Big East Football Week #9 Preview

In an upset-filled year in college football, Saturday proved to be an anomaly. Having already seen four teams with the number one ranking and more than two dozen in the top 10, it was relatively quiet last Saturday as most favored teams won.

However, one upset that cannot be overlooked came in the Big East, and it is sure to shake up the conference race.

The game was UConn at Rutgers, with the Huskies coming to New Brunswick with a 5-1 record, and the Scarlet Knights limping out of the gate at 1-5. But like we’ve seen so often already this season, the records didn’t matter- as UConn missed three field goals, and Rutgers made just enough plays on defense to win.

That certainly wasn’t the only drama in Week 8 in the Big East. Syracuse again showed that it had heart that vastly outmatched its talent- as they hung close with South Florida during the first half, before ultimately falling losing 46-17. Louisville actually trailed at halftime to Middle Tennessee State before outscoring the Blue Raiders by three touchdowns in the second half- to win convincingly 42-23. And Pittsburgh- which each week looks more and more like the favorite in this conference- put together its most complete game of the season, going to Navy and winning 42-21.

This week, seven of the eight conference teams are in play- including three intra-conference games. Cincinnati plays at UConn, Pittsburgh travels to Rutgers and Louisville hosts South Florida in an action packed week of Big East football. But the most intriguing game on the schedule comes Thursday night when former SEC power Auburn travels to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers.

(**For the record my picks were 3-1 last week, improving me on the year to 34-10)

Auburn Tigers (4-3, 2-3 SEC) @ West Virginia Mountaineers (4-2, 2-0 Big East)

Thursday, October 23- 7:30 p.m. ESPN

When the college football schedule was announced earlier this year, this Thursday night match-up in Morgantown was circled as a must-see for fans across the nation. The way these two teams are playing however, it might just be best to just let your wife watch Grey’s Anatomy, Thursday night.

It is hard to argue that any two teams in college football have been anymore disappointing to this point in the season.

The West Virginia Mountaineers entered the season with high hopes and an even higher powered offense- as the program was coming off a dominating Fiesta Bowl win against Oklahoma in January. The adjustment under new coach Bill Stewart hasn’t been an easy one- as the Mountaineers limped to a 1-2 start. They have since won their last three games, but narrow home victories against Rutgers and Syracuse have done little to inspire West Virginia nation. It certainly doesn’t help that the Mountaineers are limping into this one- quarterback Pat White missed their last game with a head injury, and his back-up Jarrett Brown has a bad shoulder.

One of the few fan bases that can sympathize with the Mountaineers is that of the Auburn Tigers. Down on The Plains, it was supposed to be an exciting time, as the SEC West power welcomed new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to their staff this season. Franklin a spread offense guru, was supposed to bring the Tigers into 2008 by revving up their offense- running more plays and putting boatloads of points on the board.

Well it isn’t even Halloween and Franklin is already unemployed having been fired two weeks ago. The offense he installed fizzled, as Auburn has started the year with a 4-3 mark, including a dismal 2-3 in conference (oh and did I mention one of those wins was a 3-2 pitchers duel against Mississippi State?).

Both teams head into this game off a bye week, and looking to crank up their all-of-a-sudden stagnant offenses.

If the Mountaineers are to win this game, they need a healthy White. It is indisputable that this offense just “clicks,” on another level when the fifth-year senior is under center (or more appropriate behind the center in the shotgun). It frees coach Bill Stewart to use Brown- White’s back-up- in a number of different ways, including as a short down back. It also means one more threat for an offense that is loaded with skill position talent, but just hasn’t seemed to get figure things out in 2008.

They’ll be opposed by an offense that isn’t quite sure what it is. The questions started being raised after the 3-2 win against MSU, and were heightened a week later after a loss to LSU. Coach Tommy Tuberville finally had enough after a loss to Vanderbilt in Week 6- firing Franklin. However, the offense hardly got going in Franklin’s absence as the Tigers again lost a week later- to the hapless Arkansas Razorbacks. Adding fuel to the fire, the Tigers gained a whopping 193 yards of total offense in front of their home crowd. Now Tuberville is coaching not just to save the season, but possibly his job.

There may not be many things positive on the Plains, but Tuberville finally did settle on a quarterback in Kodi Burns. After flip-flopping all year between Burns and Chris Todd, the Auburn staff finally settled on the electric Burns. His presence in the back-field adds a dimension to this offense that Todd just couldn’t provide, the way White’s does for West Virginia. Although he has yet to throw the ball with any consistency, the sophomore can make you pay with his legs and run over you with his sheer power. He is actually very similar at the quarterback position to West Virginia back-up Jarrett Brown.

With both offenses struggling as much as they have, this will be a defensive struggle for sure.

Picking this game is like deciding which set of in-laws you want to visit for Thanksgiving- you know no matter which choice you make it could end up disastrous, so you just close your eyes, point and hope for the best.

I’m going to take Auburn. Although West Virginia’s offense has been a little more productive of late, the wins against Rutgers and Syracuse were too close for my comfort. Auburn has been losing games of late, but the level of competition has been far superior to that of the Mountaineers have seen. It is also unclear exactly what Pat White will be able to give West Virginia offensively.

Finally, Tuberville is hands down the better coach in this game. In another lifetime, the Auburn faithful used to refer to him as “Big Game Tommy.” Bill Stewart has too often looked like a deer in headlights at crucial times during recent West Virginia games.

West Virginia loses a tight one under the lights.

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Cincinnati Bearcats (5-1, 1-0 Big East) @ Connecticut Huskies (5-2, 1-1 Big East)

Saturday, October 25 - 12:00 p.m. ESPN Gameplan

Two teams that just can’t seem to find any respect from college football’s “old guard,” face off Saturday in East Hartford, Conn., as the Cincinnati Bearcats take on the UConn Huskies.

It is a different season, but the same story for Cincinnati. A year after finishing 10-3, the Bearcats are 5-1- but can’t seem to get any love from the national pollsters. Their only loss came at Oklahoma, which has been a Top 5 team all season long. Some of the dissention of course comes from the fact that they’ve beaten Eastern Kentucky, Miami (OH), Akron, Marshall and Rutgers- not quite a murders row of college football’s elite.

Connecticut was just starting to gain some of the respect Bearcats fans so desperately seek- until they fell flat on their face two games in a row. After a 5-0 start, the Huskies lost back-to-back games at North Carolina and Rutgers. Considering those are tough places to play it’s not that bad- until you consider how UConn lost those games. Against the Tar Heels, the Huskies threw three interceptions and had three punts blocked- losing 38-12 despite having more first downs and total yardage than their opponent. It didn’t get any better last week, as the Huskies to Rutgers in the most heart-breaking of fashion- when three missed goals proved to be one too many in a 12-10 defeat.

Husky nation is anxious to see head coach Randy Edsall and offensive coordinator Rob Ambrose open the playbook more, as many feel that the play calling became too predictable against Rutgers. If the Huskies do so, it may be with their third string quarterback- as it is uncertain whether Zack Frazer will play. The sophomore transfer- already subbing for Tyler Lorenzen- has experienced head aches since the Rutgers game, meaning the quarterback duties might fall to red-shirt freshman Cody Endres.

If there’s one team that knows a thing or two about quarterback woes it’s Cincinnati. The Bearcats were down to their third stringer the last two games- but will welcome back Tony Pike, their second stringer- Saturday. Pike a junior, filled in admirably when his number got called in Week 3- filling in for starter Dustin Grutza. In his two starts, Pike threw for five touchdowns and zero interceptions, and on the year has completed close to 70 percent of his passes. He runs the Bearcats spread offense with a group of receivers that any team would love to have- led by Dominick Goodman and Marshwan Gilyard- who’ve combined for 70 catches and 10 touchdowns on the year.

Although UConn fans have been stewing over the offensive play calling, the key in this one will be there defensive game-plan. Against Rutgers, the Huskies secondary seemed content to sit back and wait for Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel to make a mistake. The problem was he didn’t (although Darius Butler should have had an interception in the fourth quarter)- going 19 for 35 for 175 yards. Not quite Peyton Manning in his prime, but the bottom line is this: the senior made enough plays to win If UConn plans to give Pike all day to throw, they are going to get themselves in quite a hole.

UConn appears to be committed to the ground game- and when you have a running back like Donald Brown- that makes perfect sense. But in this one, it could come back to haunt the Huskies. The Bearcats offense can put points up in a hurry, and the ball-control offense UConn likes to run becomes much less effective when you’re in a hole on the scoreboard.

Despite that, I like the Huskies to win. There is no doubt the Huskies are a better team at home- they’ve won their last 10 games at Rentschler Field over two seasons (their last loss ironically was in 2006 against Cincinnati). Edsall appears to be angered by the media and fans calling out his decision making- so expect him to open the playbook up some, regardless of who’s starting at quarterback.

More importantly, I think this just happens to be when the Bearcats schedule finally catches up with them. Give them credit for going to Oklahoma, Akron and Marshall already this season- but the Bearcats haven’t faced this tough a task in over a month.

Expect Pike to get his yards, and be immediately back in sync with his receivers. But this is just another one of those home games where UConn makes just enough plays to win. The Bearcats are good enough to win this conference, but the respect they crave will have to wait another week.

UConn 28 - Cincinnati 24

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-5, 1-2 Big East) @ Pittsburgh Panthers (5-1, 2-0 Big East)

Saturday October 25 - 3:30 p.m.

It’s another intriguing Big East match-up, as two programs headed in completely different directions square off in the Steel City on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Panthers are exactly where many experts thought they’d be this season- atop the Big East standings. It took a few weeks to get their confidence going, but there may be no hotter team in all of college football, as the Panthers are coming off two impressive road wins- a 26-21 victory at South Florida on October 2, and a 42-21 win at Navy last Saturday.

As for Rutgers it has been a year of disappointment. There is no way to sugarcoat the season- although the win against UConn last weekend sure was sweet. As much as the Scarlet Knights defense has improved over the past few weeks, the offense continues to struggle. Even in victory, Rutgers had a total of one touchdown drive, and if it wasn’t for a safety from their defense, might not have beaten the Huskies. To his credit, quarterback Mike Teel has kept his chin up, having his best game of the season a week ago- throwing for 175 yards without an interception. Still, it was his back-up Dom Natale that the home crowd cheered loudest for, as Teel’s back-up came in for a few select plays, including a first down run which energized the stadium.

Pittsburgh’s resurgence has been due in large part to running back LeSean “Shady,” McCoy. Although he is of no relation to Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, if he continues to play as he has, the sophomore might force himself into Heisman Trophy consideration. McCoy has saved his best games for the last three- rushing for over 140 yards in each. Despite suffering from illness against Navy a week ago, McCoy was able to rush for 156 yards on only 18 carries- almost 9 yards per rush!

Like most teams with a strong running game, some credit must go to quarterback Bill Stull. We’ve seen the junior mature this year exponentially, and become the “game-manager,” that the Panthers need under center. Stull doesn’t appear to feel the need to win games by himself- instead going through his progression and finding his second or third option down the field. While he isn’t throwing a ton of deep balls that’s not what Pittsburgh needs- they simply need someone to make the short throws to keep the defense honest, and not turn the ball over. Stull has done that.

These teams records do not lie, so don’t expect an upset this weekend. While Rutgers defense did an excellent job of containing UConn’s Donald Brown last week (don’t let the numbers fool you, all of Brown’s yards came on two or three big plays), the Pitt offense is different. While they will gladly continue to pound McCoy and his back-up LaRod Stephens-Howling at you, they also have the big play receivers that Rutgers didn’t have to account for a week ago. Derek Kinder, Oderick Turner and Jonathan Baldwin provide the down field threat that the Scarlet Knights secondary did not face against UConn.

As for Rutgers, it is hard to imagine that 12 points will get the job done again. Teel looked as comfortable in the pocket as he’s been all season, but he still only lead Scarlet Knights on a total of one touchdown drive. At running back Kordell Young has emerged as a nice running back, but is far from the “home-run” makes defensive coordinators hair fall out.

It looks like another Pittsburgh win, as they hope to match their longest winning streak since the 1983 season.

Pittsburgh 31 - Rutgers 13

South Florida Bulls (6-1, 1-1 Big East) @ Louisville Cardinals (4-2, 0-1 Big East)

Saturday, October 25 - 3:30 p.m. ESPN Gameplan

If it’s offense you like, there may not be a better game to tune into Saturday than the South Florida-Louisville match-up. The two teams come into the game averaging over 60 points and 900 yards per game combined.

For South Florida we say it every week, and it isn’t changing soon- they will go as far quarterback Matt Grothe will take him. He’s the Big East’s version of Chase Daniel or Todd Reesing- an undersized quarterback that virtually every big time school overlooked. But there’s no combine drill that can measure heart and smarts- two things that the junior has never lacked. On the season Grothe has thrown for over 1500 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also doubling as the Bulls leading rusher.

Maybe more importantly for the South Florida’s success will be the health of their defense. In the loss to Pittsburgh on October 2, the Bulls front seven was beat up and worn down. Now after a bye week and convincing win over Syracuse, defensive end George Selvie and linebacker Brouce Mompremier appear to be back near 100 percent. With that being said, the Bulls will have to take the field this weekend without safety Danny Verpaele- who’ll likely miss the rest of the season.

At Louisville, the offense starts with the running game- primarily senior Brock Bolen and freshman Victor Anderson. Bolen is “Mr. Inside,” a power back who sees most of his action between the tackles, while Anderson compliments him nicely as “Mr. Outside,” an elusive, shifty speedster. The two have combined for close to 1000 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season.

We know that both of these teams can score points in a hurry, so the outcome will be determined by the defense. And this where I have to give the edge to the Bulls.

While at one point in the season Louisville had one of the best defenses in the nation- they’ve fallen off in recent weeks. Two weeks ago the unit looked below average against Memphis- giving up close to 500 yards to a team that is below .500 on the year. There was improvement against Middle Tennessee State- but if the Blue Raiders got 20 first downs and over 300 yards of total offense against Louisville, what can the Bulls do against them?

Look for South Florida to win again, in their biggest road challenge of the season. Louisville doesn’t seem to have a problem putting up points, but have been giving up too many of them lately as well. And this will be the best offense that the Cardinals will see all year.

The Bulls know if they want to win this conference and compete for a BCS berth they’ll need a victory on Saturday. They won’t falter on the road.

South Florida 38 - Louisville 29

By Aaron Torres
BigEast-fans.com Staff Writer