Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - CINCINNATI: The Bearcats did not play well at all on Saturday, as they dropped a 40-16 decision to UConn. Tony Pike struggled under center for Cincinnati (5-2, 1-1), completing just 10-of-27 throws for 136 yards and one score. Pike also tossed an interception and was sacked twice. The score was tied at 10 in the first quarter, but the Bearcats were dominated the rest of the way. Pike connected with Mardy Gilyard on a 27-yard scoring strike late in the first quarter, the only touchdown of the game for Cincy. On Thursday, Cincinnati will play host to South Florida.
CONNECTICUT: The Huskies put forth a dominant effort at home this past weekend, as they rolled to a 40-16 victory over league foe Cincinnati. Donald Brown rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns to lead the charge. Brown also caught four passes for 58 yards for UConn (6-2, 2-1 Big East), but quarterback Cody Endres struggled, completing just 18-of-42 passes for 196 yards. UConn is now eligible for a bowl, but the team has its sights set on the conference title. The Huskies host West Virginia this Saturday.
LOUISVILLE: Hunter Cantwell rushed for a score and tossed two touchdowns to Scott Long to lead the Cardinals to a 24-20 victory over South Florida on Saturday. Cantwell threw for 212 yards with an interception on 12-of-21 passing, while Long finished with 134 receiving yards on five receptions for Louisville (5-2, 1-1 Big East), which has rattled off three straight wins. Victor Anderson and Brock Bolen led the rushing attack with 64 and 47 yards, respectively, for Louisville. The all-time series between the Bulls and Cardinals is now tied at 3-3, with the home team winning each contest. Louisville will take on Syracuse this Saturday on the road.
PITTSBURGH: Fans of the Panthers watched in disbelief this past weekend as their nationally-ranked team dropped a 54-34 decision to Rutgers. Pitt permitted RU's starting quarterback to throw six touchdown passes, including five in the first half. LeSean McCoy put forth an outstanding effort, rushing for 146 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries for the Panthers (5-2, 2-1), who lost for the first time since an opening week setback to Bowling Green. Bill Stull completed 17-of-23 throws for 283 yards before being carried off on a stretcher with an apparent neck injury, and T.J. Porter caught four passes for 109 yards. The Panthers step outside the conference on Saturday to take on Notre Dame.
RUTGERS: In an absolute shocker, the Scarlet Knights easily beat nationally- ranked Pittsburgh on the road Saturday by a 54-34 final. Mike Teel was sensational for Rutgers, as the veteran quarterback threw for 361 yards and a school-record six touchdowns. Five of his touchdowns came in the first half, and Teel is now tied with Ray Lucas for the second most touchdown passes in Rutgers' history with 43. Kenny Britt was the recipient of three of Teel's scoring strikes, catching five passes for 143 yards for Rutgers (3-5, 2-2 Big East). The next scheduled game for the Scarlet Knights is on November 8th against Syracuse.
SOUTH FLORIDA: The nationally-ranked Bulls were upset by unranked Louisville, 24-20 over the weekend. South Florida (6-2, 1-2) was unable to establish a ground attack, as the team finished with a grand total of eight rushing yards. The program has now suffered two losses in the last three games after starting the season 5-0. Matt Grothe finished with 344 yards passing, two touchdowns and a pair of costly interceptions. Eleven different players caught a pass with Taurus Johnson logging a team-high 94 yards on six grabs. The Bulls travel to Cincinnati for a Thursday night affair with the Bearcats.
SYRACUSE: Syracuse was idle last weekend and will return to the field this Saturday against Louisville. Hopefully, the result of that clash will be better than the 45-13 beating that the Orange suffered in their last outing against South Florida in Tampa. The Orange actually outgained the Bulls, 221-212, in the first half but still went into the locker room trailing by a score of 21-13. In the second half, SU was completely dominated on both sides of the ball. Curtis Brinkley ran for 112 yards and a touchdown for Syracuse (1-6, 0-3), which has lost three in a row. The Orange were competitive in losses to Pittsburgh and West Virginia the past two games, but they could not hang with the Bulls in the third and fourth quarter as mentioned.
WEST VIRGINIA: After falling behind early on Thursday night, West Virginia took over the game against SEC foe Auburn and rolled to a 34-17 victory. Noel Devine was sensational for the Mountaineers, who racked up 207 yards on the ground. Not only were they effective on the ground, but quarterback Pat White was able to throw three touchdown passes. He finished 13-of-21 for 174 yards and was able to overcome a pair of early turnovers. Defensively, WVU was able to limit Auburn to 3.3 yards per rushing attempt while also shutting down the passing attack. The Mountaineers hope to continue their strong play against Connecticut on the road this Saturday.
