UConn Wins for Jasper Howard, at Last

FanHouse Big East writer Brett McMurphy looks back at the week that was in the Big East Rewind.

Two weeks ago, UConn coach Randy Edsall and senior running back Andre Dixon both said how much the Huskies' really needed a bye week after a third consecutive last-minute loss at Cincinnati.

If no other team needed a bye like UConn, no other team in the country needed a victory like UConn. And that's exactly what the Huskies' got. UConn went into South Bend, Ind., and defeated Notre Dame 33-30 in double overtime Saturday.

It was the first victory since the murder of UConn cornerback Jasper Howard. After the game, Edsall pointed skyward in honor of Howard, while the Huskies' players held aloft Howard's No. 6 jersey.

Did anyone else notice UConn's final score just happen to be 33 (3+3=6)?

UConn's victory highlighted last week's Big East action as the Big East's bests -- Cincinnati-Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, if you prefer -- were idle last week.

In the only other two games involving league teams, South Florida thumped Louisville to secure a bowl berth for a fifth consecutive season and Syracuse upset Rutgers to avoid a winless Big East debut season for Doug Marrone.

Some things we may have figured out in the past week

1. Don't believe the preseason magazines, at least concerning offensive lines

Rutgers offensive line was hailed as (pick one): the best offensive line in the history of the Big East or one of the nation's best offensive lines. Athlon's ranked Rutgers' o-line as the nation's eighth best, while literally every preseason magazine and dot-com preseason preview touted Rutgers as the league's best. Yet, the Scarlet Knights allowed nine sacks in Saturday's loss at Syracuse and have the league's second-worst offense.

2. South Florida's B.J. Daniels should concentrate strictly on football

On Saturday against Louisville, Daniels had 445 yards of total offense, becoming the first player in Big East history and only 28th player in FBS history with 100 yards rushing and 300 yards passing in a game. The redshirt freshman is easily one of the league's most talented football players. But Daniels also has a love for basketball. That was the main reason he signed with USF because of an opportunity to play both sports. He played sparingly last season for USF's basketball team and has said he will play again after the conclusion of USF's football season. Unless the basketball team suffers a rash of injuries, Daniels likely won't get much playing time again this season and playing both sports will only curb his development on the football field.

3. Cincinnati fans are having some restless nights

UConn's victory all but sealed the fate of Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. So in the matter of days (minutes?), Bearcats faithful will find out exactly how serious a candidate Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly is for the Fighting Irish. The Bearcats, though, aren't going down without a fight. The school has decided to borrow $9.7 million to start construction on athletic practice fields, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Building the new practice fields are a requirement in Kelly's new five-year contract.

Re-Tweeting Week 12

Ranking the league from top to bottom and summarizing each team, in 140 characters or less.

1. Cincinnati: On Friday, Brian Kelly matches wits with Illinois' Ron Zook. This really doesn't seem fair, does it?
2. Pitt: Does Dave Wannstedt wake up at every night wondering how in the world his Panthers ever lost to N.C. State?
3. West Virginia: Not quite the same, but Mountaineers can damage Pitt's season Friday much like Panthers did to WVU in 2007
4. UConn: Win against Notre Dame -- we're not going to call it an upset -- improves Huskies' bowl hopes
5. Rutgers: Sacked nine times by Syracuse Saturday, QB Tom Savage was on his back more than (insert your own bad joke here)
6. South Florida: Bulls stop the bleeding against Louisville and become bowl eligible for a fifth consecutive season
7. Syracuse: The Orange's upset of Rutgers gives Syracuse's seniors four consecutive seasons with one Big East victory
8. Louisville: Does Steve Kragthorpe end his Cardinals career Friday against Rutgers with a win or loss?

Follow Brett McMurphy on Twitter at twitter.com/BrettmcmurphY