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Big East

Sporting News, The, August 19, 2005

MATT HAYES' TAKES

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I love how everyone assumes Louisville will roll into the Big East and not get touched. Please, people, look a little deeper. The Cardinals have the best speed in the league, but they aren't physical.... I like that Syracuse hired Greg Robinson, but if you want a hint of what's to come, check Nebraska last season. The Orange players were recruited to run the freeze option--not the West Coast offense. It's going to be an ugly transition.... Freshman TB Jason Gwaltney is falling into a near-perfect situation at West Virginia: The Mountaineers need a big back, and the offensive line is physical and experienced. Translation: a 1,000-yard season for a back who could have gone anywhere.... My favorite player in the Big East-ah, what the heck, the country: Pitt QB Tyler Palko. He's talented, yes, but he also has guts and guile. If I were in a 2-minute drill I would take Palko.... New Connecticut QB Matt Bonislawski isn't as gifted as Dan Orlovsky but will be the safe choice until redshirt freshman D.J. Hernandez gets better command of the offense.... So what do you do when your team can't stop anyone and you're a year away from unemployment? Make yourself coordinator, of course. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano was a fantastic defensive coordinator at Miami, but he's tackling a forest fire of problems with a garden hose. ... I wonder if South Florida coach Jim Leavitt ever thinks about where he could be had he accepted the Alabama job two years ago. Yeah, that's right, in the same mess as Mike Shula but without the "Alabama Man" safety net. By the way, Bulls TB Andre Hall is the most overlooked player in the nation. How many people know he ran for more than 1,300 yards last year?.... I'm not sayin' it, but I'm sayin' it: If the Big East was prepared to give Miami a revenue-sharing deal to keep the Canes, why in the world wouldn't it do the same to land Penn State or Notre Dame? Psst, commissioner Mike Tranghese: Be proactive, not reactive. ... I said last year that Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio would win at least seven games with the underachieving Bearcats. If he wins seven this year with a depleted roster, he'll be the next Boston College coach when Tom O'Brien leaves to take over at Penn State. Work with me on this, OK?

SCOUTS VIEWS Observations from Big East coaches

Cincinnati didn't take too many chances defensively last year. They would much rather try to defend somewhat cautiously than to put a lot of pressure on you. But they will use their ends to get pressure up the field.... I think Connecticut RB Cornell Brockington has good speed and quickness. He was better last year than I thought he would be. He had pretty good breakaway speed. They queued everything up for last year, and it paid off. Now what? ... Louisville's Bobby Petrino has a real good offensive mind, and he puts the kids in great situations. He has done a great job of recruiting. They're now competing against some of the top programs for top players.... Pitt QB Tyler Palko is a player who has all the intangibles. He just didn't make mistakes late last year. WR Greg Lee has decent speed and good hands. They got the ball to him last year in Walt Harris' system, but he's not near the level of (former Pitt receivers) Larry Fitzgerald or Antonio Bryant.... Rutgers QB Ryan Hart is hot and cold. If they had had a better quarterback last year, they would have won six games. He had good throws and bad throws. I think tight end Clark Harris is overrated.... South Florida RB Andre Hall runs hard. He's a tough kid, and he can catch the ball. They'll put him in the slot, too.... Syracuse has had talent on defense the last few years, but they didn't jump out at you. They looked pretty good physically, but they weren't good football players. QB Perry Patterson struggled big time last year. He wasn't accurate and had trouble throwing the football.... Last year, West Virginia threw the ball deep and let the receivers run under it. Everybody knew it was coming. This year, they're going to run a lot more.

WATCH OUT FOR ...

Brian Brohm, QB, So., Louisville. This former blue-chip recruit takes over for Stefan LeFors as the leader of the nation's No. 1 offense. In spot duty last year, Brohm completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 819 yards and six scores and was named C-USA's Freshman of the Year.

Brent Celek, TE, Jr., Cincinnati. He's coming off one of the most productive years ever for a Bearcats tight end, catching eight touchdowns. Celek also is becoming more physical as a blocker.

James Hargrave, LB, Sr., Connecticut. Hargrave showed a knack for making big plays last season, when he paced an underrated defense with 15 tackles for loss.

Brian Leonard, FB, Jr., Rutgers. He's a throwback who loves to crash between the tackles--and he also might be the league's most versatile threat. Leonard averaged 125 all-purpose yards last season, tops in the Big East.--T.D.

MATCH GAME By Michael Bradley

1. Won six of its last seven regular-season games in 2004, but seven opponents had more than 400 yards of total offense.

Big East

Sporting News, The, August 19, 2005

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