Last season, Stull completed only 57 percent of his passes, throwing for 196 yards per game, with a total of nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
With these numbers, it’s easy to see why not much was expected of Stull this season. In fact, he was seen as a liability. The offense was supposed to be nothing more than a bruising rushing attack, but with new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. and the growth of Stull as a quarterback, the Panthers now possess an offense that is formidable both through the air and on the ground.
In 2009, Stull is completing 67 percent of his passes, passing for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions. This past week against South Florida, Stull looked like a leader, directing Pitt to scoring drives in each of the team’s first five possessions.
Stull has now risen to the ranks of one of the best players in the Big East. He is one of the main reasons why the Panthers are 7-1 and ranked No. 16 in the most recent AP Poll.
No. 5 Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0 Big East) 41, Louisville (2-5, 0-3 Big East) 10
Sure, Louisville is a bad team, but the Bearcats need to beat everyone if they are to play for a national title. This is the type of game in which good teams often do not bring their A-game. On a day when No. 1 Florida had a close victory over a bad SEC team (Mississippi State) and No. 6 Iowa needed a last-second touchdown to beat an average Big Ten team (Michigan State), Cincinnati rolled.
Cincinnati’s starting quarterback, Tony Pike, was forced to sit this one out after undergoing surgery on his non-throwing hand this past week. Zach Collaros started in his place and performed very well, as the offense did not miss a beat.
No. 20 Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0) 41, South Florida (5-2, 1-2) 14
The game was just as lopsided as the final score would indicate. Pitt’s offense was unstoppable, scoring on all five first-half possessions. There was nothing that didn’t work for the Panthers in this rout, as they rushed for 214 yards and threw for another 272. After the win, Pitt has moved up to No. 15 in the BCS standings.
For South Florida, it looks like business as usual. After a fast start, the Bulls have not even been competitive against the Big East’s two best teams, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Next up is West Virginia. South Florida has given up 75 points over the past two weeks, so the team has a lot of work to do to correct a defense that started the season very strongly.
No. 23 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) 28, Connecticut (4-3, 1-2) 24
This was an emotional game, as UConn was still recovering the loss of teammate Jasper Howard. The entire stadium at West Virginia stood for a moment of silence before the game, and West Virginia players wore a No. 6 sticker on their helmets in honor of Howard. The Big East is a conference of only eight teams, and Howard’s passing hit several players and teams very hard.
For the game, Connecticut certainly played inspired ball, particularly quarterback Cody Endres, who threw for a career-high 378 yards. UConn racked up 501 yards of offense and led with less than four minutes to play. But in the end, it was turnovers that did the Huskies in. They turned the ball over four times in the second half and were unable to overcome this. UConn has lost three games this season, each of which they led in the fourth quarter.
West Virginia, meanwhile, just continues to win. They are now ranked No. 20 in the AP poll and have a few weeks to get ready for Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. These Mountaineers may nor appear to be as good as either of the top two Big East teams, but they will have their chance to prove themselves.
Rutgers (5-2, 0-2) 27, Army 10
The Scarlet Knights beat a terrible Army team by a relatively slim margin, but a win is a win. Rutgers has no passing game to speak of, and if it hopes to beat either Louisville or Syracuse, it will need to find a way to convert through the air. Otherwise, the Scarlet Knights could find themselves at the bottom of the Big East standings.
Syracuse (3-4, 0-2) 28, Akron 14
On paper, this game shaped up as a mismatch. However, on game day, Syracuse coach Doug Marrone announced that he had suspended star wide receiver Mike Williams for violating team rules. It must have been something serious, as Williams is far and away the best player on the Orange. He is a superstar on a bad team.
Without Williams, Syracuse is a different team. Luckily, the Orange were playing a truly terrible Akron team. The Orange held the Zips to less than 200 yards of offense, including zero on the ground. Meanwhile, Syracuse did its damage on the ground, with Delone Carter rushing for a career-high 170 yards.
Syracuse’s next two games are against No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 20 Pittsburgh. It could be a long two weeks for the Orange.
What We Learned
1. The Big East is a tight-knit community. Every coach in the league contacted UConn to help provide support in the aftermath of Jasper Howard’s untimely passing.
2. UConn can play with anyone in the Big East, but they can’t seem to beat the best teams.
3. The Big East is a three-team race, as Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and West Virginia remain undefeated in conference play.
4. Right on cue, South Florida has fallen apart after a fast start.
Respect Barometer
It is now certain that three of the Big East’s eight teams (Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse) are bad.
However, the other five teams are pretty good. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and West Virginia are all ranked in the top 20 in the AP poll. This is big. Currently, there is not a single conference that boasts more than three teams in the AP Top 20, including the SEC. For comparison, the Pac-10 and Big 12 each only have two teams ranked in the Top 20.
That doesn't necessarily mean the Big East is seen in the same light as these other conferences, but it does show that pollsters think just as highly of top Big East teams as they do of teams from other conferences.
