ESPN College Football

Last week, we took a look at the up-and-coming freshmen in the Big East. Now it is time to take a look at all of the departing senior talent. There is a ton across every team in this league. Sixteen of the 29 players honored on the All-Big East first team are seniors. There are still five bowl games left to be played, but it is worth taking a look at how many seniors are departing.

I will take a closer look at some of these "super seniors" in a future post.

Cincinnati

• Seniors: 21
• Starters: 12
• Key losses: Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Randy Martinez, D.J. Woods, Evan Davis, John Hughes, Wes Richardson, Alex Hoffman, JK Schaffer, Adrien Robinson, Tom DeTemple, Derek Wolfe.

UConn

• Seniors: 13
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Mike Ryan, Moe Petrus, Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore, Dave Teggart, Twyon Martin, Kendall Reyes.

Louisville

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Victor Anderson, Josh Bellamy, Josh Chichester, Ryan Kessling, Dexter Heyman, William Savoy, Greg Scruggs, Chris Philpott.

Pitt

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Lucas Nix, Greg Gaskins, Jordan Gibbs, Antwuan Reed, Max Gruder, Greg Williams, Brandon Lindsey, Chas Alecxih, Myles Caragein.

Rutgers

• Seniors: 16
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Desmond Wynn, Caleb Ruch, Art Forst, Joe Martinek, Justin Francis, Manny Abreu, David Rowe, San San Te.

USF

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 6
• Key losses: Jeremiah Warren, Chaz Hine, Quenton Washington, Jerrell Young, Patrick Hampton, Keith McCaskill.

Syracuse

• Seniors: 18
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Van Chew, Andrew Tiller, Michael Hay, Antwon Bailey, Kevyn Scott, Mikhail Marinovich, Nick Provo.

West Virginia

• Seniors: 22
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Don Barclay, Julian Miller, Bruce Irvin, Najee Goode, Keith Tandy, Eain Smith.

Rutgers has not played like a team with a shot at a share of a Big East title.

The Scarlet Knights have three turnovers against UConn in the first half, and the Huskies have taken advantage, taking a 24-10 lead into halftime. Rutgers, one of the best teams in turnover margin in the Big East, gave the ball away on its first two possessions. First, Jawan Jamison fumbled, and Jesse Joseph recovered. Then on the next possession, Ty-Meer Brown intercepted Chas Dodd.

UConn converted both the mistakes into touchdowns, and just like that the Huskies were up 14-0. Then in the second quarter, center Caleb Ruch never got the snap to Dodd and the ball was fumbled. Kendall Reyes recovered and ran the ball in 9 yards for a score. Rutgers put together a touchdown drive, but nothing has really gone right for the Scarlet Knights.

The only other time Rutgers played its final regular-season game with Big East title implications was in 2006. The Scarlet Knights ended the 2006 regular season with a 41-39 triple overtime loss at No. 15 West Virginia as they finished the season 5-2 in the league and tied for second.

The news is good for UConn, which needs to win out to become bowl-eligible. The Huskies haven't had to sustain many offensive drives and have done an excellent job turning the mistakes into touchdowns.

Rutgers has released its post-spring depth chart, and the two-deep reveals some serious competition at some key spots this summer.

Greg Schiano has three players -- Jeremy Deering, De'Antwan Williams and Jawan Jamison -- listed as tied for the first-string running back job. And that doesn't even count incoming freshman Savon Huggins, a much-hyped recruit.

There's also a tie at tight end, where sophomore Paul Carrezola has moved into a dead heat with incumbent starter D.C. Jefferson. Both cornerback spots also have co-starter situations, with Logan Ryan and Marcus Cooper battling on one side and Brandon Jones and Mason Robinson doing so on the other.

David Osei is now the starting center after Dallas Hendrickson's season-ending knee injury. The rest of the offensive line has Andre Civil at left tackle, Desmond Stapleton at right tackle and Antwan Lowery and Desmond Wynn at the guard spots. Caleb Ruch is listed as the backup at both center and right guard.

True freshman Djwany Mera has worked his way up to second string on the defensive line.

• West Virginia's season ticket numbers are strong so far. Dana Holgorsen wants to see a new attititude out of the Mountaineers (might be the first time I've seen a coach use the word "vivaciousness"). The WVU defense is getting back to basics.
• Oliver Luck talked about Big East expansion.
• Caleb Ruch is still moving around the Rutgers offensive line. Linebacker David Milewski is close to returning from a knee injury.
• Syracuse's linebackers are small and inexperienced, but they have potential.
• A backup USF fullback is transferring.
• Louisville cornerback Darius Ashley pleaded guilty to a DUI charge.
• Zach Collaros could end up with some pretty historic numbers for Cincinnati.

Let's continue our look at each team's strongest and weakest positions this spring (and this spring only). Up today: Rutgers.

Strongest position: Receiver

Key returnees: Mohamed Sanu, Mark Harrison, Keith Stroud

Key departures: None

The skinny: With so many position changes this spring and several spots hit hard by graduation -- not to mention some poor performance in last year's 4-8 season -- no one group for the Scarlet Knights stands out as definitely the strongest. However, the receiving corps has a chance to be really good. Harrison was the breakout star for Rutgers last year and could emerge as the top wideout in the Big East in 2011 if he continues to progress. Sanu, who will be limited to no-contact work this spring, is a special, versatile talent. Tim Wright, who was drawing raves last spring before an unfortunate knee injury, is back and healthy. Throw in Stroud and the 6-foot-6 Brandon Coleman, among others, and it's easy to see why the team felt fine moving Jeremy Deering from receiver to tailback this spring.

Weakest position: Offensive line

Key returnees: Desmond Stapleton, Desmond Wynn, Caleb Ruch, Antwan Lowery, Art Forst

Key departure: Howard Barbieri

The skinny: This is the rare exception where one of a team's deepest positions is also seen as its weakest. We all know how poorly Rutgers' offensive line played last year. The hope is that another year of experience, a different system, and junior college center Dallas Hendrickson can help. Faithful reader and Scarlet Knights fan Jay asked me to highlight another position since this one is so obvious, so I'll oblige. Quarterback is also weak as a position, with only Steve Shimko behind sophomore Chas Dodd. Linebacker lost its top tackler (Antonio Lowery) and will work in another new starter as Manny Abreu moves to defensive end. Rutgers clearly has a lot to work on this spring, but the good news is that talent is there.

The new-look Rutgers offensive line debuts Thursday night against Norfolk State. And it has an unlikely anchor.

Fifth-year senior Howard Barbieri will start at center and will also walk to midfield before the game as one of three team captains. Neither are roles he envisioned himself playing when he arrived on campus.

"I just wanted to show people I could play here," he said.

Barbieri had a lone scholarship offer to Wagner. But he believed in his ability, so he chose to walk on at Rutgers.

That looked like a wise choice as soon as his redshirt freshman year, when he was running second string on the offensive line before he was moved to tight end. Since then, Barbieri has done a little bit of everything.

In 2008, he played at left guard, right guard and right tackle. He started at both guard spots last year and practiced at center, then was moved to that position permanently before this spring, when he finally received a scholarship for his efforts.

A center has to be aware of what everyone is doing on a given play, and Barbieri's background makes that easier.

"I know what the right guard is going to do on a play because I've been there before," he said. "It helps me a lot. I look at myself as a leader of not just the offensive line, but the whole offense."

Assistant coach Kyle Flood told the Home News Tribune that Barbieri's leadership "is going to help us as we go through this process as we try to get everything on track. To have a guy like that who can anchor the middle for you, it makes the transition a little smoother."

The Scarlet Knights could use some stability on their offensive front, which will start together for the first time Thursday night. Three starters are gone from last year, and the most experienced lineman, Art Forst, has moved from guard to right tackle. Desmond Stapleton takes over for Anthony Davis at left tackle, while Desmond Wynn steps into a more prominent role. Caleb Ruch, who was injured most of last year, is at right guard.

Fans will be watching closely, even against Norfolk State, to see signs of improvement after last year's line disappointed. Barbieri said they should like what they see.

"This is the most physical line we've had since I've been here," he said. "That's the way we're practicing, and it's been emphasized to us all offseason. We're going to be tough and physical."

And they have an unlikely anchor.

Rutgers released a post-spring, two-deep Tuesday, and while there aren't a ton of surprises, there is some shuffling along the offensive line.

The depth chart, which shouldn't be viewed as written in stone at this early date, has junior Art Forst moving from guard to tackle. Forst has the size to play tackle at 6-foot-8, 310 pounds but all of his career starts have come on the interior. Moving to his old guard spot is Desmond Wynn, who was expected to challenge for one of the starting tackle spots but missed spring practice because of a shoulder injury.

Desmond Stapleton, who had a surprisingly good spring, is starting at the other tackle spot, with Caleb Ruch at the other guard and Howard Barbieri -- who had knee surgery late in spring -- at center. Redshirt freshman Antwan Lowery, who was moved to the offensive line this spring, is listed as a backup behind Ruch at guard.

At running back, Joe Martinek is obviously the starter, but oft-injured Kordell Young is listed behind him, not De'Antwan Williams.

On defense, the biggest competition was at cornerback, and for now David Rowe and Brandon Bing are starters, with Bing holding off hard-charging Logan Ryan for that job.

It's on to Plan B or maybe even Plan C at center for Rutgers.

Center Howard Barbieri, who was making the move there this spring, is now out until the summer with a knee injury, Greg Schiano told reporters at practice today. The fifth-year senior hurt his left knee in Monday's practice, but Schiano declined to give any more details other to say that the injury would not require surgery.

It leaves the Scarlet Knights scrambling to find a replacement for departed senior Ryan Blaszczyk. Caleb Ruch could move over from guard, but that would cause even more reshuffling on a rebuilt line. The Star-Ledger reported that redshirt freshman David Osei stood in for Barbieri on Wednesday and sailed two snaps over Tom Savage's head.

"We're going to move some people around,'' Schiano told reporters. "We're going to tinker around a little bit."

Luckily, it's only the spring and Barbieri could be back ready to go by the fall. But Rutgers has some major questions on the line right now.

The spring superlatives series rolls on today with Rutgers, which gets us back in order after the little reverse-alphabetic switch. Let's look at which positions are strongest and which are weakest for the Scarlet Knights heading into the spring:

Strongest position: Defensive line

Key returnees: DT Scott Vallone (nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries), DE Alex Silvestro (12 tackles for loss, two sacks), DE Jonathan Freeny (9.5 sacks), DT Eric LeGrand (two sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss), DT Charlie Noonan (two sacks).

Key departures: DE George Johnson and DT Blair Bines.

The skinny: Despite the loss of two strong senior contributors, the Scarlet Knights still have loads of depth on the defensive front. Greg Schiano told me this week that the combination of Vallone, LeGrand and Noonan could be the best set of defensive tackles he's had at Rutgers. Freeny and Silvestro have shown the ability to get to the passer. And young players who were redshirted a year ago, like Andre Civil and Isaac Holmes, should be ready to play.

Weakest position: Offensive line

Key returnees: OG Desmond Wynn, OG Howard Barbieri, OG Art Forst, OG Caleb Ruch

Key departures: LT Anthony Davis, C Ryan Blaszczyk, RT Kevin Haslam

The skinny: Rutgers' O-line was a major disappointment last year, and now the unit loses arguably its top three performers, including a likely first-round NFL pick in Davis. This will be a revamped group, which might not be a bad thing considering the way the 2009 line performed. Still, Schiano has to find replacements at both tackle spots, potentially looking to a guy like Desmond Stapleton to step forward. Former super sub Barbieri will have to take on a larger role, while the talented Forst could emerge as a star. There's a lot to work with here, but also a lot to work on.

Rutgers is coming off a nine-win season and will be a really interesting team to watch in 2010. The Scarlet Knights have a lot of talent, but they will be one of the youngest, if not the youngest, team in the Big East this season.

That makes spring practice all the more important, and I caught up with head coach Greg Schiano this week to talk about Rutgers' spring drills, which begin March 23. This is Part I of my interview with Schiano; check back tomorrow for Part II.

What's the most pressing issue or concern for you going into the spring?

Greg Schiano: We're a really young football team. It's like 62 of our 85 scholarship players, when we report to training camp, will have three or four years of eligibility remaining. It's one of those deals where we've got to develop our younger players, but at the same time, it's not an excuse. That's who we are right now, and we've got to be able to go out and perform the best we can and hope that best is good enough, because we have good players. It's just that some of them are young.

Can you remember having a team this young before in your career?

GS: I don't know so much at Rutgers. Maybe a little bit in '05 or something. But I do remember that at other places. It's funny: Coaches think this is our year, that is our year. I've learned, you know what, you can't predict it. Every year has got to be our year. You've got to go out and believe that whoever is on your starting 11 is going to get it done. That's kind of the approach I take now. Injured guys, whatever, it doesn't matter. You have to win with what you've got.

Let's go position by position, starting with the offensive line. You lost three key starters. How do you see that unit right now?

GS: We have guys there. They've got to come through. You know, we didn't play very well on the offensive line last year, so to me, hopefully it's going to be an improvement. It needs to be an improvement. Not too long ago, we had the best offensive line in the country in sacks, rushing yards and all those things. We need to get that level of performance back.

I look at guys like Desmond Stapleton and Desmond Wynn, guys that haven't played a ton of football here but who are talented players. It's their turn, and they need to step up. A guy like Howard Barbieri, who played for us last year a good amount, he's now become a leader of that line. Art Forst, a guy who was probably forced into action before he was ready, now hopefully he's ready. Now is his time to really shine. A guy like Caleb Ruch, who played some, but he wasn't ready to play. He played because we had to play him. Now he's a junior.

I said earlier we have so many guys who have three years left. On the offensive line, we have a bunch of guys that have two years left. So hopefully that means they've been in our weight room now for three years. Offensive line is a little different position; the Anthony Davises who come and play right away are few and far between. These guys, I think they're good players. How fast they get good is going to have a big say in how fast we get good.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Rutgers may be without some depth on its offensive line for Saturday's game against Florida International. Caleb Ruch, who moved into a starting job last year, has an unspecified leg injury and is not on the two-deep this week.

Coach Greg Schiano said Ruch may be able to go later this week, but he's preparing otherwise. Howard Barbieri has started the past two games ahead of Ruch.

Schiano also has moved redshirt freshman D.C. Jefferson ahead of Shamar Graves at tight end. Jefferson was competing for the starting quarterback job until late in fall camp when he made the position change. David Rowe is also now listed ahead of Brandon Bing at corner.

“Some of those spots are that close that I have informed the guys, ‘Look, whoever plays the best during the week and whoever we feel gets us the best chance to win at the end of the week is going to start,’” Schiano said. “I kind of like it.”

Schiano also said there's a chance that running back Kordell Young, who led the team in rushing a year ago but has been out so far this season with continuing knee problems, could play Saturday.

"I am hoping that if things go right that he will have a role in this game on Saturday," Schiano said. "It helps us because he is a mature guy and a leader on this football team."

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Rutgers released its new depth chart today, but there are no answers on the quarterback question.

Dom Natale, Jabu Lovelace and Tom Savage are all listed atop the chart at the position, separated by "ORs." Head coach Greg Schiano says he won't reveal who the starter is for Monday's game against Cincinnati, though he knows who it will be.

"I have a starter; I'm just not making it public yet," he said. " We know. I think we have a pretty good idea of what the plan is going to be. How it unfolds in the game is different. I think some of that will be determined on how it goes.

Lovelace is more of a runner than a passer who can be used in special packages. So the real question is whether Natale, the fifth-year senior, or Savage, the true freshman, will take the first snaps. If one starts and struggles to move the team down the field, the other might come in.

Schiano sounded like he's leaning toward the veteran Natale.

"Jabu is very athletic, very good with the ball in his hands, running the ball, has shown that over time," Schiano said. "When you talk about Tom, Tom is young. There's no doubt. I only wish we would have had him here for spring practice because you can see him coming right now. He's getting better every day. But not sure that he's got enough snaps under his belt to go against a team like Cincinnati.

"Then you look at Dom Natale, who is a seasoned guy, a 22yearold guy, but has not played a lot of college football. He's been injured, has transferred. But he definitely has the command of our offense.

"I think there's a confidence level there with our players. I think there's going to be a mix of the three. I don't know what the percentages are, but we'll see."

How does Cincinnati prepare for an unknown quarterback?

"Two of the quarterbacks are going to mirror a lot of the game plan relative to the traditional pro-style attack we've seen from Rutgers," Bearcats coach Brian Kelly said. "Then the running end of the quarterback cycle is part of what we have to plan for.

"We've taken the name of the quarterback out of our preparation and are just dealing with what we can see from all those quarterbacks. It's not that difficult, because we get a little bit of that from different teams we see during the year. So we're just kind of adding a little bit more to our game plan."

Quarterback is apparently not the only job still up for grabs for the Scarlet Knights.

On the offensive line, Howard Barbieri and Caleb Ruch are listed as co-starters at left guard. Ruch started the last half of the season there, while Barbieri was a super sub who could play a lot of different spots. Offensive line is supposedly Rutgers' greatest strength with all five starters back. But Schiano tempered expectations a little for that unit today.

"I've read all the reports about how this offensive line is going to be this and going to be that," Schiano said. "But it's still a very young group.

"You've got a guy at right guard who's only started seven games in Art Forst, who's a true sophomore. The guy at other guard, depending on who plays, will have started a half dozen games or hasn't started any. So I'm a little concerned, to be honest with you. I have some issues that are still up in air as far as all the things we have to get ready for, as far as this defensive front and this defensive scheme (by Cincinnati)."

On defense, Blair Bines and Scott Villone are listed as co-starters at defensive tackle, while Manny Abreu and Antonio Lowery are still battling for the will linebacker spot.

"I don't know how that's going to play out," Schiano said. " I think this week of practice is still important, who practices better. Cincinnati is different than we are offensively. So we had 15 or 16 practices against Rutgers, and you're evaluating them. Now we've had four practices against Cincinnati, and we'll have another three or four. I think we're still in the evaluation of who plays this style of offense better. That will probably dictate."

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Before the Orange even put the pads on, Syracuse's offensive line underwent a major shakeup, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard.

Sophomore Josh White is now the starting left tackle, while junior Jonathan Meldrum takes over at right guard, with redshirt freshman Nick Speller going from left to right tackle. The line was a source of concern in the spring.

• Pitt's offensive line is counting on a pair of talented sophomores, Paul Zeise writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

• The Sporting News names Cincinnati's Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard as one of the most dangerous quarterback-receiver combos in the nation.

• Kicker Josh Lider, who transferred to West Virginia after his Division II school dropped football, is adjusting to the big time, Dave Hickman

• Receiver Sterling Griffin is one of the many freshmen who have impressed at South Florida camp, Greg Auman says in the St. Petersburg Times. Also of note in this story is Jim Leavitt's quote about junior college defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who should make it to campus in a few days

"Will he be in shape? No, we know that. Will he be ready to go in the first game? That's pretty hard to do that, but hopefully he'll get ready sometime during the year, hopefully as fast as he can. He's got a lot of talent, but you have to get here, and it's a different world here. It takes an adjustment."

• Information was in short supply as Steve Kragthorpe spoke at a Louisville football kickoff luncheon, C. Ray Hall writes in The Courier-Journal.

• Rutgers offensive lineman Caleb Ruch is playing with confidence now after being mysteriously afraid of cameras during practice last year, Tom Luicci reports in The Star-Ledger.

• Scarlet Knights walk-on Billy Anderson does some of his best work off the field, Keith Sargeant writes in the Home News Tribune.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Never forget to look closely at the offensive lines when trying to predict what will happen in the coming season. Teams can overcome inexperience up front, but that's not the norm. Here's a look at how each Big East team is feeling about its O-line heading into spring practice:

Feeling great:

• Pittsburgh: C.J. Davis was an integral part of the line who moved to center late in the year, but Robb Houser should be back and healthy to fill in for the departed senior. Other than that, Pitt only needs to find a left guard, and between sophomores Lucas Nix and Chris Jacobson, that position should be fine. This will be an experienced group with three seniors and a solid left tackle in junior Jason Pinkston.

• Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights' line was erratic to begin last season, which contributed to the 1-5 start. But they finally found the right chemistry as the year went on and became a force. Now, all five starters are back, including Caleb Ruch and Art Forst, who played as freshmen last season. Anthony Davis is an anchor at left tackle. The last hurdle for this group is to become better at run blocking.

Feeling pretty good:

• Cincinnati: The right side will need repair, as senior starters Trevor Canfield and Khalil El-Amin are gone. But the other three starters are back, including underrated left tackle Jeff Linkenbach. The Bearcats had four freshmen in backup roles last season and will need a couple of them to step in as contributors now.

Some questions:

• Connecticut: The Huskies lost their best lineman in left tackle Will Beatty, who has impressed NFL scouts since leaving school. Center Keith Gray is gone as well. UConn still has a lot to work with here, including impressive sophomore guard Moe Petrus. The biggest question is how this line, which was so used to run blocking, will adjust to a hurry-up offense with more involved pass blocking.

• Syracuse: The Orange lost the right side of their line to graduation but have three returning juniors coming back. This is a group that became pretty good at run-blocking last year for Curtis Brinkley. Like UConn, though, it will have to transition to a different and more open offense this spring.

Big questions:

• Louisville: The Cardinals' line was inconsistent last year, and that was with two of the better linemen in recent school history in Eric Wood and George Bussey. With both those players gone, sophomore Mario Benavides and left tackle Greg Tomczyk will have to play major roles, and everyone will have to get much better. And there's not a lot of depth behind the starters.

• South Florida: The Bulls lost four senior starters, so the spring will be a crucial time to start rebuilding this line. Jacob Sims is the lone starter back at left tackle, but several others -- like Zach Hermann and Jeremiah Warren -- got experience last year. Look for juco imports Carlos Savala and Jamar Bass to compete for playing time right away.

• West Virginia: West Virginia also lost four starters, including left guard Greg Isdaner, who surprisingly declared for the NFL draft after his junior year. The Mountaineers may be in a little better shape than the Bulls, though. Eric Jobe got valuable experience at center late in the year, and Josh Jenkins played about half the season as a freshman before getting hurt. Selvish Capers is back for a fifth year and needs to become a leader at right tackle. This should be the most scrutinized area during spring practice in Morgantown.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

The Big East doesn't put out an all-freshman team. But this blog is always up for a challenge. So let's take a look at the top fresh faces to hit the league this season:

OFFENSE

QB: Chazz Anderson, Cincinnati
RB: Victor Anderson, Louisville
RB: Joe Martinek, Rutgers
WR: Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
WR Josh Chichester, Louisville
OL: Moe Petrus, Connecticut
OL: Caleb Ruch, Rutgers
OL: Art Forst, Rutgers
OL: Jeremiah Warren, South Florida
OL: Josh Jenkins, West Virginia
TE: Tyler Urban, West Virginia

DEFENSE

DL: Kendall Reyes, Connecticut
DL: Twyon Martin, Connecticut
DL: Keith McCaskill, South Florida
DL: Tony Tucker, Pittsburgh
LB: Greg Williams, Pittsburgh
LB: Manny Abreu, Rutgers
LB: Dexter Heyman, Louisville
CB: Quenton Washington, South Florida
CB: Kevyn Scott, Syracuse
S: Aaron Bagsby, Connecticut
S: Robert Sands, WVU

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Maikon Bonani, South Florida
KR: Jordan Todman, Connecticut
PR: D.J. Woods, Cincinnati
All-purpose: Andrew Taglianetti, Pittsburgh