Big East: Mark Wetterer
How All-Big East team ranked as recruits
But how much do star rankings and hype really correlate to future success? One way to find out is by working backwards. Let's take a look at this year's official All-Big East team and see where each player was ranked as a recruit coming into his program.
All information is based on ESPN.com's recruiting rankings.
Offense
QB: Zach Collaros, Cincinnati: Unranked as a recruit.
RB: Jordan Todman, Connecticut: Two-star recruit, ranked No. 118 among running backs in the Class of 2008.
RB: Bilal Powell, Louisville: Unranked as a recruit.
WR: Armon Binns, Cincinnati: Unranked as a recruit.
WR: Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh: Four-star prospect, ESPNU150 performer, No. 8 among wide receivers in the Class of 2008.
OT: Mike Ryan, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.
OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh: Four-star prospect and No. 13 defensive tackle in the Class of '06.
OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.
OG: Mark Wetterer, Louisville: Two-star prospect and No. 70 offensive tackle in Class of '07.
C: Sampson Genus, South Florida: Three-star prospect and No. 12 center in the Class of '07.
TE: Cameron Graham, Louisville: Junior college transfer.
Defense
DL: Kendall Reyes, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.
DL: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh: Two-star prospect and No. 83 defensive end in the Class of '07.
DL: Terrell McClain, South Florida: Three-star prospect and No. 29 defensive tackle in Class of '07.
DL: Chris Neild, West Virginia: Three-star prospect and No. 17 tight end in Class of '06.
LB: Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.
LB: Doug Hogue, Syracuse: Three-star prospect and No. 84 running back in Class of '07.
LB: J.T. Thomas, West Virginia: Unranked as a recruit.
CB: Johnny Patrick, Louisville: Unranked as a recruit.
CB: Keith Tandy, West Virginia: One-star prospect and No. 207 quarterback in Class of '07.
S: Dom DeCicco, Pittsburgh: Two-star prospect and No. 126 wide receiver in Class of '07.
S: Robert Sands, West Virginia: Unranked as a recruit.
As you can see, it was almost as likely that a player without any stars attached to his name would develop into an All-Big East performer as those more highly regarded. There were some on-the-mark evaluations, such as Baldwin and McClain, Pinkston and Genus. And there were guys who flew way under the radar, like Binns and Powell, Ryan and Wilson.
It still, like always, comes down to proper evaluation by a staff, then to player development and an individual's own desire to be great. Something to keep in mind on signing day.
Offense
Quarterback: Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
Nassib, who struggled down the stretch of the regular season, took advantage of Kansas State's shaky defense to complete 13-of-21 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
William Perlman/US PRESSWIRESyracuse's Delone Carter ran over Kansas State for 198 yards and two touchdowns in the Pinstripe Bowl.Carter ran 27 times for 198 yards and two scores in the Pinstripe Bowl. Lewis rumbled for 105 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in the BBVA Compass Bowl before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Wide receiver: Marcus Sales, Syracuse
Sales came almost out of nowhere to record five catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns against Kansas State. No other Big East receiver had even a fraction of his stats in the postseason.
Tight end: Cameron Graham, Louisville
The league's best tight in the regular season kept it up in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, catching three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive line: Jacob Sims and Sampson Genus, South Florida; Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh; Mark Wetterer, Louisville; Justin Pugh, Syracuse.
Sims and Genus were part of a USF line that pushed back Clemson's talented defensive front in the Meineke Car Care Bowl; Sims in particular helped keep Da'Quan Bowers quiet, which is not an easy thing to do. Pinkston showed some fire in protecting his quarterback after Tino Sunseri was hit late, and the Panthers ran for 261 yards while surrendering zero sacks against Kentucky. Wetterer and Pugh helped open holes for their high-scoring postseason offenses.
Defense
Defensive line: Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh; Terrell McClain, South Florida; Bruce Irvin, West Virginia.
Lindsey stepped up his game in the regular season when Greg Romeus was hurt and did so again in the bowl with Jabaal Sheard out. McClain didn't record many stats but was his usual dominant self in the middle against Clemson. Irvin had two sacks and a forced fumble against NC State in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Linebackers: Derrell Smith, Syracuse; J.T. Thomas, West Virginia; Brandon Heath, Louisville; DeDe Lattimore, South Florida.
I went with a 3-4 look on defense to recognize the many strong performances by linebackers during bowl. Just about all of these guys had double-digit tackles and/or a couple TFLs.
Cornerbacks: Johnny Patrick, Louisville; Quenton Washington, South Florida
After getting burned on a play early, Patrick was all over the field. He forced a fumble and blocked a punt. Washington also blocked a punt and had a 45-yard interception return.
Safeties: Dom DeCicco, Pittsburgh, and Robert Sands, West Virginia
DeCicco had nine tackles and a forced fumble, while Sands had eight tackles and a sack.
Specialists
Punter: Cole Wagner, Connecticut
Wagner punted seven times for an average of 46.9 yards -- with a long of 52 yards -- against Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Placekicker: Chris Philpott, Louisville
Philpott only got the call once, but he made the game-winning 36-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Kick returners: Jeremy Wright, Louisville, and Robbie Frey, Connecticut
Both Wright and Frey returned kickoffs for touchdowns in their bowl games. Wright's was especially crucial, as it tied the score in the fourth quarter.
Punt returner: Terrence Mitchell, South Florida
Mitchell had a 34-yard punt return against Clemson.
The Big East official teams are voted on by the league's eight head coaches, who know a heck of a lot more about football than me. But that doesn't mean they always make the right choices. Let's take a look at each position and go over some of the reasoning behind the picks, starting with what seems to me like the most egregious error.
Quarterback
The league coaches chose Cincinnati's Zach Collaros as the unanimous pick, which is just shocking to me. Don't get me wrong, Collaros is a fantastic player who can put up crazy numbers. But I don't see how Collaros was chosen over West Virginia's Geno Smith. Smith led the Big East in passing efficiency and had a 23-6 touchdown to interception ratio. He had one bad game against Syracuse and was terrific just about every other game. Collaros threw 26 touchdowns but with a whopping 14 interceptions. His completion percentage was 58.7 compared to Smith's to 65.8.
In conference play, Collaros had 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Smith had 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in league play, not to mention that the Mountaineers were co-champions while Cincinnati finished 4-8.
The coaches, frankly, blew this one.
Running back
Jordan Todman and Bilal Powell were the easy calls here. What's amazing is that neither Noel Devine nor Dion Lewis made the first or second team. No one saw that coming before the year.
Wide receiver and tight end
Armon Binns and Jon Baldwin were the obvious calls at receiver. Louisville's Cameron Graham was the most productive tight end in the league.
Offensive line
Here's where the coaches' expertise should come into play. It's really hard just watching from TV or even from a press box to tell who's playing well on the interior of an offensive line, especially if you don't know what the blocking assignments are supposed to be. I made sure to get some input from coaches on this one and was pleased to see my choices of Sampson Genus at center and Zach Hurd and Mark Wetterer at guard were echoed by the coaches. We also agreed on Jason Pinkston at tackle, though the coaches had UConn's Mike Ryan at the other tackle, while I had Louisville's Byron Stingily. Both are fine choices, since Louisville and UConn had the best offensive lines in the league.
Defensive line
Very little question here with Jabaal Sheard, Terrell McClain and Chris Neild up front. The second defensive end spot was a tricky one for me. The coaches chose Kendall Reyes, who had an excellent year. I picked West Virginia's Julian Miller, who was a beast in conference play and part of the Mountaineers' unbelievable defense. When in doubt at one of these defensive positions, I went with a West Virgina player. I also strongly considered Chandler Jones, Brandon Lindsey and Jesse Joseph for that spot.
Linebacker
Linebacker is one of the deepest positions in the Big East this year. Lawrence Wilson was a definite, and the coaches and I agreed on J.T. Thomas. They chose Doug Hogue while I went with his Syracuse teammate, Derrell Smith. Can't argue too much either way and I would have put all four of them on there if there were enough spots.
Defensive back
Here's another place where I sharply disagree with the coaches' pick. They had West Virginia's Keith Tandy and not Brandon Hogan. I'm not sure even Tandy would agree with that. Tandy had the better interception and tackle numbers, but as he told me in a late-season interview, most of that was because teams wouldn't throw Hogan's way. The coaches I talked to all said Hogan was easily the best cornerback in the Big East. I had him and Johnny Patrick, who was also an official pick, though I heard some support for and strongly considered South Florida's Mistral Raymond.
At safety, Robert Sands was a no-brainer. The other safety spot was my most difficult choice on the entire list. Safety was not a strong position for the Big East this year. The coaches picked Dom DeCicco, who had a solid year. But I felt like he played some his best while working at linebacker for Pitt this year. I went instead with West Virginia's Sidney Glover, a rock-solid senior who fit my "when in doubt pick a Mountaineer" strategy. I liked Rutgers' Joe Lefeged earlier in the year but thought he faded along with his whole team. One coach who played Rutgers late in the season said they picked on Lefeged in the passing game.
So there you have it. How do you feel about the all-conference picks? Do you think, like I do, that Smith and Hogan were the biggest snubs?
I compiled the following list after watching each team the entire season and through consultation this week with some coaches throughout the league. Later on today, I'll offer up some thoughts on the selections, explaining my picks and the toughest omissions.
Here is the team:
Offense
QB: Geno Smith, West Virginia
RB: Jordan Todman, Connecticut
RB: Bilal Powell, Louisville
WR: Armon Binns, Cincinnati
WR: Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh
TE: Cameron Graham, Louisville
OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut
C: Sampson Genus, South Florida
OG: Mark Wetterer, Louisville
OT: Byron Stingily, Louisville
Defense
DE: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh
DT: Chris Neild, West Virginia
DT: Terrell McClain, South Florida
DE: Julian Miller, West Virginia
LB: Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut
LB: Derrell Smith, Syracuse
LB: J.T. Thomas, West Virginia
CB: Brandon Hogan, West Virginia
CB: Johnny Patrick, Louisville
S: Robert Sands, West Virginia
S: Sidney Glover, West Virginia
Specialists
K: Dave Teggart, Connecticut
P: Dan Hutchins, Pittsburgh
KR: Lindsey Lamar, South Florida
PR: Doug Beaumont, Louisville
Brian Bennett talks with Louisville offensive lineman Mark Wetterer at Big East media days.
And the Big East media day attendees are ...
Here's the list of players who are coming to Rhode Island for their close-ups (and lobster bibs):
Cincinnati
QB Zach Collaros, WR Armon Binns, LB JK Schaffer
Connecticut
LB Scott Lutrus, OG Zach Hurd, DT Kendall Reyes, FB Anthony Sherman
Louisville
OL Mark Wetterer, LB Brandon Heath
Pittsburgh
RB Dion Lewis, WR Jonathan Baldwin, OT Jason Pinkston, DE Greg Romeus, S Dom DeCicco
Rutgers
RB Joe Martinek, S Joe Lefeged
South Florida
QB B.J. Daniels, C Sampson Genus
Syracuse
LB Derrell Smith, LB Doug Hogue, S Mike Holmes, OL Ryan Bartholomew, P Rob Long
West Virginia
RB Noel Devine, WR Jock Sanders, LB J.T. Thomas
A couple of thoughts:
Obviously, the star power here is from Lewis, Baldwin, Romeus, Devine, Collaros and Daniels. I expect big crowds in front of each of those players.
It would have been nice to have either Tom Savage or Mohamed Sanu from Rutgers, but Greg Schiano has always brought his upperclassmen to these events. Those guys will get their chance.
A tip of the cap to Syracuse for bringing punter Rob Long. Nice to see special-teamers get some recognition, and Long should be up for some awards this year.
Who will eat the most lobsters at the clam bake? My early money is on Hurd, Bartholomew and Genus. When in doubt, go with the offensive linemen.
Anyone else missing from this list you would have liked to see on it? And what questions would you have for some of these guys?
1. Connecticut: Randy Edsall and offensive line coach Mike Foley somehow keep unearthing gems and developing outstanding linemen. Guard Zach Hurd was a first-team All-Big East performer a year ago, while center Moe Petrus should be among the best at his position this season. Adam Masters and Kevin Friend were pleasant surprises this spring. The Huskies are big, deep and talented up front.
2. Cincinnati: The Bearcats have to replace all-league left tackle Jeff Linkenbach, but they return all-conference performers Alex Hoffman and Jason Kelce on the interior. Tackle C.J. Cobb needs to overcome spring knee surgery, but this unit should be strong enough to keep Cincinnati one of the nation's top-scoring offenses.
3. West Virginia: The Mountaineers' offensive line was spotty last year, but there's reason to hope for improvement. Four starters are back, and the unit played better toward the end of the season. Don Barclay is becoming a leader at left tackle, while Josh Jenkins has the talent to be an all-conference performer. Depth should be much better than it was a year ago, when the starters played virtually every snap.
4. Pittsburgh: There are serious questions at center and right guard, and depth is a major issue. Yet Jason Pinkston is arguable the top left tackle in the league, and Chris Jacobson and Lucas Nix look ready to break out this year. Line coach Tony Wise usually finds a way to get it done.
5. South Florida: The Bulls may lack a lot of household names, but they have as much experience up front as any Big East team. Even with the loss of Zach Hermann to a career-ending neck injury, they still have plenty of veterans like Jake Sims, Mark Popek, Chaz Hine and Sampson Genus, who was a second-team All-Big East center a year ago.
6. Louisville: The Cardinals aren't going to wow you with talent on the offensive line, but four starters are back on a unit that held its own last year. Center Mario Benavides has proved to be a worthy heir to Eric Wood and could push for postseason honors. Greg Tomczyk and Mark Wetterer have played a lot of football in their careers.
7. Syracuse: Ryan Bartholomew, a second-team All-Big East guard last year, has moved to center. Depth is better than a year ago, and former offensive lineman Doug Marrone will whip this group into shape. A lot will depend on how tackles Justin Pugh and Michael Hay develop.
8. Rutgers: Greg Schiano says he's confident this year's O-line will outperform last year's unit for the Scarlet Knights. When center Howard Barbieri and tackle Desmond Wynn return from injuries this summer, the line should look a lot better. But exiting the spring, no team has more question marks and concerns on the offensive front than Rutgers.
Q&A with Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe
Louisville will begin spring practice on Sunday, the first school in the Big East to get back on the field. It will be an important time for the Cardinals, who are trying to fill several holes after a second straight season that ended without a bowl game. I caught up this week with head coach Steve Kragthorpe for the latest installment of our spring Big East Q&A series.
Is spring time an exciting time for the coaching staff?
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| AP Photo/Mel Evans | |
| Steve Kragthorpe will take on offensive coordinator duties this season. |
Steve Kragthorpe: To me, spring ball is always one of the fun parts of our job, in terms of taking a new group of guys and molding them together, seeing how all the pieces start to fit together. We've got a lot of guys who've maybe had no roles at all that are going to jump into roles and some guys who've had minor roles who are now going to jump up into major roles. And the fun part about spring practice is there's always a surprise or two, a guy you weren't quite sure was ready to play who jumps up and says, "Hey, I'm ready to take one of these spots."
How do you see the quarterback competition shaping up, and how will you divvy up the spring reps there?
SK: We'll divide them up pretty much equally for the major part of the spring and start to see guys separate from each other. And as guys start to separate, we'll give them a few more repetitions. But my goal is not to name a starting quarterback by the end of spring practice. We will do that about 10 days before the first game. But I'm looking for guys to be consistent, I'm looking for guys that move the chains, I'm looking for guys to lead the other 10 guys on that field and I'm looking for guys who, over a continuum of time, can be a consistent performer.
You have to shape your offense around the talents of the quarterback, obviously. So how do you, as your own offensive coordinator, do that now if you don't yet know who will be your starter?
SK: We're going to install concepts and make sure we do a good job of establishing an identity on offense, establishing a way of playing the position of quarterback and a way of going about playing offense. And then from there we'll wrinkle, based upon what guys do well, based upon what guys are stepping up ... For us, we want to make sure we're very conceptual on offense, we're very concise in terms of our teaching and we establish a system. And from that system we'll wrinkle based on the guys who need the ball in their hands.
Pittsburgh: The Panthers made some personnel changes in their secondary after Rutgers ripped through it. Sophomore Elijah Fields saw a lot more playing time at Notre Dame, lining up occasionally at safety, nickel back and linebacker. Ricky Gary and Jovani Chappel split time at cornerback. Gary fell down on one touchdown pass, but overall Dave Wannstedt said he was pleased with their play. Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers are looking for a few good men to help shore up their kickoff coverage. They rank last among 119 FBS teams by allowing 29.58 yards per return and are about to face the league's best kick returner in Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard. Two members of the kick cover team -- safety Courtney Stuart and linebacker Archie Sims -- were injured in the UConn game. Head coach Bill Stewart handles special teams and said he would make some personnel changes this week.
Cincinnati: True freshman receiver D.J. Woods is starting to make a bigger impact. He had four catches for 67 yards against Rutgers, returned a punt 40 yards at UConn and made three key receptions in the South Florida win. Fellow slot receiver Marcus Barnett, the team's second-leading catcher a year ago, has only 21 receptions this year. Also for the Bearcats, center Chris Jurek was in a walking boot this week after suffering an ankle injury against South Florida. The team is hopeful he can play at West Virginia. If not, guard Jason Kelce could slide over and handle snapping duties.
Louisville: Senior George Bussey, an All Big-East left tackle, could be switching positions. The Cardinals moved Bussey to left guard on Saturday versus Syracuse to replace injured Mark Wetterer. Sophomore Greg Tomczyk played left tackle because he had fewer things to learn at that position. Wetterer's status is unclear for Saturday's game at Pitt. Other than Bussey and center Eric Wood, Louisville's offensive line has been spotty in recent games.
Syracuse: Wide receiver Dan Sheeran is expected back this week from the broken fibula he suffered in preseason camp. His return allows freshman Grant Mayes to switch from receiver to cornerback, a position he played until Sheeran's injury forced him to offense. The Orange secondary could be in trouble this week against Rutgers, as defensive backs Kevyn Scott and A.J. Brown were injured in the Louisville game. Coach Greg Robinson has declined to address their status so far this week.
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
South Florida: The loss of senior outside linebacker Brouce Mompremier to a neck injury is a big blow, but the Bulls should be able to weather the loss. The reason is that South Florida has played primarily in its nickel defense much of the season, meaning only two linebackers are on the field most of the time. "That's what's saved us," defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. Tyrone McKenzie and Kion Wilson will be the main linebackers in the nickel, with Chris Robinson coming in to play strongside in the base 4-3 sets. South Florida will probably have to come out of the nickel next week against run-heavy Pittsburgh, however.
Louisville: The Cardinals hope that left tackle George Bussey and left guard Mark Wetterer can return to action Friday night against UConn after missing the Kansas State game with ankle injuries. But if they can't go, Louisville has confidence in backups Josh Byrom and Greg Tomczyk, who played extremely well against Kansas State last week. "We told them, all great players have to start their first game sometime," head coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "Why not tonight?" The Cardinals also might have found a new placekicker in Purdue transfer Tim Dougherty, who replaced the struggling Chris Philpott in the second half against the Wildcats and drilled his only attempt, from 36 yards.
Pittsburgh: Dave Wannstedt is still trying to get promising youngsters Jonathan Baldwin and Lucas Nix involved, but he says it's been hard because of how the games have played out. The Panthers have had three close games versus Bowling Green, Buffalo and Iowa. "You want to do what's fair to the kid and what's fair to the team," Wannstedt said. "That's the balancing as a head coach. They're going to be good players, but my first responsibility is to this football team." Wannstedt said Baldwin, a wide receiver, played 10 out of 60 snaps against Iowa but got bumped off his route on a play designed to go to him. Wannstedt also said Elijah Fields will get his second start at safety but will split time with Dom DeCicco.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats seem happy with running a two-man running back committee. John Goebel and Jacob Ramsey have split carries almost evenly, with Goebel getting 30 attempts and Ramsey 29. Goebel has been slightly more effective, averaging 5.1 yards per carry to Ramsey's 4.1. Promising freshmen running backs Quentin Hines and Isaiah Pead have yet to touch the ball.
Connecticut: Donald Brown has been phenomenal for the Huskies and leads the nation in rushing. But even though Brown hardly ever tires, coach Randy Edsall would like to reduce his workload. Brown is averaging more than 28 carries per game and is on pace for nearly 340 rush attempts this season. He was in on 60 snaps against Baylor last week. Edsall wants to keep him from getting hurt or worn down before the end of the season. The return of backfield mate Andre Dixon could help. Dixon, who led the Huskies in rushing last year, has been slowed by an ankle injury so far this season but was back on the field at times in the Baylor game. Edsall said he wants to start giving the ball to Dixon and freshman Jordan Todman more and give Brown a break.
Cardinals moving on from 'unfair catch'
Hardly a day and never a week goes by when Steve Kragthorpe doesn't get asked about the "unfair catch."
But the Louisville coach and his players insist they're not out for for revenge for last year's controversial play when Connecticut comes to town on Friday night.
"It's hard because all the questions keep coming up," Kragthorpe said. "You know it's going to come up all week long. But you just have to move forward and keep going."
The play happened during last season's Oct. 19 game at Rentschler Field. With Louisville leading 7-0 in the second half, UConn's Larry Taylor raised his hand and waved it while preparing to return a punt. Cardinals gunner Bilal Powell saw the universal signal for a fair catch and stopped in his tracks, as did other Louisville defenders. Taylor then caught the ball and ran in 74 yards for a score as the officials never blew the play dead.
Taylor's gambit proved huge for both teams. UConn went on to win the game 21-17 and earned a share of the Big East conference title. Louisville finished 6-6 and didn't go bowling.
Taylor is now in the Canadian Football League. And as far as Kragthorpe is concerned, his play is history.
"Whether a call has gone for you or against you, those are things you can't control," Kragthorpe said. "So we're not going to spend time working to control those things.
"It's just one of those things that happen in the game of football. I'm sure they'll be talking about Ed Hochuli and the San Diego-Denver situation for the next year or two."
Louisville players said they won't have any extra oomph in this game because of what happened less than a year ago.
"The fair catch didn't beat us," quarterback Hunter Cantwell said. "Connecticut played a good game, they were physical and they beat us.
"We're not looking back to last year. As far as, we owe them one or anything like that, nah, not really."
The Cardinals are hoping to get some good health news this week. No. 1 receiver Scott Long, out since August with a broken foot, will practice and is a gametime decision, Kragthorpe said. Offensive linemen George Bussey and Mark Wetterer, who missed the Kansas State game with ankle injuries, will also be gameday calls, he said. Receiver Troy Pascley, who jammed his hip while making a touchdown catch versus K-State, is fine and should play.
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Every Wednesday, we'll keep you updated on depth chart changes, injuries and other inside info to get you ready for the weekend.
West Virginia: Head coach Bill Stewart plans to add a few new faces to the lineup Thursday night at Colorado. Middle linebacker Reed Williams will make his season debut, allowing Mortty Ivy to slide over to his more natural outside position. Receiver Wes Lyons, a formidable target at 6-foot-8, has recovered from an August knee scope and should see some significant time. Stewart also expects to rotate young players such as Donnie Barclay and Josh Jenkins on the offensive line.
Louisville: The Cardinals didn't score on offense in their only game so far against an FBS team (a 27-2 loss to Kentucky), and injuries may slow their attack down tonight against Kansas State. Four of the five starting offensive linemen left the Tennessee Tech game with injuries, and though head coach Steve Kragthorpe hasn't given out specifics on their status, it appears that the left side of the line is in doubt. Left tackle George Bussey and left guard Mark Wetterer may not play tonight, potentially leaving quarterback Hunter Cantwell's blind side vulnerable to K-State blitzes if their replacements don't perform well.
South Florida: Could Jamar Taylor be emerging as the main guy in the Bulls' backfield? The sophomore -- who transferred from Alabama after the spring of 2007 -- broke out against Kansas with 72 yards on 11 carries, plus a 13-yard score. "I've never seen Jamar Taylor run like that," coach Jim Leavitt said of the way Taylor busted through tackles and holes. With Mike Ford and Ben Williams still out with ankle injuries, Taylor could assume the bulk of the carries this week at Florida International.
Connecticut: Coach Randy Edsall said during the summer that cornerback Darius Butler could play some snaps on offense. Through the first two games, that idea seemed forgotten. But Butler saw 11 snaps on offense versus Virginia last week, making two catches for 40 yards and running for a 13-yard score. He's extremely athletic and gives a new dimension to the Huskies' offense, but Edsall wants to be careful not to wear his defensive star down.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats' kicking situation has gotten more confusing. Brandon Yingling replaced the struggling Jake Rogers after the first game but wasn't called on for any field goals at Oklahoma. Yingling still hasn't attempted a college field goal. The walk-on has been suffering from an illness that's kept him out of practice, while Rogers is recovering from having his wisdom teeth pulled. So freshman Danny Milligan is now getting a look at kicker as Cincinnati prepares for Miami (Ohio) this weekend.
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.
