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CINCINNATI: The Bearcats welcomed national powerhouse Oklahoma to the Queen
City on Saturday, and to the surprise of many fans and analysts the home team
put up a tremendous fight. Unfortunately, the Sooners prevailed by a 31-29
final. Zach Collaros completed 23-of-38 passes for 305 yards, three touchdowns
and one interception for Cincinnati, while Isaiah Pead gained 169 yards on 21
carries. D.J. Woods caught seven passes for 171 yards and a score, although he
muffed a late punt that all but handed the Sooners their final touchdown. The
Bearcats are one of three Big East teams that will be idle this coming
weekend.
CONNECTICUT: The Huskies took on Buffalo over the weekend, and the home crowd
was treated to a strong performance. Robbie Frey ran for 112 yards and a
touchdown to help lift Connecticut to a 45-21 win. Cody Endres relieved Zach
Frazer at quarterback and finished with 139 yards and two touchdowns on 7-
of-11 passing for the Huskies, who have won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the
head-to-head series. UConn was playing without the services of leading rusher
Jordan Todman (448 yds, 7.3 ypc, five TDs), who was out with an arm injury.
UConn will do battle with SEC foe Vanderbilt in East Hartford this Saturday,
and Todman's status is uncertain for that tilt.
LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals were idle this past weekend and will get back to
action on Saturday against Arkansas State. First-year head coach Charlie
Strong's team has gotten off to a 1-2 start, but even in the losses to
Kentucky and Oregon State the team has been competitive. The Cardinals are
generating 22.3 ppg and 386.0 total ypg while allowing 23.7 ppg and 338.3
total ypg to opponents. Adam Froman has taken the snaps for Louisville and has
completed 51-of-90 passes for 634 yards and two touchdowns with three
interceptions. As for the ground attack, Bilal Powell is tops with 328 yards
and four scores.
PITTSBURGH: The Panthers played host to ACC power Miami last Thursday in what
was expected to be a competitive affair. To the disappointment of the home
crowd, the Hurricanes proved to be far too much for the Panthers to handle as
Pitt was completely bottled up offensively in a 31-3 beatdown. Tino Sunseri
connected on 8-of-15 passes for 61 yards for the Panthers, who have lost seven
straight games to the Hurricanes. The teams met for the first time since the
2003 season when both were members of the Big East. Dion Lewis was limited to
41 yards on 12 carries for the Panthers. Pat Bostick finished 5-of-9 for 43
yards and was picked off twice. Ray Graham ran for 100 yards on 14 carries in
defeat. Pittsburgh plays host to FIU this Saturday.
RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights played host to a talented North Carolina squad
from the ACC on Saturday, and despite a solid effort by the home team, the
result was a 17-13 setback. Tom Savage completed just 16-of-29 passes for 150
yards with no touchdowns and a pair of costly interceptions in the loss for
Rutgers. Mohamed Sanu caught nine passes for 74 yards while posting 41 yards
and a score on the ground. UNC was without 12 players, including seven
starters, due to continuing investigations by the NCAA, so there is no doubt
that the Scarlet Knights missed a golden opportunity to score a key win. Up
next for Rutgers is a date with Tulane this Saturday.
SOUTH FLORIDA: USF welcomed Western Kentucky to Tampa on Saturday, and the
result of that clash was 24-12 victory. Demetri Murray ran for 115 yards to
lead the way against a Hilltopper squad that has now suffered 24 consecutive
defeats, the nation's longest active losing skid. Moise Plancher added 79
yards and a score on the ground for USF, which amassed 226 rushing yards as a
team. QB BJ Daniels threw for just 57 yards and an INT, but did have 30 yards
and a score on the ground. The game was scoreless for nearly 25 minutes before
Plancher gave USF a halftime advantage with a 13-yard touchdown run late in
the second quarter. The Bulls will clash with Florida Atlantic, a non-
conference foe, this coming weekend.
SYRACUSE: The Orange clashed with FCS foe Colgate on Saturday, and cruised to
a 42-7 victory as expected. Senior tailback Delone Carter led the way, as he
dashed for a career-high 172 rushing yards and four touchdowns on only 14
carries. Carter is now 11th all-time at Syracuse in career rushing yards
(2,290). Ryan Nassib, the team's quarterback, connected on 8-of-15 throws for
169 yards with one touchdown. Marquis Spruill made his presence felt on the
defensive side of the ball, as he recorded 12 tackles, two of which resulted
in lost yardage. The Orange have a chance to rest and regroup with an open
date this week.
WEST VIRGINIA: In one of the most intriguing matchups of the college football
weekend, the Mountaineers did battle with LSU of the SEC in Baton Rouge.
Despite a solid effort, WVU became the 29th consecutive non-conference
opponent to lose to LSU at Tiger Stadium. Geno Smith threw for 119 yards on
14-of-29 attempts with two touchdowns and an interception. Noel Devine was
held to 37 yards rushing, and WVU gained just 21 more yards on the ground as a
team. After the contest, Mountaineers head coach Bill Stewart said that his
squad lost the game in all three phases. After such a physical affair, WVU
gets a much-needed week off.