Grothe, McCoy dominate Big East action

Big East football didn’t grab the national spotlight this past weekend like it did two weekends… Big East football didn’t grab the national spotlight this past weekend like it did two weekends ago, but one surprising upset and two other major blowouts have separated the potential powers-to-be. The first split began with Pitt’s trouncing of Navy on Saturday. The Panthers (5-1, 2-0) piled up 499 yards of offense, the 500-mark ruined late in the game on a kneel down, to crush an inspired Navy squad on its homecoming. Meanwhile, in other action on Saturday, South Florida bounced back after its disappointing loss two weeks ago to Pitt and blew out Syracuse, 45-13. Quarterback Matt Grothe had 248 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added 72 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Bulls. Taurus Johnson caught three passes for two touchdowns and 29 yards. The Bulls now sit in fourth place in the Big East after their first conference win. On the other side of the ball, there were not many positive things to take out of the Orange’s dismal performance in Tampa. But senior Curtis Brinkley scored once and broke the century mark for the fourth straight game, amassing 112 yards on the ground on 20 carries. The upset of the week came courtesy of Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights escaped with a 12-10 victory over the suddenly fading Connecticut Huskies. Kordell Young ran for 80 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries to pace the Scarlet Knights backfield. The Huskies’ Zach Frazer threw for 236 yards and one touchdown, but the game came down to special teams. Connecticut kicker Tony Ciaravino missed three kicks, including a 42-yarder that hit the right upright with 1:09 remaining, to hamper the Huskies scoring hopes. Finally, Louisville won its second straight game in convincing fashion with a 42-23 victory over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday. The Cardinals” tailback Brock Bolen ran for three touchdowns and 67 yards. Bolen’s backfield partner, freshman Victor Anderson, ran for 161 yards and a touchdown to help the Cardinals overcome early ineffectiveness from quarterback Hunter Cantwell. Cantwell threw two first-quarter interceptions, leading to 14 points for the Blue Raiders. But Louisville used the ground game and a blocked punt to secure the victory. To summarize, South Florida and Pitt continued to establish themselves as perennial conference powers for the rest of the season. West Virginia didn’t play over the weekend but will face Auburn Thursday night in a game that could propel the Mountaineers back into the national spotlight. Big East Beast of the Week Offense The Pitt fan’s heart might say McCoy, but the head should pick Grothe. The South Florida quarterback did it all for the Bulls, leading the team in passing and rushing while nursing a little case of the ‘sleepies’ before the game. According to ESPN.com, Grothe said he was more worried about getting up at 7 a.m. for the noon kickoff time than the game itself. Defense This one goes to the Pitt defensive line. The job that unit did in shutting down the patented Navy fullback dive was nothing short of dominant and forced Navy to rely on outside runs. Rutgers’ Blair Bines should also get some recognition for tackling Connecticut tailback Donald Brown in the endzone for a safety and eventually the game-winning score. Big East Least of the Week Connecticut kicker Ciaravino was wide left on a 43-yard attempt, hit the right upright on a 25-yarder and was wide left on a 42-yard try with just more than a minute left. The Huskies ended up losing by just two points after’ kicker Tony Ciaravino missed a field goal. There must have been some serious wind issues in Piscataway, N.J., this weekend. Big East Game of the Week Connecticut vs. Rutgers. Big East ‘On a Leash’ this Week Maybe not on a leash, more like a lame duck. Especially now heading into a bye week, the ticking clock on Greg Robinson’s tenure at Syracuse begins to tick just that much louder after an embarrassing home loss dropped the Orange to 2-22 against Big East opponents under Robinson. Big East’s Best Matchup of Next Week Plenty of Big East matchups fill next week with Rutgers visiting Pitt, Connecticut hosting Cincinnati and South Florida traveling to Louisville. But the only out-of-conference tilt kicks off in Morgantown Thursday night as the one-time SEC power Auburn Tigers pay a visit to West Virginia. This was a good preseason matchup when both teams were ranked in the top 15. But both teams have been struggling, and the matchup could be a big one for either team.