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CINCINNATI: The first game of the Butch Jones era at Cincinnati began on
Saturday with a road game at Fresno State. Unfortunately for Jones, his team
was simply outplayed in a 28-14 defeat, as the Bearcats said goodbye to an 18-
game regular-season win streak. Zach Collaros connected on 24-of-41 passes for
219 yards with a TD for Cincinnati, the two-time defending Big East Conference
champions who were throttled by the Florida Gators in last season's Sugar
Bowl. Collaros threw a 23-yard TD pass to D.J. Woods in the first quarter, and
scored on a five-yard run in the second. Up next for the Bearcats is a road
clash this Saturday against FCS foe Indiana State.
CONNECTICUT: Connecticut entered this season with high expectations and had a
chance to make a major statement in game one, which took place on Saturday in
Ann Arbor against Michigan. That contest wasn't as close as expected, however,
as UConn fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and went on to lose by a 30-10
final. Zach Frazer hit 18-of-37 pass attempts for 205 yards for the Huskies,
while Jordan Todman picked up 105 yards and a score on 20 carries. The Huskies
were just 4-of-15 on third-down conversion attempts and permitted 473 total
yards to the Wolverines, two major factors in the setback. Next up for the
Huskies is a meeting with Texas Southern at home this coming weekend.
LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals opened the 2010 season with a matchup against rival
Kentucky on Saturday, and that game marked the debut of Louisville's new head
coach, Charlie Strong. Despite a solid effort from Strong's group, the home
crowd watched on as Louisville fell by a 23-16 final. Bilal Powell ran for 153
yards and one touchdown for the Cardinals, while Adam Froman finished with
only 127 yards through the air, to go along with one interception. Louisville
was outgained 466-317 in total yards, the most obvious reason for the setback.
Coach Strong and company will play their second game this weekend against
visiting Eastern Kentucky.
PITTSBURGH: The Panthers entered this season with high expectations, and the
fact that they were ranked 15th in the AP poll heading into the opener against
Utah last Thursday shows that those expectations were considered justified by
voters. Unfortunately for Pitt, it simply did not get the job done in Salt
Lake City, as the Utes pulled out a hard-fought 27-24 victory. Dion Lewis, who
is considered a darkhorse Heisman candidate, did not have the type of contest
he hoped for, gaining only 75 yards and scoring once on 25 rushing attempts.
Tino Sunseri connected on 16-of-28 passes for 184 yards and one touchdown for
the Panthers, while star receiver Jon Baldwin had four catches for 71 yards.
Pitt has an outstanding chance to even its record this coming weekend against
New Hampshire, an FCS squad.
RUTGERS: Rutgers was expected to get past FCS foe Norfolk State with little
opposition in Thursday's season opener, and that was indeed the case. Junior
running back Joe Martinek racked up 109 yards and a touchdown to lead his
squad to a 31-0 rout. Rutgers has now posted a shutout in five consecutive
seasons, the only FBS program to accomplish that feat. The defense was
tremendous against Norfolk State, allowing only 156 total yards while
preventing its overmatched foe from achieving a single first down on 12 third-
down conversion attempts. Rutgers is now 6-4 in season openers under current
head coach Greg Shiano. Next up for the Scarlet Knights is a clash with
Florida International on Saturday.
SOUTH FLORIDA: The Bulls and their new head coach, Skip Holz, opened the 2010
season on Saturday against Stony Brook, an FCS opponent. As expected, USF
dominated that contest, rolling to a 59-14 victory. Quarterback B.J. Daniels
completed 15-of-22 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns with no
interceptions, and he also ran for a score. Moise Plancher and Marcus Shaw
also had rushing touchdowns for the Bulls, while Evan Landi led the receivers
with six catches for 104 yards. Defensively, the Bulls limited their
overmatched opponent to 254 total yards and intercepted four passes. The
level of competition spikes dramatically this coming weekend, as USF will take
on SEC power Florida in Gainesville.
SYRACUSE: The second year of the Doug Marrone era began on Saturday for
Syracuse against Akron on the road, and the result was an impressive 29-3 win.
Ryan Nassib threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Orange. The
quarterback completed 17-of-27 passes and also rushed for 58 yards on nine
carries. Delone Carter led the rushing attack with 91 yards and one touchdown
on 28 totes. Syracuse finished with 431 total yards, while the Zips posted
just 166 yards of total offense. The Orange will play a second consecutive
road game this weekend when they face the Washington Huskies, who possess one
of the top signal callers in all of college football.
WEST VIRGINIA: Bill Stewart led his Mountaineers into battle against FCS foe
Coastal Carolina on Saturday, and the result of that game was a 31-0 victory.
Taking over this season as the starter at quarterback, Geno Smith played quite
well, connecting on 20-of-27 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns. Jock
Sanders finished with eight catches for 71 yards, while Noel Devine, WVU's
star tailback, posted 111 yards on 23 carries with a late touchdown. The
Mountaineers outgained Coastal Carolina, 400-186, in total yardage and limited
the Chanticleers to 2-of-14 success on third-down conversion attempts. The
Mountaineers have a short week of preparation ahead, as they will battle
Marshall on Friday night in a road affair.