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| Devin Street clinched Youngstown State's historic win over the Panthers. (US Presswire) |
Big East scoreboard
Sunday
Louisville 32, Kentucky 14: Sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was unflappable in finishing 19 of 21 for 232 yards. Bridgewater's 90.4 completion percentage broke the school record previously held by Stefan Lefors (85.7; East Carolina -- 2004). Cardinals RBs Jeremy Wright and Senorise Perry each rushed for more than 100 yards. On defense, the presence of S Hakeem Smith in deep coverage prevented the Wildcats from taking shots downfield.
Saturday
Northwestern 42, Syracuse 41: There were encouraging signs for the Orange in erasing a 22-point third-quarter deficit with four unanswered touchdowns. Ryan Nassib's arm must be sore after attempting 65 passes, but the senior was brilliant in defeat. A critical drop by running back Jerome Smith on a swing pass led to a touchdown from the Northwestern defense. Syracuse DB Keon Lyn could be losing sleep from a crushing penalty with less than a minute left.
Youngstown State 31, Pitt 17: Five years to the day Appalachian State pulled off a shocking win over Michigan, another BCS team lost to a vastly underrated FCS opponent. The Penguins controlled the ball, won the turnover battle and capitalized on key third-down conversions. Panthers' fans must consider that Youngstown State trailed Michigan State by just six late in the third quarter in a 28-6 loss last September. With matchups against Cincinnati and Virginia Tech in successive games, Pitt could start the season 0-3.
South Florida 34, Chattanooga 13: It wasn't as thrilling as last year's season-opening win over Notre Dame, but was a good win nonetheless for the Bulls. USF QB B.J. Daniels accounted for four touchdowns and did a nice job of spreading the ball around to a variety of receivers. On defense, the Bulls were stifling. USF now has challenging games coming up against Nevada and Rutgers.
Rutgers 24, Tulane 12 : Senior linebacker Khaseem Greene led a strong performance by the defense with 14 tackles, a sack and a pass break-up. Green Wave quarterback Ryan Griffin finished with 254 passing yards, but attempted nearly 50 passes. The Scarlet Knights' defense allowed virtually nothing downfield. Running back Jawan Jamison appeared decisive when making cuts, finishing with 112 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Friday: Temple 41, Villanova 10: This was supposed to be the coming out party for running back Montel Harris, a transfer from Boston College. But Harris strained a hamstring, and Matt Brown came in to rush for 141 yards.
Thursday: Connecticut 37, Massachusetts 0: The Huskies cruised to an easy win on the first night of the college football season. Sophomore RB Lyle McCombs rushed for 82 yards and a score on 23 carries. McCombs in the leading returning rusher in the Big East.
Play of the week: Nassib connected with wide receiver Jeremiah Kobena on a 50-yard fly pattern down the left sideline. The touchdown on the final play of the third quarter was the second of four straight by the Orange. It demonstrated that Nassib has one of the strongest arms in the league.
He said what?: Syracuse senior safety Shamarko Thomas on Lyn's roughing-the-passer penalty on Northwestern QB Trevor Siemian: “All I saw was Keon push him out of bounds,” Thomas told the Syracuse Post-Standard. “I didn’t think it was roughing the passer. But that was the call, and you can’t do nothing about it.”
RapidReports defensive star of the week: South Florida LB DeDe Lattimore. The Bulls' linebacker was menacing throughout and finished with 1.5 sacks. Lattimore led a defense that allowed just 100 yards passing and 161 overall.
RapidReports offensive star of the week: Nassib. Syracuse was looking at certain defeat, down 35-13, but the Orange rallied behind Nassibm who was 44 of 65 for 470 yards and 4 touchdowns. It was (somehow) not enough, as the Orange fell to Northwestern 42-41.
His seat is getting uncomfortable: Pitt coach Paul Chryst. Can Chryst be on the hot seat after just one game? The longtime Wisconsin assistant is regarded as an offensive mastermind and can revitalize the unit if he's given time. But Chryst is the Panthers' third coach in three years and the fan base could be growing impatient. Chryst's staff needs to find a way to create more pressure with the front four.
A possible spot on the bench for: Rutgers kicker Kyle Federico. The freshman has big shoes to fill after the departure of former Scarlet Knights' kicker San San Te. Federico missed badly on a 34-yard attempt early against Tulane.
Why you care about these three stat lines
- Temple rushing: 45 carries for 299 yards. Sure it was against Villanova, but if Temple is to experience any success in the Big East they'll need to be a powerful running team. Montel Harris is expected to do big things, but he missed most of the game with a strained hamstring. No matter, as Matt Brown came on to rush for 141 yards.
- Pitt third down defense: Allowed 11 of 16 third down conversions. The Panthers' inability to stop Youngstown State on third downs allowed the Penguins to go on four time-consuming drives of 10 plays or more. A 36-yard third-down run by Andre Stubbs late in the fourth quarter virtually sealed the upset.
- USF QB B.J. Daniels: 16 of 25 for 226 yards; 4 total TDs. The Bulls' senior had a flurry of explosive plays including a 40-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Griffin and a 38-yard toss to Terrence Mitchell. Daniels capped his night by shedding tackles on a 25-yard touchdown run. If the Bulls upset Florida State next month and are undefeated in early October, Daniels may emerge as a sleeper for the Heisman.
Key number: 1. Pitt's loss to Youngstown State marked the first time in program history that the Panthers lost to an FCS school. For Youngstown State, it was the first time the Penguins have defeated a BCS program and the first time in a dozen years it has defeated an FBS school.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Big East, follow bloggers Evan Hilbert and Matt Rybaltowski @CBSBigEast.
