it's heading in that direction.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- In the past few weeks, Mardy Gilyard has been double-covered a lot.

Tonight, he's being set free. UConn is for some reason giving the Cincinnati star receiver a lot of cushion, and he's burning them big time. He already has seven catches for 108 yards, and the first quarter isn't over yet.

Randy Edsall apparently doesn't want to overcommit to one Cincinnati player, but Gilyard is the one guy you have to stop on this team to have any chance.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- UConn doesn't have the electric playmakers in the passing game or a big-time spread offense like Cincinnati.

What the Huskies do have is size. UConn answered the Bearcats' opening drive with a very impressive touchdown march of their own. They did it using their huge offensive line, bolstered by two tight ends and a fullback, and just rammed it down Cincinnati's throat.

The Bearcats play a 3-4 and don't have as much bulk up front. Brian Kelly and Bob Diaco will have to adjust, most likely by bringing their safeties down into the box. That means there will be some plays in the passing game for UConn later on; can Zach Frazer take advantage of the situation?

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Any worries that Cincinnati would overlook UConn or come out overconfident tonight?

Nope.

The Bearcats zipped down the field on the opening possession and scored. The offense was running at peak efficiency under Zach Collaros, and Jacob Ramsey ripped off a long run inside the UConn 5. Then Isaiah Pead punched it in.

It took the Bearcats 2:57 to fire the first salvo.