Big East Breakdown – Week 7

With half the season in the books, the Cardinals have managed to win just a pair of games. However, doing the same or better in the second half of the 2009 campaign will require a monumental effort, including beating Arkansas State and either Syracuse or Rutgers at home. Games at Cincinnati, West Virginia, and South Florida do not look promising. Here’s this week’s Big East Breakdown, including a beatability index for Louisville’s remaining conference opponents.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats picked up a signature win last Thursday in a 34-17 victory over South Florida. Quarterback Tony Pike left the game with an injured non-throwing arm in the third quarter, but backup Zack Collaros scored twice on foot while running the ball for 132 yards in the spread offense. Mardy Gilyard caught five balls for 75 yards.
Beatability index (10=sure win, 0=no shot): 0.5

Connecticut: The Huskies beat Louisville 38-25 on Saturday afternoon, but the team is grieving the murder of starting cornerback Jasper Howard on Saturday night. As of Tuesday morning, no arrests have been made in the case. UConn is scheduled to play at West Virginia on Saturday.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers pulled out an enormous road win on Friday evening, beating Rutgers 24-17. Running back Dion Lewis scored twice and ran for 180 yards. At 3-0 in the conference Pitt hosts South Florida this week in Heinz Field.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights managed only 38 yards rushing off 20 carries in a 24-17 loss at home to Pittsburgh. Quarterback Tom Savage was forced to throw the ball 39 times in the contest. He finished with 248 yards passing for a touchdown and one interception. This Friday, Rutgers travels to Army.
Beatability index: 6.0

South Florida: Quarterback B.J. Daniels threw for 208 yards and a touchdown throwing and running, but the Bulls fell 34-17 at home on Thursday to Cincinnati. USF was plagued by 12 penalties for 113 yards. This week, the Bulls look to avoid the conference letdown of the last few years with a game at Pittsburgh.
Beatability index: 2.0

Syracuse: The Orange had the weekend off, and stand at 2-4 on the season. They return to the field on Saturday for a home game against Akron.
Beatability index: 6.5

West Virginia: The Mountaineers took care of business, winning the annual showdown with Marshall, 24-7. Noel Devine scored twice and ran for 103 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Jarrett Brown went down with a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first quarter, and backup Gino Smith threw for 147 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions in the win. This week, WVU hosts Connecticut.
Beatability index: 0.5