Cincinnati and Rutgers both started the season in a tight spot. With the Big East scrounging for opportunities for promotions, the Bearcats and Scarlet Knights were chose as the whipping boys to represent the Big East in what was to be the equivalent of the Miami – Florida State rivalry on opening weekend. Neither head coach was happy about the game’s urgent start; it seemed only one team would show up. On top of that, the Cincinnati – Rutgers match-up was to be a possible title showdown to start the wide open Big East race. After a weekend of slow, unimpressive starts for Big East teams, the Labor Day game would yield a clear-cut leader of the conference.

Scarlet Knight head coach Greg Schiano prides himself on defense. Rutgers had a solid unit returning including a very talented herd of linebackers. From the opening drive, that unit seemed to be floating on cloud nine watching their bodies flail about the field like fish out of the water while Bearcat receivers posted up in wide open zones. Bearcat QB Tony Pike struck his targets on the opening drive with the accuracy of an Olympic archer. The Bearcats manufactured a TD as Pike went 6 for 6 passing with 72 yards on the opening drive.

Rutgers answered with a ground out, clock chewing drive of their own by consuming 10:44 punching the ball in the end zone. From that point on, the Bearcats owned control of the game like a million dollar pimp as Rutgers was reduced to digging for scraps. Cincinnati scored 38 unanswered points in the slaughterhouse. Tony Pike finished the game 27 of 34 for 362 yards and 3 TDs, a performance against a solid defense that should tag his name to the top of Big East Heisman hopefuls.

Schiano went with true freshman QB Tom Savage to start the second half and the Scarlet Knights appeared to have a little more fire in their game. Too little, too late as Rutgers were in a hole deeper than the Finger lakes. Savage finished with 135 yards and a TD. Expect to see Savage in the starting role next game.

The most disappointing aspect of the game was the horrid play of the Rutgers experienced and gifted offensive line. There are several NFL caliber ‘big uglies’ lining up in the trenches for the Scarlet Knights, most notably Anthony Davis. Davis and the rest of the crew were burnt time after time by a much faster and inexperienced Bearcat defensive line. In fact, Cincinnati seemed to expose Rutgers lack of team speed on both sides of the ball.

Cincinnati picked up right where they left off following their Big East championship season despite losing 10 starters on defense. This year’s unit appears poised to surpass last season’s unit as they flaunted excellent speed and athletic ability. Rutgers has to pick up the slack ASAP to avoid the ridiculously slow start they experienced in 2008.

Superhuman Effort – The offensive preparation of the Cincinnati offense completely and totally overwhelmed the Rutgers’ defense. Like a well oiled machine, the no huddle Bearcat offense received the play and snapped the ball before the Rutgers defense could get in position.

Grievances and Gripes – After teasing Big East fans with the promotional development of freshman QB Tom Savage, Rutgers started the game with Dom Natale and countered with the shifty Jabu Lovelace in the Wildcat. The result was three first half interceptions and two sacks.

Gambler’s Lounge – The Bearcats nearly covered the over/under (47 ½) by themselves, and they didn’t need the five points given by the Rutgers.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 7th, 2009 at 9:29 pm and is filed under Game Recaps. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.