ESPN College Football

It's no surprise that Pitt and Rutgers are playing a close, hard-hitting game. The two teams are tied at 14 at halftime.

How have the Scarlet Knights responded to the Eric LeGrand injury? They're playing hard, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on the game.

Typically, Rutgers isn't doing a whole lot on offense (less than 100 yards in the half) but is getting it done on defense and special teams. A great play by Charlie Noonan to pick off a shuffle pass and return it deep into Pitt territory led to the first touchdown. In the second quarter, Wayne Warren blocked a punt that Brandon Bing recovered in the end zone to tie the score. Rutgers continues to find ways to score in non-traditional ways.

Pitt has had some big plays, including a 46-yard pass from Tino Sunseri to Jon Baldwin to set up a score. It was good to finally see those to hook up for a big gainer. Ray Graham and Dion Lewis have combined for 95 yards. But the turnovers have hurt, and Rutgers' defensive pressure has come up big in key spots to stop Panthers' drives.

Pittsburgh has played better overall, but Rutgers likes to hang around with its defense and try to win the game in the fourth quarter. Knowing these two teams, the game will likely come down to that.

The season's first chapter is complete. Here's the book report.

Team of the week: Syracuse. Bet you didn't think you'd see those words together after Week 1. But the Orange were the only Big East team to beat an FBS opponent in the first week, handily dispatching Akron 29-3. Yes, the Zips are bad. But the game was on the road, and Syracuse won its opener for the first time since 2003.

Best game: It was sloppy on both sides, with botched coverages and too many yellow flags. But Utah's 27-24 overtime win over Pitt was never short on drama, especially at the end when the Panthers mounted a comeback to tie the game.

Biggest play: Tino Sunseri's interception on the first play of that overtime game for Pitt. Mike Shanahan was open, but Sunseri waited a beat too long to deliver the ball and then put it in the wrong place. That sealed the Panthers' fate, and started the downward Week 1 spiral for the Big East.

Best call: Rich Rodriguez's decision to go with Denard Robinson as his starting quarterback. Rodriguez had declined to officially name a starter before Saturday. Then he unleashed Robinson, who brought back Pat White nightmares for Connecticut's torched defense.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville. I don't like to give this award to players whose teams lost. I really don't like giving it to players whose teams played FCS opponents. So, um, yeah. I had to break Rule No. 1 and go with Powell, who's now leading the Big East in rushing after 153 yards -- and an 80-yard touchdown -- in the 23-16 loss to Kentucky.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia. And I had to break rule No. 2 for this award. Hogan's interception near the end of the first half helped keep Coastal Carolina at bay, and the entire Mountaineers defense was dominant in a 31-0 win.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Brandon Bing, Rutgers. Bing blocked two punts, including one that teammate Joe Lefeged recovered for a touchdown, in the 31-0 win over Norfolk State.

Worst hangover: The Big East office in Providence, R.I. Half the league is already 0-1, including three of the teams considered among the top contenders. National championship hopes for the conference are already dim after one weekend. Maybe someone should send John Marinatto flowers this time.

Strangest moment: This one's a tie, and both involve field goal attempts at the end of halves on Thursday night.

At Rutgers, Mohamed Sanu caught a pass near the goal line with one second left in the first half, and the Scarlet Knights were out of timeouts. They tried to hurry to the line to get one more play off, but officials ruled the half was over. Or not. The officials then decided to review whether San went out of bounds. He was not. So the half was over. Or not.

Greg Schiano argued that the clock should have stopped on the first down pickup, and Rutgers was allowed another play, in which it kicked a field goal. Norfolk State coaches, whose team was sent off the field and recalled twice, protested -- and rightly so. Hey, it was opening night for the refs, too.

In the Pitt game, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham tried the old "icing-the-kicker" with a last-second timeout routine not once but twice as Dan Hutchins attempted the field goal that would send the game to overtime. Hutchins made the first and missed the second, and there was confusion on the field and in the stands both times.

He finally hit the third one -- best two out of three, anyone? I don't know about you, but that last-second timeout garbage may be my least favorite ploy in football.

Now here's a sneak peek at the second week (Games listed in descending order of importance/interest):

South Florida (1-0) at Florida (1-0) (ESPN3.com, Noon ET): The Gators' offensive struggles and USF's 59-point outburst against Stony Brook have this game looking a bit more interesting than it did a few days ago. The Bulls still have a mighty difficult assignment in going to The Swamp with so many young players.

Syracuse (1-0) at Washington (0-1) (7 p.m. ET): The Fightin' Jake Lockers fell on the road to BYU in their opener. The Orange could gain a breakthrough with a win here, but they must travel across the country to do so.

West Virginia (1-0) at Marshall (0-1) (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET, Friday): The in-state rivalry that isn't. Marshall was handcuffed by Ohio State's defense on Saturday, and the Mountaineers will look to give them some more of that medicine. Former West Virginia assistant Doc Holliday will at least have some trade secrets on his former team.

Rutgers (1-0) at Florida International (0-0) (ESPN3.com, 8 p.m. ET): The pickin's get real slim in a hurry in Week 2. This is the only other game featuring an FBS opponent. Rutgers has to go on the road and will need to play better at the start of the game than it did versus Norfolk State.

New Hampshire (1-0) at Pitt (0-1) (ESPN3.com, 1 p.m. ET): This will be notable to see what adjustments the Panthers made after the opening loss, with Miami looming in the third game. And New Hampshire has been a solid FCS program.

Eastern Kentucky (0-1) at Louisville (0-1) (ESPN3.com, 3:30 ET): Home fans will see Charlie Strong's first victory as Louisville head coach.

Texas Southern (0-1) at Connecticut (0-1) (ESPN3.com, Noon ET): This game will be .... sorry, I dozed off there for a minute.

Indiana State (1-0) at Cincinnati (0-1) (ESPN3.com, Noon ET): Zzzzzzzzz.

Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: The player who Charlie Strong called the face of the program ran 16 times for 153 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown, in a 23-16 loss to Kentucky.

Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse: In his starting debut, Nassib completed 17 of 27 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, as the Orange beat Akron 29-3. Nassib also rushed for 58 yards.

Brandon Bing, CB, Rutgers: Bing blocked two punts, including one that was recovered for a touchdown, in the Scarlet Knights' 31-0 win over Norfolk State on Thursday.

B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida: The sophomore completed 15 of 22 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 23 yards and a score in the Bulls' 59-14 win over Stony Brook.

Defense is supposed to be the strength of Rutgers this year, and that proved to be the case in the opener.

The Scarlet Knights pitched a 31-0 shutout of Norfolk State on Thursday. They allowed only 156 total yards and were dominant in the second half.

Of course, the defense did that all of last year, manhandling outmatched opponents. This defense is going to be good, but wake me when Rutgers plays a good team.

Offensively, there wasn't much to love about this game. Rutgers scored just two offensive touchdowns (one score came on a blocked punt). Things looked better in the second half, and Joe Martinek ran for over 100 yards, but every BCS team should be able to wear down an FCS defense in the second half. The Norfolk State defenders were cramping and collapsing left and right in the final two quarters.

Rutgers still has a long way to go to build a strong offense, but luckily it has another tune-up type game next against Florida International.

Also notable in the second half, true freshman Chas Dodd came in to play quarterback. Looks like he'll be the No. 2 behind Tom Savage this year instead of Steve Shimko, who's been injured.

Brandon Bing blocked two punts, including the one that was recovered for a touchdown.

It's time to get back to our post-spring rankings of each Big East position group. A lot of teams have question marks in their secondaries heading into this summer; let's look at how they stand in comparison to one another:

1. West Virginia: The Mountaineers play five defensive backs in their 3-3-5 alignment and should be well stocked for 2010. Safety Robert Sands should compete for league defensive player of the year honors if he continues his rapid development, while senior Sidney Glover is an experienced playmaker at one of the other safety spots. West Virginia needs Brandon Hogan to rediscover his form and for Keith Tandy to keep improving, and this could be one of the team's strongest units.

2. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights lost the best cornerback in the Big East when Devin McCourty took his skills to the NFL, but I still like the group that's returning. Joe Lefeged should step up and assume McCourty's leadership role as a senior safety, while Khaseem Greene looks ready to become a front-line safety. David Rowe is a solid corner, and either Brandon Bing or Logan Ryan should fill the other spot. The Scarlet Knights have a lot of talented young players here to provide quality depth, as well.

3. Syracuse: The Orange officially have five returning starters in the secondary because of injuries last year, and several players gained valuable experience during 2009. There's a good mixture of veteran leadership with guys like seniors Mike Holmes, Da'Mon Merkerson and Max Suter as well as rising stars like Shamarko Thomas and Phillip Thomas.

4. Pittsburgh: Antwuan Reed helped answer a big question with a strong spring at cornerback. The other corner spot will likely be filled by either junior college transfer Saheed Imoru or Buddy Jackson, with Ricky Gary around to add depth. The safety position should be in good shape when Dom DeCicco and Andrew Taglianetti return from their injuries, while Jarred Holley established himself as a dependable safety last year.

5. South Florida: The Bulls lost a pair of draft picks in Nate Allen and Jerome Murphy and have some young players moving into key roles this season. The good news is those youngsters have talent. The key will be whether Quenton Washington and Kayvon Webster can hold down the cornerback spots.

6. Cincinnati: There's healthy competition in the secondary for the Bearcats, who increasingly gave up big plays in the passing game as the 2009 season wore on. Dominique Battle, Camerron Cheatham, Chris Williams and Reuben Johnson all vied for playing time at corner this spring. Drew Frey is a steady safety. The group needs to make more plays than it did a year ago but should embrace a more aggressive scheme this year.

7. Connecticut: The Huskies ranked last in pass defense last season and lost two senior stalwarts from the secondary. The defensive backfield was in disarray at times this spring. The return of Blidi Wreh-Wilson from his shoulder injury this summer should help out the cornerback spot with Dwayne Gratz. Jerome Junior should be solid at one safety spot, while Kijuan Dabney is trying to win the other job after moving from linebacker. The Huskies are counting on a lot of young players to improve quickly before the season begins.

8. Louisville: The Cardinals had so much trouble finding playmakers in the secondary this spring that running back Darius Ashley moved to corner to help out. Johnny Patrick is one of the league's better cornerbacks but needs help in the defensive backfield. The healthy return of safety Terence Simien would provide a boost, but this remains a trouble spot heading into the fall.

Spring practice is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at two-deeps and position battles. While some players know what their roles will be in the fall, others will begin heated competitions for playing time during spring drills in hopes of impressing their coaches. Here are a few position battles worth watching this spring in the Big East:

• Pittsburgh quarterback: Pitt may well be the preseason Big East favorite, but the Panthers have to figure out their quarterback situation first. Sophomore Tino Sunseri came close to winning the job in a heated three-way battle last year and settled in as Bill Stull's backup. Pat Bostick, however, has improved his mechanics and has won big games in the past. This should be a good competition that might not be settled until the fall.

• Louisville quarterback: Three players -- Justin Burke, Adam Froman and Will Stein -- all started games under center for the Cardinals, and none of the trio distinguished himself as heads and shoulders above the rest. Whoever wins the job in the spring might not necessarily be the guy in the fall, as new coach Charlie Strong is bringing in some promising freshmen quarterbacks as well.

• South Florida running back: Skip Holtz has suggested he'd like to have a real No. 1 tailback, something the Bulls haven't had in a long time. Mike Ford had a huge game against Northern Illinois in the International Bowl and may finally be ready to assume that go-to-guy role as a senior. Sophomore Lindsey Lamar will push for the job, as well as possibly Jamar Taylor and several newcomers.

• Rutgers receiver and cornerback: Like last year, the Scarlet Knights go into the spring with one proven wideout (this time, Mohamed Sanu) and a bunch of question marks. It's time that someone from the group including Julian Hayes, Tim Wright, Keith Stroud and Marcus Cooper separate himself. At corner, Rutgers needs a replacement for Devin McCourty. Will a guy like Brandon Bing step forward, or will one of two redshirt freshmen -- Darrell Givens and Logan Ryan -- make a move in the spring?

• Cincinnati's defensive front seven: With a new coaching staff and probably a change back to a 4-3 scheme, the Cincinnati players have basically been told they're back to square one this spring. Add to that fact that both defensive ends and two starting linebackers were seniors this past season, and there are a lot of jobs up for grabs. The constants appear to be defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, linebacker JK Schaffer and Walter Stewart, who could either play linebacker or on the line. After that, it's one big competition.