Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
I did a lot of painstaking demographic research and soul-searching before deciding to move the Big East stock report from Fridays to Wednesdays (Translation: I asked my dog, and she stared at me blankly). Who wants to wait until Friday to find out how their stocks are doing, anyway? As a bonus, I've added a freshman of the year category to our player races.
Stock up
1. Andre Dixon: He was the invisible man last year for UConn. Now he's back in the spotlight with 149 rushing yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Baylor.
2. Greg Paulus: The former Duke point guard keeps getting better and better, highlighted by his smashing 346-yard performance in the Northwestern win. I can imagine Doug Marrone checking on the football backgrounds of Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer as we speak.
3. Walk-on kickers: Ryan Lichtenstein, who got a scholarship right before the season, hit the game-winner vs. Northwestern and was the Big East player of the week. Junior Eric Schwartz will probably take over at South Florida for the struggling Delbert Alvarado.
4. Justin Burke: The brainy Louisville quarterback joked that he looks like a "mathlete" before the Kentucky game. After his gutsy performance, he looks more like a keeper.
5. The Big East: The league earned itself some goodwill with last weekend's showing, including the three big wins in which it was the underdog (Cincinnati over Oregon State, Syracuse over Northwestern, UConn over Baylor). Time to see if the Big East can keep it going this week.
Stock down
1. Quarterbacks' health: Matt Grothe is out for the year. Tom Savage had a slight concussion. Jarrett Brown has a bruised non-throwing shoulder. Zach Frazer is still sidelined with a knee injury. Just goes to show you that you'd better have more than one quarterback ready to play at all times.
2. Rutgers' offensive line: Hyped as the best unit in the league by many (including yours truly), the Scarlet Knights' O-line has yet to live up to expectations. Rutgers has given up nine sacks, tied for last in the league, and is anything but a dominant front right now.
3. West Virginia's middle screens: Mountaineers fans would be happy never to see that play called again, as it led to two costly interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, in the Auburn loss.
4. South Florida's facilities: The Bulls don't have an indoor practice facility, which means their practices can often get delayed or cut short by the frequent Florida storms. That happened Tuesday night, when lightning caused the team to stop practice early just a few days before the showdown at Florida State. South Florida also has had to practice at times in the Sun Dome, the school's basketball arena that's ill-equipped to hold a football team.
5. Pittsburgh's public-address operators: After the win over Navy, the Heinz Field PA system started blaring canned music, drowning out the traditional singing of the Navy alma mater. That tradition is usually honored with silence, even from host teams, out of respect to the sacrifices by the military. Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson issued an apology for the gaffe, saying it was a miscommunication.
Player of the year race: Offense
1. Tony Pike, QB,Cincinnati: Has completed 70.8 percent of his passes for 923 yards and eight touchdowns.
2. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: Leads Big East in rushing with 389 yards and five touchdowns on 67 carries.
3. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: Has 23 catches for 265 yards and four touchdowns.
4. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Has run for 320 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
5. Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse: Has caught 23 balls for 357 yards and three touchdowns.
Player of the year race: Defense
1. Lindsey Witten, DE, UConn: No sacks last week, but he forced a fumble and still leads the nation with seven sacks on the season.
2. George Selvie, DE, South Florida: His candidacy will take a serious turn one way or another at Florida State this week.
3. Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati: Leader of the surprisingly good Bearcats defense has a pair of interceptions.
4. Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh: Second in the league with 5.5 tackles for loss.
5. Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: Leads league with 16 solo tackles and also has 2.5 sacks.
Player of the year race: Freshman
1. Lewis, Pittsburgh.
2. Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers: He's entrenched as the starter and has thrown three touchdowns and no interceptions thus far, though his completion percentage is just 53.1.
3. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers: Leads team with 15 receptions and is a big part of the Scarlet Knights' offense.
4. Dan Mason, LB, Pittsburgh: Had breakout game versus Navy with 11 tackles and two sacks; only question is where and how much he'll play when Adam Gunn is healthy.
5. Brandon Sharpe, DE, Syracuse: Has two sacks and has helped strengthen the Orange's defensive front.
I did a lot of painstaking demographic research and soul-searching before deciding to move the Big East stock report from Fridays to Wednesdays (Translation: I asked my dog, and she stared at me blankly). Who wants to wait until Friday to find out how their stocks are doing, anyway? As a bonus, I've added a freshman of the year category to our player races.
Stock up
1. Andre Dixon: He was the invisible man last year for UConn. Now he's back in the spotlight with 149 rushing yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Baylor.
2. Greg Paulus: The former Duke point guard keeps getting better and better, highlighted by his smashing 346-yard performance in the Northwestern win. I can imagine Doug Marrone checking on the football backgrounds of Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer as we speak.
3. Walk-on kickers: Ryan Lichtenstein, who got a scholarship right before the season, hit the game-winner vs. Northwestern and was the Big East player of the week. Junior Eric Schwartz will probably take over at South Florida for the struggling Delbert Alvarado.
4. Justin Burke: The brainy Louisville quarterback joked that he looks like a "mathlete" before the Kentucky game. After his gutsy performance, he looks more like a keeper.
5. The Big East: The league earned itself some goodwill with last weekend's showing, including the three big wins in which it was the underdog (Cincinnati over Oregon State, Syracuse over Northwestern, UConn over Baylor). Time to see if the Big East can keep it going this week.
Stock down
1. Quarterbacks' health: Matt Grothe is out for the year. Tom Savage had a slight concussion. Jarrett Brown has a bruised non-throwing shoulder. Zach Frazer is still sidelined with a knee injury. Just goes to show you that you'd better have more than one quarterback ready to play at all times.
2. Rutgers' offensive line: Hyped as the best unit in the league by many (including yours truly), the Scarlet Knights' O-line has yet to live up to expectations. Rutgers has given up nine sacks, tied for last in the league, and is anything but a dominant front right now.
3. West Virginia's middle screens: Mountaineers fans would be happy never to see that play called again, as it led to two costly interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, in the Auburn loss.
4. South Florida's facilities: The Bulls don't have an indoor practice facility, which means their practices can often get delayed or cut short by the frequent Florida storms. That happened Tuesday night, when lightning caused the team to stop practice early just a few days before the showdown at Florida State. South Florida also has had to practice at times in the Sun Dome, the school's basketball arena that's ill-equipped to hold a football team.
5. Pittsburgh's public-address operators: After the win over Navy, the Heinz Field PA system started blaring canned music, drowning out the traditional singing of the Navy alma mater. That tradition is usually honored with silence, even from host teams, out of respect to the sacrifices by the military. Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson issued an apology for the gaffe, saying it was a miscommunication.
Player of the year race: Offense
1. Tony Pike, QB,Cincinnati: Has completed 70.8 percent of his passes for 923 yards and eight touchdowns.
2. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: Leads Big East in rushing with 389 yards and five touchdowns on 67 carries.
3. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: Has 23 catches for 265 yards and four touchdowns.
4. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Has run for 320 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
5. Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse: Has caught 23 balls for 357 yards and three touchdowns.
Player of the year race: Defense
1. Lindsey Witten, DE, UConn: No sacks last week, but he forced a fumble and still leads the nation with seven sacks on the season.
2. George Selvie, DE, South Florida: His candidacy will take a serious turn one way or another at Florida State this week.
3. Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati: Leader of the surprisingly good Bearcats defense has a pair of interceptions.
4. Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh: Second in the league with 5.5 tackles for loss.
5. Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: Leads league with 16 solo tackles and also has 2.5 sacks.
Player of the year race: Freshman
1. Lewis, Pittsburgh.
2. Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers: He's entrenched as the starter and has thrown three touchdowns and no interceptions thus far, though his completion percentage is just 53.1.
3. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers: Leads team with 15 receptions and is a big part of the Scarlet Knights' offense.
4. Dan Mason, LB, Pittsburgh: Had breakout game versus Navy with 11 tackles and two sacks; only question is where and how much he'll play when Adam Gunn is healthy.
5. Brandon Sharpe, DE, Syracuse: Has two sacks and has helped strengthen the Orange's defensive front.
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
You must be signed in to post a comment