Big East play winds down, Bearcats celebrate

It’s the end of the regular season for the Big East, with a champion crowned and bowl… It’s the end of the regular season for the Big East, with a champion crowned and bowl aspirations all but secured. Cincinnati secured its first Big East championship on Friday thanks to Pitt’s 19-15 win over West Virginia. Pat White added to his career-rushing record against Pitt, which he set the previous week against Louisville. But it was White’s arm on Friday that ultimately failed him late. With the clock ticking to the game’s final second, White took the snap and threw a ball into the endzone before it fell harmlessly out of bounds, giving the Panthers the victory. The Bearcats padded their Orange Bowl resume with a 30-10 victory over Syracuse in its last game under coach Greg Robinson. Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while Marshwan Gilyard led all receivers with 11 catches for 114 yards. The Bearcats tied their school record for wins with their 10th. They’ll set a school record if they can handle Hawaii this week. A quick dose of awards: Big East Beast of the Week (Offensive): This year’s Backyard Brawl was a little shadier than last year. LeSean ‘Shady’ McCoy bruised the West Virginia defense in the fourth quarter to lead the Panthers to victory. McCoy was force-fed the ball 33 times in the game and nine out of 10 plays on the Panthers’ 59-yard, touchdown-scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. Big East Beast of the Week (Defensive): The Panthers secondary, notably Jovani Chappel and Dom DeCicco, finally stepped up against the Mountaineers. DeCicco and Chappel both intercepted White in the fourth quarter. Chappel’s interception was thrown right to him and led to a McCoy touchdown two plays later. DeCicco’s interception didn’t lead to a score, but was the far more impressive of the two. White tried to throw a ball away while he was under pressure, but DeCicco sprinted from the middle of the field to the sideline, secured the ball and planted 2 feet in bounds before tumbling to the ground with the interception Big East Least of the Week: Orange quarterback Cameron Dantley threw for just 59 yards and an interception against the Bearcats after throwing for 122 yards the week before against Notre Dame. Robinson’s tenure didn’t exactly end on a bang. Big East Week Ahead: Not many meaningful games in terms of postseason implications. But Rutgers (6-5, 4-2) does host Louisville (5-6, 1-5) on Saturday with bowl security on the line for the Scarlet Knights. Pitt (8-3, 4-2) travels to Connecticut (7-4, 3-3) on Saturday, looking possibly toward a Sun Bowl berth. The game also features two Big East MVP favorites in UConn’s Donald Brown and Pitt’s McCoy. South Florida (7-4, 2-4) travels to Morgantown (7-4, 4-2) in a game that would be more meaningful if played on an Xbox 360. Finally, Cincinnati (10-2, 6-1) treks to Hawaii to try to save the reputation of the Big East. A loss by a conference-champion Big East squad to a 7-5 team from the WAC would not look favorable to a BCS representative.