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CINCINNATI: Butch Jones got his first win as head coach of the Bearcats on
Saturday, as his team pulled away in the second half to claim a 40-7 victory
over FCS foe Indiana State in front of the hometown faithful. Cincinnati,
which has now won 13 straight home games, lost its season opener, 28-14, the
week before at Fresno State. QB Zach Collaros threw for two TDs and ran for
another to fuel the UC offense, which used a punishing ground attack (263
yards) to wear down the Sycamores, who are just 3-55 over the past six
seasons. Darrin Williams carried the ball 13 times for 117 yards, while John
Goebel churned out 75 yards on nine totes, scoring a pair of TDs along the
way. The Bearcats will try to make it two in a row when they play at NC State
this Thursday.
CONNECTICUT: Randy Edsall became the winningest coach in UConn history on
Saturday, as his Huskies crushed visiting Texas Southern, 62-3. The 59-point
margin of victory matched the largest since the program joined the FBS ranks.
Edsall, now with 67 wins, saw his team bounce back from a season-opening loss
at Michigan in a big way, piling up 444 yards of total offense, compared to
just 169 for the Tigers. The Huskies got a pair of 100-yard rushing efforts
from Jordan Todman (151 yards, three TDs) and Robbie Frey (101 yards, two
TDs), while QB Zach Frazer went 6-of-9 for 104 yards and two scores. The UConn
defense was credited with four sacks among its nine TFLs, while also coming up
with three INTs and a fumble recovery. The Huskies head to Philadelphia for
this Saturday's non-conference clash with the Temple Owls.
LOUISVILLE: A week after dropping a 23-16 to in-state rival Kentucky in the
season opener, the Cardinals earned head coach Charlie Strong his first career
victory by topping visiting Eastern Kentucky in a 23-13 final. QB Adam Froman
threw for 219 yards and a TD to lead the UofL offense, which finished the game
with 388 total yards and doing all its scoring in the second quarter. Bilal
Powell carried the ball 16 times for 92 yards and a pair of TDs to power the
Louisville rushing attack, while Doug Beaumont made the most of his four
catches, turning them into 83 yards and a score. Rodney Gnat proved to be a
major pest to the EKU offense, logging a career-high four sacks, the Cardinals
credited with eight QB takedowns on the day. Next up for coach Strong's club
is a trip the Pacific Northwest for Saturday's bout with the Oregon State
Beavers.
PITTSBURGH: The Panthers rebounded from their season-opening, overtime loss at
Utah by whipping FCS foe New Hampshire on Saturday, 38-16. QB Tino Sunseri
went 24-of-34 for 275 yards with an INT, and Pitt also got huge efforts from
back-up RB Ray Graham (career-high 115 yards, two TDs) and receiver Jon
Baldwin (six catches, 100 yards, one TD). In all, the Panthers rolled up 445
yards of total offense, compared to 298 for UNH. The Pitt defense was
particularly tough against the run, yielding a mere 73 yards and just 2.1 ypc.
Chas Alecxih and Brandon Lindsey combined for five sacks, the team being
credited with half a dozen for the game. The Panthers are idle this week,
giving them ample time to prepare for their next game -- at home against Miami
on September 23rd.
RUTGERS: If not for senior DB Joe Lefeged, the Scarlet Knights may very well
have lost Saturday's game at Florida International. Lefeged forced three
turnovers and blocked a pair of punts to help Rutgers earn a hard-fought 19-14
victory. As a result, the Scarlet Knights are 2-0 for the first time since
2007. Offensively, RU managed just 172 total yards (76 rushing, 96 passing),
with RB Mohamed Sanu averaging 4.9 ypc while also scoring a TD. He was also
the team's most active receiver with four grabs (25 yards). The Scarlet
Knights are idle this week, next returning to the field on September 25th
against North Carolina. That game begins a stretch of three straight at home,
and four in a row in the state of New Jersey.
SOUTH FLORIDA: The Bulls took the early lead in Saturday's road clash with
nationally-ranked Florida, but the Gators would eventually get their groove on
and wound up posting a 38-14 victory. It was the first-ever meeting between
the two Sunshine State schools in football, and the loss dropped USF to 1-1 on
the year. B.J. Daniels became only the second QB ever to rush for more than
100 yards against the Gators, finishing with 107 yards on 17 carries. It was
his fifth career 100-yard rushing game. Daniels was considerably less
effective in the passing game, throwing for just 84 yards and a TD while being
picked off four times. The Bulls have a bye this week as they prepare for a
visit from Western Kentucky on September 25th.
SYRACUSE: The Orange opened Saturday's road game against Washington in
promising fashion, taking a 10-0 lead. But from there it was all Huskies as
the home team prevailed in a 41-20 decision. The Orange, who fell to 1-1 on
the young season, gained 336 total yards (112 rushing, 224 passing), getting a
solid effort RB Delone Carter, who carried 18 times for 91 yards. QB Ryan
Nassib went 17-of-35 for 202 yards with a TD and an INT, with WR Van Chew
serving as his favorite target with six catches for 83 yards. Nassib also
rushed for a TD to open the scoring. The SU defense was shredded for 467 total
yards. The Orange don't have long to lick their wounds, as they host FCS foe
Maine this Saturday.
WEST VIRGINIA: They needed overtime to do it, but the Mountaineers improved to
2-0 on the 2010 season by outlasting in-state rival Marshall last Friday,
24-21. Trailing 21-6 in the fourth quarter, West Virginia, which has never
lost to the Thundering Herd in 10 meetings now, scored two TDs in the final
five-plus minutes of regulation, setting the stage for the thrilling OT
victory. WVU finished the night with 469 yards of total offense, compared to
364 for Marshall. QB Geno Smith went 32-of-45 for 316 yards and a TD, while RB
Noel Devine led the way for the Mountaineers on the ground with 112 yards and
a score. Devine also caught 10 balls for 62 yards. Tavon Austin nearly reached
double figures in receptions as well, finishing with nine for 85 yards. Najee
Goode logged 10 tackles in the game for West Virginia, which will play host to
Maryland this coming Saturday.