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Rutgers (5-2, 0-2) at UConn (4-3, 1-2)

TV: SNY

Kickoff: Alright, I had to take a minute and dry the little spots around my eyes. I’m sitting here on my couch, feeling awfully emotional. I cannot even imagine what’s going through the heads underneath the helmets up there.

I’m glad ESPN’s producing team put its cameras on Tim Brown quickly. The Rutgers wideout counted Jasper Howard as one of his best friends (did you notice the RIP JAZZ on his eye black?) and it gave me a warm fuzzy seeing Shamar Graves trying to shore him up.

Kickoff attempt II: Rutgersguy, I totally agree w/ you on the axe thing. I am SO not into it.

14:48 left in the 1st Quarter: I JUST asked Greg Schiano if teams were kicking away from Devin McCourty. Or if he and Joe Lefeged could line up in a T so that Devin could take those kickoffs. That’s a helluva way to start the game and take away momentum. Devin really is having a great year. Ispoke to a few scouts a couple weeks ago who’re really liking what they see out of him. And having his twin Jason already in the league (with Tennessee) certainly helps. Jason can give him all sorts of advice.

Jason was at West Point, btw, last week. Wearing Devin’s Rutgers hat, teasing Joe’s kickoff return efforts from the previous week (Jason said he watches every single game, on the computer or on TV, and he DVRs them too… I guess so he can gather ammunition) and defending Tiquan Underwood (who also had a bye) for not coming up to West Point.

13:32 left in the 1st Quarter: Good effort by the defense to keep it to just a field goal. But also nice response by UConn. Rutgers 7, UConn 3.

How about Syracuse already scoring on Cincinnati? That one’s 7-7 with 4:13 to play in the first.

11:30 left in the 1st Quarter: You’re right, very unimpressive first series. Greg Schiano has said he wants to involve Jack Corcoran more and I have no reason to think that that’s just lip service. At the same time, this offense doesn’t exactly have a lot of snaps to go around. If you had a line to Kirk Ciarrocca, how would you want to see the snaps divided?

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I unfortunately could not make the trip up to UConn today, but I will indeed be live blogging. I’ll get to finally see a live TV version - and if I see just half of what what all of you write me about, there’ll be plenty to talk about! DJ Spanky has promised to help me keep the conversation going too. So if you’re home like I am, swing back in an hour or so and let’s watch this thing together.

I’m just back from the SNY studios in New York, where we were filming some hoops previews. It was fun, but I’m still in football mode. Especially since now is when things really start to get interesting.

It all starts tonight, when West Virginia kicks off at South Florida. The Bulls have been something of a nemesis – the last time West Virginia went down to Tampa, the Mountaineers were ranked no. 5, had title hopes and left 21-13 losers. They’re only 1-2 in their last three against South Florida and they’ve averaged just 15 points a game.

Tonight’s about a lot more than chucking a monkey off the Mountaineers’ collective back though. Tonight, in front of a national audience, West Virginia gets to make its case for being in the same class as Pittsburgh, and maybe Cincinnati. Tonight, West Virginia gets to announce itself a Big East title contender and Noel Devine gets the opportunity to pronounce himself a Heisman contender. The stage is set and the audience will be there.

Representatives from 11 bowls, including reps from the four BCS games, will be in Raymond James Stadium tonight. Commissioner John Marinatto will have a host of Big East officials with him too and it’ll be a good night to make a case for the league.

Syracuse coach Doug Marrone said last week, before Cincinnati’s Saturday game, that he hoped the Bearcats rolled over Louisville and then rolled right into Syracuse undefeated. This week, Marrone said Cincinnati may just be THE best team in the country and that his team is excited (his word) to play them.

No, Marrone hasn’t had some magical roster overhaul and no, that 14th toughest-schedule-in-the-country isn’t making the first-year coach loopy. Of course, Marrone didn’t make the schedule and so it makes sense to try and silver-line it. Still, yesterday, on his weekly teleconference, Marrone said if he’d had his druthers, he might’ve picked a road almost as tough. Because it tells him a lot about his players.

“I like seeing how much we can deal with adversity, the ups and downs, the pressure… knowing we have to execute at a higher level,” he said. “I think I’d rather start that way rather than go the opposite way. I like operating that way.”

It makes sense that a lot of this year is feeling out his team and identifying the core as it stands now. So I asked if, seven games in, it’s now time to start looking to the future and maybe playing players now who’ll potentially have a bigger role next year now. Like maybe swapping redshirt freshman QB Ryan Nassib for grad student Greg Paulus.

“The future for me,” he said, “is this week. Especially with the game that we have.”

And if he doesn’t really mean that, he sure did a good job selling it. Sure he’s laying a foundation and building a program, and yes, Syracuse has won exactly three league games in the last five years. But Marrone was sincerely talking about how much his program needs a bowl berth. This winter.

“We haven’t been to a bowl game in four years,” he said. ”We haven’t practiced as much as any of these other teams. Which, all of them in the Big East, have gone to bowl games. So they get, I don’t know 15-20 extra days of work… They’ve had an extra cycle each year. What I mean by cycle is spring ball, season, bowl game. That’s one of the things that hurts in the development of our football team.”

That’s totally true and I remember Greg Schiano talking about the program really taking off after having that first set of extra practices in 2005. Add all those bowl practices over a course of a career and it’s almost like having an extra season of training.

So, is Syracuse’s future this year? 

The Orange is 3-4 with five games to go and three wins needed for bowl eligibility. I think coming away with a W this weekend, even if these kids played their best game, isn’t in the probable realm. Then Syracuse goes to Pittsburgh. Again, not an easy road. But then the Orange are at doormat Louisville (currently 2-5 and by then perhaps led by an officially lame duck coach), host an as-yet unspectacular Rutgers (3-2 against FBS teams) and close things out at UConn (4-3). What do you think?

I was searching for a photo to throw in here, but nothing under “not classy” really seems family appropriate…

So it seems the SEC is learning what a pain the Gator Bowl can be. The Gator Bowl, if you recall, spent years jerking the Big East around and then either was too cool to talk to the Big East about the next bowl cycle - or tried to save face when the Big East said, “We’re done.” (It depends what side you talk to, of course.) The Big East instead signed its no. 2 team to the Champs Sports Bowl, which I certainly saw as a better option, the Gator went after the SEC and now the Gator’s causing all sorts of scheduling issues for the SEC’s other bowls.

Of course, while The Birmingham News’ Jon Solomon was writing about that, Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett had to AGAIN throw in a shot at the Big East.

“The Big East is not the conference it was before expansion,” Catlett said. “There are some really good teams playing at a really high level, but without the national recognition. We needed to have those types of national programs now. It’s great to be back to our roots and where we should have been all along.”

The italics are mine. But really: how does he think that national recognition is going to come if he’s out there denigrating the league every chance he gets?

Anyway, the domino out of this is that the Papajohns.com Bowl may now have to share – with the Liberty Bowl – the SEC’s 8 and 9 picks. The Big East is still trying to pick its last two bowl affiliations (from, most likely, the Papajohns.com, St. Petersburg and International) and I don’t know how a potential ninth-place SEC team for an opponent would weigh when that decision’s being made.

What do you think? Is an SEC foe enough, or if it’s a ninth-place one (and then therefore maybe not even regularly available), does the picture change?

This one’s going to be an abbreviated version… Cyn will (hopefully) be pleased to know I’m on my way to Rutgers’ women’s hoops media day. I’ll try and update later in the day with a few more…

Even Brian Kelly’s players are surprised when the Next Man In thing works so well. (Rivals.com)

Zach Collaros won 30 straight football games in high school as a QB. His college offers were in baseball. Then Cincinnati called. (AP)

Tony Pike came to Bearcats practice. For 15 minutes. He may not be doing much of it now, but Kelly thinks Syracuse QB Greg Paulus is a winner. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Saturday, Rutgers faces a team the whole country may as well be pulling for. (Sporting News)

UConn is the weekly nominee for the Orange Bowl Courage Award. (Sox and Dawgs)

On the field, meanwhile, the Huskies really are (finally) passing the ball. (Hartford Courant)

You didn’t think the Rick Pitino-Karen Sypher mess was over, did you? Rutgers fans take note: a patient freshman running back. (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Rutgers’ pass blocking is indeed better. Now, about the run blocking… (SNY.tv)

Blair Bines won the game for Rutgers last year. Yeah, he’s looking forward to seeing UConn again. (Star-Ledger)

Rutgers’ run game really matters. (Home News Tribune)

Mike Williams won’t say what he did, just that he is back. (Syracuse Post-Standard)

Forget Pittsburgh. USF says it’s West Virginia’s biggest rival. (Tampa Tribune)

Chuck the turnovers and West Virginia doesn’t have problems with USF. (MSNSportsNet.com)

If a home field and a home crowd give a team a 12th man, then UConn will probably have a 13th Saturday.

When Rutgers comes to town, for a noon kickoff, it’ll be the Huskies’ first game home since the murder of Jasper Howard. The UConn athletic department announced its plans for honoring the late cornerback and Rutgers wideout Tim Brown – a childhood friend of Howard’s – wasn’t exaggerating when he said, “It’ll be real emotional. It’ll probably be the most emotional game any of us have been a part of.”

So, here it is:

Everybody in attendance will receive a “6″ card in honor of Howard’s jersey number.  

The first 15,000 fans through the gates will receive “Jazz Live 365″ wristbands.

 UConn students at the game will get the same eye-black that the Huskies will be wearing – one with a “6″ and the other with a “JH”. All UConn students will also get a “6″ button.

Before the game, the UConn Marching Band will play on the field, all wearing No. 6 jerseys, and in the formation of a “6″ in the word “UCONN.”

After both teams come out on the field, there’ll be a “Moment of Respect” in honor of Howard.

In UConn’s release, Coach Edsall asks fans to leave their tailgates and get in their seats by 11:30 – and to fill all those seats – “as a sign of respect for Jazz.”

Like I said, a 13th Man.

Worthiness, and that just as amorphous measuring of accomplishment, are going to be hot points this next month and a half. Heck, Cincinnati’s BCS worthiness has already been debated ad nauseam.

Still, while the quality of play and caliber of teams in the Big East gets questioned, it’s nice to see no one arguing against the brand of coaching in the league.

Three of the Big East’s eight coaches are on the 20-coach long Bryant Award watchlist, Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly, West Virginia’s Bill Stewart and Pitt’s Dave Wannstedt. And that doesn’t even include UConn’s Randy Edsall who may just be coach of the year for marshalling his team through the awful tragedy of Jasper Howard’s murder.

In any case, that’s a better percentage than any conference and that’s more than any conference save for the SEC, which also has three of its coaches on the list. (If you’re wondering, that’s three of 12.)

Coach Stewart, who I’d say reveled in his “country boy” shtick if I thought him capable of a shtick, had the best response: “They have the wrong Stewart. He must be another one, coaching out West somewhere.”

Honestly, I don’t understand why West Virginia’s fan base isn’t more crazy about this guy.

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The World Series starts tonight and Bud Selig must be rubbing his hands gleefully…This might be a little far to go for tix… More dance documentary than movie, Michael Jackson’s This Is It apparently rocks…In honor of the season, Wes Craven’s 10 best horror flicks…

Cincy fans: root and root hard for Pitt and West Virginia. (AOL Fanhouse)

Comparing one-loss USC to no-loss UC. (Bleacher Report)

Is there really uncertainty around Tony Pike’s health or is it all just gamesmanship? (Rivals.com)

Or, is he just not going to play? (Cincinnati Enquirer)

UConn missed two FGs last year at Rutgers. That’s how Dave Teggert became UConn’s kicking game. Now Teggert’s coming into this weekend’s Rutgers game off a… two-missed-FG game. More here. (Connecticut Post, Republican American)

Finally, officially, UConn has a downfield passing game. (Dr. Saturday)

Closure was a hot – and welcome – word up at the athletic complex in Storrs yesterday. (Hartford Courant)

UConn’s relaxing it’s no-sign policy for Saturday’s game. (New Haven Register)

That weatherman in Memphis either seems intent on not working, or driving home how good he really is. This week it was Hasheem Thabeet’s turn. (Sox and Dawgs)

Paul Zeise’s as usual super-informative Q&A on Pitt. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

David Rowe gets a receiver closer to his size this week. Rutgers tackles, meanwhile, get their version of a 6-10 receiver challenge in sack specialist Lindsey Witten. (Star-Ledger)

Seven games into the season, Rutgers still isn’t playing its brand of football. So says said defense. (Home News Tribune)

There’ll be some trash talking down in Tampa this weekend. Then again, it’s hard to talk trash with stats like these: the Bulls defense has given up 75 points and 887 yards in its last two games. (Tampa Tribune)

Four games after breaking his arm, safety Jerrell Young could be back starting Friday. (St. Petersburg Times)

South Florida seems to be reeling. Or maybe, the Bulls could be poised to pounce. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Bill Stewart’s really wishing George Selvie had left for the NFL already. (Charleston Daily Mail)

West Virginia’s scoring average has been halved in four games against South Florida. (Charleston Gazette)

Remember when Mountaineer fans were moaning about Bill Stewart’s coaching chops? (Times West Virginian)

Ed. The Syracuse Post-Standard web site was experiencing some technical difficulties when I put this together. Hopefully it’s back up later.

We have a few more details on this morning’s arrests up in Connecticut. John W. Lomax III, 21, is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder (which means the police believe this was both willful and premeditated, meaning Lomax either planned to kill Jasper Howard, or lay in wait for him) assault and is being held on $2 million bail. Hakim Muhammad, 20, is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault; his bail is set at $750,000. And Jamal Todd, 21, is facing two charges for pulling the fire alarm that sent everyone rushing out of the student center and preceded the fight.

At his weekly press luncheon today, UConn coach Randy Edsall said he knew little of the arrests, and even made a joke about being Sergeant Schultz. (Sergeant Schultz was the good-hearted, bumbling sergeant of the guard on Hogan’s Heroes whose catchphrase became, “I know nothing-NOTHING!” I had to look that up. I’ve never seen Hogan’s Heroes.)

Edsall did say, however, that these little steps are helping his team get somewhat back to “normal.” He said, “I think it is important for everyone to see justice be brought to the case.” And then he said, “at the same time it doesn’t bring Jasper back.”

The funeral in Miami yesterday (which the entire team attended, via a charter flight) brought a lot of closure, Edsall said, and if Tuesday’s meeting really was the most focused he’s seen his team in a week, he said it’s because of that. “It was important to us to get down there and see what kind of support he had and what he meant to the community. I think now, we are already to get back on to the field and just keep getting better, competing and getting wins on the board.”

Running back Jordan Todman essentially echoed his coach, saying, “We are happy that the person who did this is going to be held responsible for it. It brings closure. (But) it is not the same feeling as if we could have Jazz back.”

Tragically, no. But closure does have intrinsic value. I don’t know that a wound like this, one of losing – as Todman called Howard – a brother, ever fully closes. But it can get smaller, or at the least, stop gushing one day. I suppose this is why they say time heals wounds.

Ed. czqxa, thanks for noting the error. The wonders of the internet – I can change a mistake.