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

Big East - Week Two Preview

By CHRSTOPHER MOGOLLON - BIG EAST INSIDER

This week’s theme for the Big East is re-matches–four teams are playing out of conference opponents that they played a year ago. For Connecticut, Syracuse and West Virginia it’s an opportunity to avenge losses. Still, with conference play weeks away, the majority of this Saturday’s games will be tune-ups.

West Virginia 32, East Carolina 21: There’s no doubt the Mountaineers will be looking for revenge this week at home after last year‘s beat down at East Carolina. Motivation and Morgantown aside, Noel Devine will be too much for the Pirates defense in the end. East Carolina’s offense, led by senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney, will put up some points…but not another upset.

North Carolina 23, Connecticut 14: It’s no secret that Connecticut has an aggressive rushing attack led by sophomore Jordan Todman. But the Tar Heels will be gearing up to stop the run and force Huskies quarterback Zach Frazer to beat them, and he won’t. North Carolina has some quarterback questions themselves, but their talented defenders will secure victory in East Hartford.

Penn State 36, Syracuse 20: It’s nice to see this rivalry renewed—it’s just too bad it comes during the dark days of Syracuse football. Sure, there were some positives from last week’s loss to Minnesota but the same problems on the offensive line and a lack of offensive skill players leaves them with little chance of seeing the light in Happy Valley. Watch how Syracuse’s defensive line plays against the fifth-ranked team in the country, especially pro prospect Arthur Jones and the new kid on the block, true freshman Brandon Sharpe. If they are able to hang around in this one, it will be the Orange’s defense that allows them to do so.

Pittsburgh 32, Buffalo 14: The match-up between Buffalo wide-out Naaman Roosevelt and Pittsburgh’s Aaron Berry will be more compelling then the actual game. Last season Roosevelt finished with more receptions than Michael Crabtree, more yards than Jeremy Maclin, and more touchdowns than Marshawn Gilyard. This will be a great battle between two pro prospects. Player Spotlight: With Jonathan Baldwin’s size, how can he not have a big game in Buffalo?

South Florida 28, Western Kentucky 7: The Hilltoppers are currently on a nine-game losing streak and haven’t defeated a FBS school since 2007. The Bulls could drop the ball, look ahead, or not show up and still win this week. Freshman Watch: Lindsey Lamar is a speedy all-purpose back who sees action both as a running back and receiver. A breakout game versus Western Kentucky is not out of the question.

Cincinnati 64, SE Missouri State 14: And you thought Cincinnati looked good last week? Yikes, this one will get ugly.

Rutgers 38, Howard 7: This is a good chance for Rutgers to get last week’s loss out of their heads and out of the minds of the Scarlet Knights faithful. A blowout win is always the best way to turn the page. True freshman quarterback Tom Savage makes his debut as a starter.

Last Week’s Record: 7-0 (kind of, I had Cincinnati only winning by three)

Photos Courtesy of WVU Sports Communication