ESPN College Football

Here is Part II of my conversation with Cincinnati coach Butch Jones. You can read Part I here.

Let's switch over to offense and talk about the offensive line. You lose three starters from that group. How does that position look going into the spring?

Butch Jones: That's a position going into spring ball that we have to get solidified. Alex Hoffman is our leader up front, and he's provided great leadership. Evan Davis is an individual who, in his senior year, we're going to count on him to step up. Randy Martinez gained valuable experience last year. Sean Hooey is another individual who needs to step up. Then it's probably going to come down to Andre Cureton and Austen Bujnoch at another spot. Andre Cureton, when we got here he was 382 pounds and now he's down to 301. He's really done a good a job of taking care of his body and developing his body, and academically he was a 3.0 this quarter. So you can see where the program works. He and Bujnoch I expect to have a fierce competition for one of those spots on the offensive line.

Is Cureton still at tackle?

BJ: We've moved him to guard. Sean Hooey is at left tackle. Evan Davis is at center.

You've got a senior quarterback who was All-Big East last year in Zach Collaros. How good do you feel about that position this spring?

BJ: Obviously, I'm very excited about Zach. In just one year, he can walk into a room, and he can teach the offense. We can go out and practice tomorrow, and he can call the whole offense and the plays, the right protections. He understands the philosophy and what we want. I think the biggest transformation he had last year was being a full-time starter, and how do you manage the football game. The quarterback position is such a decision making process. Understanding down and distance and the time management and little scenarios and situational offense goes with it, sometimes being able to throw the ball away because it's the only play, and not forcing balls. So I think that was a great learning process. That one year in the system has really, really helped him grow and mature. And I've seen him make great strides in leadership.

It's going to be a fierce battle this spring to see who our No. 2 quarterback is going to be. I'm excited about all the individuals, from Chazz Anderson, who's been here as long as Zach, and then you throw in Jordan Luallen, the transfer from Georgia Tech, and then Brendan Kay, who's been in the program for a number of years and then Munchie Legaux. I'm excited to see what they bring to the table. Our quarterbacks will be live this spring. Zach will be the only one who's not, because you've got to be smart. We've got to find out who can make pays, and again it goes back to that mindset of physicality that we want.

What can you tell us about Luallen?

BJ: With Jordan coming in, it's been a transition from Georgia Tech, two totally different offensive systems. He can make some plays with his legs. The big thing for him is just the throw game and the overall mechanics of throwing the football. He did a great job on scout team last year, but it's a lot different when you're just holding a card up and telling him, 'Throw the ball to him.' The decision-making process will be big for him, but he's got all the intangibles you would want from a quarterback.

At running back, Isaiah Pead is the leading returning rusher in the Big East. What are your expectations for him?


BJ: The big thing with him is, first and foremost, being able to play without the ball. I'm talking about ball-faking, being a complete running back, pass protection, all the little things that great backs bring to the table. We've really challenged him in terms of body position and pass protection and continuing to put him out on the perimeter in some no-back formations. The overall discipline of making the right reads and right decisions when we run the football. A great running back always makes the offensive line right. Just the complete discipline that comes with that position, being patient, eyes on the proper reads. I'm excited to get him out on the field and see the progress he's made.

And Darrin Williams is healthy now as his backup?


BJ: Darrin is back. George Winn is an individual who played sparingly last year that I think will add to the overall depth of the running back position. And this may be another position where you may see some true freshmen as well.

Is it fair to say you didn't run the ball as much as you wanted last year because you were playing catchup so much?


BJ: Sometimes the scenario of the games dictated things. Obviously, I'm a firm believer that you have to be able to run the football. ... We've got to do a great job of being fundamentally sound up front and have our backs understand their reads. And this season we're going to be forced to be creative a little bit in the run game as well, with just our lack of experience and depth up front. We're really going to work hard in the run game, but we also want to be a balanced and explosive offense when we throw the football.

At receiver, you lost Armon Binns but bring back D.J. Woods. Is he the leader of that position now?


BJ: I think Kenbrell Thompkins is the leader of that group. Kids have great respect for him. It's an area where we're looking for consistency and we're going to need to have players emerge. We really don't have much returning experience. So obviously we're going to look to Kenbrell Thompkins. And then two young kids I'm extremely ecstatic about are Anthony McClung, who played for us as a true freshman, and then another freshman who enrolled early is Shaq Washington. He has not disappointed us. He's going to have some great playmaking skills, he's extremely competitive, and he's going to play this year.

D.J.'s big thing is the same issue he had last year, which is consistency. Then, O.J. Woodard is an individual, a fifth-year senior, who needs to step up for us and have a big spring. Then there's a junior college player, Damon Julian, we'll look to him. And this is another position where we may play some freshmen as well.

What about Dyjuan Lewis? He won't be eligible until this summer, but can he help you this year despite sitting out a year?


BJ: The light at the end of the tunnel is becoming brighter for him. It's been a very, very difficult year for this young man. To be able to go to school but not participate is very challenging. He's done a good job to date, and he has just one more quarter left. He's got all the talent in the world; now it's just going to be the functional intelligence and the speed of the game and all the things associated with that position. I do expect him to help us next year and we're counting on him to help us next year.

Lastly, people don't make much of special teams, but how will you replace a very consistent kicker in Jake Rogers?


BJ: You're on top of your game. Probably out of everything going on position-wise, that's the biggest question mark, when you have to replace an individual like Jake Rogers and what he's meant to us, and the consistency that he's brought to us. Tony Miliano, who we redshirted last year from Elder High School, is going to get a great opportunity to showcase what he can do. Danny Milligan has also kicked in his career, and Pat O'Donnell was also a good kicker in high school. Then we'll bring a couple individuals in this summer to compete at that position as well. We probably won't name who our starting kicker is until the week of Austin Peay [the 2011 season opener].

The NFL combine officially began on Wednesday, as players arrived in Indianapolis and started interviews with team officials.

There are more interviews Thursday, along with measurements and medical examinations. Workouts start on Friday, and here is the schedule for position groups:

Friday: Specialists
Saturday: Offensive linemen, tight ends
Sunday: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs
Monday: Defensive linemen, linebackers
Tuesday: Defensive backs

It will be fun to follow the Big East players as they strut their stuff for scouts. Who will be the top player drafted from the league? My money is still on Pittsburgh receiver Jon Baldwin, whom I expect to put up dazzling numbers in his combine workouts.

Here again is the full list of Big East players scheduled to participate in Indianapolis:

Cincinnati (3)

Armon Binns, WR

Jason Kelce, OL

Jake Rogers, K

Connecticut (6)


Zach Hurd, OL

Anthony Sherman, FB

Jordan Todman, RB

Lawrence Wilson, LB

Greg Lloyd, LB

Scott Lutrus, LB

Louisville (3)


Cameron Graham, TE

Johnny Patrick, CB

Bilal Powell, RB

Pittsburgh (6)

Jon Baldwin, WR

Henry Hynoski, FB

Dion Lewis, RB

Jason Pinkston, OL

Greg Romeus, DE

Jabaal Sheard, DE

Rutgers (1)


Joe Lefeged, S

South Florida (1)

Terrell McClain, DT

Syracuse (4)

Ryan Bartholomew, OL

Doug Hogue, LB

Delone Carter, RB

Derrell Smith, LB

West Virginia (6)

Noel Devine, RB

Brandon Hogan, CB

Chris Neild, DT

Jock Sanders, WR

Robert Sands, S

J.T. Thomas, LB

Detailed information about last week's NFLPA All-Star game was a little hard to come by, but colleague Adam Rittenberg did some good sleuthing to dig up the stats.

The game, formerly known as the Texas vs. The Nation game, featured a few Big East players. Most did not make a major statistical impact.

West Virginia receiver Jock Sanders had four catches for 57 yards and one run for a loss of 4 yards. Louisville tight end Cameron Graham had one reception that went for a loss. South Florida defensive end Craig Marshall recorded one tackle.

Cincinnati kicker Jake Rogers and Pittsburgh safety Dom DeCicco were also on the rosters, as was West Virginia's J.T. Thomas. The linebacker practiced in the week before the game but did not play. ESPN.com draft analyst Kevin Weidl listed Thomas as one of his "stock up" players after an early practice.

Thomas is an easy mover with lots of range and lateral quickness and he closed on the ball well. He showed the instincts to find the ball and diagnosed plays quickly.

He will get engulfed at the point of attack at times but Thomas is very good at slipping blocks and getting involved in the play, and he also showed good awareness in underneath zone coverage and matched up well in man coverage. He looks like a good fit as a weakside linebacker in the NFL where he can be covered up and allowed to run to the ball.

Chad Reuter of NFLDraftScout.com projected DeCicco and Graham as sixth-rounders in this year's NFL draft based on their performance in practice leading up to the game. Here's what he wrote on each:

DeCicco: A 6-3, 232-pound safety with enough athleticism to be a Will Herring-type reserve safety/linebacker prospect.

Graham: Not special in any one category, but has good hands and presents a nice target in the red zone.

The official invitation list to the NFL combine is out, and 30 Big East players will be showing off their skills at the premiere pre-draft event.

The following league players are scheduled to participate in the set of drills before scouts from Feb. 23 to March 1 in Indianapolis:

Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh

Ryan Bartholomew, OL, Syracuse

Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati

Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia

Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville

Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia

Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse

Zach Hurd, OL, Connecticut

Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh

Jason Kelce, OL, Cincinnati

Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers

Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh

Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut

Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut

Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida

Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia

Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville

Jason Pinkston, OL, Pittsburgh

Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville

Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh

Jake Rogers, K, Cincinnati

Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia

Robert Sands, S, West Virginia

Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh

Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut

Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse

J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia

Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut

Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut

Noel Devine measured in at just 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds at the Senior Bowl, and his NFL stock is dropping according to analyst Todd McShay.

Here's what McShay wrote about Devine:

On the plus side, Devine is the quickest back here. He's starting from a standstill and he reaches top speed so quickly and gets through the hole. He also caught the ball well.

But the biggest thing working against him is his size. ... On one play, Alabama QB Greg McElroy looked for him in the flat and couldn't see Devine because he's so short. Sometimes small backs get away with their lack of height because they have great balance, but that was one of the most concerning things about Devine's performance. His lack of balance showed during drills whenever a linebacker or safety would come to wrap up, he'd try to make a move and fall to the ground. At one point, he was one-on-one with OLB Von Miller in space and tried to shake him but lost his balance.

McShay concludes that Devine looks like a fourth- or fifth-round pick. He'll need to land with a team that's creative enough to find ways to use him, because Devine is still a big-time playmaker when he's healthy.

In other all-star news, several Big East players will participate in the NFL Players Association Game. The game, formerly known as the Texas vs. the Nation Game, will be held Feb. 5 in San Antonio, Texas.

Here's a list of which Big East players have been invited:

• Craig Marshall, DE, South Florida
• J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia
• Jake Rogers, K, Cincinnati
• Jock Sanders, WR/KR, West Virginia
• Dom DeCicco, S, Pittsburgh
• Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville

West Virginia plays at Connecticut in another Friday night special, so let's lead off the links with them:

• It's time for the Mountaineers to bounce back. West Virginia needs to limit its mistakes. The head coaches from both teams are in a scary situation. UConn is right back where it started at quarterback. The Huskies are aware of the competitive imbalance of this series.
• Jake Rogers is Cincinnati's all-time leading scorer.
• Syracuse has unleashed a sack attack.
• Pitt's defense has had to make adjustments this season. The Pitt-Louisville game will be a weird one to watch for one quarterback.
• Bobby Burns has helped stabilize the Louisville secondary, but will have his hands full with Pitt's receivers.

• South Florida might seek a sixth year for receiver A.J. Love.

• Mark Harrison is becoming a weapon in the Rutgers passing game.

• The Big East needs to add more teams to stay competitive.

Just call this kickers day on the blog.

Two Big East place-kickers made the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award, presented to the top collegiate kicker. They are Tyler Bitancurt from West Virginia and Dan Hutchins from Pitt.

Hutchins led the Big East in field goals made last season, while Bitancurt had the highest percentage of makes (86.7 percent) among those who had at least six attempts in the league.

I probably would have added Cincinnati's Jake Rogers to this list as well.

Which players had the best bowl performances from the Big East? Here's our all-bowl team:

Offense

QB Tom Savage, Rutgers
There weren't a lot of big numbers for Big East quarterbacks in the postseason. The Scarlet Knights' true freshman completed 14 of 27 for 294 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, in a win over Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

RB Mike Ford, South Florida
Ford exploded for 207 yards on 20 carries -- almost all of them in the second half -- to help the Bulls beat Northern Illinois in the International Bowl.

RB Dion Lewis, Pitt
The sensational freshman had 159 yards on 28 carries and a score against North Carolina's tough run defense in the Meineke Car Care Bowl

RB Noel Devine, West Virginia
The Mountaineers' star ran for 168 yards on 16 carries in just three quarters against Florida State in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
Yet another freshman standout, Sanu had four catches for 97 yards and a score and also ran the ball 13 times for 41 yards and two more touchdowns.

WR Mike Shanahan, Pitt
Shanahan had five catches for 83 yards, many of them in traffic and in key spots, against North Carolina. And he's a freshman, too.

OT Anthony Davis, Rutgers
The future NFL first-rounder had his ups and downs this season. But he held off Central Florida's impressive pass rusher in a strong performance during his final college game.

OT Jason Pinkston, Pitt
North Carolina came into the Meineke game with the nation's No. 6 defense, but Pinkston helped the Pitt line move the chains and get the win.

C Moe Petrus, UConn
Petrus was part of a group that helped pave the way for 146 rushing yards against South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

OG John Malecki, Pitt

OG Zach Hurd, UConn

Defense

DE Lindsey Witten, UConn
The senior was part of a defensive line that overwhelmed the South Carolina offensive front.

DT Kendall Reyes, UConn
He had a one sack and put lots of pressure on Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia.

DT Mick Williams, Pitt
The Big East co-defensive player of the year registered a pair of sacks against North Carolina.

DE Alex Daniels, Cincinnati
One of the few Bearcats who had a good night in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Daniels had a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss against Florida.

LB Max Gruder, Pitt
Playing in his hometown, Gruder recorded 11 tackles and forced a fumble against North Carolina.

LB Scott Lutrus, UConn
The junior had nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery against South Carolina.

LB Steve Beauharnais, Rutgers
Another freshman, Beauharnais had seven tackles and a pair of sacks against Central Florida.

CB Billy Anderson, Rutgers
The little-known reserve returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown near the end of the first half in a key play.

CB Jerome Murphy, South Florida
He had an interception, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups in the International Bowl.

S Robert Sands, West Virginia
Sands was just about everywhere in the Gator Bowl, recording 13 tackles, two of them for loss.

S Robert Vaughn, UConn
Vaughn had an interception and two pass breakups in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

Specialists

K Dan Hutchins, Pitt
Hutchins hit four field goals, including the game-winning 33-yarder, against North Carolina.

P Jake Rogers, Cincinnati
Rogers punted more than he has in a game all season, but he put half his six punts inside the Florida 20.

KR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
He sure had plenty of opportunities, but he piled up a Sugar Bowl-record 207 return yards on eight attempts.

NEW ORLEANS -- At least Cincinnati won't get shut out.

Jake Rogers' 47-yard field goal with 3:11 left made it 23-3, Florida. That was the end of the Bearcats' most promising drive since the opening possession, but it still didn't result in a red-zone trip.

And then Florida immediately responded with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow to Riley Cooper on the next play from scrimmage. It's 30-3, and somebody might need to call this fight.

The "SEC! SEC!" chants are getting louder and louder, and Cincinnati fans have no response.

Rough New Year's Day for the Big East.

PITTSBURGH -- Crazy finish to the first half.

Just when Cincinnati's season looked its bleakest, Mardy Gilyard came to the rescue.

The Bearcats star returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown after Pitt had taken a 31-10 lead with a little more than a minute remaining in the half.

It's the second straight week for a kickoff return score for Gilyard, who's also run a punt back for a touchdown this year. He now has four career kickoff returns for touchdowns, a school record.

And then Cincinnati got a stop, a punt and a personal foul penalty to take over at the Pitt 35 with more than 40 seconds left. But Tony Pike threw his second interception of the half, this time to Elijah Fields. Pitt's Bill Stull gave it right back by tossing a pick on the very next play.

The Bearcats tried a 55-yard field goal at the end of the half, but Jake Rogers' attempt came up way short.

All in all, Cincinnati is lucky to be down only 14 points, given how many mistakes it has made. An extra score there at the end of the half would have been very helpful, though.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Hop in the DeLorean and rev it up to 88 mph. It's time to look back at Week 10 in the Big East:

Team of the week: Cincinnati. There was plenty not to like defensively, but the Bearcats put up a convenience store (711) in total yards and survived against UConn in a weekend when other Top 10 teams fell by the wayside.

Best game: Going to go out on a limb here and say the little ol', run-of-the-mill, 47-45 game at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.

Biggest play: Isaiah Pead's 14-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 with 1:52 left gave Cincinnati a 47-38 lead. Brian Kelly never hesitated about going for it, knowing the way UConn was shredding his defense. And the Huskies very nearly made the stop, as safety Robert Vaughn had Pead in his sights. But the sophomore running back juked past Vaughn and kept on running into the end zone. Funny enough, Kelly said the goal was for Pead to get the first down and fall down so Cincinnati could kneel out the clock. But the Bearcats happily settled for the touchdown.

Best call: I'm actually giving this to a player. At the end of the first half, Cincinnati was trying for a field goal when Zach Collaros bobbled the snap. The quarterback, who turned a similar play into a touchdown pass a week earlier at Syracuse, rose up and threw the ball away, taking an intentional grounding penalty. That actually turned out to be a terrific decision, because Cincinnati got another chance at the kick, and Jake Rogers nailed it. Those three points wound up making a huge difference.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): I never thought Tony Pike could get Wally Pipp-ed. Now I'm wondering how Kelly takes Collaros out of the lineup. The sophomore set a new Big East record with 555 yards of total offense against UConn, including 480 passing yards and three total touchdowns. And this was his third collegiate start.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): West Virginia's Julian Miller had six tackles, three sacks and a pass break-up to help the Mountaineers hold off Louisville 17-9. Miller had two straight sacks of Will Stein when the Cardinals were threatening to tie the game.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): UConn's Robert McClain helped the Huskies get back in the game with an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Worst hangover: Syracuse. There's no shame in losing at Pitt, which is as hot as any team in the country right now. But the Orange have problems. They took just 55 scholarship players to Heinz Field, and left with safety Max Suter and tight end Cody Catalina suffering season-ending injuries. The passing game is a mess without Mike Williams. Syracuse was 3-4 after seven games and still in the hunt for postseason. If the Orange don't win at Louisville this week, they may not win another game this year..

Strangest moment: I know this actually happened because I witnessed it first hand, but I still have a hard time believing it.

On the first series of the fourth quarter, Cincinnati faced a third-and-8. Collaros tried to run for the first down on what appeared to be a quarterback draw. The play got blown up early, and he only gained three yards. Then came the absurdity: a large smattering of boos actually emanated from the home crowd. Yes, that's right. Bearcats fans were booing an offense that had generated 657 total yards at that point. Just goes to show how quickly a fan base can get spoiled. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody started a FireBrianKelly.com site after that play.

Now let's g0 back to the future and preview a very appetizing Week 11 (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):

No. 25 West Virginia (7-2, 3-1 Big East) at No. 5 Cincinnati (9-0, 5-0): Is this the Mountaineers' last stand? Without a win at Nippert Stadium, West Virginia will be officially eliminated from the Big East race. (8 p.m. Friday, ESPN2)

Notre Dame (6-3) at No. 12 Pittsburgh (8-1, 5-0): If Notre Dame hadn't spit the bit against Navy, this would have been a heavily-hyped game that maybe would have brought the "GameDay" gang to Heinz Field. Instead, Pitt is the big dog here and must dispatch a desperate Irish team. (8 p.m., TV TBA)

No. 24 South Florida (6-2, 2-2) at Rutgers (6-2, 1-2): The Bulls want to show that they are back on track. Rutgers wants to show that it has turned the corner this season. They'll have a Thursday night crowd watching. (7:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN)

Syracuse (3-6, 0-4) at Louisville (3-6, 0-4): The Big East's Basement Bowl. Feel the excitement?

Bye: Connecticut

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

So far, this isn't the romp that Cincinnati is used to on the road in Big East play.

Syracuse is hanging tough, and this game could be tied at 14 if Greg Paulus wasn't picked off by Drew Frey in the final couple of minutes in the second quarter.

One of Cincinnati's touchdowns came on what looked to be a busted field goal try. Zach Collaros was the holder, and after a bobbled snap, he scrambled and threw a touchdown pass. Other than that, though, Syracuse has mostly made Cincinnati drive the field instead of ripping off their usual explosive plays.

Jake Rogers missed a field goal at the end of the half, after Syracuse successfully pulled off the old ice-the-kicker-with-a-timeout routine.

Delone Carter has been a hoss for the Orange, dragging tacklers past the initial point of contact.

The No. 8 Bearcats need to get back on track in the second half. Not because of style points. Because they're in danger of losing this game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Feeling more somber than snarky this morning in the wake of the Jasper Howard news. So this will be a pretty straightforward review and preview. Let's look back on Week 7:

Team of the week: Cincinnati. Naturally. The Bearcats took out South Florida 34-17 despite losing Tony Pike for most of the second half and climbed all the way up to No. 5 in the initial BCS standings. We have ourselves a bona fide national title contender in the Big East for the first time since 2007.

Biggest play: Zach Collaros' 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter at South Florida. Remember that Cincinnati had third-and-11 at the time and led only 17-10. The Raymond James Stadium crowd was on its feet. A stop there by the Bulls' defense could have changed momentum. Instead, Collaros -- with some excellent blocking leading the way -- changed the game.

Best call: With West Virginia holding onto a 10-7 lead over Marshall in the fourth quarter, Mountaineers offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen went for the kill and got it with Geno Smith's 33-yard touchdown pass to Alric Arnett. The coaching staff showed confidence in loosening the reins off the true freshman quarterback in the second half as he filled in for the injured Jarrett Brown, and Smith rewarded them for it.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Pitt running back Dion Lewis was the difference in the Panthers' 24-17 win at Rutgers, rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. The true freshman is now second in the nation in rushing.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): West Virginia's Brandon Hogan had a fumble recovery and an interception to help the Mountaineers' defense shut down Marshall and prevent an upset.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Cincinnati's Jake Rogers averaged 45 yards per punt on seven attempts, including a 53-yarder, and he hit two of three field goals at South Florida.

Now let's look forward to Week 8 (games listed in descending order of importance and interest):

South Florida (5-1, 1-1 Big East) at No. 20 Pittsburgh (6-1, 3-0): This would have been a huge game had the Bulls beaten Cincinnati. Now it's more like a survival game for South Florida, while Pitt looks to go 4-0 in the Big East and keep contending for the BCS bid. (ESPN 360, Noon ET)

Connecticut (4-2, 1-1) at No. 22 West Virginia (5-1, 1-0): UConn is dealing with the Jasper Howard tragedy. Expect some pregame respects for the late cornerback. West Virginia may be without the injured Brown. (ESPNU, Noon ET)

Louisville (2-4, 0-2) at No. 5 Cincinnati (6-0, 2-0): The Cardinals have been a thorn in Cincinnati's side the past several years and pushed the Bearcats last year in the Keg o' Nails rivalry. Even if Pike can't play, Cincinnati should beat Louisville handily if it wants to be considered a true BCS title contender. (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Rutgers (4-2, 0-2) at Army (3-4): Rutgers needs another breather after losing in its return to conference play. But don't count out Army in the battle of Knights both scarlet and black. Army did beat Vanderbilt at home this year. (ESPN2 8 p.m. ET Friday)

Akron (1-5) at Syracuse (2-4, 0-2): It's a revenge game for Syracuse, which looks to atone for last year's embarrassing loss at home to the Zips. Shouldn't be a problem, since Akron is 0-5 against FBS competition this season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Our preseason position rankings comes to a close on the final official day of the college preseason. The only thing left is special teams, where we'll consider punters, kickers, returners and coverage units as a whole.


1. Cincinnati: The Bearcats have the league's best return man in Mardy Gilyard, one of the best place-kickers in the country in Jake Rogers and led the league in kickoff
coverage last year. Losing All-American punter Kevin Huber hurts, but Rogers should be able to do an adequate job there.


2. Connecticut: The Huskies had their share of problems with special teams mistakes a year ago, but I have to believe Randy Edsall will get those fixed. Beyond that, they have a senior punter in Desi Cullen, whose numbers would have been much better if not for so many blocked kicks, and a strong-armed place-kicker in Dave Teggart. The return and cover teams should be solid as well.


3. Rutgers: Punting and kicking are in good hands with returning starters Teddy Dellaganna and San San Te, respectively. The Scarlet Knights led the league in punt return average last year and were solid on kickoffs as well.


4. Syracuse: The Orange have the top returning punter in the league with Rob Long and one of the better return men in Mike Holmes. Field goals are a major question, however, after departures left the Orange with only one scholarship place-kicker and none who have performed in a college game.


5. South Florida: The Bulls would have ranked much higher if not for the injury to Maikon Bonani. As is, Delbert Alvarado will have to handle field goals, and he's been erratic throughout his career. Alvarado is a very solid punter, however, and Dontavia Bogan is the best returner in the league outside of Gilyard.


6. Pittsburgh: The Panthers had to replace dependable kicker Conor Lee and punter Dave Brytus. Dan Hutchins will attempt to fill both roles while dealing with the sometimes tricky wind patterns at Heinz Field. Pitt has enough athletes that it should field above-average return and coverage units.


7. West Virginia: While the Mountaineers were awful in kick coverage last year, at least they had the reliable Pat McAfee on field goals and kicks. He's gone now, leaving field goal duties to Tyler Bitancurt and punting to Scott Kozlowski. Both need to perform better than they did in the spring. With guys like Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin, there's no reason why the Mountaineers shouldn't improve on their mediocre return numbers of '08.


8. Louisville: Special teams were an adventure last year for the Cardinals, especially on field goals and punts. The same players will handle those roles this year, so they'll need to have improved leaps and bounds. Louisville also ranked last in the Big East on kick returns a year ago.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

WEST HARRISON, Ind. -- Some thoughts and observations from today's Cincinnati practice at Camp Higher Ground:

• Perhaps the main thing that struck me from watching the Bearcats was how much depth they appear to have.

The receiving corps is full of playmakers behind Mardy Gilyard, with Armon Binns, Jamar Howard, D.J. Woods and Marcus Barnett all looking strong. The defense constantly shuffled in players at linebacker and the line without a dropoff. There are four capable running backs. While people focus on all the lost starters, Cincinnati hasn't gotten enough credit for building a deep, talented roster.

"I think we've got enough receivers," Kelly said. "We've got enough tight ends and enough running backs. It's still about executing what we want to do. But strength and having enough players is not going to be a concern."

• Speaking of the running backs, I was looking forward to seeing what progress Isaiah Pead had made, since I heard he has turned in a good training camp thus far. Alas, he banged his knee early in practice and sat out most of the workout. John Goebel also sat out while nursing a minor injury.

So the majority of the carries went to Jacob Ramsey and freshman Darrin Williams. The latter is a redshirt freshman who's 5-foot-7, on a good day, but by the looks of things is tough as nails. He had some impressive runs near the goal line.

Running the ball was not a particular strength for Cincinnati a year ago, especially in short-yardage situations. But the amount of playmakers in the passing game could help in that area.

"Running the football in the spread offense is as much about having receivers that have to be respected than anything else," Kelly said. "It wasn't really talked about, but we didn't have a full complement of receivers last year.

"When you're concerned about those guys and have to bracket and double them, it opens up your running game. ... Having good receivers helps the running game, and having a quarterback who's very efficient in the passing game means you'll see a lot more drop eight, rush three. And that means run the ball."

• Barnett, who played cornerback in the spring and was deemed a two-way player recently by Kelly, spent the entire practice at wideout. He made a spectacular catch and run for a touchdown late in practice and was great throughout the morning. He's pushing Woods hard for the starting slot job.

"He looked like the 2007 Marcus Barnett," Gilyard said. "I told him, 'Little brother, you've finally grown up.' I disowned him for a while when he went over to the defense."

Makes you wonder if the spring move to defense, which came after Barnett's vastly disappointing sophomore year, was simply a motivational ploy from Kelly.

• Tight end was a little-used weapon in the offense last season. But the top three tight ends who practiced this morning -- Ben Guidugli, Adrien Robinson and Kazeem Alli -- all looked extremely impressive both physically and in making plays. And Kelly said converted quarterback Travis Kelce, who was banged up today, is just as good.

"It is clearly a different group of guys than we had last year, just in terms of overall development physically and mentally understanding what we're doing," Kelly said. "The tight end is going to be an important weapon in our offense this year."

• All that needs to be said about Tony Pike is that he looks locked in and ready for a huge year. Kelly joked about how strong the comfort level for the coaching staff is in their starting quarterback.

"We're not talking about, he didn't see the inside vertical," he said. "We're just making sure he gets an extra peanut butter and jelly today."

• Howard, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior college transfer, had his ups and downs in practice and is clearly still learning the system. But he's got all the physical tools to be a difference maker. Perhaps the most impressive receiver on the field today was Vidal Hazelton, the USC transfer who won't be eligible until 2010. At one point, he beat rookie corner Chris Williams for a completion. Defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs summed it up perfectly by yelling, "That's men and boys right there."

• How about the defense? Well, for the most part it looked solid, though there some tackling issues at times. The defensive front consisted at various times of Alex Daniels, Ricardo Matthews, John Hughes and Derek Wolfe, who are all imposing specimens with experience under their belt. Redshirt freshman Walter Stewart even got some run with the first team early on in 11-on-11 drills.

• One of the biggest competitions taking place is in the defensive backfield. Brad Jones is starting at cornerback right now, and the senior made several nice plays today. He's also 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds and could easily slide over to safety next to Aaron Webster in place of Drew Frey, if necessary.

Dominique Battle and Cameron Cheatham are also making strides at cornerback. Kelly said he didn't think a lot of true freshmen would play this year, but defensive back is the one place where you might see some newbies. He mentioned freshman Reuben Johson and junior college import Malik James as possibilities, and Williams was a highly-rated recruit.

"We've got some pieces that allow us to have some versatility back there," he said.

• Kelly said it's too soon to tell who's leading the competition to replace All-American punter Kevin Huber. Jake Rogers and freshman Patrick O'Donnell are the main candidates. Rogers also handles kickoffs and field goals, and Kelly said he's being careful not to overuse Rogers' leg during practice.

• It was only Aug. 17, but you can be sure Cincinnati is peeking ahead just a bit. During one drill featuring the first-team defense against the scout team offense, coaches called out, "This is the Rutgers play!" That game is just 19 days away.

• By the way, Kelly joined the Twitter craze over the weekend with his own page. Given his ability to talk, it figures to be one of the more entertaining coaches' pages out there (though, granted, that's not a very high bar to clear).

• That's all for today. Check back tomorrow morning for a story on Gilyard, the best returning receiver in the Big East and also quite possibly the best quote man in the league.