November 5, 2009

David Fox
Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer

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Injured starter Tony Pike returned to practice Tuesday and Wednesday, but backup Zach Collaros is likely to start for a third consecutive game. Pike re-injured his left (non-throwing) arm against USF on Oct. 15. He broke the arm last season and needed surgery to repair the break.

Pike participated in seven-on-sevens Wednesday, but he did not take any snaps because he did not receive a special brace that had been ordered for him.

"We'll put the brace on him [Thursday] and see where we are. We're close," Kelly told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "The odds are he's not going to start. ... My assumption is that Zach is ready to go."

Kelly said earlier in the week it would be possible for Pike to split snaps with Collaros, but Kelly would prefer not to play both.

If Cincinnati were an I-formation team, Kelly said the Bearcats could make some adjustments to protect a hobbled quarterback, but playing in the spread carries more risk.

"The way we play and the style we play, you're going to get hit," Kelly said. "So you have to be able to protect yourself without risking injury or re-injury."

Cincinnati is 2-0 when Collaros starts, but those starts have been against arguably the weakest teams in the Big East in Louisville and Syracuse.

Since coming in for Pike in Tampa, Collaros is 41-of-52 for 620 yards, with seven touchdowns and an interception. He also has rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

Just because Collaros has had success doesn't mean the starter and the backup are interchangeable.

"We're not even at the level where I can have the same conversation with Zach Collaros that I can have with Tony Pike about the quarterback position," Kelly said. "It's a different conversation. With Tony, we're talking about eye control on the safety, moving the safety with your eyes. I can't do that with Zach yet. We're still at big-picture issues."

Maybe sticking with Collaros against Connecticut isn't such a bad thing.

A year ago, Pike returned from his broken arm against Connecticut. He was 10-of-27 for 136 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Bearcats built a 13-10 halftime lead. But he eventually had to leave the game and Connecticut went on to win 40-16. It was Cincinnati's only Big East loss of the season.

KEY MATCHUP: Pittsburgh RB Dion Lewis vs. Syracuse run defense. Raise your hand if you knew Syracuse was in the top 10 in the nation in run defense. The Orange have allowed just 88.9 rushing yards per game this season, but they will be tested by Lewis - the only 1,000-yard back in the Big East. The game will also feature an intriguing matchup between Pitt's offensive line, which is perhaps the best in the conference, against one of the league's best linemen in Syracuse DT Arthur Jones

COACH ON THE SPOT: Syracuse offensive coordinator Rob Spence. The Syracuse offense wasn't doing so hot before QBs Greg Paulus and Ryan Nassib started rotating and star WR Mike Williams quit the team. Just in time for the final four games of the season (three on the road), Spence essentially is starting from scratch. Williams accounted for 746 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The rest of the receivers accounted for 878 yards and six scores. Paulus was 12-of-17 last week against Cincinnati, while Nassib was 7-for-10.

NUMBERS GAME: Cincinnati is the only team in the country that has not lost a fumble. No FBS has team ever has gone through a season without losing a fumble. Three teams have lost only one fumble in a season - 1996 Bowling Green, 1998 Miami University and 2004 Northern Illinois. The Bearcats' four turnovers also are a national low. The record for fewest turnovers in a season is eight (1940 Clemson, 1966 Miami University, 2000 Notre Dame).

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"We've got a quarterback controversy now. We've got three guys that have won games. We'll just wait and see through practice to see how Justin and Adam do. ... To be honest with you, quarterback is one of my lesser concerns. I feel like we have guys who are very capable of playing." - Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe, on QBs Adam Froman and Justin Burke, who were injured last week. Walk-on Will Stein started in the win over Arkansas State last week

"It is loud; it is a stadium [in which the fans] are right on top of you. They've got a rabid fan base. They all have good arms. Whether they are right-handed or left-handed, they throw those batteries extremely well. They are extremely accurate with those, too. I'm going to have to have a hard hat when I come out of the locker room." - Kragthorpe, on the atmosphere in Morgantown, W.Va.

"We don't blitz much. I bet you we only blitzed 10 times in the past five weeks. A lot of those sacks are coverage sacks. If we can get two guys back there covering one, the quarterback is going to have to hold the ball. So there's a trade-off. It's really a matter of what you believe in and what you're most comfortable with doing." - Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, whose team leads the nation in sacks per game with 4.1

"When he's in the game, it's because we believe he will give us the best chance to win. And I truly, truly, truly thank him for being here. And I hope that my kids grow up . . . to have the courage and determination of a Greg Paulus." - Syracuse coach Doug Marrone

ETC.: Connecticut QB Cody Endres will have shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the season. Zach Frazer, who has started four games over the past two seasons, will return to the starting role. ... The Huskies have led in the fourth quarter in each of their losses this season. ... UConn LB Scott Lutrus returned last week after missing two games with a neck stinger. He recorded six tackles and a sack in the Huskies' loss to West Virginia. ... Louisville RB Victor Anderson, who has been limited by injuries in recent weeks, is "closer" to returning to the lineup against West Virginia, Kragthorpe said. ... Louisville's crowd of 21,415 at Saturday's game against Arkansas State was the smallest crowd in the history of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, which opened in 1998. ... Pittsburgh RB Dion Lewis tied Tony Dorsett as the fastest Panthers freshman to hit 1,000 rushing yards by doing it in eight games. The NCAA record is seven games. ... After going 1-16-1 against Syracuse from 1984-2001, Pittsburgh has won six of the past seven meetings. ... Syracuse's Williams quit the team before a likely suspension for a 5:30 a.m. car accident Sunday. Syracuse suspended RB Antwon Bailey, G Andrew Tiller and DE Torrey Ball, who were in the car with Williams. The Syracuse players were not found to be at fault for the accident, and no alcohol was involved. Tiller, the driver, was taken to the hospital but returned in time to watch Tuesday's practice in street clothes ... C Jim McKenzie will return to the Syracuse lineup, returning Ryan Bartholomew to his natural guard position. ... Rutgers CB Devin McCourty easily cleared 100 plays in the win over Connecticut. He played all 86 defensive plays and 25 of 26 special teams plays. ... Pitt QB Bill Stull is third in the nation in passing efficiency. ... Rutgers and USF are off this week. The teams meet on national TV on Nov. 12.

David Fox is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dfox@rivals.com.