Rutgers wide receivers Leonte Carroo (4), Tim Wright (5) and Miles Shuler celebrate with head coach Kyle Flood after defeating Arkansas 35-26 on Saturday. (US Presswire)

Big East Scoreboard

Western Michigan 30, Connecticut 24: The UConn (2-2, 0-0 Big East) defense broke down on the road Saturday, allowing 330 total yards to the Broncos. After giving up 31 total points over their first three games, the Huskies allowed 30 to a Western Michigan team that had just come off a loss at Minnesota. It was not a great showing by the UConn offense, either, as the Huskies had trouble putting points on the board all day -- despite 425 total yards.

Pittsburgh 55, Gardner-Webb 10: The Panthers (2-2, 0-1 Big East) had no trouble with the overmatched Bulldogs, running away with their second-consecutive victory after a shaky start. RB Ray Graham had a touchdown, and senior QB Tino Sunseri accounted for three scores. The offense had 626 yards, the most for a Panthers' offense since 1996.

Penn State 24, Temple 13: The Owls (1-2, 0-0 Big East) couldn't find the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, falling to the Nittany Lions in State College. Senior RBs Matt Brown and Montel Harris never got their feet under them, and Temple could not capitalize on a host of Penn State miscues.

Ball State 31, South Florida 27: After upsetting Indiana on the road last week, Ball State returned home with a dramatic win over the Bulls (2-2, 0-1 Big East). Willie Snead's late touchdown catch gave BSU the lead, and Tampa native Eric Patterson's interception clinched the victory.

Rutgers 35, Arkansas 26: A scintillating offense helped Rutgers to its biggest win since a victory over then-No. 3 Louisville in 2006. Three wideouts finished with at least 85 receiving yards, as QB Gary Nova picked apart the Razorbacks' defense. Rutgers (4-0, 1-0 Big East) held the ball for more than 39 minutes and finished with more than 500 total yards. The victory over a preseason top-10 team is a statement win for the Big East. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).

Louisville 28, Florida International 21: On a muddied field in Miami, the Cardinals (4-0) escaped with the win. It wasn't the best effort from QB Teddy Bridgewater or the rest of the Louisville offense. The sophomore was 19 of 36 for 194 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Bridgewater also had a rushing score. After two subpar performances, the Cardinals may have dropped below Rutgers in the conference pecking order. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).

Minnesota 17, Syracuse 10: An Orange offense that looked explosive through the first three weeks was stagnant Saturday. Syracuse (1-3, 0-0 Big East) QB Ryan Nassib struggled with his accuracy and had two interceptions. Nassib entered the game ranked second in FBS in passing yards per game (397.6), but was just 21 for 31 for 228 yards against the Golden Gophers. 

Play of the week: Trailing 10-0 at the start of the second quarter, Rutgers P Jeremy Deering changed the complexion of the game with a 14-yard run on a fake punt. The Scarlet Knights had 62 total yards before the punt, but ended the half with 179 after gaining momentum from the trick play. Credit Rutgers coach Kyle Flood for having the moxie to make the call on a fourth-and-2 from the Scarlet Knights' 33-yard line. 

They said what?: Connecticut coach Paul Pasqualoni on Western Michigan LB Desmond Bozeman's 53-yard fumble return for a touchdown: "They blitzed two guys, we picked one up and one was free. He hit him and the ball came out. Chandler [Whitmer] was trying to make a play to help us win the game. I wish I could have that play back."

RapidReports defensive star of the week: Pittsburgh LB Eric Williams. The redshirt sophomore had five tackles, a sack and two TFLs in a 55-10 win over Gardner-Webb. Williams led a defense that allowed just 127 total yards. The Panthers held Gardner-Webb to 32 yards on 29 carries. In the past two games, the Pitt defense has allowed 91 total yards rushing. 

RapidReports offensive star of the week: Rutgers QB Nova. The Scarlet Knights' sophomore outlasted junior Chas Dodd in an intense preseason battle -- a move by Flood that now looks ingenious. Nova exhibited a powerful arm, demonstrated patience in the pocket and touch on short passes in the flat. After opening 3 of 7 for 31 yards, Nova finished 25 of 35 for 397 yards and five touchdowns. 

His seat is getting uncomfortable: Connecticut coach Paul Pasqualoni. Western Michigan is in the MAC, but it's not one of those wacky MAC teams that puts up 500 yards per game. This was a game Connecticut needed to win, and it simply looked unfocused on the road.

A possible spot on the bench for: Rutgers freshman K Kyle Federico. Despite the win, Federico had two misses that would have been costly had Arkansas rallied. Federico badly missed to the left on a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter, then missed to the right on a 32-yarder in the fourth quarter. A change might be in order. 

Why you care about these three stat lines:

  1. 52 rushing yards for Temple: The Owls' run game was supposed to be their strength, but neither Harris nor Brown could get things going Saturday at Penn State. Temple's two senior backs averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, and the Owls finished with 113 rushing yards. The Owls averaged just over 256 yards rushing per game last season.
  2. Graham's 11.8 yards per carry: Again, the opponent must be considered, but if Pitt is going to be successfull after a rough start, Graham needs to be a star. He was dominate against an inferior foe this week, and he looks to finally be healthy.
  3. 425 total yards for Connecticut: The knock on the Huskies has been their offense couldn't do much. Well, they showed up Saturday, but the UConn defense let them down. If both units can find a way to put it together, they'll be tough.

Key number: 99. Trailing 24-19 in the fourth quarter against Ball State, B.J. Daniels led South Florida on a 99-yard drive for a touchdown, using some fancy footwork to pick up a few key third-down conversions.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Big East, follow bloggers Evan Hilbert and Matt Rybaltowski @CBSBigEast.