CFI: THE BIG EAST REPORT

BY CHRISTOPHER J. MOGOLLON
BIG EAST INSIDER

Best Win: Cincinnati

Cincinnati continued to roll with a huge victory at Rutgers. It was the defense (forced four turnovers) that swung momentum over to the Bearcats -- late in the third quarter, following a Cincinnati touchdown, they forced Mike Teel into a interception that led to a touchdown and then again at the end of the game with the Knights driving an interception with 54 seconds remaining sealed the victory. The clutch interceptions by Haruki Nakamura (pictured) and Andre Revels pushed the Bearcats to a 5-0. The Cincinnati defense proved a lot on Saturday. In addition to the turnovers, after an interception by Ben Mauk they held Rutgers to a field goal after Rutgers had first and goal from the seven, which helped Cincy to a 28-23 win. Mauk finished the game with 257 passing yards and three touchdowns including two in an 19 second span to end the third quarter. He hit Marshawn Gilyard five times for 97 yards, including a big 31-yard pass play to set up a score. Tailback Greg Moore rushed for 60 yards on only 14 carries.

Worst Loss: Louisville

It looked like it couldn't get worse for the Cardinals, until the Ute's come into your stadium and put up 44 points. Brian Brohm as usual put up another stellar performance throwing for 467 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Neither Harry Douglas or Mario Urrutia played but senior Patrick Carter picked up the slack catching nine balls for 154 yards. But it didn't matter because the defense continues to look softer than ever. Not only can’t they stop the pass, but now cannot stop the run either. Darrell Mack had a season-high 163 yards rushing with three touchdowns averaging 5.3 yards a carry. Quarterback Brian Johnson finished the game with 312 yards and a touchdown while completing 24/31 of his passes, before the game, his season high was 181 yards against Utah State just to give you perspective on how bad this Louisville defense is. Utah finished with 29 first downs and a total of 582 yards.

A Close Second: Rutgers

Even though it was only their first conference loss, the program was hit hard with their second straight home losses. Rutgers’ season is not over -- they can still rally and pull off a conference title but being unable to finish games at home takes a toll on your team. Mike Teel threw for 334 yards but three interceptions -- something he cannot do in two weeks versus South Florida. The big story was Ray Rice and his 2.3 yards per carry -- if Rice isn’t running Rutgers isn’t winning.

Business as Usual: South Florida & Syracuse

South Florida remains undefeated and they find themselves ranked fifth in both polls despite a sloppy 35-23 victory at Florida Atlantic. Quarterback Matt Grothe struggled in the beginning of the game but stepped up in the second half throwing for 122 yards and rushing for 120. The big play in this game came with about four minutes left in the third quarter and the score tied, Grothe faked the hand off and then rushed the ball himself for a 32-yard touchdown. Tailback Benjamin Williams put the game away with a 54-yard touchdown run in which it appeared he juked the entire FAU defense. He finished the game with 186 yards and four touchdowns, all season highs. Trae Williams continue to make plays on defense with a interception in the game.

After their win at Louisville, Syracuse quickly is back to their losing ways -- getting blown-out by West Virginia at the Dome 55-14. The game was close early but a crazy interception for a touchdown by D-Lineman Keilen Dykes gave West Virginia a 21-7 lead and they never looked back. Pat White finished the game with 148 yards passing and 89 yards rushing for two touchdowns. West Virginia dominated nearly every part of the game, rushing for a total of 251 yards, with ten different players getting a carry. The 55 points they put up was the most by an opponent in the history of the Carrier Dome. The defense held Syracuse to 108 passing yards and forced three turnovers. The one bright spot on the side of the Orange was freshman Mike Holmes who got a lot time on defense and returning kicks, he finished with 118 returning yards in just three chances. Coach Rich Rodriguez earned his 100th career win at WVU…Greg Robinson is 94 behind stuck on six.

Freshman Spotlight: Marcus Barnett

The passing offense of Cincinnati has been clicking since the first game of the season and their young receiving core is a big reason why, regardless of who is under center. Marcus Barnett leads the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, as this freshman is quickly making a statement. Barnett leads the conference with six receiving touchdowns and has a pair of two-touchdown games against Marshall and San Diego State. He is seventh in the conference in receiving yards and forth in receptions per game. Barnett had a great game in the team’s big victory at Rutgers catching six balls for 74 yards and a touchdown. Barnett has a knack for the big play -- including an 80-yarder. He should continue to put great numbers against the struggling Louisville defense.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images