Big East Football Week #2 Recap

UConn 12- Temple 9 (OT)

Donald Brown rushed for a career high 214 yards and scored the game winning touchdown in overtime, as UConn won a gritty road game 12-9 at Temple.

In a game in which driving rains limited both offenses, Brown was the story. He carried 36 times on a day when neither team was able to do much passing because of the wet field conditions. UConn quarterback Tyler Lorenzen threw for only 86 yards.

Temple opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 22 yard Jake Brownell field goal, and added another to take a 6-0 lead into halftime. UConn kicker Tony Ciaravino responded with two of his own in the second half, but missed a 47 yard attempt with only 2:33 left in the game that would have given the Huskies a victory in regulation.

In overtime Brownell hit a 27 yarder to regain the lead 9-6. However, as they did all day, the Huskies rode Brown, and on the third play in the period, the junior gave the Huskies their first lead of the game, and the victory.

Quarterback Adam DiMichele lead the Owls, going 11 for 28 for 170 yards, while also rushing for an additional 60.

The win improves UConn to 2-0 as the host University of Virginia this week. Temple fell to 1-1 on the season.

Oklahoma 52 - Cincinnati 26

Sam Bradford threw for five touchdowns, and wide receiver Ryan Broyles made a dazzling debut, as the Sooners rolled over the Bearcats in Norman, OK.

Broyles, a Norman native who red-shirted a year ago, caught seven passes for an OU freshman record 141 yards and a touchdown. Junior tight end Jermaine Gresham added two touchdown receptions and DeMarco Murray ran for 88 yards and a score of his own, as the Sooners accounted for 592 yards in the victory.

For two and half quarters, the Bearcats were able to keep it close, trailing just 28-20 five minutes into the third quarter. But with the Sooners backed into a third and 9 play on the next possession, Bradford hit Broyles over the top of the Cincinnati defense for a crucial conversion, and Oklahoma never looked back.

For Cincinnati, things went from grim to worse in the fourth quarter, as starting quarterback Dustin Grutza went down with a broken bone in his leg. He is expected to miss at least a month.

The Bearcats went to Norman to challenge themselves, but now must recover as they head into a bye week. Cincinnati’s next game is Saturday, September 20 at home against Miami (OH). Game time has yet to be announced.

Akron 42 - Syracuse 28

Akron quarterback Chris Jacquemain threw for three touchdowns, including a 12 yard pass to Andre Jones that broke a 28-28 tie, giving the Zips the victory at Syracuse.

Running backs Curtis Brinkley (143 yards) and Delone Carter (77 yards) carried a Syracuse offense breaking in Cameron Dantley quarterback making only his second career start.

Akron jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the game, as Jacquemain hit Jones for a 33 yard touchdown pass on the Zips first possession of the game. Dennis Kennedy added a 35 yard run to end the first quarter.

The two teams scored a pair of touchdowns each in the second period, as Akron led 28-14 at halftime.

Syracuse quickly scored to open the second half, and when Dantley hit tight end Nick Provo for a 15 yard touchdown pass with 12:56 remaining, the flow of the game had changed, with the score tied at 28.

But only five plays later, Jacquemain hit Jones and Akron took a lead they would never relinquish.

For Syracuse it was another devastating loss, as they fell to 0-2 on the year and 7-30 since Greg Robinson took over in 2005. The Orange play Penn State at the Carrier Dome, 3:30 pm Saturday.

Louisville 51 - Tennessee Tech 10

Hunter Cantwell threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and Brock Bolen rushed for another two as Louisville rebounded from their embarrassing opening week loss with an easy win.

Victor Anderson added 114 yards rushing for the Cardinals, who scored 34 points in the first half and 51 total- a week after not scoring an offensive point. Louisville’s improving defense held the Golden Eagles to just 176 yards of total offense.

For Louisville, the win was a breath of fresh air after the opening game loss. They now have next weekend off as they prepare for a midweek game against Josh Freeman and the Kansas State Wildcats, Wednesday, September 17.

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East Carolina 24 - West Virginia 3

It was a day like Pat White and his West Virginia Mountaineer teammates had never experienced before.

One of college football’s most potent offenses the past few years was held without a touchdown, as East Carolina shocked its second consecutive opponent, with an easy 24-3 victory.

Patrick Pinkney led the Pirates, going 22 of 28 for 236 yards and a touchdown. East Carolina racked up 386 yards in the win.

The real surprise was the ineptitude of West Virginia’s offense. A week after scoring 48 points, and a year after being one of the nation’s best, the Mountaineers struggled all day, turning the ball over twice, and never really establishing an offense. White led the Mountaineers with 20 carries for 97 yards, with running back Noel Devine adding 94 yards.

But the story continued to be East Carolina. A week after beating Virginia Tech, the Pirates surprised the college football world again, beating their first top 10 opponent since 1999. They’d lost seven straight to the Mountaineers.

Jonathan Williams led the East Carolina offense with 69 yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown put the Pirates up early, giving them momentum. The second, a one yard run in the third quarter, proved to be the final nail in West Virginia’s coffin.

The Mountaineers have a bye in Week 3, but then must hit the road again for a tough game in the Rocky Mountains against Colorado University.

Pittsburgh 27 - Buffalo 16

It wasn’t the pretty win that Pitt and its fans were looking for. But after a shocking Week 1 loss to Bowling Green, the Panthers will take it.

Bill Stull was much better in his second start of the season, completing 22 passes for 241 yards, and setting up three short LeSean McCoy runs, as the Panthers won at home to improve to 1-1.

A week after McCoy was held to 71 yards against Bowling Green, the sophomore improved- scoring on runs of three, one and two yards. The second touchdown gave Pittsburgh a go-ahead 17-10 lead- a lead they would never relinquish.

After two tough games against MAC competition, the Panthers get a week off before hosting a third straight opponent, when the Iowa Hawkeyes come to town.

South Florida 31- Central Florida 24 (OT)

With about five minutes to go, South Florida thought they were putting the finishing touches, on a hard fought road victory against Central Florida. Little did they know the game was only just starting.

UCF quarterback Matt Greco threw two touchdowns 66 seconds apart in a furious fourth quarter comeback, sending a game which was thought to be over into an extra period.

In the overtime, USF recovered, as Taurus Johnson caught Matt Grothe’s third touchdown pass of the night to take back the lead 31-24. It was Johnson’s team leading seventh catch of the game.

The Knights had a chance on the ensuing possession, but a fourth down Greco scramble came up inches short, and the Bulls won their fourth straight game against Central Florida.

All eyes will return to Southern Florida on this Friday night, as the Bulls host the No. 13 ranked Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks coming off a 12 win, Orange Bowl campaign a year ago are looking for their first signature win this season. South Florida on the other hand, looks to give the entire Big East conference its first win over a BCS conference school. The game will be on ESPN 2 at 8 pm.

By Aaron Torres
BigEast-fans.com Staff Writer

More of Aaron's writing at BigEast-fans.com:

• Big East Football 2008: Week #2 preview
• Big East Football 2008: Week #1 recap
• Big East Football 2008: Week #1 preview