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Thursday
Miami (FL) 31, Pittsburgh 3 - RECAP
Saturday
UConn 45, Buffalo 21 - HIGHLIGHTS
UNC 17, Rutgers 13 - RECAP
Syracuse 42, Colgate 7 - RECAP
Oklahoma 31, Cincinnati 29 - HIGHLIGHTS
USF 24, WKU 12 - HIGHLIGHTS
LSU 20, West Virginia 14 - RECAP
The BIG EAST standings don’t include a column for style points. So there’s no way the three BIG EAST teams that scored wins on Saturday would trade results with the three that lost, regardless of the aesthetics.
Two BIG EAST teams had close calls against top-25 opponents, while another had a shot to get a win against a team that was in everyone’s preseason top-25. But three other BIG EAST locker rooms were festive as Connecticut, USF and Syracuse scored home-field victories.
Connecticut found itself tied at halftime against Buffalo, but head coach Randy Edsall’s personnel shifts to start the second half paid off as the Huskies ran away for a 45-21 win at Rentschler Field.
Edsall made changes at quarterback and running back for the third quarter and saw immediate results. QB Cody Endres came off the bench to complete 7 of 11 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while RB Robbie Frey went for 112 yards and a touchdown on 13 second-half attempts. The Huskies also benefitted from a change to the starting lineup as LB Sio Moore made his first career start and finished with a game-high 16 tackles.
WR Michael Smith had four receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown for Connecticut, which evened its record at 2-2 heading into Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt.
USF, meanwhile, held a 7-0 lead at halftime against a Western Kentucky squad that was fighting hard to avoid a 24th consecutive loss. But the Bulls, who ran the ball on 44 of their 55 offensive plays, wore the Hilltoppers down in the third quarter, allowing USF to take a 24-12 win at Raymond James Stadium.
USF finished with 226 rushing yards while three different players scored rushing touchdowns to lift the Bulls to 2-1. RB Demetris Murray ran for a career-high 115 yards on 15 carries, while RB Moise Plancher went for 79 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Syracuse stands at 3-1 for the first time since 2003 after the Orange accelerated to a 42-7 win against Colgate at the Carrier Dome. It was a career day for RB Delone Carter, who ran for 172 yards and four touchdowns on just 14 carries as the Orange rolled despite being on the short end of a near-30-minute discrepancy in time of possession (44:26-15:34).
Cincinnati (1-3) turned in what might have been its best effort of the young season, but it wasn’t enough to put the Bearcats past No. 8 Oklahoma at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bearcats trailed 24-9 in the third quarter, but rallied to get within 31-29 before time ran out.
Cincinnati was led by QB Zach Collaros, who threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, and RB Isaiah Pead, who ran for 169 yards in his return to the starting lineup.
West Virginia (3-1) dropped a 20-14 decision at No. 15 Louisiana State in a showdown of top-25 opponents. The Mountaineers faced an early 17-0 deficit, but QB Geno Smith threw a pair of touchdown passes to bring West Virginia within three in the third quarter. The Tiger defense and the injury bug proved tough to solve, however, as RB Noel Devine was limited by a foot issue to just 37 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Rutgers suffered its first loss of the season (2-1) as the Scarlet Knights fell 17-13 to North Carolina at Rutgers Stadium. Two turnovers proved costly on a day in which the Scarlet Knights managed 244 yards of offense.
The week began Thursday as Pittsburgh fell to 1-2 with a 31-3 loss to No. 19 Miami (Fla.) at Heinz Field. RB Ray Graham ran for 100 yards on 14 carries, but the Panthers were undone in part by three fourth-quarter turnovers.
