Big East News Blog
News
ACC |
Big East
| Big Ten
| Big 12
| C-USA
MAC
|
M-West
| Pac 10
| SEC
|
Sun Belt
| WAC
Players
ACC |
Big East
| Big Ten
| Big 12
| C-USA
MAC
|
M-West
| Pac 10
| SEC
|
Sun Belt
| WAC
Storylines
ACC |
Big East
| Big Ten
| Big 12
| C-USA
MAC
|
M-West
| Pac 10
| SEC
| Sun Belt
| WAC
By
J.P. Girouard
Cincinnati
– With Ben Mauk
denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA Friday and Notre Dame
transfer Demetrius Jones
still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, the Bearcats’
once-muddled quarterback situation has cleared up considerably. Dustin
Grutza, who started 21 games for the Bearcats in 2005-06 but lost the
job to Mauk last season, is expected to be the starter for the August 28
season opener against Eastern Kentucky.
Connecticut
– Head coach Randy Edsall stated on Wednesday that there is “no position
etched in granite”, and quarterback Tyler Lorenzen and running back
Andre Dixon can certainly attest to that. Despite starting all 13 games
for the Huskies last season,
Lorenzen was briefly benched last week in favor of Notre Dame
transfer Zach Fraser. Dixon, who was second-team All Big-East in 2007,
is
currently slated to be the backup to Donald Brown.
Louisville
– Despite being shot in the back during an altercation in a Louisville
parking garage on July 5,
Trent Guy is planning to play football this season. The junior wide
receiver/kick returner started running on Friday and is hopes to be
cleared for contact drills as early as next month. Guy’s return would
bolster the Cardinals’ thin receiving corps – junior Scott Long is the
only returning offensive player that caught more than 14 passes last
year.
Pittsburgh
– A
battle for the strong safety position is looming between sophomores
Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields. DeCicco was the starter coming out of
spring practice, but Fields - a highly-regarded recruit
suspended last season for “violating team policy” – has been
impressive. Head coach Dave Wannstead is apparently
looking at using Fields in nickel and dime situations, hoping to get
both talented players on the field at the same time.
Rutgers
– Greg Schiano insisted at Saturday’s media day that
there was nothing in his contract regarding the expansion of Rutgers
Stadium. The Newark Star-Ledger previously reported that
Schiano’s 2006 contract extension had a secret “escape clause” if
the $109 million project was not completed by 2009. “There's been a lot
of speculation as far as the stadium's completion and there being
something tied into my contract, “ Schiano said. “There's nothing like
that at all.”
South
Florida
– Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham suggested on Saturday that the
USF defense would be in a nickel package “most of the time”. By
doing so, the Bulls would end up having three experienced safeties in
the defensive backfield – returning starters Carlton Williams and Nate
Allen, and senior Danny Verpaele, who was expected to win the free
safety job last season but was ruled
academically ineligible.
Syracuse
– Sophomore wideout Dan Sheeran’s broken leg is not only a blow to an
inexperienced group of receivers; it’s also had an impact on the Orange
defense. Senior Bruce Williams, who appeared to be on track to start at
free safety,
has moved back to receiver. Sheeran’s injury comes just days after
the team announced that Mike Williams, who led Syracuse in receiving
last year,
could not rejoin the team until January.
West Virginia
– While the Mountaineers have two dynamic weapons in Pat White and Noel
Devine,
questions loom about the depth behind them. Backup quarterback
Jarrett Brown
tweaked a hamstring in Saturday’s scrimmage, forcing wideout Bradley
Starks to play the majority of game behind center. Meanwhile, both
Terrence Kerns and Zach Hulse have failed to impress in their attempts
to back up Devine, meaning another receiver – Jock Sanders – has been
taking snaps at running back.