Big East: Review/preview 2009
With no more regular-season games to preview, we're simply living in the past this week (insert Notre Dame joke here). Let's review the final week of the 2009 Big East season:
Team of the week: Cincinnati. All hail the two-time defending Big East champions. Simply a remarkable 12-0 season for the Bearcats, topped by an amazing comeback at Pitt.
Best game: All three league games this weekend were terrific, and they were decided by a total of six points. But when there's a title on the line, and a huge comeback and 89 total points, well it's got to be Cincinnati 45, Pitt 44.
Biggest play: Mardy Gilyard's 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Pitt. Cincinnati was trailing 31-10 at the time, late in the first half, and looked ready to get run out of the building. Gilyard changed momentum and gave his team a chance to get back in it.
Best call: Up 24-21 with 1:51 to go, West Virginia had a third and six. It needed a first down so it could drain the clock. The Mountaineers chose to fake a handoff and let quarterback Jarrett Brown run a bootleg. Brown did the rest, stiff-arming George Johnson to get past the sticks.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): It's rare that a player on a losing team wins this award, but Dion Lewis's Herculean effort must be recognized. The Pitt tailback did everything he could to lift the Panthers to the Big East title, running an incredible 47 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. I'm guessing he's a little sore this morning.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): West Virginia safety Sidney Glover had perhaps the biggest defensive play of the weekend, picking off Tom Savage and running it back 24 yards for a touchdown.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Gilyard. In addition to his touchdown, Gilyard set up another Cincinnati score by returning a kick to the Pitt 23. In all, he had 256 return yards.
Worst hangover: Pitt. From 9-1 and in the top-10, to 9-3 and in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Panthers fans will mourn Saturday's loss for a long, long time.
Strangest moment: After Dave Teggart hit a last-second field goal to send UConn to a thrilling win over South Florida, Huskies players and coaches rushed onto the field. One guy did not have a good trip: Randy Edsall. The head coach got knocked to the snowy ground on his rear end by backup linebacker Alex Folsom. Edsall looked steamed about it while players celebrated around him.
"I didn't play a lot but that's the hardest hit I've ever taken," said Edsall, who was a backup at Syracuse back in the day said. "I was upset when it happened, but now I'm getting over it."
Team of the week: Cincinnati. All hail the two-time defending Big East champions. Simply a remarkable 12-0 season for the Bearcats, topped by an amazing comeback at Pitt.
Best game: All three league games this weekend were terrific, and they were decided by a total of six points. But when there's a title on the line, and a huge comeback and 89 total points, well it's got to be Cincinnati 45, Pitt 44.
Biggest play: Mardy Gilyard's 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Pitt. Cincinnati was trailing 31-10 at the time, late in the first half, and looked ready to get run out of the building. Gilyard changed momentum and gave his team a chance to get back in it.
Best call: Up 24-21 with 1:51 to go, West Virginia had a third and six. It needed a first down so it could drain the clock. The Mountaineers chose to fake a handoff and let quarterback Jarrett Brown run a bootleg. Brown did the rest, stiff-arming George Johnson to get past the sticks.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): It's rare that a player on a losing team wins this award, but Dion Lewis's Herculean effort must be recognized. The Pitt tailback did everything he could to lift the Panthers to the Big East title, running an incredible 47 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. I'm guessing he's a little sore this morning.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): West Virginia safety Sidney Glover had perhaps the biggest defensive play of the weekend, picking off Tom Savage and running it back 24 yards for a touchdown.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Gilyard. In addition to his touchdown, Gilyard set up another Cincinnati score by returning a kick to the Pitt 23. In all, he had 256 return yards.
Worst hangover: Pitt. From 9-1 and in the top-10, to 9-3 and in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Panthers fans will mourn Saturday's loss for a long, long time.
Strangest moment: After Dave Teggart hit a last-second field goal to send UConn to a thrilling win over South Florida, Huskies players and coaches rushed onto the field. One guy did not have a good trip: Randy Edsall. The head coach got knocked to the snowy ground on his rear end by backup linebacker Alex Folsom. Edsall looked steamed about it while players celebrated around him.
"I didn't play a lot but that's the hardest hit I've ever taken," said Edsall, who was a backup at Syracuse back in the day said. "I was upset when it happened, but now I'm getting over it."
Saw things so much clearer, once you were in my rearview mirror.
Let's look back on Week 13 in the Big East:
Team of the week: West Virginia. The Mountaineers snapped a two-game losing streak in the Backyard Brawl, put themselves in position to possibly finish second in the Big East and climbed back into the Top 25 in the process. All in all, not a bad Black Friday in Morgantown.
Best game: It was the Backyard Bore for most of the first three quarters as neither offense could find a rhythm. But then Pitt stormed back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and West Virginia drove for the game-winning field goal as time expired for the 19-16 win. In a week without many other great league games and in an emotional rivalry, this easily gets the nod.
Biggest play: Noel Devine's 88-yard touchdown run in the third quarter on West Virginia's first play of the drive. Devine went in virtually untouched to give the Mountaineers a lead they would never lose.
Best call: Greg Schiano's decision to go heavy with the Wildcat formation and Mohamed Sanu against Louisville. The Cardinals had no chance of stopping it, as Sanu rumbled for 148 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike wasn't as good as he had been before his left forearm injury. He was better, throwing for 399 yards and a school-record six touchdowns against Illinois.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): UConn's Lawrence Wilson is the Big East's leading tackler, and he added to that with 17 stops and a sack in the Huskies' 56-31 win over Syracuse.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): West Virginia's Tyler Bitancurt made all four of his field goal attempts, including the 43-yard game-winner against Pitt.
Worst hangover: South Florida. The Bulls had looked forward to getting Miami on their home turf to show how far their program has come. Instead, they found out far they still have to go, as the Hurricanes dominated them in virtually every aspect of the game. South Florida could be looking at a 7-5 year after a 5-0 start unless it can win on the road at UConn this week.
Strangest moment: It may not have been terribly strange, but it was ... interesting.
UConn led 42-31 and was facing a fourth-and-10 from the Syracuse 28 when the Huskies dialed up a pass play, which turned into a touchdown from Zach Frazer to Marcus Easley with 47 seconds left in the game. Doug Marrone looked bemused, to say the least, on the sidelines.
It's hard to blame UConn's Randy Edsall for that decision, though, given how many heartbreaking losses his team has suffered this year. It's the defense's job to stop it, and indeed if Syracuse defends that pass, it gets the ball back with a chance to score and try for the onsides kick. Unlikely, yes, but the Orange had moved the ball well, and strange things have happened to UConn all year.
Anyway, the Huskies ended up scoring again on a fumble recovery. Following the game, Edsall appeared to ask Marrone something after the two exchanged a very brief handshake. Orange cornerback Phillip Thomas told the Syracuse Post-Standard that UConn's pass was "a little cheap shot" while other players said it was "classless."
Good, I say. This league can use all the heated rivalries it can get.
Now let's look forward to the final week of the Big East regular season (Games listed in descending order of interest and importance):
No. 5 Cincinnati (11-0, 6-0 Big East) at No. 15 Pittsburgh (9-2, 5-1): This one, of course, is for the biggest prize of them all: the River City Rivalry trophy. What? You mean there's more at stake? (Noon, ABC).
No. 23 West Virginia (8-3, 4-2) at Rutgers (8-3, 3-3): West Virginia's dominance over Rutgers is the longest current winning streak by one Big East team over another. The Scarlet Knights' last win in the series came in 1994. (Noon, ESPN)
South Florida (7-4, 3-3) at Connecticut (6-5, 2-4): Weather could play in UConn's favor, as is the fact that the Huskies have been playing a lot better and more consistently than the Bulls in the last month. (8 p.m., ESPN2)
Let's look back on Week 13 in the Big East:
Team of the week: West Virginia. The Mountaineers snapped a two-game losing streak in the Backyard Brawl, put themselves in position to possibly finish second in the Big East and climbed back into the Top 25 in the process. All in all, not a bad Black Friday in Morgantown.
Best game: It was the Backyard Bore for most of the first three quarters as neither offense could find a rhythm. But then Pitt stormed back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and West Virginia drove for the game-winning field goal as time expired for the 19-16 win. In a week without many other great league games and in an emotional rivalry, this easily gets the nod.
Biggest play: Noel Devine's 88-yard touchdown run in the third quarter on West Virginia's first play of the drive. Devine went in virtually untouched to give the Mountaineers a lead they would never lose.
Best call: Greg Schiano's decision to go heavy with the Wildcat formation and Mohamed Sanu against Louisville. The Cardinals had no chance of stopping it, as Sanu rumbled for 148 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike wasn't as good as he had been before his left forearm injury. He was better, throwing for 399 yards and a school-record six touchdowns against Illinois.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): UConn's Lawrence Wilson is the Big East's leading tackler, and he added to that with 17 stops and a sack in the Huskies' 56-31 win over Syracuse.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): West Virginia's Tyler Bitancurt made all four of his field goal attempts, including the 43-yard game-winner against Pitt.
Worst hangover: South Florida. The Bulls had looked forward to getting Miami on their home turf to show how far their program has come. Instead, they found out far they still have to go, as the Hurricanes dominated them in virtually every aspect of the game. South Florida could be looking at a 7-5 year after a 5-0 start unless it can win on the road at UConn this week.
Strangest moment: It may not have been terribly strange, but it was ... interesting.
UConn led 42-31 and was facing a fourth-and-10 from the Syracuse 28 when the Huskies dialed up a pass play, which turned into a touchdown from Zach Frazer to Marcus Easley with 47 seconds left in the game. Doug Marrone looked bemused, to say the least, on the sidelines.
It's hard to blame UConn's Randy Edsall for that decision, though, given how many heartbreaking losses his team has suffered this year. It's the defense's job to stop it, and indeed if Syracuse defends that pass, it gets the ball back with a chance to score and try for the onsides kick. Unlikely, yes, but the Orange had moved the ball well, and strange things have happened to UConn all year.
Anyway, the Huskies ended up scoring again on a fumble recovery. Following the game, Edsall appeared to ask Marrone something after the two exchanged a very brief handshake. Orange cornerback Phillip Thomas told the Syracuse Post-Standard that UConn's pass was "a little cheap shot" while other players said it was "classless."
Good, I say. This league can use all the heated rivalries it can get.
Now let's look forward to the final week of the Big East regular season (Games listed in descending order of interest and importance):
No. 5 Cincinnati (11-0, 6-0 Big East) at No. 15 Pittsburgh (9-2, 5-1): This one, of course, is for the biggest prize of them all: the River City Rivalry trophy. What? You mean there's more at stake? (Noon, ABC).
No. 23 West Virginia (8-3, 4-2) at Rutgers (8-3, 3-3): West Virginia's dominance over Rutgers is the longest current winning streak by one Big East team over another. The Scarlet Knights' last win in the series came in 1994. (Noon, ESPN)
South Florida (7-4, 3-3) at Connecticut (6-5, 2-4): Weather could play in UConn's favor, as is the fact that the Huskies have been playing a lot better and more consistently than the Bulls in the last month. (8 p.m., ESPN2)
In ye olden days:
Team of the week: Connecticut. Good for the Huskies for finally getting over the hump and winning a close game, their first since the Jasper Howard death. And good for the Big East, since Notre Dame may now be out of the Gator Bowl picture.
Best game: What is it about Notre Dame that brings out the great games from Big East teams? Last year, Pitt won in quadruple overtime and Syracuse mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally to pull the upset. This year, Pitt held off a late Notre Dame charge to win at home, and on Saturday, UConn won 33-30 in double overtime.
At least we now know why the Irish will never join the Big East: they'd go winless in league play.
Biggest play: Jordan Todman's 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter at South Bend. That tied the game at 17 and gave UConn the spark it needed to believe.
Best call: To Syracuse coach Doug Marrone, for confusing Rutgers with an array of pre-snap motion on offense and blitzing from all angles on defense. The Scarlet Knights never saw it coming -- and nobody but Marrone saw a 31-13 Orange victory coming.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): After probably his worst game of the year at Rutgers, South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels bounced back with a record-setting performance against Louisville. He produced 445 total yards and became the first Big East player ever to throw for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in the same game.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): Syracuse lost playmaking linebacker Derrell Smith to injury early last week. So Doug Hogue stepped things up in a big way. He had a single-game school-record 6.5 tackles for loss against Rutgers, including 3.5 sacks.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Todman, for his kick return mentioned above.
Worst hangover: Rutgers. Sure, the 7-2 record was mostly a product of a crummy schedule. But the Scarlet Knights appeared to be building toward something after wins over UConn and South Florida. They were even thinking about a 10-win season and perhaps one of the better Big East bowls. Instead, after the horrible showing at Syracuse, nothing they do the rest of the way will get them much more respect, and they'll be ticketed yet again for a minor postseason destination like Toronto.
Team of the week: Connecticut. Good for the Huskies for finally getting over the hump and winning a close game, their first since the Jasper Howard death. And good for the Big East, since Notre Dame may now be out of the Gator Bowl picture.
Best game: What is it about Notre Dame that brings out the great games from Big East teams? Last year, Pitt won in quadruple overtime and Syracuse mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally to pull the upset. This year, Pitt held off a late Notre Dame charge to win at home, and on Saturday, UConn won 33-30 in double overtime.
At least we now know why the Irish will never join the Big East: they'd go winless in league play.
Biggest play: Jordan Todman's 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter at South Bend. That tied the game at 17 and gave UConn the spark it needed to believe.
Best call: To Syracuse coach Doug Marrone, for confusing Rutgers with an array of pre-snap motion on offense and blitzing from all angles on defense. The Scarlet Knights never saw it coming -- and nobody but Marrone saw a 31-13 Orange victory coming.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): After probably his worst game of the year at Rutgers, South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels bounced back with a record-setting performance against Louisville. He produced 445 total yards and became the first Big East player ever to throw for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in the same game.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): Syracuse lost playmaking linebacker Derrell Smith to injury early last week. So Doug Hogue stepped things up in a big way. He had a single-game school-record 6.5 tackles for loss against Rutgers, including 3.5 sacks.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Todman, for his kick return mentioned above.
Worst hangover: Rutgers. Sure, the 7-2 record was mostly a product of a crummy schedule. But the Scarlet Knights appeared to be building toward something after wins over UConn and South Florida. They were even thinking about a 10-win season and perhaps one of the better Big East bowls. Instead, after the horrible showing at Syracuse, nothing they do the rest of the way will get them much more respect, and they'll be ticketed yet again for a minor postseason destination like Toronto.
Like the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" story line about the "Seinfeld" reunion, let's indulge in some nostalgia. Rewind:
Team of the week: Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights put on a wow-worthy display Thursday night by crushing South Florida 31-0. They're back in the AP Top 25 for the first time in more than two years.
Best game: For the second straight week, Cincinnati had to recover an onside kick in the final minute to hold off an upset bid. This time, it was in a 24-21 win over West Virginia.
Biggest play: Pitt's Greg Romeus forced a fumble by Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen with 2:10 left to preserve a 27-22 win for the Panthers. Or did he?
Best call: I'm not sure about "best," but the biggest calls of the weekend were both made by Big East replay officials. First, on Friday night, they overturned a fumble call on the field and awarded Cincinnati a touchdown in a tight game. On Saturday, they overruled the call on the field of an incompletion by Clausen and said it was a fumble, sealing the game for Pitt. Whether those were the right calls remain up for debate, but it was at least curious that the highly-ranked Big East teams got the favorable ruling each time.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead rushed for a career best 175 yards on 18 carries, including a key 43-yard gain in the fourth quarter to set up a clinching field goal.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): Pitt's Jabaal Sheard was a menace all night, badly beating Notre Dame right tackle Sam Young for two tackles for loss, a sack and four hurries of Clausen.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Rutgers' Devin McCourty blocked a punt and forced a fumble on a punt return in a 31-0 win over South Florida.
Worst hangover: West Virginia. The Mountaineers aren't used to being eliminated from the Big East race by the second week of November. West Virginia fans aren't used to hoping everything breaks just right so they can get to Charlotte for bowl season. Alas, that's the reality in Morgantown.
Strangest moment: In a game full of mistakes and futility, referee Pat Garvey stole the show in Louisville's 10-9 win over Syracuse.
A flag came down as Louisville's Josh Chichester caught a pass in the end zone in the third quarter. The back judge signaled pass interference on Chichester. Both teams walked back to the line of scrimmage. But then Garvey announced pass interference on the defense and signaled touchdown. The crowd cheered, and fireworks shot off at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Both teams went to the sideline.
A few moments later, Garvey turned his mic back on to announce that he was mistaken, and that it was indeed pass interference on the offense. Let's just say nobody was in top form in this game.
Now it's time to look ahead to Week 12, and enthusiasm for this lackluster slate has already been curbed (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):
Connecticut (4-5, 1-4 Big East) at Notre Dame (6-4): UConn can make the Big East 4-0 in the past two years against the Golden Domers, and help the league's bowl picture in the process, with a win in South Bend.
Rutgers (7-2, 2-2) at Syracuse (3-7, 0-5): The program that bills itself as New York's college team vs. the one that fancies itself as New York City's team.
Louisville (4-6, 1-4) at South Florida (6-3, 2-3): Louisville has never won in Tampa and will be heavy underdogs again even against a disappointing Bulls team.
Bye: Cincinnati, Pitt, West Virginia
Team of the week: Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights put on a wow-worthy display Thursday night by crushing South Florida 31-0. They're back in the AP Top 25 for the first time in more than two years.
Best game: For the second straight week, Cincinnati had to recover an onside kick in the final minute to hold off an upset bid. This time, it was in a 24-21 win over West Virginia.
Biggest play: Pitt's Greg Romeus forced a fumble by Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen with 2:10 left to preserve a 27-22 win for the Panthers. Or did he?
Best call: I'm not sure about "best," but the biggest calls of the weekend were both made by Big East replay officials. First, on Friday night, they overturned a fumble call on the field and awarded Cincinnati a touchdown in a tight game. On Saturday, they overruled the call on the field of an incompletion by Clausen and said it was a fumble, sealing the game for Pitt. Whether those were the right calls remain up for debate, but it was at least curious that the highly-ranked Big East teams got the favorable ruling each time.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead rushed for a career best 175 yards on 18 carries, including a key 43-yard gain in the fourth quarter to set up a clinching field goal.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): Pitt's Jabaal Sheard was a menace all night, badly beating Notre Dame right tackle Sam Young for two tackles for loss, a sack and four hurries of Clausen.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Rutgers' Devin McCourty blocked a punt and forced a fumble on a punt return in a 31-0 win over South Florida.
Worst hangover: West Virginia. The Mountaineers aren't used to being eliminated from the Big East race by the second week of November. West Virginia fans aren't used to hoping everything breaks just right so they can get to Charlotte for bowl season. Alas, that's the reality in Morgantown.
Strangest moment: In a game full of mistakes and futility, referee Pat Garvey stole the show in Louisville's 10-9 win over Syracuse.
A flag came down as Louisville's Josh Chichester caught a pass in the end zone in the third quarter. The back judge signaled pass interference on Chichester. Both teams walked back to the line of scrimmage. But then Garvey announced pass interference on the defense and signaled touchdown. The crowd cheered, and fireworks shot off at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Both teams went to the sideline.
A few moments later, Garvey turned his mic back on to announce that he was mistaken, and that it was indeed pass interference on the offense. Let's just say nobody was in top form in this game.
Now it's time to look ahead to Week 12, and enthusiasm for this lackluster slate has already been curbed (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):
Connecticut (4-5, 1-4 Big East) at Notre Dame (6-4): UConn can make the Big East 4-0 in the past two years against the Golden Domers, and help the league's bowl picture in the process, with a win in South Bend.
Rutgers (7-2, 2-2) at Syracuse (3-7, 0-5): The program that bills itself as New York's college team vs. the one that fancies itself as New York City's team.
Louisville (4-6, 1-4) at South Florida (6-3, 2-3): Louisville has never won in Tampa and will be heavy underdogs again even against a disappointing Bulls team.
Bye: Cincinnati, Pitt, West Virginia
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
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
It's time to fall backward, so let's rewind our clocks and look at Week 9:
Team of the week: South Florida. For bouncing back and upsetting West Virginia, possibly putting its odoriferous October reputation to rest.
Best game: Not much to choose from, but it would be hard to top Rutgers' 28-24 victory at Connecticut anyway. The Huskies scored with 38 seconds left to take the lead, only to watch the Scarlet Knights answer 16 seconds later. Speaking of which ...
Biggest play: Tom Savage's 81-yard, game-winning touchdown to Tim Brown, who zipped through busted coverage to stun the Huskies. UConn coach Randy Edsall said after the game that Rutgers had run that same play earlier in the second half and got stuffed. Brown, by the way, grew up in the same neighborhood as slain Connecticut player Jasper Howard.
Best call: To South Florida's coaching staff, which decided to let B.J. Daniels do his thing instead of putting him under wraps like they did against Pitt two weeks ago. "I handcuffed him in the Pittsburgh game," Leavitt said Friday night. "I didn't let him go out there and play. He had some interceptions, and I was so tired of interceptions. I wanted to protect him a little bit. That's nobody's fault but mine.
"I told (offensive coordinator) Mike (Canales), 'In this game, let him go. Let him do what he does. We'll just hope he makes good decisions.' "
Good call. Best call, in fact.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): Daniels. He had 336 total yards and three touchdowns, which was more than the entire West Virginia offense managed.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): South Florida linebacker Kion Wilson played through some injuries to record 12 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and an interception against the Mountaineers.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): It's a tie between Rutgers' Devin McCourty and UConn's Robbie Frey. McCourty returned the opening kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown, and Frey later answered with a 100-yard score. Unfortunately for Frey, he also tore his labrum in that game and is likely done for the year.
Worst hangover: UConn just can't buy a break. Not only did they lose a fourth-quarter heart-breaker for the fourth time this season, the Huskies lost starting quarterback Cody Endres to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Strangest moment: Everything about Connecticut's two-point try in the fourth quarter was weird. First, Zach Frazer threw a pass to left tackle Mike Ryan, and the 325-pounder barreled his way into the end zone. Then after what seemed like an eternity, the replay officials overturned the call, saying it was a forward pass to an ineligible receiver, not the backwards pass UConn had planned.
Edsall was so incensed that he charged onto the field and earned a 15-yard penalty. In the end, none of it made a difference to the outcome of the game, but it was strange.
Now, let's spring forward to Week 10, which brings a light slate for the Big East (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):
Connecticut (4-4, 1-3) at No. 5 Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0): The Huskies are the last Big East team to beat Cincinnati, but this battered team will have its hands full in Nippert Stadium. (8 p.m., ABC)
Syracuse (3-5, 0-3) at No. 13 Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0): After six straight home games, the Orange may need a GPS to get out of upstate New York. Odds are they won't like what they find at Heinz Field. (Noon, ESPNU)
Louisville (3-5, 0-3) at West Virginia (6-2, 2-1): The Mountaineers are upset about losing to South Florida, and they just may take out some frustration against outmanned Louisville. (Noon, Big East Network).
Byes: No. 25 South Florida, Rutgers
It's time to fall backward, so let's rewind our clocks and look at Week 9:
Team of the week: South Florida. For bouncing back and upsetting West Virginia, possibly putting its odoriferous October reputation to rest.
Best game: Not much to choose from, but it would be hard to top Rutgers' 28-24 victory at Connecticut anyway. The Huskies scored with 38 seconds left to take the lead, only to watch the Scarlet Knights answer 16 seconds later. Speaking of which ...
Biggest play: Tom Savage's 81-yard, game-winning touchdown to Tim Brown, who zipped through busted coverage to stun the Huskies. UConn coach Randy Edsall said after the game that Rutgers had run that same play earlier in the second half and got stuffed. Brown, by the way, grew up in the same neighborhood as slain Connecticut player Jasper Howard.
Best call: To South Florida's coaching staff, which decided to let B.J. Daniels do his thing instead of putting him under wraps like they did against Pitt two weeks ago. "I handcuffed him in the Pittsburgh game," Leavitt said Friday night. "I didn't let him go out there and play. He had some interceptions, and I was so tired of interceptions. I wanted to protect him a little bit. That's nobody's fault but mine.
"I told (offensive coordinator) Mike (Canales), 'In this game, let him go. Let him do what he does. We'll just hope he makes good decisions.' "
Good call. Best call, in fact.
Big Man on Campus (Offense): Daniels. He had 336 total yards and three touchdowns, which was more than the entire West Virginia offense managed.
Big Man on Campus (Defense): South Florida linebacker Kion Wilson played through some injuries to record 12 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and an interception against the Mountaineers.
Big Man on Campus (Special teams): It's a tie between Rutgers' Devin McCourty and UConn's Robbie Frey. McCourty returned the opening kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown, and Frey later answered with a 100-yard score. Unfortunately for Frey, he also tore his labrum in that game and is likely done for the year.
Worst hangover: UConn just can't buy a break. Not only did they lose a fourth-quarter heart-breaker for the fourth time this season, the Huskies lost starting quarterback Cody Endres to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Strangest moment: Everything about Connecticut's two-point try in the fourth quarter was weird. First, Zach Frazer threw a pass to left tackle Mike Ryan, and the 325-pounder barreled his way into the end zone. Then after what seemed like an eternity, the replay officials overturned the call, saying it was a forward pass to an ineligible receiver, not the backwards pass UConn had planned.
Edsall was so incensed that he charged onto the field and earned a 15-yard penalty. In the end, none of it made a difference to the outcome of the game, but it was strange.
Now, let's spring forward to Week 10, which brings a light slate for the Big East (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):
Connecticut (4-4, 1-3) at No. 5 Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0): The Huskies are the last Big East team to beat Cincinnati, but this battered team will have its hands full in Nippert Stadium. (8 p.m., ABC)
Syracuse (3-5, 0-3) at No. 13 Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0): After six straight home games, the Orange may need a GPS to get out of upstate New York. Odds are they won't like what they find at Heinz Field. (Noon, ESPNU)
Louisville (3-5, 0-3) at West Virginia (6-2, 2-1): The Mountaineers are upset about losing to South Florida, and they just may take out some frustration against outmanned Louisville. (Noon, Big East Network).
Byes: No. 25 South Florida, Rutgers
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.
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.
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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.
