Big East Storylines Blog
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Big East By J.P. Girouard; Big 10 By Tony
Castricone; Big 12 By Sean Martin; Conference USA By Greg Vacek;
Independents By Adam Nettina; MAC By Adam Nettina; Mountain West By Jim
Riffel; Pac 10 By Dan Greenspan; SEC By Gabe Harris and Barrett Sallee; Sun Belt By John
Martello; WAC By Jon Tavares
Louisville
(5-6) at Rutgers (6-5)
Thursday 7:30 pm
--After upsetting South Florida in October to move to 5-2, the Cardinals
went 0-for-4 in November. The biggest reason for Louisville’s freefall
has been a turnover-prone offense that has given up the ball 14 times in
those four defeats. A loss to Rutgers would mean no bowl game for the
Cardinals for the second straight year and mark their first losing
season for Louisville since 1997.
--Left for dead after a 1-5 start, the Scarlet Knights have reeled off
five wins in a row. Against Army two weeks ago, quarterback Mike Teel
continued his improved play with 359 yards passing, while the defense
held the Black Knights to just two yards through the air in an easy 30-3
win. Rutgers needs to win here to be assured of a fourth-straight bowl
appearance.
Louisville:
The revolving door
at kicker continues for the Cardinals. Tim Dougherty has regained the
job after Ryan Payne missed 3-of-6 FG attempts. Dougherty is the third
kicker Louisville has used this year. First-year defensive coordinator
Ron English is reportedly in the running for the head coaching jobs at
San Diego State and Eastern Michigan. English is a former assistant for
the Aztecs.
Rutgers: Head coach Greg Schiano expects multiple
running backs to see significant action against Louisville. The Scarlet
Knights have had four different players lead the team in rushing this
season. On the injury front, long snapper Jeremy Branch is questionable
for Thursday’s game with a knee injury. Reserve wide receiver Andrew
DePaola will replace Branch if he can’t go.
Louisville has to … stop giving away the football. Turnovers have
been a season-long issue, as Louisville is last in the Big East in
turnover margin. A big reason for these struggles has been the
inaccuracy of quarterback Hunter Cantwell, who has thrown 15
interceptions. After a slow start the Rutgers secondary has been on a
huge roll the last few weeks, so it is important for Cantwell to keep
the mistakes to an absolute minimum.
Rutgers has to … run the ball. While the passing attack has
gotten hot the last few weeks, the Scarlet Knights are still a
pedestrian running team. Rutgers has used several different running
backs this year – all of whom have shown flashes of brilliance – but
there hasn’t been consistent production from any one of them. It will be
important for the Scarlet Knights to generate a solid rushing attack to
open things up for quarterback Mike Teel.
Keep an eye on … Rutgers wide receiver Tiquan Underwood.
Underwood was a forgotten man early in the season, as fellow receiver
Kenny Britt emerged as a star and quarterback Mike Teel struggled to
find other options. But the 6-2 senior has shown signs lately that he’s
rediscovered the form that made him a 1,000-yard receiver in 2007. If
the Cardinals spend too much time focusing on Britt, Underwood could
have a big day facing a banged-up Louisville secondary.
The number to know: 18. Two years ago, Rutgers came back from an
18-point deficit (25-7) to beat the Cardinals. Last year Louisville
trailed by 18 points in the second half and rallied to win.
And the winner is … Rutgers 27 … Louisville 24
Pittsburgh
(8-3) at Connecticut (7-4)
12 noon
--Pitt won the Backyard Brawl for the second straight year, getting a
late LeSean McCoy touchdown run to sneak by West Virginia 19-15. McCoy
had a monster game for the Panthers, churning out a career-high 183
yards along with a pair of touchdowns. A win here gives Pittsburgh a
chance at a high-profile bowl game – most likely the Sun Bowl – while
keeping hopes of a 10-win season alive.
--The Huskies’ year-long offensive struggles caught up with them in a
17-13 loss to South Florida two weeks ago. Star running back Donald
Brown was held under 100 yards rushing for the second time in three
games, and the anemic UConn passing game couldn’t pick up the slack. The
Huskies still have a chance to finish with a winning record in the Big
East and improve their postseason position with a victory.
Pittsburgh:
Dave Wannstedt
said that quarterback Bill Stull’s struggles are more about growing
pains (he’s a first-year starting quarterback) and less about any
lingering injury problems. Stull has thrown more interceptions (8) than
touchdowns (7) this year. Defensive lineman Tommie Duhart missed his
third straight game with an ankle injury and his status for this week’s
game is unknown.
Connecticut: Head coach Randy Edsall was
disappointed that Donald Brown – who leads the NCAA in rushing yards per
game – was not a Doak Walker Award finalist. Starting linebacker Greg
Lloyd will miss the Pitt game for personal reasons, but is expected to
return in time for the Huskies’ bowl game. Tight end Steve Brouse
returned to practice last week, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be ready
to play against the Panthers.
Pittsburgh has to … slow down Brown. When Brown runs for more
than 110 yards, the Huskies are 7-1. When he runs for less than 110
yards, Connecticut is 0-3. The Panthers have been solid against the run
all season and were especially good against West Virginia, holding the
Mountaineers to just 157 yards rushing. If the stout Pitt front seven
can keep Brown in check, the UConn offense will have problems moving the
ball.
Connecticut has to … win the turnover battle. The Huskies have
thrived when they’ve gotten big plays on defense. That should be a bonus
against a Panthers offense that has been mistake-prone, ranking
second-to-last in the Big East in turnover margin. If star defensive end
Cody Brown and the rest of the UConn front four can get pressure on
Stull and force him into bad decisions, it should give Connecticut
opportunities to score on a short field.
Keep an eye on … Connecticut linebacker Scott Lutrus.
Pittsburgh’s Scott McKillop won’t be the only terrific middle linebacker
on the field this Saturday. Lutrus has had a terrific season, ranking
third in the Big East with 8-plus tackles per game. Only a sophomore,
the 6-3, 230 pound Lutrus will have a tall order in trying to stop
McCoy.
The number to know: 27 -- Pittsburgh and Connecticut have each
registered 27 sacks this season.
And the winner is … Connecticut 19 … Pittsburgh 17
South
Florida (7-4) at West Virginia (7-4)
8 pm
--South Florida stopped a three-game losing streak with their 17-13 win
over Connecticut to seal a 13th game, most likely down the
road at the St. Petersburg Bowl. But the Bulls still have big questions
about a suddenly anemic offense that hasn’t scored more than 20 points
in over a month. A victory here would give USF three straight wins over
West Virginia while keeping hopes of a third consecutive nine-win season
alive.
--The Mountaineers’ slim Big East title hopes were dashed in the
Backyard Brawl, as West Virginia fell 19-15 to Pittsburgh. The defense
had no answers for Pitt’s star running back LeSean McCoy, who rushed for
183 yards and the game winning touchdown. West Virginia is unlikely to
play in a January bowl game for the first time since 2002, but a win
here could potentially lock up a Sun Bowl bid for the Mountaineers.
South Florida:
All-American defensive end George Selvie says he’s leaning towards
staying for his senior year at USF, although he admits the decision is
“complicated.” On the injury front, cornerback Tyller Roberts injured
his ankle against Connecticut and it’s unclear whether he’ll play
against the Mountaineers. South Florida assistant Mike Canales is
reportedly a candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Utah
State.
West
Virginia: Head coach Bill Stewart admitted that the USF defense has had the
Mountaineers’ number the last two seasons – and provided the blueprint
for other teams to stop West Virginia’s potent rushing attack. MLB
Anthony Leonard should return this week after missing the Pitt game with
a foot injury, while starting center Mike Dent is struggling with a bad
neck that has kept him out the last two weeks.
South Florida has to … run the ball more effectively. The Bulls were a
little bit more potent on the ground against Connecticut, but the lack
of a running game has been evident the last four weeks. In those games,
USF is averaging only 3.3 yards per carry and 108 yards per game on the
ground. West Virginia has been tough to throw against all season, so
South Florida needs to establish the run to open things up for
quarterback Matt Grothe.
West Virginia has to …
get other players involved offensively. The South Florida front seven
has been a rock all season, allowing only 94 yards rushing per game. The
Bulls will focus on stopping Pat White and Noel Devine, like everyone
does, but the Mountaineers have struggled to find other ways to move the
football. Getting slotback Jock Sanders the ball through runs or screen
passes early on would be a start.
Keep an eye on … West Virginia quarterback Pat White. The NCAA’s
all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks, White is having another
great year. He’s just 121 yards away from his third-straight 1,000-yard
rushing season. There should be extra motivation on Saturday for White –
not only is this his final home game, he’s facing a USF team that has
had his number the last two seasons, holding him to just 53 yards
rushing.
The number to know: 1 -- South Florida is No. 1 in the Big East
in rushing defense, while West Virginia leads the conference in rushing
offense.
And the winner is … West Virginia 24 … South Florida 17
Cincinnati (10-2) at Hawaii (7-5) 11:30 pm
--Cincinnati clinched the Big East crown with a 30-10 victory over
Syracuse last week, and while going off to the BCS is the big prize,
this will be like a bowl game trip. Despite having already earned the
automatic berth by virtue of West Virginia’s loss to Pittsburgh the day
before their game, the Bearcats held Syracuse to 59 yards passing and
eight first downs. This week’s game is about keeping everyone healthy
and maintaining the program’s positive momentum going into the
postseason.
--It wasn’t a dominant performance, but Hawaii had more than enough to
get by lowly Washington State 24-10 last week. Quarterback Greg
Alexander continued to impress, throwing for a career-best 315 yards in
the win, and while this isn’t the Hawaii offense of old, the attack is
improving. The Warriors accepted a bid to the hometown Hawaii Bowl after
the game, so this game looms as an opportunity to knock off another a
high-profile BCS squad.
Cincinnati: Head
coach Brian Kelly did not directly address the rumors that he’s a
candidate for the University of Washington position, and he has
maintained the same stance that he plans to be at Cincinnati next year.
Starting cornerback Mike Mickens won’t play against Hawaii after
undergoing knee surgery last week, but he is expected to return for the
bowl game. Defensive end Lamonte Nelms pleaded not guilty to charges
stemming from a weekend nightclub incident. His status for this week is
unclear.
Hawaii: All-WAC cornerback Ryan Mouton missed the Washington
State game with an ankle injury and is questionable this week. His loss
would be a blow to a secondary that’s already missing strong safety Erik
Robinson, who has been out the last two weeks with a bad hamstring.
Senior linebacker Solomon Elimimian was named
WAC co-defensive player of the year. Elimimian leads the Warriors with
101 tackles.
Cincinnati has to … treat this like a business trip. The trip to
Hawaii is always a dicey proposition. Since 2003, the Warriors have six
home wins over schools from BCS conferences. The Bearcats have little to
play for here, with the Big East title and automatic BCS bid already in
hand. It will be up to Kelly to keep his team from looking ahead.
Hawaii has to … slow down the Bearcats’ passing game. Quarterback
Tony Pike has been red hot the last few weeks and leads the Big East in
passing efficiency, while Dominick Goodman and Mardy Gilyard form one of
the nation’s better, underappreciated receiving duos. Hawaii’s secondary
has been solid most the season, but with Robinson and Mouton banged up,
the unit is depleted.
Keep an eye on … Cincinnati defensive back Brandon Underwood. The
Ohio State transfer has seen a lot more time at cornerback with Mickens
out and has done well. In his last three games, Underwood has 13
tackles, two pass breakups, one interception and one forced fumble. More
importantly, the Bearcats have given up 164 yards passing per game in
those contests.
The numbers to know:.1 and 118. Cincinnati is No. 1 in the nation
in net punting, while Hawaii is 118th in the nation in punt
returns.
And the winner is … Cincinnati 38 … Hawaii 28