By John
Harris
-
2007 Preseason Lookaheads -
Big East
Cincinnati – The
Bearcats took the field in front of 5,200 fans for the inaugural Bearcat
Bowl under new head coach Brian Kelly. The Red knocked off the Black as
incumbent starting quarterback Dustin Grutza finished 17 of 23 for 114
yards and no picks, while fellow Red quarterback Tony Pike hit Earnest
Jackson for a 56 yard touchdown. The real excitement was over new WR
Mike Daniels, a former running back who missed all of last year with a
knee injury, after making a big catch.
Connecticut –
The White/Defense hammered the Blue/Offense in the annual spring game
80-46, as linebacker Scott Lutrus intercepted three passes, two of which
were returned for touchdowns, and registered nine tackles. Running back
Robert McClain was the offensive star of the game rushing for 109 yards
on 18 carries, while running back Andre Dixon racked up 169 yards of
total offense.
Louisville – The
defense picked off All-American quarterback Brian Brohm in overtime to
knock off the offense 51-45 in the debut of new head coach Steve
Kragthorpe. Brohm finished with three touchdowns and four interceptions
as he continued to learn Kragthorpe’s new offensive scheme. The
Cardinals defense recorded four interceptions, four sacks and ten
tackles for loss as it held off the Brohm-led offense. The D was in
Brohm’s face all day long.
Pitt – The
defense defeated the offense 62-48 in the annual spring game in Heinz
Field. The defense picked off Pitt quarterbacks three times, including
an Elijah Fields 53-yard pick six, and registered three fumble
recoveries. Not much was sorted out with the quarterback battle as Bill
Stull and Kevan Smith completed only 19 of 40 passes with those three
aforementioned picks.
Rutgers – Over
11,000 fans filled the stands in Piscataway to see the Scarlet knock off
the White 16-10, as kicker Jeremy Ito booted three field goals, albeit
playing for both teams. Starting quarterback Mike Teel, who was
fantastic all spring, completed 13 of 21 pass for 137 yards to lead the
Scarlet to victory. Most improved offensive player wide receiver Kenny
Britt caught three pass for 73 yards for the Scarlet.
South Florida –
South Florida’s rising star quarterback Matt Grothe led his White team
on a last minute drive to knock off the Green squad 7-6 in front of
4,300 fans. His three yard run with a minute remaining put the White on
top in a defensive battle. Julian Riley, Aaron Harris and Jarriett Buie
each registered two sacks for the Green. However, to guard Matt Huners
tore his ACL and might be lost for the year.
Syracuse – With
a defensive stand on the final drive of the scrimmage, the Blue/defense
recorded a 25-24 victory over the Orange/offense in the annual spring
clash. However, much of the focus in the spring has been on the
development of sophomore quarterback Andrew Robinson, who completed 12
of 19 passes through the air for 146 yards and a touchdown. The pressure
will be on him as top runner Delone Carter got knocked out for the year
during a practice with a dislocated hip.
West Virginia –
The Gold/offense defeated the Blue/defense 58-30 as the triumvirate of
quarterbacks, Pat White, Jarrett Brown and Adam Bednarik, dominated much
of the action with 380 yards through the air. Brown completed 14 of 17
for 146 yards, while Bednarik was eight of 13 for 118 yards and a
touchdown.