FIRST EVER
Saturday’s game between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh
will mark the first time in Big East history
that the league’s BCS bid will be decided in a headto-
head matchup in the last week of the season.
THERE'S A CHANCE
If all six Big East bowl-eligible teams win their
bowl games this season, the conference would
finish with a 38-8 nonleague record, which would
rank as the best mark in conference history. The
Big East went 37-8 (.822) in the 2006 season,
including a 5-0 postseason record.
HEAD OF THE CLASS
West Virginia linebacker Reed Williams has been
named one of 16 finalists for the 2009 William V.
Campbell Trophy, given by the National Football
Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
ALL-NATIONAL SLATE
In addition to the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh matchup, two other Big East games will be on national television as part of college football’s Championship Week. West Virginia visits Rutgers at noon on ESPN as the Mountaineers look for their eighth straight finish at second place or better in the Big East. USF heads to Connecticut at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 in a matchup of bowl-eligible teams.
'COMPLETE' SUCCESS
Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone surprised more than a few people when he named Greg Paulus his starting quarterback in the preseason. Paulus, a graduate student who had enjoyed an excellent basketball career at Duke as an undergraduate, had not played a down of competitive football since high school. Paulus responded by setting school records for completions (193) and completion percentage (67.7) and finishing third on the all-time Big East single-season completion percentage chart.
|
CINCINNATI
|
at Pittsburgh
Sat 12/5
12:00 PM
ABC
|
|
|
The winner of Saturday's game between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will earn
the Big East's automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series … It will be
the first head-to-head matchup to determine the BCS bid in the last week of
the season in Big East history … Pittsburgh would forge a tie for the BIG
EAST championship with a win, while Cincinnati would win the title outright
with a victory … Pittsburgh holds a 7-1 series lead, though Cincinnati's lone
win was a 28-21 decision last season at Nippert Stadium … Bearcat QB Tony Pike threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in last year's game … The
Panthers are 5-0 against Cincinnati in Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati remains one of six unbeaten teams in the nation … The Bearcats
are No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, the USA Today poll and the Bowl
Championship Series standings … The Bearcats are 11-0 for the first time in
program history … Cincinnati brings a 17-game regular-season winning streak
and a 12-game home winning streak into Saturday's game … QB Tony Pike
returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Oct. 15 last week and
threw for 399 yards and a school-record six touchdowns against Illinois …
Pike has thrown for 2,048 yards and 23 touchdowns and three interceptions
despite missing three games, and significant parts of two others, due to injury
… WR Mardy Gilyard has 2,061 all-purpose yards and 1,032 receiving yards
… Gilyard has scored three special teams touchdowns and has 10 touchdown
receptions … LB Andre Revels has a team-high 95 tackles … DE Alex Daniels
has 5.5 sacks to lead the team.
Pittsburgh saw a six-game winning streak snapped with last Friday's loss at
West Virginia … Pittsburgh is looking to get a share of its second Big East
championship … The Panthers last won the Big East title in 2004, when
Pitt was one of four teams to tie for first place … Pittsburgh fell to No. 14 in
the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the USA Today poll … A win against
Cincinnati would also give Pittsburgh its first 10-win season since 1981, when
the Panthers finished 11-1 … The Panthers' two losses are by a combined
10 points … Pitt is 6-0 at Heinz Field this year and is looking to cap its first
perfect season at home since 1980 … RB Dion Lewis ranks fourth nationally
in rushing (131.5 yards per game) … Lewis has rushed for a Big East
freshman-record 1,446 yards with 13 touchdowns … TE Dorin Dickerson is
one of three finalists for the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end.
|
|
|
CONNECTICUT
|
vs. USF
Sat 12/5
8:00 PM
ESPN2
|
|
|
Saturday’s game will be the seventh meeting between Connecticut and USF
… The winner of Saturday’s game will take a 4-3 series lead … Connecticut
is 2-0 at Rentschler Field against USF and 2-1 in all home games against USF
… The first meeting in 2000 was played at Memorial Stadium in Storrs, Conn.
… Last year’s game was a defensive battle that saw USF LB Tyrone McKenzie
make 16 tackles in the Bulls’ 17-13 win at Raymond James Stadium.
USF fell to 7-4 with a 31-10 loss to Miami (Fla.) last Saturday … The Bulls
have alternated wins and losses for the last four weeks and are 2-4 in their
last six games … USF is 3-2 on the road this season … The Bulls have faced
five top-25 opponents this year and are 2-3 in those games … A win against
Connecticut would make USF 4-3 in the Big East for the fourth time in five
years … USF is 7-1 when scoring at least 17 points this season and is 0-3
when the Bulls have been held below 17 points … QB B.J. Daniels leads the
Bulls in both rushing and passing … Daniels has thrown for 1,606 yards and
12 touchdowns with nine interceptions and has rushed for 710 yards and
six TDs … Daniels is fifth in the Big East in passing, seventh in rushing and
second in total offense … LB Kion Wilson is third in the Big East in tackles
(8.9 per game) … DE Jason Pierre-Paul is third in the conference in tackles
for loss (1.32 per game) … S Nate Allen has four interceptions, good for
second in the Big East.
Connecticut became bowl-eligible for the third consecutive season with last
Saturday’s 56-31 win against Syracuse … The win against Syracuse was the
Huskies’ first game in five weeks that wasn’t decided by four points or fewer
… Connecticut’s five losses are by a combined 15 points and three of those
five have been to top-25 teams … Connecticut boasts the third- and fifthleading
rushers in the Big East in RB Jordan Todman and RB Andre Dixon
… Todman has rushed for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Dixon has
rushed for 917 yards and 11 TDs … The Huskies second in passing offense
(225.7 yards per game) … QB Zach Frazer has completed 87 of 167 passes
for 1,129 yards and seven touchdowns with nine interceptions … WR Marcus Easley has had a breakout senior year with 731 receiving yards and seven
touchdowns on 36 catches … LB Lawrence Wilson leads the Big East and is
third nationally with 130 tackles … The Huskies have scored a special teams
touchdown in each of the last four games … Three different players have
returned kickoffs for TDs.
|
|
|
LOUISVILLE
|
Season Complete
Record: 4-8
|
|
|
|
|
|
PITTSBURGH
|
vs. Cincinnati
Sat 12/5
12:00 PM
ABC
|
|
|
The winner of Saturday’s game between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will earn
the Big East’s automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series … It will be
the first head-to-head matchup to determine the BCS bid in the last week of
the season in Big East history … Pittsburgh would forge a tie for the BIG
EAST championship with a win, while Cincinnati would win the title outright
with a victory … Pittsburgh holds a 7-1 series lead, though Cincinnati’s lone
win was a 28-21 decision last season at Nippert Stadium … Bearcat QB Tony
Pike threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s game … The
Panthers are 5-0 against Cincinnati in Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati remains one of six unbeaten teams in the nation … The Bearcats
are No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, the USA Today poll and the Bowl
Championship Series standings … The Bearcats are 11-0 for the first time in
program history … Cincinnati brings a 17-game regular-season winning streak
and a 12-game home winning streak into Saturday’s game … QB Tony Pike
returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Oct. 15 last week and
threw for 399 yards and a school-record six touchdowns against Illinois …
Pike has thrown for 2,048 yards and 23 touchdowns and three interceptions
despite missing three games, and significant parts of two others, due to injury
… WR Mardy Gilyard has 2,061 all-purpose yards and 1,032 receiving yards
… Gilyard has scored three special teams touchdowns and has 10 touchdown
receptions … LB Andre Revels has a team-high 95 tackles … DE Alex Daniels
has 5.5 sacks to lead the team.
Pittsburgh saw a six-game winning streak snapped with last Friday’s loss at
West Virginia … Pittsburgh is looking to get a share of its second Big East
championship … The Panthers last won the Big East title in 2004, when
Pitt was one of four teams to tie for first place … Pittsburgh fell to No. 14 in
the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the USA Today poll … A win against
Cincinnati would also give Pittsburgh its first 10-win season since 1981, when
the Panthers finished 11-1 … The Panthers’ two losses are by a combined
10 points … Pitt is 6-0 at Heinz Field this year and is looking to cap its first
perfect season at home since 1980 … RB Dion Lewis ranks fourth nationally
in rushing (131.5 yards per game) … Lewis has rushed for a Big East
freshman-record 1,446 yards with 13 touchdowns … TE Dorin Dickerson is
one of three finalists for the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.
|
|
|
RUTGERS
|
vs. West Virginia
Sat 12/5
12:00 PM
ESPN
|
|
|
Saturday's game is the 37th meeting between West Virginia and Rutgers in
a series that dates to 1916 … The Mountaineers are 30-4-2 all-time against
Rutgers and bring a 14-game series winning streak into this year's matchup …
Rutgers' last win in the series was a 17-12 decision in 1994 at Rutgers Stadium
… Last year's game saw West Virginia QB Pat White throw two touchdown
passes in the Mountaineers' 24-17 win at Milan Puskar Stadium.
West Virginia gained a split of a two-game stretch against top-10 opponents
with a 19-16 win against ninth-ranked Pittsburgh … The win gave West
Virginia a 7-0 home record … The Mountaineers are 1-3 on the road and
have dropped their last two road games … West Virginia has finished no
lower than second in the Big East in each year since 2002, a trend that
would continue if the Mountaineers defeat Rutgers and Cincinnati defeats
Pittsburgh … West Virginia leads the Big East in rushing (185.5 yards per
game) … RB Noel Devine is averaging 112.0 yards per game, good for second
in the Big East and 18th nationally … Devine has rushed for 1,232 yards
and 11 touchdowns … QB Jarrett Brown leads the Big East in total offense
(218.2 yards per game) and is ranked second in the Big East in passing
(183.0 yards per game) … WR Jock Sanders is second in the Big East in
receptions (5.9 per game) … DE Julian Miller has nine sacks and is second
in the Big East at 0.82 per game … S Robert Sands leads the Big East
with five interceptions and 13 passes defended … P Scott Kozlowski is the
conference's leading punter (42.2 yards per punt).
Rutgers returns home after playing four of its last five games on the road …
The Scarlet Knights went 4-1 on the road and are 4-2 at home this season
… Rutgers leads the Big East in total defense (315.3 yards per game) and
scoring defense (16.8 points per game) … QB Tom Savage has thrown for
1,764 yards and 11 touchdowns as a true freshman and is third in the BIG
EAST at 176.4 yards per game … WR Tim Brown leads the Big East in
receiving yards (95.5 yards per game) … Rutgers' special teams have been
credited with five blocked kicks … CB Devin McCourty has blocked three kicks
(two punts, one PAT), though the NCAA does not recognize blocked PATs
… McCourty also leads the Scarlet Knights with 74 tackles … DE Jonathan
Freeny has a team-high 7.5 sacks and is fifth in the Big East at 0.68 sacks
per game.
|
|
|
SYRACUSE
|
Season Complete
Record: 4-8
|
|
|
|
|
|
USF
|
at Connecticut
Sat 12/5
8:00 PM
ESPN2
|
|
|
Saturday's game will be the seventh meeting between Connecticut and USF
… The winner of Saturday's game will take a 4-3 series lead … Connecticut
is 2-0 at Rentschler Field against USF and 2-1 in all home games against USF
… The first meeting in 2000 was played at Memorial Stadium in Storrs, Conn.
… Last year's game was a defensive battle that saw USF LB Tyrone McKenzie
make 16 tackles in the Bulls' 17-13 win at Raymond James Stadium.
USF fell to 7-4 with a 31-10 loss to Miami (Fla.) last Saturday … The Bulls
have alternated wins and losses for the last four weeks and are 2-4 in their
last six games … USF is 3-2 on the road this season … The Bulls have faced
five top-25 opponents this year and are 2-3 in those games … A win against
Connecticut would make USF 4-3 in the Big East for the fourth time in five
years … USF is 7-1 when scoring at least 17 points this season and is 0-3
when the Bulls have been held below 17 points … QB B.J. Daniels leads the
Bulls in both rushing and passing … Daniels has thrown for 1,606 yards and
12 touchdowns with nine interceptions and has rushed for 710 yards and
six TDs … Daniels is fifth in the Big East in passing, seventh in rushing and
second in total offense … LB Kion Wilson is third in the Big East in tackles
(8.9 per game) … DE Jason Pierre-Paul is third in the conference in tackles
for loss (1.32 per game) … S Nate Allen has four interceptions, good for
second in the Big East.
Connecticut became bowl-eligible for the third consecutive season with last
Saturday's 56-31 win against Syracuse … The win against Syracuse was the
Huskies' first game in five weeks that wasn't decided by four points or fewer
… Connecticut's five losses are by a combined 15 points and three of those
five have been to top-25 teams … Connecticut boasts the third- and fifthleading
rushers in the Big East in RB Jordan Todman and RB Andre Dixon
… Todman has rushed for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Dixon has
rushed for 917 yards and 11 TDs … The Huskies second in passing offense
(225.7 yards per game) … QB Zach Frazer has completed 87 of 167 passes
for 1,129 yards and seven touchdowns with nine interceptions … WR Marcus
Easley has had a breakout senior year with 731 receiving yards and seven
touchdowns on 36 catches … LB Lawrence Wilson leads the Big East and is
third nationally with 130 tackles … The Huskies have scored a special teams
touchdown in each of the last four games … Three different players have
returned kickoffs for TDs.
|
|
|
WEST VIRGINIA
|
at Rutgers
Sat 12/5
12:00 PM
ESPN
|
|
|
Saturday’s game is the 37th meeting between West Virginia and Rutgers in
a series that dates to 1916 … The Mountaineers are 30-4-2 all-time against
Rutgers and bring a 14-game series winning streak into this year’s matchup …
Rutgers’ last win in the series was a 17-12 decision in 1994 at Rutgers Stadium
… Last year’s game saw West Virginia QB Pat White throw two touchdown
passes in the Mountaineers’ 24-17 win at Milan Puskar Stadium.
West Virginia gained a split of a two-game stretch against top-10 opponents
with a 19-16 win against ninth-ranked Pittsburgh … The win gave West
Virginia a 7-0 home record … The Mountaineers are 1-3 on the road and
have dropped their last two road games … West Virginia has finished no
lower than second in the Big East in each year since 2002, a trend that
would continue if the Mountaineers defeat Rutgers and Cincinnati defeats
Pittsburgh … West Virginia leads the Big East in rushing (185.5 yards per
game) … RB Noel Devine is averaging 112.0 yards per game, good for second
in the Big East and 18th nationally … Devine has rushed for 1,232 yards
and 11 touchdowns … QB Jarrett Brown leads the Big East in total offense
(218.2 yards per game) and is ranked second in the Big East in passing
(183.0 yards per game) … WR Jock Sanders is second in the Big East in
receptions (5.9 per game) … DE Julian Miller has nine sacks and is second
in the Big East at 0.82 per game … S Robert Sands leads the Big East
with five interceptions and 13 passes defended … P Scott Kozlowski is the
conference’s leading punter (42.2 yards per punt).
Rutgers returns home after playing four of its last five games on the road …
The Scarlet Knights went 4-1 on the road and are 4-2 at home this season
… Rutgers leads the Big East in total defense (315.3 yards per game) and
scoring defense (16.8 points per game) … QB Tom Savage has thrown for
1,764 yards and 11 touchdowns as a true freshman and is third in the Big East at 176.4 yards per game … WR Tim Brown leads the Big East in
receiving yards (95.5 yards per game) … Rutgers’ special teams have been
credited with five blocked kicks … CB Devin McCourty has blocked three kicks
(two punts, one PAT), though the NCAA does not recognize blocked PATs
… McCourty also leads the Scarlet Knights with 74 tackles … DE Jonathan
Freeny has a team-high 7.5 sacks and is fifth in the Big East at 0.68 sacks
per game.
|
|