Big East Showdown on Thursday.
#9 Cincinnati will play at #21 South Florida in a game featuring the two remaining unbeaten conference teams.
"It is tremendous for the Big East," South Florida coach Jim Levitt said. "Having two nationally ranked teams playing on a Thursday a night is good for both schools and for the conference."
The Bulls struggles during the second half of the season have been well documented. South Florida has also been repeatedly frustrated on Thursday night.
Back in 2007, the slide started with a 30-27 loss to Rutgers on a Thursday night. South Florida started the week ranked #2 in the nation.
It was the same story last year as South Florida entered a Thursday night contest with Pitt ranked #10 in the country. The Panthers won the game 26-21.
The Thursday night game has become must see T-V for college fans, players and coaches alike.
“It’s the night that a lot of coaches get off early and watch,’’ Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “The recruits are watching. It’s like Monday Night Football when I was growing up. You get your homework done early. And your parents let you stay up and see the game."
This particular game features the two teams leading most of the key statistical categories in the league. Cincinnati leads the league in scoring offense and total offense, South Florida is second and third, respectively. South Florida leads in scoring defense with Cincinnati second. The Bulls are second in total defense.
"Everyone is excited here," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said. "I am sure it is the same at South Florida. Hopefully we will get to game time and let these kids put on a good show."
It is not a suprise that the Cincinnati offense has rolled up big numbers so far this season. That much was expected. What is a suprise (to everyone but Kelly it would seem) is how well the Bearcats defense has stood up.
"You get what you demand," Kelly said. "If you start talking about rebuilding and the loss of ten starters, that permeates the locker room and gets into the thought process.
"We told our guys that you must play at a higher level and come in right away to compete for a championship," Kelly continued. "People don’t want to care about (any of that talk.) We also put as many mature players on that side of the ball so that physically they could hold up. It was just a matter of learning the defensive structure.
"Now we are starting to filter in some of the younger players," Kelly said. "We are playing a lot more of the younger players than we were earlier in the year."
The according to Kelly is how Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike handles the pressure applied by South Florida defensive ends George Selvie and Craig Marshall.
"You better have some answers," Kelly said. "We believe we have some answers but you still have to execute. Being in the shotgun helps. But you have to move the pocket at times and get the ball out quick."
Rutgers to Host Pitt Friday
Rutgers has won four in a row in impressive fashion and they take a 4-1 record into Friday night’s Big East Conference home game against Pitt. But it is that one loss that continues to linger; The embarrassing 47-15 defeat suffered at home at the hands of Cincinnati on Labor Day.
"We didn’t play very well," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said of the Cincinnati game. "I don’t know where our best is going to put us in relationship to Pitt because they are a very good and a very experienced football team. I just hope we can play our best and find out where (we) stack up.
"I hope we have improved," Schiano continued. We have improved in taking care of the football over the last four games. That is a critical issue."
Rutgers had three turnovers in that season opening loss. The Scarlett Knights have gone three straight games now without a turnover and they have just one in four games since opening day.
Freshman quarterback Tom Savage will make his first start against a Big East Conference opponent Friday.
"I thought he did well when he got back in there this week," Schiano said of his young quarterback who had suffered a concussion during a game against Maryland back on Sept. 26. "He is certainly taking a big step up in competition. I am excited about seeing him play against this defense and I am sure he is excited about this opportunity. Pitt has a very, very good defense."
Savage was 14-21 for 150 yards and a touchdown playing against an overmatched Texas Southern team Saturday.
Schiano praised Pitt quarterback Bill Stull who is still ranked third in the nation in passing efficiency despite throwing two interceptions last week against Connecticut.
"I think he is playing well," Schiano said of Stull who has 13 touchdown passes to three interceptions this year. "What he is not doing is turning the ball over and whenever you (take care of the ball) it gives your team a chance to win. And I think he has exceptional targets to throw to."
Pitt is the only team 2-0 in the league at this point with wins over Louisville and U-Conn but he knows his Panthers are facing a Rutgers team that has regained its confidence.
"They are playing great defense right now," Wannstedt said in reference to the 16 turnovers the Scarlett Knights have forced so far, the most of any Big East Conference team. "They can also score on defense. People are not running the ball on them either."
Rutgers has allowed an average of just 65-yards per game on the ground, best in the Big East and 6th in the country.
"They are very athletic on defense," Wannstedt continued. "They mix the zone with the man to cause problems. That is how they create a number of bad plays. They have a nice scheme with a lot of talent."
Rutgers has won four in a row in this series and it is interesting to note that Pitt has trailed at halftime in both of the Big East games this year only to rally to win both.
The Panthers comeback from a 15-point third-quarter deficit
last week against Connecticut marked the largest margin overcome in Dave Wannstedt’s head coaching tenure.
Pitt got strong offensive performances again from both Dion Lewis (158 rushing yards) and Jonathan Baldwin (104 receiving yards.)
Louisville will play at Connecticut as each team looks for first Big East win.
The Cardinals won a non-league game over Southern Miss in come from behind fashion last week to improve to 2-3 overall. Louisville erased a 16-7 deficit at home to win.
"Our defense really stepped up and did some great things in the second half," Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "We also got a great play on special teams from Trent Guy and then Ryan Payne stepped up and made the game winning kick for us."
The Cardinals had the lead after Adam Froman connected with Scott Long on a 92-yard pass play for a score. Then after a Southern Miss touchdown, Guy brought the kickoff back 62-yards to set up the 32-yard kick from Payne.
Louisville snapped a three game losing streak and now it is on to a U-Conn team that continues to be ranked in the top 20 in the country in total defense.
"They are very talented up front," Kragthorpe says. "Then they have that linebacker corps. "Everybody talks about Scott (Lutrus.) Scott is a talented guy, but they also have Greg Lloyd (at linebacker) who is an excellent player. They have great depth at linebacker. We expect Lutrus to play, but if he doesn’t, they have quality backups that we have seen on tape that can fill in his role.
Lloyd had 15 tackles for Connecticut in the Pitt game, the most of any Big East player this season.
"They don’t give up big plays," Kragthorpe said. "They are gap sound against the run and they get off blocks. Plus they always play hard."
Kragthorpe expects his team to be healthier for this one.
"We’ve been without (linebacker) Brandon Heath for nearly three weeks and we anticipate he will be back at full speed," Kragthorpe said. "Also, we anticipate (redshirt freshman running back) Darius Ashley to be back this week to give us that 1-2-3 punch at running back again."
New Syracuse Coach Doug Marrone has had a Taste of the Big East.
Syracuse (2-4, 0-2) is off this week. The Orange will host Akron next Saturday.
"I think what helped me going into the Big East was playing those Big 10 teams first," Marrone said. "We played Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern early to get our team ready.
"This is a very talented conference," Marrone said. "The first two teams we have faced (South Florida and West Virginia) are extremely athletic. They had a lot of athletes on that field. Not just skill position players but at all positions.
"It gives us a better chance of knowing where we need to go in terms of recruiting. And then in the future what we need to do to beat these teams."
Marrone was very impressed with WVU’s Noel Devine from his performance last week.
"There was a play in the game when he got the ball on the four yard line and they ran a power scheme and he went right, left, right, left and no one touched him," Marrone recounted. "From a standpoint of starting a stopping I don’t think I have seen anyone better with the exception of maybe Reggie Bush having seen him live. He (Devine) is as dangerous as anyone. He is very smooth and low to the ground and he has tremendous vision. Every time he gets the ball into his hands he can take it into the end zone."