ESPN College Football

It may not have been the prettiest night of football, but the Big East opened the 2011 season Thursday night 3-0 -- including a thrilling come-from-behind win for Syracuse.

So what do we take away from Louisville, Rutgers and the Orange? It is hard to take away much from Week 1. Rutgers beat an overmatched NC Central team 48-0. The defense looked good, but we will know more about the Scarlet Knights after next week's game at North Carolina.

The Cardinals defense looked better than expected in a 21-9 win over Murray State, but the offense was hit or miss and made way too many mistakes. I am not sure any Louisville fan feels good about the offensive performance this morning, especially against an average FCS team.

Syracuse, meanwhile, had the game of the day. The Orange, hoping to build off an impressive bowl season in 2010, looked completely lifeless for three quarters. Fans on Twitter joked about being reminded of the Greg Robinson era. But the fourth quarter was a different game. The Orange scored 22 unanswered points to stun Wake Forest 36-29 in overtime.

The comeback was spurred, in part, when Wake Forest starting quarterback Tanner Price went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter. He threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, particularly picking on cornerback Kevyn Scott. There was little pass rush, and the defense seemed flat footed. But after Price left the game, Wake managed just 59 total yards.

Despite the early struggles, Syracuse never gave up and deserves credit for that. No matter how you get it, any win is a big win.

Now here is more on the good and the bad for each team that played Thursday night.

Louisville

• The good: You have to start with the defense. Many thought a pass-happy Murray State would be able to pass over a secondary featuring two inexperienced starters at cornerback. But starters Anthony Connor and true freshmen Andrew Johnson held their own. Connor picked up his first career interception, and Murray State never got a consistent string of big pass plays. Murray State quarterback Casey Brockman threw for just 148 yards and three interceptions. Meanwhile, the defensive line was without B.J. Butler, Roy Philon and Brandon Dunn, and Greg Scruggs played just a handful of snaps. In their place, true freshman B.J. Dubose, sophomore Marcus Smith, Randy Salmon, William Savoy and Malcolm Mitchell all played well. True freshman receiver DeVante Parker also flashed.
• The bad: The offense has to get into a rhythm. The offensive line had five new starters and remains a work in progress. Of the 10 Louisville penalties, five were false starts and one was a hold. Will Stein had good plays and bad plays and fumbled once. Victor Anderson fumbled for the first time in his career. Jeremy Wright fumbled, too. Highly touted true freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater only played one series, which featured two false starts, a delay of game and his first career interception.

Rutgers

• The good: The defense had a nice game, posting the ninth shutout under coach Greg Schiano. Rutgers had nine sacks -- the most since a nine-sack day in a 44-9 victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 26, 2005. Scott Vallone got his first career touchdown when he recovered a fumble in the end zone. Duron Harmon had two interceptions, including one he returned 37 yards for his first career touchdown. Harmon, in particular, seemed to be everywhere. Another highly touted freshman, Savon Huggins, got his first two career touchdowns but averaged just 3.2 yards a carry.
• The bad: It is hard to find anything bad in a 48-0 rout. All you can really say is Rutgers did not get much of a test before a big game on the road next weekend. Perhaps Rutgers wants more consistency out of its running game. DeAntwan Williams, Jawan Jamison, Jeremy Deering and Huggins all played, and collectively averaged 3.3 yards a carry. Jamison had the longest run of the day at 14 yards.

Syracuse

• The good: Everybody loves a come-from-behind win. The Syracuse offense finally showed its capability in the fourth quarter, when Antwon Bailey ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run to help tie the game at 29. Ryan Nassib, inconsistent early in the game, was a perfect 8-for-8 to close the game. Hard to believe it was the same offense that had fewer total yards (52) than penalty yards (56) in the first half. The defense came through with some big plays down the stretch, including an interception from Kevyn Scott. But perhaps what you love most is the moxie Syracuse showed in coming from behind to gut out a win.
• The bad: In the first three quarters, the offensive line looked shaky. Receivers had drops. Bailey and Nassib could not generate much of anything. The defense looked slow, out of position and not aggressive. There were wide open Wake Forest receivers left and right. Not much of a pass rush, either. There also was a go-ahead field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter by Ross Krautman that was blocked because of a bad snap.

Spring practice was in full bloom over the weekend, and you know what that means: scrimmages! Here are some notes on the teams that faced off against themselves on Saturday.

Connecticut

The Huskies didn't hold anything back, and that sometimes was problematic. Linebacker Sio Moore delivered a big hit on quarterback Michael Nebrich and had to be reminded by Paul Pasqualoni that they are, in fact, still teammates.

The defense dominated for most of the scrimmage, and it's no surprise that side of the ball would be ahead of the offense, given the number of returning defensive starters. Quarterback Scott McCummings, who has reportedly had a good spring, fumbled and threw an interception on Saturday. Mike Box got the first reps of the scrimmage under center.

"I thought there was some good give and take,” Pasqualoni said. “I thought there was real, real good competition on both sides of the ball.”

Louisville

Held back a little by injuries this spring, the Cardinals held their first scrimmage on Saturday, a 150-minute, 95-play, hard-hitting affair.

According to the official recap, Will Stein threw two touchdown passes to Josh Chichester, for 16 and 59 yards. Receiver Josh Bellamy also had a big day. Shenard Holton and Marcus Smith each had interceptions, while Randy Salmon and Dexter Heyman were very active on defense.

"It's hard to really see what we have going on out there because we have so many guys injured," coach Charlie Strong said. "We have a lot of guys playing who haven't played much, but it's good that we are starting to build some depth. I was pleased with the effort and I thought there was a lot of good hitting.

Pittsburgh

Only a portion of the scrimmage was open to the media, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Buddy Jackson took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. The cornerback was only recently given a shot to return kicks.

Former guard Chris Jacobson is working at center and had some trouble with shotgun snaps. That will be key for the Panthers, who will be in the shotgun almost exclusively in their new offense. The newspaper also singled out defensive end Bryan Murphy as a spring standout so far.

Syracuse

The offense unleashed some big-play potential in the Orange's 84-play scrimmage. Big plays included a 75-yard pass from Ryan Nassib to Alec Lemon, a 64-yard carry by Antwon Bailey, a 70-yard dash by Prince-Tyson Gulley and a 54-yard pass from Nassib to Marcus Sales. Nassib was 7-of-12 for 192 yards.

But the offense couldn't keep the momentum after three straight scores, turning the ball over and failing to reach the end zone the rest of the day. Coach Doug Marrone said he didn't like the way the defense came out to start the scrimmage, but at least it responded. He singled out linebackers Dan Vaughan and Marquis Spruill and safety Phillip Thomas for praise on that side of the ball.

Spring football in the Big East kicks off March 16. Here's a breakdown of three issues facing each program heading into the spring:

CINCINNATI
Spring practice starts: March 17
Spring game: April 24
What to watch:

• Building depth: New coach Butch Jones said this is the biggest key for the spring. The Bearcats have a lot of top-flight players with starting experience back, like Zach Collaros, Armon Binns, Isaiah Pead and JK Schaffer. But there's a lot of youth and inexperience in potential backup roles, especially at positions like offensive line, linebacker and receiver. All slates are clean with the new coaching staff, and the spring will be a time when new names can emerge in key roles.

• Defensive line retooling: Jones will switch back to the 4-3 after a year in the 3-4 scheme. Both starting defensive ends from last year are gone, but the smallish line was overpowered at times near the end of the season anyway. Derek Wolfe should be a fixture inside, Dan Giordano, Brandon Mills and John Hughes step into more prominent roles. Jones will have to decide whether to make Walter Stewart a defensive end or keep him at outside linebacker. The Bearcats could use a little more strength and bulk up front against the bigger Big East offensive lines.

• Vidal's arrival: USC transfer Vidal Hazelton is eligible after sitting out last year. He reputedly dominated practices last season, and now he'll get to go full time with the first string. A lot of people will be watching closely to see how he and Collaros connect during the spring. A big year by Hazelton will lessen the loss of star wideout Mardy Gilyard and could keep Cincinnati as the Big East's best offense.

CONNECTICUT
Spring practice starts: March 16
Spring game: April 17
What to watch:

• Secondary matters: UConn returns a truckload of starters and looks rock solid in most areas. But the defensive backfield will be an area of emphasis starting in the spring. Gone are stalwarts Robert McClain and Robert Vaughn from a secondary that got picked apart much of the season by opposing passing games. Dwayne Gratz and Blidi Wreh-Wilson showed progress by the end of their redshirt freshmen seasons and should be the starting corners. The Huskies need someone to replace Vaughn at safety and overall better performance from the unit.

• Frazer vs. Endres: Zach Frazer and Cody Endres have been splitting starts since the second half of the 2008 season at quarterback. Endres took over early last year and played well until he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Frazer picked things up late after a slow start. The competition should be back on this spring, with Frazer probably holding the edge given his late-season improvement.

• Catch as catch can: Receiver was a major question for UConn going into last spring, when walk-on senior Marcus Easley surprised everybody with his giant leap forward. He became the go-to guy in 2009, but now he's gone, along with starter Brad Kanuch. So the Huskies are basically back in the same position as this time a year ago, needing to find some reliable pass catchers. Kashif Moore may be the next to break out after some good, late-year performances. And perhaps former highly-touted recruit Dwayne Difton will emerge. UConn hopes to catch lightning in a bottle again like it did with Easley.

LOUISVILLE
Spring practice starts: March 24
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:

• Switching to Strong: The Cardinals will have their first practices under new coach Charlie Strong, who promises to bring a much different style than former coach Steve Kragthorpe. Strong is known as being an intense guy on the field, and as a former top-flight defensive coordinator, he will likely be particularly demanding of players on that side of the ball. There will be new terminology to learn, new assistants and new standards to which the Cardinals must adjust in a hurry.

• The quarterback shuffle: Louisville had three quarterbacks -- Adam Froman, Justin Burke and Will Stein -- start games last year. All three will be given the chance to win the job in the spring, and mid-year enrollee Luke Woodley might see some snaps as well. Don't be surprised if this competition goes into the fall and if other newcomers like Dominique Brown get a look. Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford wants to run a Florida-style spread offense, which might favor the more mobile Froman if he chooses to go with a veteran under center.

• Line play: The trenches have not been a particularly strong suit for Louisville the past couple of seasons, one of the reasons why the program has fallen out of annual postseason play. The Cardinals have gotten very little pass rush from the defensive line and not enough of a consistent push from the offensive line. Strong asked the offensive linemen to rework their bodies to prepare for the spread, and he'll need replacements for two senior defensive tackles. Junior-college imports Randy Salmon and Tyler Harrell will have a chance to impress on the defensive line. If the holdovers don't step up, we could see more newcomers in key spots by the summer.

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