All eight football programs in the Big East Conference earned victories last week, a feat that only one other FBS conference, the Big 12, was able to pull off. Now, only two of those Big East victories came against a ranked opponent -- South Florida defeated Notre Dame (No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the USA Today poll), 23-20 -- or a BCS-conference team -- Syracuse edged Wake Forest, 36-29, Thursday in overtime -- but, a lot of FBS programs played cupcakes in Week 1 and the Big East did its job.
(Click the link to check out SB Nation New York's Week 1 Power Rankings.)
Now, without further delay lets check out this week's top performers:
Quarterbacks: B.J. Daniels, USF
The junior didn't light up the stat sheet -- completed 18-of-30 passes with 128 yards and a touchdown, including 37-rushing yards -- but, he was very effective in the Bulls 23-20 victory over host Notre Dame. Daniels made a lot of good plays and used his legs to extend drives.
- Will Stein (junior, Louisville): 17-of-32, 226 yards with two TDs.
- Zach Collars (senior, Cincinnati): 12-of-19, 134 yards with four TDs.
- Ryan Nassib (Senior, Syracuse): 20-of-28, 174 yards with three TDs.
Running backs: Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
The junior ran all over the Buffalo defense totaling 201 rushing yards and scoring three touchdowns.
- Lyle McCombs (freshman, UConn): 24 carries, 141 yards and four TDs.
- Antwon Bailey (senior, Syracuse): 24 carries, 114 yards and two TDs.
Defense: Rutgers
The opponent, North Carolina Central, wasn't the greatest, but the Scarlet Knights held the Eagles scoreless and with just 120 yards of total offense. Defensive lineman Justin Francis and Scott Vallone each tallied two sacks, while defensive back Duron Harmon snagged two interceptions.
Special Teams: Maikon Bonani, USF
The junior made 3-of-4 field-goal attempts, including a 49-yarder, in the first half of the Bulls victory over the Fighting Irish. Without those kicks, South Florida doesn't pull off the upset.
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Shane Raupers (Junior, Syracuse): Seven punts, 44.0 yard average, including a 51 yarder.
Here's last week's results (bold teams were home):
- Syracuse 36, Wake Forest 29
- Rutgers 48, North Carolina Central 0
- Louisville 21, Murray St. 9
- South Florida 23, Notre Dame 20
- Connecticut 35, Fordham 3
- Cincinnati 72, Austin Peay 10
- West Virginia 34, Marshall 13
Here's this weekend's upcoming television schedule:
- Louisville at Florida International -- Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN
- Rutgers at North Carolina -- Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on ACC Network
- Maine at Pittsburgh -- Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN3
- Norfolk State at West Virginia -- Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
- Rhode Island at Syracuse -- Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on SNY
- Ball State at South Florida -- Saturday at 7 p.m. on Big East Network
- Connecticut at Vanderbilt -- Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on CSS