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Big East lunchtime links

bk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett • Low expectations may be a blessing in disguise for West Virginia's young offensive line, Dave Hickman writes in the Charleston Gazette. • Defensive backs coach David Lockwood has worked wonders for the Mountaineers, Bob Hertzel says in the Times West Virginian. • Bill Stewart told the West Virginia Metro News that Coley White is not transferring. • The Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner catches up with former Husky and current Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Donald Thomas. • Louisville and Kentucky are waging a fun billboard war on the state's highways, Eric Crawford writes in The Courier-Journal. • Could the Big East and other leagues be at a competitive disadvantage against the SEC and its huge TV deal? Andrew Carter examines in the Orlando Sentinel.

Fresh faces: Syracuse

bk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett Syracuse needs an infusion of talent at just about every position, which would seem to make the Orange ripe for our Big East fresh faces series. It's hard to tell which of the 13 true freshmen in Doug Marrone's first class will play right away. But we figure these three junior-college transfers will have a chance to make their presence known quickly: • Andrew Tiller, OL: The Orange offensive line performed poorly in the spring game, and you know that Doug Marrone -- a former offensive lineman himself -- won't stand for that long. Tiller, who comes over from Nassau Community College, is a mountainous prospect at a listed 6-foot-6, 360 pounds. If he can pick things up and prove he can move at that size, he should have a good chance to earn some fast playing time. • Torrey Ball, DE: Ball played one year at Georgia Military College before signing with Syracuse, which means he should be a little more mature than the incoming freshmen. He's solidly built for a rush end at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds and showed his athleticism by blocking two kicks in junior college. Syracuse hasn't had a great pass-rush specialist in a while and will certainly give Ball a chance to audition for the role. • John Mark Henderson, CB: Henderson was a late signee from City College of San Francisco after apparently falling through the cracks in the coaching change at his first choice, Kansas State. Juco transfers can be hit or miss, but cornerback is one of the easier positions to step in and play right away, and the Orange aren't exactly bursting with depth in the defensive backfield.

Five games to fear in the Big East

bk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett Everybody knows what the marquee nonconference games are in the Big East this season -- South Florida versus Florida State and Miami, West Virginia at Auburn, Notre Dame against both UConn and Pitt, etc. But what are the scariest games? In other words, in what nonconference matchups will a Big East team probably be favored but could still struggle and lose? Here are my picks for five nonconference games to fear: • East Carolina at West Virginia, Sept. 12: Surely the Mountaineers won't lose to East Carolina two years in a row, right? And certainly not in Morgantown. But the Pirates thoroughly dominated West Virginia last year and will have a lot of confidence coming into this Week 2 showdown. The Mountaineers' rebuilt offensive line had better be ready. • Connecticut at Baylor, Sept. 19: I'm not sure if UConn would be favored in this game, but this is a tougher road test than many people may realize. Baylor is a program on the rise behind sensational sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin, and the Bears gave the Huskies all they could handle in East Hartford last season. • Rutgers at Maryland, Sept. 26: The Scarlet Knights' nonconference schedule is ridiculously soft other than this game, which may prove to be a challenge. Maryland looks no better than mediocre on paper, but this will be Rutgers' first road game of the season. The Scarlet Knights will probably be coming off two blowout home victories over Howard and Florida International, which may not adequately prepare them for a trip to ACC country. • Fresno State at Cincinnati, Sept. 26: Even though Fresno State appears to be down compared to its recent success, the Bulldogs usually manage to pull off at least one big win each year (ask Rutgers about 2008). Cincinnati will be playing a week after a potentially mentally-taxing cross-country trip to Oregon State. The Bearcats also open the season at Rutgers and could be drained if not physically beat up by the time this game rolls around.

• Arkansas State at Louisville, Oct. 31: Hey, this is the same Louisville program that has lost to Syracuse the past two years and scuffled by Middle Tennessee State in 2007. Arkansas State is a respectable Sun Belt outfit that upset Texas A&M on the road to open '08. Given that the game is on Halloween, this could be the scariest possible upset of all.

WVU guard cited in second traffic accident

bk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:32:36 +0000

Suspended West Virginia point guard Darryl "Truck Bryant has been cited in a second traffic accident.Bryant was the driver of a car that struck a WVU student June 21, according to Morgantown police records. The student wasnt seriously hurt.The records...

WVU opponent preview -- Liberty

bk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:28:22 +0000

EDITORS NOTE: This is the first in a series of previews on West Virginia and Marshall football opponents.

Date with West Virginia: Saturday, Sept. 5, noon

Site: Mountaineer Field (60,000, FieldTurf), Morgantown

Coach: Danny Rocco (4th ...

Bulldogs pursuing transfer QBs

bk — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:29:01 +0000

Times Sports Staff reggie.benson@htimes.com West Virginia's White, Kentucky's Mason on list Alabama A&M is once again in transfer talks with two major-college quarterbacks.

Taking his time

bk — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:05:00 +0000

The 6' 0", 200 pound receiver out of Oak Grove has been doing like most
this summer as he is running, lifting, and attending various college camps throughout
the summer. He is also staying in close contact with several college coaches.

MacArthur's 2010 Class Has Three With Offers

bk — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:30:00 +0000

It is the middle of the summer, so it is time to get caught up on who has offers from who
as we talk to the coaches around the state on their players being recruited.

Seven And Counting For DFW Area Star

bk — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:22:00 +0000

It is the middle of the summer, so it is time to get caught up on who has offers from who
as we talk to the coaches around the state on their players being recruited.

First Offer Is A Big One

bk — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:10:00 +0000

It is the middle of the summer, so it is time to get caught up on who has offers from who
as we talk to the coaches around the state on their players being recruited.