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 big east conference Standings

 Conference Overall

 W L W L

Pittsburgh 2 0 5 1

Rutgers 1 0 5 0

South Florida 1 1 4 2

Louisville 0 0 5 0

West Virginia 0 0 5 0

Cincinnati 0 1 3 3

Syracuse 0 1 3 3

Connecticut 0 1 2 3

CINCINNATI

INSIDE SLANT

Cincinnati has already gone through a lot this season. With two more top-10 opponents waiting on the schedule, the Bearcats are thrilled to be on pace for bowl eligibility at the midway point of the season.

"You need six wins to get to a bowl game," tight end Brent Celek said Saturday. "We're on our way."

The 3-3 record has the Bearcats on pace to touch the magical number of six, but Cincy flirted with falling to 2-4 Saturday. Yet, after spotting Akron a 14-0 lead and seeing the Zips approach a third score as the first quarter was ending, DT Thomas Cleggett came up with a big play on a 4th-and-2 at the Cincinnati 19. The play started a turnaround that eventually resulted in the Bearcats winning, 20-14.

"We had to step them," said Cincy coach Mark Dantonio. "I thought they would take a 21-0 lead if we hadn't."

Dustin Grutza, playing his finest college game a day after his grandmother passed away, threw for 230 yards and ran for a team-high 72, and the Bearcats (3-3, 0-1) had back-to-back wins in the same season for the first time in two years.

And even though the wins have come against Eastern Kentucky and a pair of MAC teams with losing records -– all at home –- the Bearcats have a chance to reach their goals.

They visit No. 8 Louisville next week, the third of four road games against teams ranked among the top 11 this season.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Dustin Grutza –- His grandmother passed away Friday. Grutza then went out and passed for 230 yards and a touchdown and ran for a team-high 72 yards in a come-from-behind 20-14 win over Akron Saturday.

KEEP AN EYE ON: PK Greg Lovell –- He kicked two more field goals and might have had a third Saturday had it not been for a bobbled snap. He has seven field goals for the year, passing last year's total, and now has a school-record 66 straight extra points.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I was really close to her. It was hard, but I knew I had to go out and play for her. She'd be smiling down right now." –- Cincinnati QB Dustion Grutza, on his grandmother, who passed away Friday

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: The Cincinnati offense, led by Dustin Grutza, had control of the ball for 36 minutes and 22 seconds in the win over Akron Saturday. Down, 14-0, Grutza led his team to a 20-14 win and the offense was able to control the ball. On the other side, the defense did give up its first two first-quarter TDs of the season, but yielded only 10 first downs and 219 yards of total offense.

QB Dustin Grutza -– His grandmother passed away Friday. Grutza then went out Saturday and had the game of his career. He passed for 230 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a team-high 73 yards.

PK Greg Lovell –- A bobbled snap kept him from his third field goal of the game -– the kick ricocheted off an upright –- but he had field goals of 46 and 35 yards, his sixth and seventh of the year, surpassing last year's total. His two extra points gave him 66 straight made, breaking Jonathan Ruffin's school record. "I should have hit that one no matter what happened," he said of the miss, which snapped a streak of seven straight makes.

TE Brent Celek –- On a 4th-and-1 at the Akron 26, Celek caught a play-action screen pass at the 22, broke two tackles and hammered his way into the end zone for his first touchdown of the year and the 12th of his career. He caught a pass for the 18th straight game, grabbing four passes for 60 yards in the game.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Bearcats continue to fight the schedule-makers. Four road games against teams ranked (at the time of the game) No. 11 or higher? It's crazy, but the Bearcats are 3-3 after playing two of those games.

ROSTER REPORT: DE Angelo Craig made his first career start and had a sack.

TE Kazeem Alli had his first career catch.

Derrick Stewart had a 68-yard punt return for a score called back for a penalty.

_____________________________________________________________

CONNECTICUT

INSIDE SLANT

Things are getting bad in Storrs, and they may just get worse.

A week after getting blown off its own field by Navy, UConn flew south for a game against South Florida Saturday night –- apparently heading in the same direction as their season.

"All of us have to be part of the solution," UConn coach Randy Edsall said after the 38-16 pasting in Tampa. "We're all part of the reason why we're not winning, but we've all got to be part of what we're going to do."

The Huskies, who have surrendered an unacceptable 79 points and 963 yards of offense in the last two games, dropped to 2-4 after losing their Big East opener. They have Army coming to East Hartford next Saturday. Some might view the service academy as possible relief, but the Black Knights are .500 and won at Baylor. They scored 62 points against 1-AA VMI Saturday, a potentially ominous sign for a UConn team that allowed 82 total points in the past two games.

Just about everything is going wrong for UConn. Edsall changed quarterbacks that hasn't worked Saturday he changed kickers (which almost led to a disastrous start when a 19-yard field goal hit the upright but went through, and the defense has now allowed a touchdown on the first possession of each half in each of the past two games.

"We can't have that," defensive end Rhema Fuller said Saturday night.

UConn must stem the tide before it sinks to new lows.

For the second straight week, UConn was torched by the running and passing of an opposing quarterback, this week getting lit up by USF's talented redshirt freshman Matt Grothe. On the other side, USF held running back Terry Caulley to 38 yards on 14 carries.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: When a team gets hammered for a second straight week, there are few game balls to hand out. LB Ryan Henegan, who had 10 tackles, nine solo tackles and two for a loss, stood out in the 38-16 defeat at South Florida Saturday night.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Matt Bonislawski –- He now has two straight starts under his belt and is a dismal 35-for-77 throwing the football. With the running game shut down Saturday night, it was unfair to expect Bonislawksi to carry the offense.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've got a lot of work to do, and we'll continue to work hard. It's just one of those things where we've got to take a look at a lot of different things and see what we can do to help them get better. That's what we'll do." –- UConn coach Randy Edsall on the plight of his 2-4 team

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: LB Ryan Henegan made 10 tackles in the bad loss at South Florida Saturday night, nine of them solo and two were for a loss of yardage.

RB Terry Caulley –- He had a rough night Saturday with just 38 yards on 14 carries, but he did pass Ed Long's school record for carries and now leads the all-time list in both carries and yards.

P Chris Pavasaris –- He had a career-long 69-yard punt in the game.

FB Donn Anderson –- Caught a touchdown pass for the second week in a row.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Name it, it needs help. Randy Edsall has changed quarterbacks and even changed kickers. He made moves at wide receiver and on defense nothing is working. The Huskies had a punt blocked and Matt Nuzie missed an extra point and a 24-yard field goal before losing his job Saturday night. And those were just two of the problems.

ROSTER REPORT: After Nuzie missed the extra point and 24-yard field goal, backup Craig Vicidomino came on and kicked a 19-yarder that hit the upright and went through. He's the kicker. "Nuzie wasn't getting the job done so we made a change," Edsall said. "We'll probably stay that way."

Freshmen WRs Terance Jeffers and Brad Kanuch both made their first career starts.

S Allan Barnes replaced Dahna Deleston in the starting lineup, Barnes making his seventh career start, his first since Oct. 13, 2004.

No injuries were reported.

_____________________________________________________________

LOUISVILLE

INSIDE SLANT

Louisville is 5-0 for the first time under Bobby Petrino, for the first time since 1993 and only the third time in school history.

That's the bottom line –- especially considered the battery of injuries the team survived but Petrino knows perfection, outside of the loss column, continues to elude his club.

The Cards go for their second 6-0 start in the history of the program when they host Cincinnati Saturday, likely again without the "Derby City Duo" of quarterback Brian Brohm and running back Michael Bush, who is out for the year.

The other 6-0 Cardinal team, which played under current ESPN talking head Lee Corso, was the 9-1 Missouri Valley champions of 1972 and beat Cincinnati for win No. 6 that year.

"It was a good win for us (but) we didn't play as well as I'd like to," Petrino said after the 44-17 win at Middle Tennessee State Friday night. "We cannot give up a kickoff return early in the game and get behind. But we came back, we showed a lot of poise."

It's nice to be a team that wins by that much and then have the coach talk about how his team didn't play all that well. It's also great news for Louisville that Brohm is ready to throw and should come back soon from a thumb injury.

Brohm's replacement, Hunter Cantwell, threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns Friday night (two of them to Mario Urrutia), when the running game stumbled.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Hunter Cantwell -– Louisville used the off week to get the replacement starter the work he needed to make the offense run better. He wasn't perfect -– many No. 2 quarterbacks would be inferior to Cantwell –- but he threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns in the win at Middle Tennessee State.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Freshman RB Anthony Allen -– He came off the bench and helped the offense get it going in the second half, with 70 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're got a lot to work for -– a lot to work on, I guess -– in preparing for the Cincinnati game." –- Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, after Friday night's win at Middle Tennessee State

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: RB Anthony Allen –- The freshman ran for 70 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in the second half of Friday night's 44-17 win at Middle Tennessee State.

QB Hunter Cantwell –- With Brian Brohm getting ready to start throwing, Cantwell moved to 2-0 as a starter, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns Friday night. "Hunter got better in the game," said coach Bobby Petrino. "I think that's one thing that will help us down the road is when the game went on, he got better."

WR Mario Urrutia –- The 6-6 target wants Cantwell to throw the ball up in the air and let him catch it, and Urrutia had four catches for 134 yards and a pair of scores Friday night.

LB Lamar Myles –- He had 13 tackles in the win over Middle Tennessee.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Petrino wasn't happy with the Michael Bush-less running game Friday night and vows to work at it and get it better.

P Todd Flannery His first kick Friday night was a 25-yarder.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported, which is always major news with this team.

Brohm is ahead of schedule and should start throwing this week. Can he possibly be ready to play Saturday against Cincinnati?

_____________________________________________________________

PITTSBURGH

INSIDE SLANT

The Pittsburgh running game finally arrived at the Carrier Dome Saturday.

"It's funny how things work," quarterback Tyler Palko said after the 21-11 win at Syracuse. "All season, we've heard, 'Where's the run game? Where's the run game?' But I said we were close and it was just a matter of a few missed assignments here and there."

There were no apparent missed assignments Saturday as LaRod Stephens-Howling romped for 221 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown run, on 27 carries and the team ran for 238 yards.

Coming into the game, Stephens-Howling had carried the ball 56 times for a total of 207 net yards. Saturday, he became the first Pitt runner in six years to run for more than 220. It was the first time this season the Panthers, who beat a Syracuse team that had won three straight coming in, ran for 200 yards in a game.

The win, the third straight after that the homefield meltdown against Michigan State, lifted the Panthers to 5-1 on the season. They were 5-1 in both 2000 and 2002, but haven't gotten off to a start as good as 6-1 since the 1982 team started 7-0. Pitt is at Central Florida this Friday.

Palko, the nation's leading passer, was 20-for-24 for 177 yards, a passing TD and one on the ground. In the last three games, the lefty is an impressive 47-for-56 for 662 yards, six TDs and no interceptions.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: RB LaRod Stephens-Howling –- He ran for a career-high 221 yards, including a 70-yarder for a score Saturday, passing his season total in yardage in one game and leading Pitt to its first 200-yard rushing game as a team since last Sept. 24.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Tyler Palko –- What an amazing run this senior is on -– 47-for-56 for 667 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in the last three games, all Pitt wins.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "He's a heck of a football player, but for several reason he really hadn't come out. But we all knew it was coming with LaRod and it came today. Obviously, it couldn't have come at a better time for us." –- Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt on RB LaRod Stephens-Howling rushing for a career-high 221 yards in Saturday's win at Syracuse

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: RB LaRod Stephens-Howling -– He came into Saturday's game at Syracuse with 207 yards on 56 carries. Saturday, he romped for 221 yards -– including a 70-yard touchdown run –- on 27 carries in the 21-11 win. His coach, Dave Wannstedt, said Stephens-Howling was among players he believed needed to do more.

QB Tyler Palko –- The numbers for the last three games – 47-for-56 for 662 yards, six TDs and no interceptions

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LB H.B. Blades –- He had 10 more tackles Saturday, moving into eighth place on the school's all-time list with 354.

The Pitt defense -– These guys manhandled the SU offensive line, holding the Orange to 92 yards rushing.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Now that the running game has produced its first 200-yard effort in over a year, the goal is to keep it going, and the South Florida defense isn't an easy one to move the football against.

ROSTER REPORT: WR Derek Kinder was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a mild concussion but returned and played in the second half.

DE Charles Sallet (toe), WR Marcel Pestano (hamstring) and S Eric Thatcher (ankle) didn't play against Syracuse. Mike Phillips started for Thatcher, his first start since the third game of last season.

With John Simonitis gone for the year, Joe Thomas made his first career start at right guard.

_____________________________________________________________

RUTGERS

INSIDE SLANT

Undefeated and 24th-ranked Rutgers spent its bye week healing some bumps and bruises, dealing with some of the media attention that comes with being a 5-0 team in the New York area and getting ready for Navy.

Getting back on the field is most important as the Scarlet Knights look to go to 6-0 Saturday at Annapolis.

Like most people who follow college football, Rutgers knows how difficult the Navy triple-option offense can be to defend. The Knights play Navy almost every year. Still, when the Rutgers players found out Navy put up 605 yards of offense at Connecticut the previous week (before beating Air Force to go to 5-1 Saturday), they took notice.

"That gets your attention," said defensive end Jamaal Westerman.

There are some who believe Rutgers only made it to 5-0 (1-0 Big East) because of its soft schedule. There are some who will look at a win over Navy as more of the same.

But Navy is 5-1, the Middies are playing at home and this will be a major test for the Scarlet Knights in their attempt to advance in the Top 25.

And don't forget, Rutgers qualifies for its second straight bowl game with its next victory.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: The honorary game ball, during this off week, should go to RB Ray Rice, who seems to deserve one every week.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Mike Teel -– His coach, Greg Schiano, stands firmly behind him, but the numbers say Teel is currently as shaky as it gets among D-1 quarterbacks. The ability is there, the results haven't been.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I didn't know it was going to be like this. I knew the program would eventually get turned around but I didn't know the media attention would be like this. This is what USC's get. And they get even more because it's every day, every year." –- Rutgers FB Brian Leonard, on the attention his team is getting after a 5-0 start

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: RB Ray Rice You never hear his name mentioned, but why isn't this guy a Heisman candidate? He could be after gaining 806 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns in the first five games of the season. Rice was named Big East offensive player of the week for his 202-yard game at South Florida. He tied JJ Jennings' school record of seven straight 100-yard games and three career 200-yard efforts.

PK Jeremy Ito -– He kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal and also had 32- and 40-yarders in the win. He did have one blocked, a 42-yarder that almost helped send the game to overtime, but earned a spot on the Big East's weekly honor roll. Ito is 6-for-8 on field-goal attempts this season.

FB Brian Leonard –- Catching a pass in his 39th straight game, Leonard moved to within a game of matching West Virginia's Khori Ivy's all-time Big East record in the win at South Florida. TE Clark Harris caught a pass for the 35th straight game at Tampa.

STILL NEEDS WORK: QB Mike Teel -– The numbers have been poor, right near the bottom of all D-1 quarterbacks in terms of efficiency rating, but Greg Schiano is firmly behind his passer. "I think Mike is getting better," Schiano said. "I think he is seeing things better."

ROSTER REPORT: The Scarlet Knights used the bye week to heal their bumps and bruises.

Leonard, who suffered a hip pointer on USF's onside kick at the end of the game, will play at Navy.

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SOUTH FLORIDA

INSIDE SLANT

This time, there were no late comebacks, no breakdowns on the game's final plays.

This time there was no South Florida drama.

OK, there was a little drama.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Grothe, who makes the Bills' offense run, left Saturday night's 38-16 blowout of Connecticut early in the second quarter with a right foot injury. With the home crowd and his teammates hoping for the best, he returned later in the quarter and led his team to a win that snapped a two-game losing streak and lifted USF to 4-2 (1-1 Big East).

"It was the worst pain," Grothe said later. "I've broken some bones (a finger) before. Whenever I break something in the past it goes numb and that's how it went. I thought I messed something up pretty bad."

As it turned out, he stretched ligaments in the foot. But the real pain was suffered by UConn, which had come to Tampa and ended USF's Big East title plans with a 15-10 win last year.

Grothe was 12-for-15 for 146 yards and a passing touchdown and also ran for 82 yards and three scores. He is the USF offense -– and got some surprise help from walk-on RB Benjamin Williams, who ran for a career-high 108 yards and two touchdowns. Williams gave the Bulls something they hadn't had all season -– a running game besides Grothe.

The Bulls visit North Carolina next week for the final non-conference game of the season.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Matt Grothe -– He injured his right foot early in the second quarter Saturday night but returned and was responsible for four touchdowns –- three running –- in the 38-16 blowout of Connecticut. Grothe was 12-for-15 for 146 yards passing.

KEEP AN EYE ON: RB Benjamin Williams –- The sophomore is a walk-on, but perhaps not for long as he ran for a career-high 108 yards and a TD on 22 carries. "What a great job. I better put him on scholarship, huh?" said USF coach Jim Leavitt. "I'm proud of him. He played well."

QUOTE TO NOTE:"I was praying. I said a few prayers for him. I asked the Lord to heal him. You get a little worried but you want to stay focused. I know what it's like without Matt. He's a very talented player. I'm glad he's fine." – USF LB Ben Moffitt, after the foot injury suffered by QB Matt Grothe in the second quarter of Saturday night's win over UConn

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: QB Matt Grothe had to miss part of the second quarter Saturday night with a foot injury, but returned and finished 12-for-15 for 146 yards and a touchdown passing and 82 yards and three scores on 15 rushing attempts in leading USF to victory.

RB Benjamin Williams –- Still just a walk-on, the sophomore ran for a career-high 108 yards and a score (a 15-yarder) on 22 carries in the win over UConn.

DB Jerome Murphy –- He blocked a punt in the victory.

WR Amarri Jackson -– Had his first career touchdown reception against UConn.

The USF defense –- It limited UConn all-time rushing leader Terry Caulley to 38 yards on 14 carries and held the Huskies to 60 yards on the ground.

STILL NEEDS WORK: This is a proud defense, and even though the Bulls stopped Caulley and the UConn running game, LB Stephen Nicholas said: "We have some kinks to work out on defense, but we did pretty good. It was important to break out of the losing streak and get back on the right track."

ROSTER REPORT: With RB Ricky Ponton set to return from suspension at North Carolina, USF coach Jim Leavitt didn't say whether he or walk-on Benjamin Williams would start –- Williams running up a career game Saturday night.

Grothe left Saturday night's game early in the second quarter with a right injury but returned later in the quarter. He has stretched ligaments on top of his foot but don't expect him to miss any time.

_____________________________________________________________

SYRACUSE

INSIDE SLANT

All good things must come to an end.

Syracuse didn't want to believe that was true, not after three straight wins had put an abrupt halt to a school-worst 11-game losing streak. Then, along came Pitt, led by Tyler Palko and a running back named LaRod Stephens-Howling.

Palko continued an amazing three-game run and season Saturday, but it was Stephens-Howling awakening the once-dormant Pitt running attack that led to a 21-11 Panther win at the Carrier Dome Saturday.

"That's just horrible," Syracuse linebacker K.J. Smith said after his team fell to 3-3 in the Big East opener. "We had a bad game, one of the worst defensive efforts of the season so far."

It wasn't just the defense. The offensive line was manhandled by the Pittsburgh front. Every starter on the SU line had a penalty and the quarterback, Perry Patterson, was yelling at his linemen all day. Patterson had a good day but it wasn't nearly enough as Syracuse rushed for only 92 yards and coughed up three fumbles.

And it figures to get worse, for the Orange.

Next week Syracuse, which has now lost eight straight Big East games, is at No. 4 West Virginia. The following week, No. 8 Louisville, which should have injured quarterback Brian Brohm back in the lineup, invades the Carrier Dome.

So much for all that optimism.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Perry Patterson -– He did have a fumble after a sack deep in Pitt territory, but the senior was 20-for-29 for 225 yards and a touchdown pass in the loss to Pittsburgh. He hit freshman Mike Williams with a 29-yard TD pass and then again on a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

KEEP AN EYE ON: WR Mike Williams -– The freshman matched his career high with three catches and registered a career-best 57 yards Saturday. The TD catch was the first of his career, and he followed it by catching the two-point conversion pass from Patterson.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Obviously we are 0-1 in the Big East, so an opportunity to win here at home, that hurts. So we are going to have to come up with something big on the road and get things going. Really, that is how you have to look at it. We are going into West Virginia and we know the challenge. We have to find a way and that's the bottom line." –- Syracuse coach Greg Robinson, after Saturday's home loss to Pitt

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: There wasn't a lot to be thrilled with on the Syracuse side of things at the Carrier Dome Saturday. The Orange came in with three straight wins and didn't really put up much of a fight against Pitt.

QB Perry Patterson – The Orange scored only 11 points but Patterson was 20-for-29 for 225 yards and a touchdown and also tossed a two-point conversion pass to make the final margin more respectable in the fourth quarter.

WR Mike Williams -– He ran up a career-best 57 yards and scored his first touchdown in the loss, also gathering in a two-point conversion pass from Patterson. The three receptions matched his career high.

PK Patrick Shadle -– He's now 9-for-10 on field-goal attempts after kicking a 44-yarder Saturday.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Syracuse defense allowed running back LaRod Stephens-Howling to run all over them Saturday, also getting lit up by Tyler Palko. The offensive line was overmatched by the Pitt front, the Orange ran up penalties all day and also coughed up three fumbles and ran for just 92 yards.

ROSTER REPORT: S Bruce Williams, who broke his thumb in the opener, saw his first action since. He was part of the kick return team and then replaced Max Meisel returning punts after Meisel made a bad decision.

No injuries were reported.

WR Dante Davis had a career-long 26-yard reception.

WR Rice Moss saw his streak of 17 straight games with at least one catch come to an end.

P Brendan Carney moved into a tie with Jim Fox for second place on Syracuse's all-time punts list, with 225 attempts.

_____________________________________________________________

WEST VIRGINIA

INSIDE SLANT

Remember all that stuff about Rich Rodriguez not caring about how his football team won games, as long as his guys won?

Forget he ever said it.

The No. 4 Mountaineers won, 42-14, at Mississippi State Saturday, but Rodriguez was anything but thrilled with the victory.

"I'm disappointed in the way we played football," Rodriguez said after the game.

West Virginia is 5-0 and in the middle of the national-title picture. The Mountaineers have a 12-game winning streak, second only to Ohio State's 13 straight, and haven't trailed for a single second in a game since Oct. 15, 2005. But when you run up 11 penalties (four of them against quarterback Antonio Lewis) for 132 yards, your coach tends to get a little jumpy especially when the uneven play leads to a bit of late-game anxiety.

"It's crazy," said Rodriguez. "We're going to get that fixed. If I have to move 20 guys from offense to the other side of the ball that will play football the right way, I will."

Mississippi State (1-5) ran 72 plays to only 54 for West Virginia. Every time WVU came up with a stop, it seemed to give back the ball because of a penalty.

"We never had the ball on offense," Rodriguez said. "It's hard to score when you don't have it."

When they did have it, Steve Slaton bounced back from his 80-yard game at East Carolina with 185 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Patrick White ran for 76 yards and two scores, Owen Schmitt scored two touchdowns and Vaughn Rivers returned a punt for a TD. Darius Reynaud had another big offensive game, too.

But the coach wasn't happy, and the players will pay for it in practice this week before Syracuse comes in for Saturday's Big East opener.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: RB Steve Slaton –- After being held to 80 yards rushing, less than half his season average, at East Carolina last week, he broke loose for 185 yards and a touchdown in the win at Mississippi State.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Patrick White –- He seems to get it done a different way every week, this time running for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We were out there making plays and then we'd shoot ourselves in the foot. We say every week we'll get it corrected, but we just keep doing it. The guys know it was embarrassing, the way we played." -– West Virginia LB Jay Henry, after 132 yards in penalties kept Mississippi State afloat Saturday

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: RB Steve Slaton was held under 100 yards last week but bounced back from an 80-yard effort at East Carolina with 185 and a touchdown in the win at Mississippi State.

QB Patrick White -– With two busloads of family and friends making the five-hour trip from Daphne, Ala., White ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns and directed the West Virginia offense well.

The West Virginia pass rush -– While the defense was riddled by penalties all day (four of them by CB Antonio Lewis), the unit, the only defense in the country which hadn't recorded a quarterback sack coming in, had six in the win.

FB Owen Schmitt –- He scored two touchdowns Saturday.

WR/R Darius Reynaud -– He had two catches for 41 yards, including a 37-yarder, added a 25-yard run and 25-yard kickoff return.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Mountaineers won, 42-14, Saturday but had 132 yards on 11 penalties, thoroughly angering their coach, Rich Rodriguez. It's something the coach vows to work on, even threatening to move offensive players to defense to play "West Virginia football."

ROSTER REPORT: DE Keilen Dykes left the game with a hand injury on the first series.

WR Tito Gonzales made his first career start.

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 big east conference Standings

 Conference Overall

 W L W L

Louisville 2 0 7 0

Rutgers 2 0 7 0

West Virginia 2 0 7 0

Pittsburgh 2 1 6 2

South Florida 1 2 5 3

Cincinnati 1 2 4 4

Connecticut 0 2 3 4

Syracuse 0 3 3 5

CINCINNATI

INSIDE SLANT

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That much they believe in Cincinnati these days.

The Bearcats, who have already lost to three teams ranked, at the time of the game, in the top 11 on the road this season and still must go to No. 4 West Virginia on Nov. 11 -– played those three top-11 teams tough, and the results against the not-so-tough competition have been fine.

Cincy beat Miami (Ohio) and Akron from the MAC in back-to-back weeks, narrowly lost to Louisville and, Sunday night, manhandled South Florida (23-6) for the Bearcats' third win in their last four games.

Don't look now, but Cincinnati, which has four losses to teams with a cumulative 23-3 record through the weekend, is 4-4, 1-2 in the Big East. The Cats have a chance.

"We're on our bowl march," said Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio. "I keep telling you guys that when you win, the window gets a little bigger. The window got a little bigger for us tonight."

Needing two more wins to become eligible for a bowl berth, Cincy has Syracuse at home Saturday (a short week because of the Sunday night game), then goes to West Virginia, hosts No. 16 Rutgers and finishes at struggling Connecticut.

Can you find two wins there? Sure, but there's no sure thing for a team like this, one that is still searching for its real identity.

Sunday night, the Bearcats had a shutout until the final minute of a game that was 2-0, Cincinnati, at the end of the first half.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: LB Kevin McCullough -– With his team ahead, 2-0, he scooped up a fumble and ran 39 yards for a touchdown that gave his team some breathing room Sunday night. Cincinnati posted a 23-6 Big East win over South Florida.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Dustin Grutza -– He didn't have a great game but he didn't have to, as his defense took care of business. The Bearcats recorded four sacks and held USF to 219 total yards.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've got to win two out of four. We have another critical game next week when Syracuse comes to town for Homecoming. We need to be 5-4 going into our break week." -– Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio on his team's bowl outlook.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: LB Kevin McCullough had the biggest play of Sunday night's game, scooping up a Taurus Johnson fumble and going 39 yards down the left sideline before diving into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. It was McCullough's second career return for a score.

P Brian Steel –- In a game of field position, four of his seven punts landed deep in USF territory; two were downed at the 2, one at the 6 and another at the 12.

TE Brent Celek –- Knocked out of the game with a neck stinger that required electric charges, he eventually returned in the second half and caught the 82nd pass of his career, setting the school record for catches by a tight end. He has caught a pass in 20 consecutive games.

The defense –- South Florida came in averaging 379.4 yards per game of total offense and had 219 Sunday night, its lowest in 15 games.

DE Trevor Anderson -– He tackled Benjamin Williams in the end zone to record Cincinnati's first safety since the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl.

STILL NEEDS WORK: K Kevin Lovell, kicking in a tough wind, missed field goals of 32 and 47 yards, going wide right on the shorter one and short on the longer one. The Bearcats probably should have scored more, given the play of the defense, but South Florida showed a good defense, too.

The Cincinnati fan base also needs work. Even though $14 admission was offered any fan with a ticket stub from the Bengals game played earlier in the day, the game drew only 15,889, some 4,000 under the already low Cincy average.

ROSTER REPORT: Celek left the game in the first half with a neck stinger, wanted to go right back in but was treated through the rest of the half and returned for the second half.

Celek is a semifinalist for 2006 Draddy Trophy, awarded to a senior for academic success, football performance and community leadership. He's also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award.

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CONNECTICUT

INSIDE SLANT

Defensive end Rhema Fuller said it perfectly UConn just isn't there yet.

There as in being able to play with the big boys.

"You use this as a measuring stick, and the measuring stick is that we didn't beat them, so we're not where we need to be," Fuller said after the Huskies were handled at home by No. 4 West Virginia, 37-11 Friday night. "Until this program beats a team of this caliber, we're not where we need to be."

He's right. And they're not.

For now, the Huskies are the kid being held at arm's length by the bully. They should be able to compete at Rutgers on Saturday, but it looks as if Rutgers actually might be getting to that bully status kind of odd considering people thought UConn would get there faster than the Scarlet Knights.

UConn is 0-8 against nationally ranked opponents.

As the Huskies (3-4, 0-2) prepare for the 16th-ranked team in the nation, coach Randy Edsall faces another quarterback decision. Matt Bonislawski, who took the job from D.J. Hernandez, was relieved by Hernandez on Friday night, and Hernandez played well enough to have the coach thinking about another change.

"We'll just take a look at it and see what the best for us," Edsall said, also leaving the door open for playing both quarterbacks against Rutgers.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: SS Donta Moore The junior had 14 tackles and an interception in the 37-11 loss to No. 4 West Virginia on Friday night.

KEEP AN EYE ON: The UConn QB situation Randy Edsall said after Friday's game he will decide whether to stick with D.J. Hernandez, who replaced Matt Bonislawski, who had replaced Hernandez earlier in the season. Edsall even said he might play both against Rutgers on Saturday.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "When you play a team of that caliber, you know going in that there's a small margin for error. I thought our kids could beat it." UConn coach Randy Edsall after the 37-11 loss to No. 4 West Virginia.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: QB D.J. Hernandez, given another shot at the job he lost, came on and played well enough down the stretch Friday night to have his coach, Randy Edsall, thinking about sticking with him for Saturday's game at Rutgers. "D.J. goes in and does a really nice job and moves the team, and then he makes the mistakes, throws the pick," Edsall said. "He's trying to do too much. But he's got to learn from these situations."

SS Donta Moore He had 14 tackles and an interception in the loss to West Virginia.

PK Tony Ciaravino The third UConn kicker this season kicked a 29-yard field goal on his first college kick.

LB Danny Lansanah He was in on 12 tackles, 0.5 for a loss.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The QB situation It still needs to be worked on; something has to be done to get Terry Caulley more than 35 yards on 13 carries; the kicking game is anything but a sure thing. Etc. etc.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported.

Defensive end Lindsey Whitten made his first career start.

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LOUISVILLE

INSIDE SLANT

It wasn't pretty but it was historic as Louisville moved to 7-0 for only the second time in school history with a 28-13 win at Syracuse on Saturday.

Way back in 1925, the Cardinals started 7-0 and finished 8-0. This year's team, ranked No. 6, can get to 8-0 only if it beats No. 4 West Virginia on Thursday, Nov. 2.

It took almost the entire first half for Louisville (2-0 Big East) to get on the board at the Carrier Dome. By that time, the defense had bent but not broken, coming up with enough big plays to keep the home team from breaking it open early.

"We could have easily been down 14-0 or 17-0," Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. "Our defense just did a great job of rallying up."

The D wound up holding Syracuse to two field goals, and linebacker Lamar Myles caused a fumble at the Louisville 3 to stop another drive. Then quarterback Brian Brohm and his offense got it going, but this game wasn't wrapped up until almost the every end, when Kolby Smith returned from running back oblivion to put a stamp on another victory.

Brohm reported his surgically repaired right thumb "felt close to 100 percent" and said he might have the protective splint removed soon. The extra days before the West Virginia game which is at Louisville should help even more.

Originally, the Cards were hoping to get Brohm back in time for that game. Now, he already has played twice.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: RB Kolby Smith He had gained 23 yards on 12 carries in the last two games when he emerged with career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns in the win at Syracuse. "I only have five games left in my career, I just wanted to make the best of it," the senior said after destroying his previous career best of 96 yards. He ran for 77 yards, including a 31-yard TD, on seven carries on the drive that wrapped things up.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Brian Brohm He had a solid-enough day 18-for-26 for 203 yards, one interception Saturday, but wins over Cincinnati and Syracuse are just rehearsals for the Nov. 2 game against West Virginia.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "This was a team win. As a defense, we did a good job of holding on while we waited for our offense to get going." Louisville DT Amobi Okoye on his team's win at Syracuse on Saturday.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: It will always be a question after the first-game loss of Michael Bush, but the Louisville running game came through in a big way in the win at Syracuse. Kolby Smith, who had been a forgotten man after two invisible games, broke through with a career-high 165 yards and two scores and the ground game notched 223 yards and four TDs in the win.

The defense Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson had a career day with 303 yards, but the D held Syracuse to 19 yards on the ground and held on during an early onslaught that ended up producing only two field goals and a fumble at the Louisville 3.

QB Brian Brohm The hope was that he'd be back in time for the Nov. 2 showdown with West Virginia, but this gutsy character has already played two games. He's not quite Brian Brohm just yet, but this extra time leading up to West Virginia should help. He is seventh in all-time passing yards at the school and should clear the 5,000 mark against West Virginia.

WR Harry Douglas He had six catches for 72 yards in the win.

CB William Gay He had his third interception of the year, returning it 35 yards, and tied for the team lead with seven tackles, one for loss.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Cardinals changed punters and punt returners at Syracuse. They also fumbled three times, losing two, and Brohm threw an interception. They have 11 turnovers in the last four games, and mistakes like these don't figure to fly against West Virginia.

ROSTER REPORT: While the Cardinals somehow apparently managed to escape having another seriously injured player in the Syracuse game, co-defensive coordinator Mike Cassity missed the game after spending time in the hospital with a prostate infection. He should be fine.

Freshman walk-on Corey Goettcshe replaced Todd Flannery as the punter and had three kicks for a 40.3-yard average.

Freshman Trent Guy replaced Patrick Curran as the punt returner and had four returns for 20 yards.

DE Brendan Cox and DT Willie Williams both made their first career starts.

[smazza]

SYRACUSE

INSIDE SLANT

Now that the two-game ride through the Big East iron is over, Syracuse coach Greg Robinson vows his guys aren't quite done with the 2006 season even if it looks as if it might have taken a huge chunk out of the team's energy and spirit.

"No, no, there are no excuses," Robinson said after Saturday's 28-13 loss to No. 6 Louisville, which followed the defeat at the hands of No. 4 West Virginia the previous week. "There is no toll. We will be ready to play Cincinnati ... not to be disrespectful, in any way, no. We signed on board for 12 football games."

And having to play these two teams after the optimism of getting to the 3-2 mark was cruel and unusual punishment. Pittsburgh, the first of the three straight losses, is no walk in the park, either.

Saturday, the Orange held Louisville off the scoreboard until the final minute of the first half, but the failure to cash in on three early chances which resulted in two field goals and a fumble at the Louisville 3 ultimately spelled the end.

The Orange didn't quit. SU (3-5, 0-3) had a chance at the end, before the Cardinals put the game away with a 77-yard touchdown drive.

Lost in another loss was a career-high 303 yards passing by Perry Patterson.

But the Orange have lost 10 straight Big East games as they head to Cincinnati on Saturday, to play a team that will have a short week after playing Sunday night.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Perry Patterson His team scored only 13 points, but Patterson became the first Syracuse passer to hit for 300 yards in three years when he went for a career-high 303 in the 28-13 loss to No. 6 Louisville.

KEEP AN EYE ON: DB Nick Chestnut Making his first college start Saturday, he had 11 tackles, nine of them solo.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Got to capitalize. We left too many opportunities on the field, and we can't." Syracuse offensive coordinator Brian White after the Orange got only six points out of three deep penetrations into Louisville territory early in Saturday's game.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: QB Perry Patterson Had a strong game in the loss to Louisville, going 24-for-38 for a career-high 303 yards and becoming the first Syracuse quarterback since A.J. Anderson, in 2003, to throw for 300. He also continued moving up SU's career-passing lists.

DB Nick Chestnut Making his first career start, he had 11 tackles, nine of them solo, in the loss to Louisville.

WR Rice Moss He had a season-high five catches, for 68 yards, in the Louisville game.

PK Patrick Shadle Two more field goals Saturday, giving him at least one in all eight games this season.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Syracuse goal-line offense continues to fail. It cost the Orange an upset of Iowa and failed miserably early in Saturday's game, when Syracuse settled for two field goals and Delone Carter fumbled at the Louisville 3. While the Orange have 28 sacks as a team this year, the rushing defense was again blown away for 223 yards Saturday while the rushing offense netted just 19. This team has winnable games left on the schedule but might have to learn how to win again.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported other than safety Joe Fields, who sat out the second half, probably as a lingering result of a stinger suffered the previous week.

TE Tom Ferron had a career-high 88 yards in catches Saturday.

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WEST VIRGINIA

INSIDE SLANT

Now, the real game has arrived for the fourth-ranked Mountaineers.

"Finally, we know who's next," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said Friday night after his team moved to 7-0 with a 37-11 blowout of Connecticut, setting up the Nov. 2 showdown at No. 6 Louisville.

"Now you can bring it up and talk about it. Our players are anxious to talk about it. It's what everybody has been pointing toward. We got to where we wanted to be: 7-0 (2-0 Big East) against Louisville."

There are the detractors that say neither of these two Big East powers has really beaten anyone Louisville's win over then-ranked Miami (Fla.) looks weaker and weaker. But, after Nov. 2, one of them is going to have a win over the other.

Friday night, UConn concentrated on stopping Steve Slaton and did that for much of the game. But with West Virginia, you pick your poison, and quarterback Patrick White ran for 102 yards and passed for 156.

"When you play a team of that caliber, you know going in that there's a small margin for error," said UConn coach Randy Edsall.

Slaton broke through late, his career-long 56-yard touchdown run allowing him to wind up with 128 yards for the game, much closer to his 155-yard average.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Patrick White. Again. The previous week, he broke his own Big East single-game rushing record. This time, at UConn, he was a bit quieter but still ran for 102 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown run and another 30-yarder, and threw for 156 yards, a TD and an interception.

KEEP AN EYE ON: RB Steve Slaton The big test is coming up and you know Louisville's eyes will be on Slaton, who has been the focus of more than one opponent already this season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "All the games we've played so far were just leading up to Louisville. It's been like a ladder. Every game we've gotten better and better and when we get to Louisville, we have to go to the next level." West Virginia DL Warren Young, looking at the Nov. 2 game at Louisville.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: The West Virginia offense, led by quarterback Patrick White and running back Steve Slaton, seems unstoppable. You focus on one, the other one gets you. It's a pick-your-poison situation for any opponent.

QB Patrick White A week after breaking his own Big East rushing record with 247 yards on just 15 carries, he ran up 258 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-11 blowout of UConn.

RB Steve Slaton They held him in check for much of the game, but Slaton still wound up with 128 yards, his total being helped considerably by a career-long 56-yard TD run. He had four 52-yarders previously in his career.

WR Rayshawn Bolden He caught a 52-yard touchdown pass from Patrick White.

PK Pat McAfee He nailed three field goals, including a wind-aided 48-yard career high.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Nothing, really. The only item worth noting is that the Mountaineers' streak of first-possession touchdowns was snapped at eight straight games when they punted the first time they had the ball. But a team can't be expected to score on its first try in every game.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported.

LB Jay Henry is a semifinalist for 2006 Draddy Trophy, awarded to a senior for academic success, football performance and community leadership. He's also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award.

[smazza]

PITTSBURGH

INSIDE SLANT

Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt had everything he wanted Saturday a ranked team in town, a good crowd there for the game. Everything was in position for his team to make a statement.

But for the second time in as many chances this season, the Panthers lost a home game to a good team. This time, they lost to what appears to be a very good team Rutgers, which jumped from No. 19 to No. 16 in the AP poll with a 20-10 victory at Heinz Field.

"We didn't play as well as we can, and that's disappointing," Wannstedt said after the stingy Scarlet Knights put the clamps on the previously red-hot Tyler Palko while Rutgers running back Ray Rice was running all over the Panthers.

Palko, 58-for-71 in the previous four games, was an OK 16-for-26 for 169 yards and a touchdown Saturday. But he was sacked five times by the No. 1 scoring and No. 2 overall defense in the country.

"We didn't play well enough to win this football game, and they did," Palko said. "You can't do anything about it except get back on the horse and come back ready to play."

The Panthers (6-2, 2-1) are off this week before traveling down to Tampa to face South Florida. Pitt just came from the Sunshine State, where it hammered Central Florida just a week before the loss to Rutgers.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: LB H.B. Blades He had a game-high 19 tackles in the 20-10 loss to Rutgers to move into fifth place on Pittsburgh's all-time tackles list, with 383.

KEEP AN EYE ON: RB LaRod Stephens-Howling His two-game rush to prominence hit a glitch against the staunch Rutgers defense, Stephens-Howling netting 55 yards on 12 carries.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "The season is not over yet. We have some big games coming up. You can't pout or sit here and put your head in the sand and make excuses for anything. They came out and beat us, but we shot ourselves in the foot." Pitt QB Tyler Palko after losing to Rutgers on Saturday.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: LB H.B. Blades Blades stood out even more than usual, running up 19 tackles in the 20-10 loss to Rutgers.

WR Derek Kinder Led the Panthers with six catches for 70 yards in the loss.

P Adam Graessle He punted six times for a 43-yard average, including a long of 48.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Panthers have six wins and are bowl eligible, but you can make the argument they haven't beaten anyone yet. They run up numbers against weaker teams but haven't done so against the two best teams on their schedule.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported.

QB Tyler Palko is a semifinalist for the 2006 Draddy Trophy, awarded to a senior for academic success, football performance and community leadership. He's also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award.

Blades is one of the 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.

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RUTGERS

INSIDE SLANT

Back in 1973, when the New York Mets were trying to charge from last place and win the National League East, reliever Tug McGraw coined the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe!"

Don't look now, but it's time to believe in Rutgers.

Yep, the Scarlet Knights are still undefeated. They're 7-0 (2-0 Big East) after Saturday's 20-10 win at Pittsburgh. They're No. 16 in the country in the newest AP poll. No. 16 Rutgers, one of the three Big East undefeateds it just doesn't sound right, but it's happening.

If the Knights can dispose of struggling Connecticut in Piscataway on Saturday, they will be home against No. 6 Louisville on Thursday, Nov. 9, in what should be a very special event.

"Everyone says this was a big test," star running back Ray Rice said after running all over Pitt on Saturday. "But we passed it. So I guess the next one will be a big test. But I think more people outside of this locker room are starting to believe now."

Rice is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate at least you'd think he'd be. "Why wouldn't he be?" said running back Brian Leonard. "But we're still Rutgers. Nobody picked us to win this game, either. If (this) doesn't (make Rice a candidate, I don't know what everybody is thinking. He definitely should be."

Saturday, Rice ran for a career-high 225 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries, and his 63-yard run late in the game iced the game.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: RB Ray Rice All he did Saturday was run for a career-high 225 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries, giving him 1,124 yards for the season. Late in the game, his career-best 63-yard run assured the victory.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Mike Teel After his big three-TD game from the previous week, he was quietly efficient Saturday, going 10-for-18 for 72 yards and a touchdown in the win over Pitt.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It feels good. It puts us in position to keep moving forward." Rutgers coach Greg Schiano after his team moved to 7-0 Saturday.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: The Rutgers defense The Knights' D came in as the top defense in the country and they limited Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko, who came in on a hot streak. Palko was 16-for-26 for 169 yards, nowhere close to what he'd been the previous four games. They also sacked him five times. "Relentless, that's what our defense was," said defensive tackle Eric Foster. "We knew we had to be with Palko."

RB Ray Rice If he's not a Heisman candidate, he should be. He ran for a career-best 225 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries in Saturday's 20-10 win at Pittsburgh.

FB Brian Leonard He broke the Big East record with a reception for a 41st straight game and also tied the Rutgers all-time reception record with 192.

TE Clark Harris He caught a pass for a 37th straight game, tied for the third-longest streak in Big East history.

PK Jeremy Ito His two field goals gave him 45 for his career, one shy of the school record.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Knights want to see consistency from QB Mike Teel, who had a strong game two weeks ago and was solid enough Saturday. That's about it things are clicking on all cylinders with this team.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported.

Freshman WR Kenny Britt made his first career start.

Leonard is a semifinalist for 2006 Draddy Trophy, awarded to a senior for academic success, football performance and community leadership. He's also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award.

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[smazza]

SOUTH FLORIDA

INSIDE SLANT

South Florida needs one win to become bowl eligible for the second straight year.

But after the Bulls played poorly in their appearance on Sunday night football at Cincinnati –- a 23-6 loss that was almost a shutout who knows if that victory will come.

Now 5-3 (1-2 Big East), USF if off next week and then goes into November staring at a schedule that shows home games against Pittsburgh and Syracuse and murderous road contests at No. 6 Louisville and No. 4 West Virginia.

The time to take care of that sixth win may well have been at Cincinnati, but the Bulls were manhandled. The offense was non-existent against a determined home team.

USF had just 92 yards rushing and turned the ball over three times as their two-game winning streak came to a grinding halt. Overall, South Florida came in averaging 379.4 yards per game of total offense and had 219 Sunday night, its lowest in 15 games.

"Their defense was very good and they certainly dominated us," said USF coach Jim Leavitt. "You’ve got to give Cincinnati a lot of credit. They did a great job. They're a good football team."

Sunday night, USF was not a good football team.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: LB Stephen Nicholas –- He led his team with 12 tackles in Sunday night's 23-6 loss at Cincinnati. He had eight solo tackles, 1 1/2 for a loss and registered one-half sack.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Matt Grothe -– The redshirt starter, the key to the USF offense, had a bad night Sunday and will deal with real adversity for the first time when the Bulls return to action after a bye week. He was pulled Sunday night in favor of Pat Julmiste, who threw a touchdown pass to help the Bulls avoid the second shutout in USF history.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Give Cincinnati their due. They just beat us. It happens. You don't like it, but it happens." -– South Florida coach Jim Leavitt after his team was beaten, 23-6, at Cincinnati Sunday night.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: The South Florida defense wasn't bad Sunday night. In fact, the Bulls were down, 9-0, and the offense had nothing to do with it. LB Stephen Nicholas led the charge, with 12 tackles, eight of them solo, 1 1/2 for loss (including one-half sack).

P Justin Teachey -– He did his part Sunday night. His first punt was downed on the Cincinnati 1 and he later made a big tackle on a return.

WR Amp Hill –- Hill, who couldn’t hang on to the last-minute two-point conversion pass that could have beaten Rutgers, had his first touchdown catch in the game’s final minute, allowing his team to avoid the shutout.

DE George Selvie -– His first-quarter sack moved him into a tie with NT Allen Cray for the team lead, with 4 1/2.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The USF team attitude will need an adjustment after a game like this, when the Bulls wilted under the national spotlight and were manhandled by Cincinnati. The running game, which had become re-born the previous two weeks, was non-existent against the No. 20 rushing defense in the country –- and the passing game took four sacks as the Bulls narrowly avoided the program’s second lifetime shutout.

ROSTER REPORT: WR Taurus Johnson was leveled on a fourth-quarter hit, but, with the cart nearby, got up and walked off the field.

QB Matt Grothe left after his nose was bloodied and was replaced by Pat Julmiste, whose late TD pass to Hill got the Bulls on the board for the only time.