Big East: Smiles all around the league

The Big East may not have raised a lot of eyebrows this past week, but there were smiles almost all around the league.

Connecticut won the first important Big East league game of the year and was rewarded with a spot in both major Top 25 polls. South Florida’s romp over North Carolina State moved the Bulls into the Top 10. And of the six games involving Big East teams this past weekend, a league member won every one.

OK, so two games were conference matchups. And aside from N.C. State, the league’s other non-conference foes were Marshall, Akron and Morgan State.

But the favorites held form and USF recorded an ace, drubbing a Wolfpack team fresh from a win over then-ranked East Carolina.

"This win was huge," said South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe.

He uttered the words not because he thought it created national headlines, but because it came off a shaky USF win over Florida International and just five days before the Bulls’ conference opener against Pittsburgh.

Grothe, a rather diminutive player, was huge against N.C. State, completing 20-of-29 passes for 259 yards. He also rushed for 68. The Bulls’ offense rolled up 514 yards – 239 on the ground.

Within league play, Connecticut won a hard-fought game at Louisville with the Cardinals riding high after a victory over Kansas State.

Once again, Donald Brown carried the load for the Huskies. He rushed for 190 yards and a score to keep UConn undefeated at 5-0. The impressive part is Connecticut won even after starting QB Tyler Lorenzen left with a foot injury. Sophomore Zach Frazier entered and threw for 90 yards and a TD.

"I was just impressed with [Frazier’s] composure and leadership," said UConn coach Randy Edsall.

In addition to Lorenzen’s broken foot, tight end Steve Brouse broke a fibula. Both were scheduled for surgery on Monday.

In the other league game this past weekend, both Big East teams came away with a good feel. Pittsburgh chalked up a win, but Syracuse, heretofore the league’s laughingstock, stayed close, falling just 34-24.

And while on the subject of feel-good games, West Virginia, the preseason favorite to win the Big East, finally had reason to smile after downing in-state rival Marshall in the Frontyard Brawl. The story of that game was the Mountaineers’ rebuilt defense, which held the Thundering Herd, recent winners over Memphis and Southern Miss, to three points.

Scoreboard:

Connecticut 26, Louisville 21
Pittsburgh 34, Syracuse 24
West Virginia 27, Marshall 3
Rutgers 38, Morgan State 0
Cincinnati 17, Akron 15
South Florida 41, N.C. State 10

Team of the Week: South Florida

Yes, Connecticut won an important league game, but during a week of Top 25 upsets, South Florida flexed as it upheld the league’s reputation against an ACC team. USF’s victory over N.C. State was impressive because the Wolfpack had just defeated then-ranked East Carolina.

Disappointment of the Week: Cincinnati

The Bearcats struggled more than most anticipated against the Akron Zips. After a fast start, UC had a tough day offensively. Part of that, though, was because of injuries at the quarterback position. "We were outplayed in a lot of facets," said Bearcats coach Brian Kelly.

Player of the Week: Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut

Brown won’t be slowed down. Yes, he had a fumble, but starred in the Huskies’ 26-21 win at Louisville, rushing for 190 yards and a score. He now has 906 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns in just five games.

Freshman of the Week: Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville

Maybe we should just make this the Anderson Award. Against Connecticut, the freshman rushed for 100 yards on 19 carries and showed some flash. On one play, he made three defenders miss on an 18-yard touchdown reception, his first of the ilk.

Snapped streak

South Florida standout George Selvie did not start Saturday’s game against North Carolina State. That snapped a streak of 30 consecutive starts. USF, however, fared well defensively without the playmaker, holding the Wolfpack to 265 yards and 10 points. Sophomore Craig Marshall, who replaced Selvie, had a sack and an interception in his first start.

Luck of the ex-Irish

When Connecticut quarterback Tyler Lorenzen broke his foot, Huskies coach Randy Edsall turned to a backup who once earned a scholarship to Notre Dame. Zach Frazier threw a sweet 13-yard TD pass to Darius Butler, finished by completing 8-of-15 passes for 90 yards and, most importantly, didn’t cost the Huskies an important Big East game.

Say what?

Louisville outgained Connecticut in total yards 508 to 279 yards, but still managed to lose the game at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. In addition, U of L quarterback Hunter Cantwell sprained an ankle.

From White to Brown

West Virginia offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen uncorked a package that involved backup quarterback Jarrett Brown against Marshall. During the Mountaineers’ 27-3 win in Morgantown, Mullen inserted Brown, at times in place of Pat White, and was rewarded with 78 yards rushing, 44 passing and a caught pass. And when White left the game with a bruised thumb, Brown finished off the game at QB.

Another day, another QB

First, Ben Mauk was ruled ineligible. Then Dustin Grutza was injured. Then, in Saturday’s 17-15 Cincinnati win over Akron, Tony Pike left with a broken arm. UC coach Brian Kelly turned to redshirt freshman Zach Collaros this time, who completed 1-of-4 passes for two yards and 18 rushing yards on four carries.

Finally – a 100-yard day

Pittsburgh’s LeSean McCoy entered the season as one of the nation’s most highly touted runners. Until Saturday, though, he’d been held below the century mark. That changed when he rushed for 149 yards on 28 carries in a 34-24 victory at Syracuse.

Suspensions over

Rutgers finally chalked up its first win, although it was 38-0 over Morgan State. What does that mean? "Zip," said RU quarterback Mike Teel. What does matter is Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano has lifted the suspensions of wide receiver Kenny Britt and offensive tackle Anthony Davis for Saturday’s noon game in Morgantown against WVU.

A good sign?

Syracuse allowed an 11-point lead to slip away in the second half in a loss to Pittsburgh. SU coach Greg Robinson, however, saw the bright side of the 34-24 defeat. "It’s one of those games where you see how easily you could have won," said the coach. The Orange are now 1-4.

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