Spring Preview 2005 ... Big East

[Apis Bull]

Predicted finish before spring ball

1. Louisville

2. Pittsburgh

3. Syracuse

4. West Virginia

5. Connecticut

6. South Florida

7. Cincinnati

8. Rutgers

South Florida    

What needs working on ... Throwing the ball. The pass defense wasn't a prize, but the big problem in 2004 was the inability to get the passing game going. Pat Julmiste showed flashes of brilliance throwing for 324 yards and a score in the 45-44 overtime win over TCU, but he struggled throughout the rest of the season only completing 48% of his passes for 1,570 yards and seven touchdowns with eight interceptions. The offense relied too heavily on the underrated talents of RB Andre Hall.

The most important position to watch is ... The kicking game and . There aren't too many major holes to fill, so the big concern will be to replace PK Santiago Gramatica and kickoff man Justin Geisler. There needs to be much more pop to the return game as well.

Spring attitude... Last year was just a blip. It was a young team that went through plenty of growing pains. The 2005 Bulls will be a team full of veterans everywhere but on the offensive line. The defense should be better and the offense will be fine as long as the hogs up front open up a few holes for Hall. The Big East title is asking for too much, but a bowl game is a reasonable goal.

Spring Preview 2005