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CINCINNATI
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at Oklahoma
Sat 9/6
3:30 PM
ABC
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Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Cincinnati and Oklahoma
… Cincinnati is 7-7-1 all-time against the current Big 12 membership, defeating
Kansas 34-7 Sept. 20, 1997, in the most recent matchup against that
conference … Oklahoma is 18-3-1 against current BIG EAST teams, but fell
to West Virginia 48-28 Jan. 2, 2008, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in the last
meeting against the BIG EAST.
Cincinnati has won three straight, dating to last season … The Bearcats were
40-7 winners against Eastern Kentucky last Thursday at Nippert Stadium …
Cincinnati is expected to have All-America DT Terrill Byrd and starting OG
Khalil El Amin back against Oklahoma … Byrd missed the season-opener
against Eastern Kentucky for disciplinary reasons, while El Amin was out
due to illness … QB Dustin Grutza hit career highs of 296 passing yards and
three touchdown passes against Eastern Kentucky … WR Dominick Goodman
had 10 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns against Eastern Kentucky,
moving into third place on Cincinnati’s career receptions chart (170) … Senior
DE Connor Barwin registered five tackles and a sack against Eastern Kentucky
in his first game as a defensive player … Barwin had been a tight end for
three seasons … K Brandon Yingling is expected to handle the placekicking
duties against Oklahoma after coming off the bench last week.
Oklahoma had an easy time in its opener as the Sooners enjoyed a 57-2
win against Chattanooga Saturday in Norman … Oklahoma had a 50-0 lead
at halftime … The Sooners have won 19 consecutive home games, with the
last loss at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium a 17-10 setback to Texas Christian
Sept. 3, 2005 … The Sooners limited Chattanooga to two first downs and
had a 487-36 advantage in total yards … Twelve different Oklahoma players
had at least one catch … The game against Chattanooga lasted four hours,
nine minutes, thanks to a 1:12 weather delay … QB Sam Bradford completed
17 of 22 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against
Chattanooga … Bradford threw 36 touchdown passes last season, setting
an NCAA freshman record … RB DeMarco Murray ran for 124 yards and two
TDs, while WR Manuel Johnson had 120 receiving yards on nine catches
… DE Auston English, an All-Big 12 First Team selection last year, had 2.5
sacks and four tackles for loss against Chattanooga … Four of Oklahoma’s
last seven losses have come on the final play of the game.
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CONNECTICUT
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at Temple
Sat 9/6
Noon
ESPNU
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Saturday’s game will be the 11th meeting between Connecticut and Temple
in a series that dates to 1963 … Temple holds a 7-3 series lead, though Connecticut
has won the last two meetings … The Huskies were 22-17 winners
at Rentschler Field Sept. 15, 2007 in the most recent matchup behind two
Donald Brown rushing touchdowns and three Tony Ciaravino field goals.
Connecticut has won its last 12 games against the teams that currently
comprise the Mid-American Conference … The Huskies are 1-0 after a 35-3
win against Hofstra last Thursday at Rentschler Field … The Huskies’ balanced
offense produced 218 rushing yards and 233 passing yards in the
win against the Pride … RB Andre Dixon, who did not play against Hofstra,
is expected to be back in the lineup against Temple … RB Donald Brown
shouldered the load with 144 rushing yards and four TDs … Brown had 130
yards and all four scores by halftime for his seventh career 100-yard game
… Connecticut, which committed just 15 turnovers last season, had five
giveaways (three interceptions, two lost fumbles) against Hofstra … QB Tyler
Lorenzen completed 14 of 25 passes for 184 yards … Freshman QB Cody
Endres came off the bench to complete 4 of 5 passes for 49 yards … Eight
different players caught at least one pass for the Huskies … WR Ellis Gaulden
had four receptions for 62 yards … The Huskies will play the second of four
straight games on natural grass when they face Temple.
Temple enters Saturday’s game at 1-0 following a 35-7 win against Army at
Michie Stadium last Friday … The Owls won their first season-opener since
the 2002 season (34-7 against Richmond) … It was the first road win in a
season-opener since a 17-6 win against Navy in 2000 … The seven points
allowed are the fewest surrendered by the Owls since a 38-7 win against
Florida A&M Sept. 18, 2004 … Temple scored touchdowns on a running play,
two passing plays, a fumble return and a kickoff return against Army … After
going a combined 1-22 in 2005 and 2006, the Owls improved to 4-8 in 2007
in head coach Al Golden’s second year … Temple lost just two letterwinners
from last year’s team and returns all 22 starters from the offense and defense
… Temple is the only team the nation that returns all of its starters from the
previous season … QB Adam DiMichelle completed 15 of 22 passes for 159
yards and two touchdowns with one interception in the win against Army …
DE Junior Galette made a team-high 11 tackles against the Black Knights …
Temple competed as a BIG EAST member from 1991 to 2004.
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LOUISVILLE
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vs. Tenn. Tech
Sat 9/6
3:30 PM
Big East Network
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Saturday’s game marks the renewal of a series that produced two games in
the early 1960s … Each school defended its home field in the brief series,
with Louisville’s 29-13 win at Cardinal Stadium Sept. 16, 1961 standing as
the most recent matchup.
Louisville enters Saturday’s game at 0-1 following a 27-2 loss to Kentucky
for the Governor’s Cup at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium … The Cardinals
were within a touchdown and two-point conversion of the Wildcats midway
through the fourth quarter before Kentucky scored 17 unanswered points to
close the game … The Cardinals’ last four possessions ended in turnovers …
Louisville’s defense, which allowed an average of 416.5 yards per game last
season, held Kentucky to just 210 yards … Saturday’s game is the second
of four straight home games for Louisville to open the season … QB Hunter
Cantwell, who replaces BIG EAST career passing leader Brian Brohm behind
center, completed 20 of 43 passes for 152 yards and three interceptions
… WR Doug Beaumont had game-highs of nine receptions for 77 yards …
The Cardinals enjoy a bye week following the Tennessee Tech game and
return to action Wednesday, Sept. 17 against Kansas State at Papa John’s
Cardinal Stadium.
Tennessee Tech began its season with a 28-12 win against Gardner-Webb
Saturday in Cookeville, Tenn. … The Golden Eagles were on the short end
in first downs (20-18), total yards (280-262) and turnovers (1-0), but held
Gardner-Webb to just two scores in five red zone visits … Tennessee Tech
has finished 4-7 in each of the last three seasons … The last game against a
Bowl Subdivision opponent was a 35-3 setback at Auburn … QB Lee Sweeney
completed 19 of 31 passes for 199 yards and one touchdown against one
interception … RB Henry Sailes was the primary beneficiary as he caught
10 passes for 78 yards … Sailes also finished as the Golden Eagles’ leading
rusher, but had just 26 yards on 10 carries … Sailes added 67 yards on a pair
of kickoff returns to finish with 171 all-purpose yards … SS Maurice Smith
finished with 14 tackles and three pass breakups against Gardner-Webb
to lead three Tennessee Tech players with double-digit tackles … Tennessee
Tech’s football alumni includes former Los Angeles Rams standout Jim
Youngblood.
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PITTSBURGH
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vs. Buffalo
Sat 9/6
6:00 PM
Big East Network
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Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Pittsburgh and Buffalo …
The Panthers are a combined 51-10-1 all-time against current members of
the Mid-American Conference.
Pittsburgh lost an early 14-0 lead as the Panthers fell 27-17 to Bowling Green
last Saturday … The Panthers are looking to avoid just their fourth 0-2 start
in the last 36 years — only the 1972, 1984 and 2005 teams started seasons
with two straight losses … Pittsburgh scored the first 14 points of the game
against Bowling Green, but was kept off the scoreboard in the second half
… RBs LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling both finished with 71
rushing yards against Bowling Green … McCoy had 45 receiving yards to finish
with a team-high 116 all-purpose yards … Five different Pittsburgh players
had at least five receptions … The Panthers attempted 51 passes against
Bowling Green, marking the most attempts since Sept. 22, 2007 against
Connecticut, when Pitt also threw 51 passes … K Conor Lee remains perfect
in his career (77 for 77) on PATs … LB Scott McKillop had six tackles and two
pass breakups … McKillop finds himself in the unusual situation of looking at
someone’s name ahead of his on Pitt’s tackles chart as DB Austin Ransom had
seven stops to go with an interception … The Panthers had four turnovers
against Bowling Green, losing three fumbles with one interception.
Buffalo has made the transition from a perennial bottom-feeder to a legitimate
contender in the Mid-American Conference under second-year head coach
Turner Gill, the former Nebraska standout … The Bulls won two games in
Gill’s first year and improved to 5-7 in 2007 … Buffalo went 4-2 in the MAC
East Division, finishing tied with Miami (Ohio) and Bowling Green for first
in the division … Buffalo is off to a 1-0 start in 2008 following a 42-17 win
against Texas-El Paso last Thursday in Buffalo … The Bulls had a 484-266
advantage in total yards … Buffalo had a pair of 100-yard rushers in RBs
James Starks and Brandon Thermilus … Starks had 179 yards on 31 carries,
while Thermilus had 102 yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts …
Neither back was stopped for a loss in 47 combined attempts … QB Drew
Willy completed 10 of 16 passes for 221 yards and four touchdowns, with
WR Naaman Roosevelt catching four passes for 154 yards and two scores …
Willy was chosen as the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week … LB Justin
Winters had 10 tackles to go with a sack and an interception.
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RUTGERS
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Open Date
Next vs. North Carolina
Thu 9/11
ESPN
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SOUTH FLORIDA
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At Cent. Fla.
Sat 9/6
7:00 PM
ESPN2
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USF is 3-0 in its series with Central Florida, which began in the 2005 season
… Last year’s matchup saw the Bulls roll to a 64-12 win in Tampa Oct. 13,
2007, bumping USF to the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings the following day
… USF QB Matt Grothe rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns and threw
for 212 yards and two TDs … The schools are located less than 100 miles
apart … The first three games of the series has produced crowds of at least
45,000 each time.
USF had perhaps the most impressive opening weekend in the BIG EAST as
the Bulls wasted little time in running away with a 56-7 win against Tennessee-
Martin Saturday at Raymond James Stadium … USF held a 28-0 after a first
quarter in which it faced just one third down and had an average starting
field position of the Tennessee Martin 45-yard line …Twelve different players
had at least one rushing attempt, three different players completed passes,
seven had at least one reception and 24 had at least one tackle … QB Matt
Grothe played sparingly after the first quarter and finished the day 6-for-8
for 96 yards and two touchdowns … RB Benjamin Williams had a game-high
70 rushing yards on just six carries, averaging 11.7 yards per attempt … The
Bulls punted just once on 16 possessions … If there was a trouble spot, it
was four turnovers, including three lost fumbles … The USF defense limited
Tennessee-Martin to nine drives of three plays or fewer.
Central Florida began the 2008 season with a 17-0 win against South Carolina
State at Bright House Network Stadium … The Knights held the Bulldogs to
126 total yards, marking the best defensive performance under fifth-year
head coach George O’Leary … UCF has won seven straight home games,
tying for the eighth-longest active streak in the nation … The Knights are
0-10 all-time against the current BIG EAST configuration … UCF is 0-17 alltime
against ranked teams … The Knights nearly defeated then-No. 6 Texas,
falling 35-32 in the debut of Bright House Network Stadium Sept. 15, 2007
… That loss stands as the only setback in the year-old facility … The Knights
held South Carolina State to just five first downs, 52 rushing yards and 74
passing yards … UCF’s offense featured 59 running plays and 16 passing
plays … QB Michael Greco completed 9 of 16 passes for 90 yards and ruan
for 57 yards on 13 carries … RB Latavius Murray accounted for both UCF
touchdowns as part of his 11 carries.
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SYRACUSE
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vs. Akron
Sat 9/6
3:30
Time Warner
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Syracuse and Akron meet for the first time Saturday … Syracuse is one of
two BIG EAST opponents on Akron’s schedule (Cincinnati being the other)
… Akron is 2-11 against the current BIG EAST membership, most recently
falling 44-10 at Connecticut Sept. 29, 2007.
Syracuse is the only BIG EAST school that did not have a home game last
week, making Saturday’s game with Akron the home-opener … Syracuse
has dropped five of its last six home openers … The Orange fell 30-10 to
Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., last week … Syracuse held a 10-9 lead midway
through the third quarter before the Wildcats scored 21 unanswered
points to close the game … The Orange rushed for 96 yards in the first half
last week, but had just 26 rushing yards in the second half … RB Curtis
Brinkley, who missed the last four games of the 2008 season with a recurring
knee injury, returned to score the Orange’s lone touchdown against
Northwestern … Brinkley averaged 5.4 yards per carry, finishing with 49 yards
against Northwestern … P Rob Long averaged 47.1 yards on seven punts
and hit a 72-yard kick on his first attempt … SS A.J. Brown had 11 tackles
and an interception against Northwestern to pace the Orange defense …
DE Vincenzo Giruzzi had nine tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and a pass
breakup … The game against Akron begins a stretch of four straight home
games for Syracuse.
Akron is looking for its first win of the season after the Zips fell 38-17 to No.
12 Wisconsin Saturday in Madison, Wis. … Akron trailed by three at halftime
(17-10) before Wisconsin scored three straight second-half touchdowns …
Akron was picked seventh in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference
preseason poll … All seven teams in the East Division received at least
two of the 36 first-place votes in the presason poll … Akron was 4-8 overall
and 3-5 in the MAC last season … Akron gained 297 yards against Wisconsin
and was 3-for-3 in red zone opportunities with two touchdowns … QB Chris
Jacquemain completed 22 of 36 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns
without an interception against the Badgers … WR Deryn Bowser caught five
passes for 76 yards … The Zips only forced one Wisconsin punt, however,
and allowed 404 rushing yards to the Badgers … FS Tyler Campbell made a
team-high 18 tackles … Akron head coach J.D. Brookhart was an assistant
coach at Pittsburgh from 1997-2003, including three seasons as offensive
coordinator … The Zips will open the new InfoCision Stadium next season.
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WEST VIRGINIA
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at East Carolina
Sat 9/6
3:30 PM
ESPN
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West Virginia is 17-2 all-time against East Carolina and has won the last seven
meetings between the schools … The Mountaineers were 48-7 winners in
Morgantown last season behind a four-touchdown effort (two passing, two
rushing) by QB Pat White … White completed 18 of 20 passes for 181 yards
and rushed for 42 yards on nine carries … West Virignia is 5-2 against East
Carolina away from Morgantown.
West Virginia is 1-0 following a 48-21 win against Villanova at Milan Puskar
Stadium … The Mountaineers broke open a 14-7 game with 20 consecutive
points through the second and third quarters … The catalyst was QB Pat
White, who threw a career-high five touchdown passes while completing
25 of 33 attempts for 208 yards … White also had a game-high 63 rushing
yards on nine carries … White finished with career highs in passing
attempts, completions and touchdown passes … The five TD passes are a
Mountaineer Field record and were one shy of West Virginia’s school record,
set by Marc Bulger against Pittsburgh in 1998 … WR Jock Sanders finished
with 144 all-purpose yards against Villanova and was the Mountaineers’ top
receiver with 62 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions … LB Reed
Williams, the normal starter at middle linebacker, is expected to be back in
the lineup against East Carolina after he missed the Villanova game while
recovering from shoulder surgery … The game at East Carolina is the first
of back-to-back road games for the Mountaineers, who face Colorado Sept.
18 in Boulder, Colo.
East Carolina had one of the more notable wins of the opening weekend
when the Pirates stunned No. 17/15 Virginia Tech 27-22 in Charlotte, N.C.
… East Carolina overcame a nine-point deficit in the last 3:36 … The Pirates’
T.J. Lee blocked a Hokie punt and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown with
1:52 left in the fourth quarter to put East Carolina on top … The Pirates
went 8-5 last year, capped by a 41-38 win against Boise State in the Hawaii
Bowl … East Carolina endured a 1-11 season in 2003 and was 2-9 in 2004
before reeling off 5-6, 7-6 and 8-5 records in three years under Skip Holtz
… Holtz was head coach at Connecticut from 1994-98 … QB Patrick Pinkney
completed 19 of 23 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown against Virginia
Tech … LB Pierre Bell had 11 tackles against the Hokies.
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