By: Al Burke
Spotlight
on the Big East
Who will be the key offensive
players in the race for the Big East title in 2012? Some will be established
stars, some replacing former stars and a smattering of new faces who hope to be
the stars of tomorrow (or this season anyway). Opinions, objections and abuse
(maybe not that one) are always welcome. Feel free to leave comments below or
contact me on Twitter.
Cincinnati
QB Munchie Legaux – after the
quality at QB the Bearcats had with Zach Collaros, Legaux’s inconsistency was
something of a shock to the system. He was thrown into the fire as a freshman
when Collaros went down with mixed results. He’s a good athlete with a strong
arm, and has some game experience under his belt now. He looked better in the
spring, and with 3 OLs, 2 WRs and enough RBs for a decent committee approach,
any post-season hopes in Cinci may rest on his shoulders.
2011 Stats: Passing 116-55-749-5-4,
Rushing 41-185-2.
Connecticut
QB Chandler Whitmer – QB was the
biggest offensive failing of the Huskies in 2011, and many seasons prior, and
the hope is prolific JUCO Whitmer can turn things around and provide a passing
attack not seem in Storrs since the days of Dan Orlovsky. The former Illinois
recruit will be breaking in some new receivers, but will have a strong running
attack to bail him out while he adjusts to the higher level.
2011 Stats: Passing 316-180-3022-25-14,
Rushing 48-63-2. (Butler CC)
Louisville
QB Teddy Bridgewater – the
freshman was outstanding last year, taking over in week 3 and leading the
Cardinals to 6 wins and a bowl game (5-2 finish), despite a suspect ground game
and a line that allowed 41 sacks. That number could have been even higher if
not for Bridgewater’s impressive mobility, but it was his poise and veteran
moxie that earned him some freshman all-American votes. The scary thing is,
he’s looked great in camp and could be poised for a huge year, assuming of
course that the OL improves too.
2011 Stats: Passing 296-191-2129-14-12,
Rushing 89-66-4.
Pittsburgh
RB Ray Graham – or to be more
precise, Graham’s knee. The rusher was second in the nation in 2011 before a
week 8 ACL tear cut his season short, yet he still made 1st team
all-conference. After sitting out in the spring, Graham has looked good in the
fall but won’t truly be tested until week 1 against Youngstown State. There are
options behind him, and the passing game should be much improved, but the team
and its fragile ego will struggle if one of their leaders goes down again.
2011 Stats: Rushing 164-958-9,
Receiving 30-200-0.
Rutgers
WR Brandon Coleman – playing
musical QBs and an inconsistent running attack couldn’t keep the Scarlet
Knights out of the postseason in 2011, and it was due to one guy (on offense
anyway) – Mohammed Sanu. Despite every defender knowing he was getting the ball,
he was still incredibly productive and got a lot of his yards the hard way – in
the middle of the pitch. He’s in the NFL now, so someone needs to step up, and
Coleman looks like he could be the man. He exploded over the second half of the
season and averaged 30 yards a catch. He has great height and size, and is one
to watch for the future.
2011 Stats: Receiving 17-552-6.
South Florida
QB BJ Daniels – Not often you’ll
see a 3-year starter here, but Daniels has underachieved since promising so
much on replacing Matt Grothe in 2009. He’s a fine runner with a strong arm and
can be accurate on occasion, something he needs to improve on. The major
concern with Daniels is he just hasn’t won over the team the way Grothe had,
despite playing just as hard. USF have a solid team this year, but the QB is
the key to this offense, so they rise and fall with Daniels.
2011 Stats: Passing
365-215-2585-13-7, Rushing 132-601-6
Syracuse
RB Jerome Smith – After 4
consecutive 1000 yard rushers, the RB cupboard looked somewhat bare going into
2012. However, what the unit lacked wasn’t talent, but experience. Jerome
Smith’s 37 carries lead all returning rushers, and word on the street is he’s
the man to replace Antwon Bailey as the starter. They’ll need him. Ryan Nassib
is solid, but hasn’t quite emerged as expected, so the difference in games will
have to come on the ground. Smith is a power-packer 220 lbs who can run over
and around would-be tacklers. With potentially 3 OLs returning, he could be in
for a decent season.
2011 Stats: Rushing 37-134-1,
Receiving 1-4-0.
Temple
QB Chris Coyer – star RB Bernard
Pierce may have moved on, but the Owls will be effective on the ground courtesy
of transfer Montel Harris and last year’s #2 Matt Brown. But the move to the
Big East means just plowing over opponents week-in, week-out won’t work. Coyer
is an excellent runner who flashed some potential as a passer when he took over
in the last 4 games, but he has to show he can do it for 12. He is tailor-made
for the offensive system, and has displayed leadership beyond his years.
There’s no doubt he can run the ball, but can he pass effectively enough to
keep defenses from loading up against the run?
2011 Stats: Passing
50-30-463-6-0, Rushing 69-562-3.
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