College Football 2007 Big East Preview
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2007 Big East Football Preview
Louisville
It was an eventful offseason for Louisville. QB Brian Brohm decided to return for his senior season, rather than go to the pros. He leads an offense that averaged 37.8 points and 475 yards. However, offensive wizard Head Coach Bobby Petrino left for the NFL. So the Cardinal moved quickly to get Steve Kragthorpe, who ran wide-open offenses at Tulsa. Kragthorpe turned around the Tulsa program immediately. Prior to his arrival, Tulsa was a combined 2-21 in 2001 and 2002. It didn't take Kragthorpe long to turn around the Golden Hurricane program, compiling an impressive 29-22 record and guiding Tulsa to bowl games in three of the last four seasons. His offenses were explosive and he inherits a lot of talent at Louisville.
The Cardinals finished the 2006 season at 12-1 SU/9-4 ATS and won the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl with a 24-13 win over 15th-ranked Wake Forest. Louisville finished No. 6 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Kragthorpe's teams have scored 30 or more points 29 times, 40 points on 10 occasions and 50 points three times. His 2006 squad was second in Conference USA in total offense and scoring.
Louisville was the dominant Big East team, averaging 290 passing yards and 185 rushing. 8 starters return on offense, and 6 on defense. In 2005 the Cardinals averaged 43 points and over 188 yards rushing and 293 passing per game. In 2004 they averaged 50 points and over 250 yards rushing and passing per game! They should be explosive under Kragthorpe, who is an aggressive offensive mind. All-America PK Art Carmody is back and the passing offense was No. 7 in the nation.
The offense will be terrific again, led by senior QB Brian Brohm, who passed for 3,049 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INTs. He missed two games because of injuries and sophomore Hunter Cantwell (5 TDs, 2 INTs) played well for him. They still have 6-foot-6 junior Mario Urrutia, who was second on the team with 973 yards and 6 TDs, plus senior WR Harry Douglas (1,265 yards), meaning the Top 2 receivers return. The offensive line is fine behind junior George Bussey, LT senior Marcel Benson, and junior center Eric Wood. The injury to star RB Michael Bush (who is off to the NFL) gave time to junior RB George Stripling (459 yards) and sophomore RB Anthony Allen (406), who will lead the ground game.
The defense lost run-stuffer Amobi Okoye to the NFL, but returns junior NT Adrian Grady, senior DE Brandon Cox, and senior LB Matt Sanders. This unit allowed 16 points per game and just 104 yards rushing, 3.4 ypc. Louisville is a team built for speed at home, where they are 17-0 SU, 15-2 ATS the last three years! They have an easy schedule, outside of a September battle at NC State, and the big showdown is November 8 at West Virginia, a revenge spot for the Mountaineers. Louisville carries a 25-12 spread run into this season!
West Virginia
Speed to burn! Rich Rodriguez has developed a fantastic program at West Virginia, predicated on speed for the artificial turf at Mountaineer Field. They were very young in 2005, yet went 11-1 SU, 9-2 ATS averaging 32 ppg. They upset Louisville, 46-44, and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, 38-35. They were even better offensively last season, averaging 38 points and 303 rushing yards, finishing 11-2 SU, 6-6 ATS. 7 starters return on offense and 8 on defense! Even the coach is back, after getting an offer to coach Alabama.
This is first a running offense with a solid offensive line and incredible speed in the backfield, including at quarterback. West Virginia has struck for 272 and 303 average yards rushing the last two seasons, a sizzling 6.7 yards per carry in 2006. Junior QB Pat White (1,655 pass yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs) also ran for 1,219 yards, 18 TDs and 7.4 yards per carry! As a freshman in 2005 he ran for 952 yards, 7 TDs and 7.3 yards per carry! To heck with the Vick brothers, this kid deserves some attention. White was great in the Sugar Bowl two years ago completing 11 of 14 passes against Georgia.
Speedy junior RB Steve Slaton is back after leading West Virginia with 1,744 rush yards, 16 TDs, averaging 7.0 ypc. As a freshman in 2005 he had 1,128 rush yards, 17 TDs, averaging 5.5 ypc. Underrated senior WR Darius Reynaud (522 yards) led the team in receiving and is back. Throw in 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior RB Owen Schmitt (351, 5.4 ypc) and this backfield is explosive and loaded. The offensive line lost some key talent, including ace center Dan Bozes, but still has junior LT Jake Figner. The Mountaineers have had 33, 34 and 47 rushing touchdowns the last three seasons! Super P/PK Pat McAfee is also back, so moving the ball and scoring points won't be a problem.
Eight starters return on defense. They were strong against the run, allowing 3 yards per carry and 93 yards rushing per game, but weak in the secondary, allowing 243 pass yards and 21 points per contest. They gave up 44 points and 354 passing yards in a loss at Louisville. The line is solid behind senior De Keilen Dykes, along with senior LB Marco McGrow, but the secondary needs to tighten up. The schedule is relatively easy, with only a revenge-game at South Florida Sept. 28 and hosting Louisville November 8 as the tough ones. If they are still weak in the secondary, Louisville will test them again, for sure!
South Florida
The South Florida Bulls are a fine program under Head Coach Jim Leavitt, off a 9-4 SU, 8-4 ATS season. They upset West Virginia 24-19 (on the road), then thumped East Carolina in a bowl, 24-7. 9 starters return on BOTH sides of the ball! One tragic sidelight is the death of freshman RB Keeley Dorsey in January. Dorsey, 19, passed out during a routine team-conditioning workout at the USF Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. He ran for 66 yards as a freshman.
Look who they played in 2005: No. 9 ranked Louisville (45-14 win), at No. 8 Miami (27-7 loss), and No. 12 West Virginia (28-13 loss). Then last season they upset West Virginia as a +21 dog, lost 13-7 at Kansas, and upset Pitt 22-12. Remember, they started playing football at this school in 1997! Greg Gregory has been promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2007 season. Former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney and Arizona pass game coordinator Mike Canales join the Bulls coaching staff, too.
They run an uptempo, sometimes no-huddle, spread offense, that was electrified by freshman QB Matt Grothe in 2006. This team averaged 144 yards rushing, 217 passing and 23 points. Grothe completed 63% of his passes for 15 TDs, 14 picks, 2,576 yards, while also rushing for 622 yards and 9 rushing TDs, both tops on the team. Overall, 9 starters are back on offense. 5-foot-7 junior RB Benjamin Williams ran for 436 yards, but just 3.5 ypc. Junior WR Taurus Johnson returns (494 receiving yards), along with senior WR Amarri Jackson. Keep an eye on 6-foot-3 junior WR Amp Hill, a former transfer from LSU who caught 2 TDs and 233 yards for South Florida last fall.
The defense is loaded, allowing just 18 ppg and 16.9 ppg the last two seasons. 9 starters return. South Florida was 9-2 under the total in 2005 and 8-3 under last season with that great defense and running offense. That's 17-5 under the total the last 22 games! Julian Riley, a former all-state player at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. and a defensive tackle on the Florida roster from 2003-05, transferred to USF last year and is eligible to play this fall after sitting out 2006. Riley, 6-3, 290, will have one season of eligibility at USF in 2007. South Florida is 9-2 SU, 8-2 ATS at home the last two years! This is a program on the rise and another winning season, along with a third straight bowl game, are likely.
Rutgers
A season for the ages! And an upcoming young program, with the Knights off an 11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS season. Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano agreed to a four-year contract extension that will run through the 2016 season. Under the new contract, Schiano's compensation will increase to $1.5 million per year. Schiano just completed his sixth season as Rutgers' head coach, leading the Scarlet Knights to an 11-2 record and the program's first bowl win with a 37-10 victory over Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. The 11 victories tied a single-season school record while the Scarlet Knights received the most national television appearances of any Big East school in 2006.
7 starters are back on offense and 6 on what was the nation's No. 4 defense. Rutgers hasn't gotten good QB play from Mike Teel the last two years, so it is remarkable how good they've been. This is first a running team on offense, averaging 29 points, 180 yards rushing, 4.7 yards per carry. Speedy junior RB Raymell Rice (1,794 yards, 5.4 ypc, 20 TDs) is the workhorse that makes the offense hum. As a freshman in 2005 he had 1,120 yards, 5.7 ypc.
QB is still the weak spot, with 6-foot-4 junior Mike Teel back. He threw 12 TDs with 13 INTs last season, and has 14 TDs and 23 INTs the last two years. The passing game loses top target TE Clark Harris, so more will be asked of 6-foot-4 sophomore WR Kenny Britt (440 yards) and junior Tiquan Underwood, both providing some tall receiving targets. One offensive plus is senior kicker Jeremy Ito, one of the nation's best.
The defense has junior DT Carl Howard, a former transfer from Virginia Tech, and senior DT George Eshareturi on a physical front line that allowed 2.9 yards per rush! The secondary was also outstanding allowing 151 yards passing per contest, helping the team allow just 14 points per game. They lost some depth up front and some key linebackers, along with All-star punter Joe Radigan, so there may be a defensive dropoff. Still, the schedule is relatively easy, with 5 straight home games to start the year, and the only tough road game is the finale at Louisville (a revenge spot for the Cardinal). Another winning season and a bowl will be in the cards.
Cincinnati
There are changes in Cincy, with new head coach Brian Kelly coming aboard from Central Michigan. Kelly has established a reputation for building winning teams, having compiled a 137-51-2 record in 16 previous seasons as a college head coach. Kelly garnered a pair of NCAA Division II national championships during his 13 seasons as mentor at Grand Valley State, where he compiled a 118-35-2 ledger, an average of over nine wins a season. His 2006 Central Michigan team was ranked 19th nationally in passing offense, 27th in scoring offense, and 31st in total offense. If only he can get Gino Guidugli back!
16 starters are back, 8 on each side of the ball. Junior QB Dustin Grutza has experience, but really hasn't been the answer. He had 9 TDs and 13 picks last season, and struggled as a freshman in 2005 with 11 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. Former JC transfer Nick Davila has played better, with 9 TDs and 3 picks in 2006 (59% completions). Davila led the way in the bowl win over Western Michigan, 27-24, and started the final four games.
The offensive line did a poor job in pass protection, and the running game averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Senior RB Butler Benton is the leading carrier returning after getting 497 yards, 4.2 ypc, along with senior RB Bradley Glatthaar. Offensive line play has been a problem for a while, with the team averaging just 3.2 ypc in 2005. There is a good group of experienced wideouts to help out in junior WR Derrick Stewart (675 yards), who averaged 20 yards per reception, and senior WR Earnest Jackson.
The defense was a big surprise in 2006, allowing 19 points per game and just 3.7 yards per rush. They held Louisville to 23 points and upset Rutgers, 30-11. Senior DE Andy Hoke and senior DT Jon Newton will be key returnees up front. Notice that Cincy was 6-1 SU/4-1 ATS at home, but just 1-4 SU, 3-2 ATS on the road where the defense allowed 30 ppg! That happened in 2005, too, when Cincy was 3-3 SU/1-3 ATS at home, but just 1-5 SU, 3-3 ATS on the road where the defense allowed 35.8 ppg! In 2004, Cincy was 5-1 SU/ATS at home, but just 2-4 SU, 1-5 ATS on the road allowing 35 ppg.
Clearly they have been a very different team at home than on the road: Cincy is 13-4 SU, 9-5 ATS at home the last three years, but 4-13 SU, 7-9 ATS on the road. A winning season and another bowl might be a stretch, as they play Oregon State on Thursday, Sept. 6, then have Big East road games at Rutgers, Pitt and South Florida. Take note that they play a strange non-conference tilt Sept. 29 all the way out to San Diego State - that's a long road trip the week before playing at Rutgers!
Pittsburgh
When is Dave Wannstedt's head going to roll at Pitt? He suffered through a frustrating first season in 2005, starting with great expectations, but fizzling in a 5-6 campaign. Things went the same way last season, starting 5-1, then going 0-5 SU/ATS to end the season while blowing another bowl opportunity. And that was with outstanding QB Tyler Palko, who is gone. Wannstedt has 16 starters back, including 8 on defense, but the 'D' allowed 46, 45 and 48 points in its final three games. The 2007 schedule is awful, so they should miss another bowl game.
One the plus side, Pitt's recruiting class was ranked in the top 25 by most scouting services. It's the second year in a row Pitt's class has received top-25 marks. Linemen were a priority for Pitt in this class, and the Panthers signed nine -- five defensive and four offensive. The headliner in the class is running back LeSean McCoy of Milford Academy in New Berlin, N.Y. When he played at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg in 2005, he was ranked as one of the top running backs in the country and was recruited by colleges nationwide.
Wannstedt is expecting defensive lineman Tommie Duhart of Coffeyville Community College to compete for a starting job this season. He also said McCoy, wide receiver Aundre Wright and receiver Maurice Williams of Erie Strong Vincent could see playing time. Two other top players in this class are offensive linemen Chris Jacobson and defensive lineman Tony Tucker of Washington, D.C. Another highly rated Pitt recruit is Pat Bostick of Manheim Township in Lancaster, ranked the No. 5 quarterback in the country by Super Prep. Wannstedt talked as if Bostick will be given an opportunity to compete for playing time as a freshman.
8 starters are back on offense. 6-foot-3 junior QB Bill Stull steps in, who threw 69 passes last season (completing 75% of them). Talented freshman Pat Bostick has left Pitt and returned home, which was a surprise, so the job is Stull's. The offense a good receiver in sophomore Oderick Turner (660 yards, 8 TDs). However, senior WR Derek Kinder, who led the team with 57 receptions for 847 yards (14.9 avg), 6 TDs, tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in August practice and will miss the entire 2007 season. It's a huge blow to the Panthers' hopes as Kinder was an All-Big East first-teamer.
The two led the Panthers in receiving. Junior TB LaRod Stephens-Howling (893 yards, 9 TDs) led the team in rushing, averaging 5 yards per carry, so this offense should be balanced. Stephens-Howling will share carries with sophomore RB Shane Brooks (218 yards).
Pitt's defense returns 8 starters, but allowed 29 points per game in Big East play, and gave up far too many rushing yards (181 yards on the ground per game). In fact, the last two seasons they've allowed 185 and 181 yards rushing per game! Losing ace LB H.B. Blades doesn't help, nor does losing cornerback Darrelle Revis to the NFL. This defense probably will struggle again, so don't be surprised if they throw freshman defensive tackle Wayne Jones into the breach. The defense had a good recruiting class, but one has to wonder about whether this coaching staff is getting the most out of them. Pitt is 0-5 SU, 1-4 ATS as a dog under Wannstedt. They flopped with more talent and experience in 2005 and '06, so don't expect the Panthers to go bowling. Plus the schedule is brutal, with road games at Michigan State, Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers and West Virginia.
UConn
The UConn Huskies stumbled through a 4-8 season (1-6 in the Big East) due to weak QB play and inexperience. The Huskies have experience with 17 starters returning. Head coach Randy Edsall's team has a strong running attack (148 yards per game), but a weak defense (27 points, 163 yards rushing allowed pg). UConn is 14-8 under the total the last two seasons.
There is no shortage of depth at quarterback. UConn started three different signal callers in 2005 and rotated two last season. Mobile junior QB D.J. Hernandez is the likely starter after completing 59% of his passes for 849 yards, 9 TDs, 9 picks and rushing for 222 yards. Darius Butler and JUCO transfer Tyler Lorenzen are in the mix, as well. Sophomore WR Brad Kanuch returns after leading the team in receiving yards, though he only had 288 and one TD, which shows how weak the passing game was. 6-foot-4, 255-pound junior TE Steve Brouse should see more passes his way.
UConn will likely be a running team again, with a good offensive line and an ace in the backfield in sophomore RB Donald Brown. Brown ran for 896 yards, a stellar 5.6 yards per carry, and 7 TDs. Junior LT William Beatty, 6-5 junior Matt Wood, and junior center Keith Gray all return on the line. Junior RB Lou Allen proved his versatility as both a fullback and tailback adds depth.
A key player to watch will be junior WR Ellis Gaulden who missed the last two seasons due to a knee injury suffered against Buffalo on opening night 2005. He's fast and won the high jump at the 2006 Big East Indoor Track and Field Championship.
The defense was a big disappointment in 2006, giving up 34 points per game in Big East play and 4.6 yards per rush. Senior Dan Davis returns at defensive end, while UConn's secondary is deep, with junior CB Darius Butler, who started all 11 games at corner in 2005 and last season. The kids will get some confidence with early season games against Duke, Maine, Akron and Temple. Also note that UConn is 3-11 SU, 4-10 ATS on the road the last three years.
Syracuse
Dead last in the Big East with a pathetic offense that averaged 106 rush yards, 157 pass yards and 17 ppg. It was another poor season for Syracuse (4-8 SU, 8-4 ATS), averaging just 11.6 points in Big East play. The Orange was coming off the school's worst season in 113 years in 2005, at 1-10 SU, 4-7 ATS. Things have not gone well for former Texas defensive specialist Greg Robinson as Syracuse coach. Remember that in 2005, his first season, the Orange offense was a joke, averaging 13.8 points and 150 yards passing. Robinson's West Coast offense is a bust.
Unfortunately, this is a rebuilding season as senior quarterback Perry Patterson is gone. Sophomore QB Andrew Robinson (20 yards, one TD, one pick) steps in. The top two targets are back in sophomore WR Mike Williams (461 yards) junior TE Tom Ferron (351). In a West Coast attack, those are real weak numbers. Senior WR Taj Smith returns from an injury, which could help. The offensive line is weak, allowing 24 sacks in 2004, a whopping 45 sacks last season, and just 3 and 3.1 yards per carry in 2005 and 2006.
The one bright spot might be the ground game, which has RBs Curtis Brinkley (571 yards, 4.1 ypc) and Delone Carter (713), the top two rushers returning. Second year offensive coordinator Brian White (OC at Wisconsin, 2004) hopes to jumpstart the attack more. Defensively, 5 starters return to a weak stop unit that allowed 185 yards rushing per game, a whopping 4.8 yards per rush. The linebacking corps losses its top players, including Kelvin Smith, and both corners are gone. After allowing 187 and 185 yards rushing per contest the last two years, and no offense, Syracuse will be at the bottom of the Big East again.
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