Syracuse almost let one slip away in the Big Easy, while Rutgers now stands alone atop the Big East. No. 16 West Virginia used a second-half surge to blowout Connecticut, as Louisville stumbled in Chapel Hill.
RUTGERS 34, PITTSBURGH 10
After an impressive home win against South Florida, Pittsburgh turned the ball over four times in a 34-10 loss at Rutgers. Gary Nova got the Scarlet Knights offense going in the second half with two third-quarter touchdown passes, a six-yard score to Mark Harrison and a 60-yard bomb to Joe Martinek. Logan Ryan sealed the game when he picked off Trey Anderson and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Ray Graham was the lone bright spot for the Panthers, finishing with 24 carries for 156 yards and one touchdown. Rutgers is now 2-0 in Big East play for just the second time in 21 years.
NEXT GAME (RUTGERS): 10/15 VS. NAVY
NEXT GAME (PITTSBURGH): 10/15 VS. UTAH
NO. 16 WEST VIRGINIA 43, UCONN 16
Geno Smith and the Mountaineers offense exploded in the second half as they routed Connecticut, 43-16. After leading by just one at the half, West Virginia outscored the Huskies 33-7 over the final 30 minutes of play. Smith threw for 450 yards and four touchdowns. The Huskies only second-half points came late in the fourth quarter when Ty-Meer Brown intercepted Mountaineers back-up QB Paul Millard and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown.
NEXT GAME (NO. 16 WEST VIRGINIA): 10/21 @SYRACUSE
NEXT GAME: (UCONN): 10/15 VS. SOUTH FLORIDA
LOUISVILLE 7, NORTH CAROLINA 14
Bryn Renner threw for 178 yards and one touchdown, a 43-yard pass to Dwight Jones that proved to be the winning score, as North Carolina topped Louisville, 14-7. Neither team managed any points in the first half. The Tarheels struck first midway through the third quarter on a three-yard run by Giovani Bernard. Bernard carried the ball 25 times for 109 yards. Cardinals QB Teddy Bridgewater finished 19 of 30 for 173 yards and one touchdown with one interception. The Cardinals head into conference play having lost three of their last four games.
NEXT GAME: 10/15 @CINCINNATI
SYRACUSE 37, TULANE 34
NEXT GAME: 10/21 VS. NO. 16 WEST VIRGINIA
SOUTH FLORIDA: BYE
NEXT GAME: 10/15 @UCONN
CINCINNATI: BYE
NEXT GAME: 10/15 VS. LOUISVILLE