Big East: Week Two Review

By CHRISTOPHER MOGOLLON - BIG EAST INSIDER

We take a look back on a record set, a game-losing safety, and the week that was in the Big East.

Game of the Week: Sloppy field, sloppy offenses, and a sloppy finish. That’s the best way to describe Connecticut’s 12-10 loss to 16th ranked North Carolina in a game that saw the deciding points come on a safety. Neither team ran or passed the ball well, and each gave up two turnovers. The Tar Heels’ valiant fourth quarter comeback was sparked by the offensive line winning the battle in the trenches. Running back Ryan Houston’s clutch 30 yards on six carries led North Carolina on a game-tying touchdown drive. The player of the game was Lindsey Witten. The 6’ 4” senior sacked the quarterback 3.5 times and is the conference leader with a seven on the season. Unfortunately for the Huskies, a holding penalty in the end zone committed by Dan Ryan was just enough for North Carolina to grab the win.

Team of the week: This is cautious praise because it was against Buffalo, but this week Pittsburgh did something they rarely did last year—looked good on offense. Quarterback Bill Stull threw for three touchdowns for the first time in his career. The 54-27 win was charged by true freshman Dion Lewis. If his debut wasn’t impressive enough—20 carries for 137 yards and a pair of TDs versus Youngstown St.—this week he put on a clinic, rushing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Four Buffalo turnovers left them with little chance to match the Panthers’ firepower. When was the last time you heard that? It’s the most points Pittsburgh has scored since 1999. The only blemish in the win was Pitt’s inability to stop Buffalo wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt, who racked up 157 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns.

Record Setter: Congratulations to Matt Grothe for passing Pat White as the all-time Big East career yardage leader. Grothe broke the record on a 12-yard scramble in the Bulls’ 35-13 victory over Western Kentucky. The senior threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

Don't Forget About: Jarrett Brown was just too much for East Carolina to handle, as the West Virginia quarterback threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns in the Mountaineers 35-10 win. A key hookup with wide receiver Alric Arnett for a touchdown put the game away in the third quarter.

Freshman Watch: A win over Howard isn’t likely to stem the tide of panic at Rutgers just yet, but quarterback Tom Savage surely gave Knights fans something to smile about. The true freshman threw for 223 yards and displayed a cannon of an arm. He connected twice with Tim Brown on big plays, including a 49-yard bomb on his first throw of the day.

Wide Out Week: Four different Big East wide receivers put up big performances in week two: The 'nice hands award' goes to Jock Sanders (West Virginia) for the second consecutive week. The Mountaineer led all wide outs in receptions, pulling down nine balls for 99 yards. In the ‘it’s been a while’ category, Carlton Mitchell (South Florida) hit the century mark (130 yards) for the first time since his freshman year (2007). You can call Tim Brown (Rutgers) ‘Big Plays’. He led the conference in yards, racking up 132 for the Scarlet Knights on just three catches. Finally, it should come as 'no surprise' that Marshwan Gilyard (Cincinnati), had his way with SE Missouri State, posting 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Photo Courtesy of USF Athletics Communications

O'Brien Quarterback Award Marquee Match-up for Week Nine

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 22, 2008) - The 2008 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O'Brien) Match-ups for week nine feature eight O'Brien Watch List candidates. The O'Brien continues to highlight weekly match-ups featuring O'Brien candidates as they compete for the prestigious award honoring the nation's best quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Fans can show their support by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and casting their vote. The top three candidates in the Fan Vote will automatically be added to the Semifinalist List announced Monday, October 27.

Marquee Match-up: Texas Tech at Kansas
Saturday, October 25 at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN
The Quarterback rivalry in the Big 12 continues this weekend as Graham Harrell and the undefeated Red Raiders battle Todd Reesing and the Kansas Jayhawks. The No. 8 Raiders hope to continue their winning streak after defeating Texas A&M 43-25 last week. Tech currently boasts the longest winning streak in the country along with Penn State and Utah with nine straight wins. Harrell completed 44-of-56 passes last Saturday for 450 yards and three touchdowns. Previously honored as The O'Brien Quarterback of the Week, Harrell leads the nation in passing yards with 2,761.

The Jayhawks return to Lawrence after losing on the road to the Oklahoma Sooners. Reesing and his team will have tremendous support at their home field as this game marks Kansas' 95th homecoming. Reesing, a junior, passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns in last week's game. He ranks fourth nationally in pass completions (195) and seventh in passing yards (2,322).

The rivalry between these two Texas natives (Harrell from Ennis and Reesing from Austin) is nothing new as both are returning starters who were honored last year as 2007 O'Brien Semifinalists. Both quarterbacks are currently ranked in the top 10 of The O'Brien Fan Vote.

Head-to-Head O'Brien Match-ups (based on start times)
These O'Brien Watch List quarterbacks will clash in this week's games.

· South Florida (Matt Grothe) at Louisville (Hunter Cantwell)
Saturday, October 25 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPN360.com

· Notre Dame (Jimmy Clausen) at Washington (Jake Locker*)
Saturday, October 25 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ESPN2

· USC (Mark Sanchez) at Arizona (Willie Tuitama)
Saturday, October 25 at 9:15 p.m. (CST) on FSN

*Injured

About The O'Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at www.VoteOBrien.org to show their support for their favorite college quarterback. Fans will be able to choose from any of the 119 FBS quarterbacks beginning on Tuesday, September 2, leaving room for the possibility of a quarterback who is not on the Watch List to win the award. The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien Semifinalist List, and the Fan Vote will then count as 5% in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fans can also download an interactive "widget" at www.DaveyOBrien.org/FAN/fan_widgets.asp featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs.

Fans can show their support by adding The O'Brien Facebook application to their Facebook Profile. The new application can be found by searching O'Brien Fan Vote and clicking the applications tab or at http://apps.new.facebook.com/daveyobrien/.

About The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®
The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.