Big East: A Look Back at the 2012 Season
January 14, 2013 2:17 pm
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Louisville Cardinals (11-2, 5-2 Big East)
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The Cardinals were the marquee team for the Big East most of the season, racing to a 9-0 start before getting stomped by Syracuse and then losing to lowly Connecticut on consecutive weeks.
The reason for the losses could be attributed to one factor, the loss of then-top rusher Senorise Perry (136-705-11).
While's it usually difficult to justify such a statement, the fact that the UL running attack went in the tank when Perry was out.
Perry was hardly the driving force of the offense, but was a key cog.
The real brains behind the operation was quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (for those who didn't know).
The sophomore is one of the most accurate passers in the game and has under-rated mobility, Bridgewater also has the benefit of a diverse group of receivers to throw to, led by speedster DeVante Parker (40-744-10) and Damian Copeland (50-628-2).
The offensive line had its problems, but came through in the Sugar Bowl against Florida's top-ranked unit,
The defense was solid, although unspectacular, and the pass defense's lofty rating (16th) may have as much to do with playing shoddy passing offenses as possessing great talent.
Still, they got the job done against all but Syracuse, and made some key plays in the Sugar Bowl, like the end zone interception in the fourth quarter.
The good news is the team is young and received a boost of confidence when it beat Florida and, best of all, HC Charlie Strong turned down job offers from the SEC to remain at Louisville.
With a move to the ACC pending, this is a program on the rise.
Top Offensive Player: QB Teddy Bridgewater. Passing: 419 Att, 287 Comp, 3,718 Yards, 27 TDs, 8 Ints. Rushing: 74 Att, 26 Yards, 1 TD.
Top Defensive Player: FS Calvin Pryor - 100 Tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1 Sack, 2 Interceptions, 1 Fumble Recovered, 5 PBUs, 5 Forced Fumbles, 1 QBH.
The Big East has recently been the laughing stock of the BCS conferences, but this season looked like that was all about to change as the top teams rose up the national rankings.
Of course, in true Big East fashion, the top contenders lost to teams they shouldn't - namely Toledo, Kent State and Connecticut - and the return to joke status was almost complete.
Despite a four-way tie at the top of the conference (another Big East staple), Louisville won the trophy and earned the sole BCS spot, while the other teams had to make do with middle-tier bowls.
Syracuse stomped over old rival West Virginia in the snow-bound Pinstripe Bowl, while Cincinnati needed a big comeback to put away Duke in the Belk. The real shocker was in the Sugar Bowl when Louisville had their way with No. 3 Florida in a 33-23 win that wasn't really as close as the score suggests and regained a little bit of respect for the conference.
The Big East is in a state of flux with a number of teams jumping ship to the ACC and Big Ten, while teams from non-BCS conferences are stepping in to take their place, or at least the Big East powers hope so. How this will affect their BCS standing remains to be seen, but we will have further details as they arise.
Read on for the team reviews. Teams are in order of finish.
Read more: Aaron Donald, B.J. Daniels, Calvin Pryor, Connecticut Huskies, Devekeyan, Dyshawn Davis, George Winn, Greg Blair, Jawan Jamison, Khaseem Greene, Louisville Cardinals, Lyle McCombs, Montel Harris, National, NCAA, Pittsburgh Panthers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Ryan Nassib, South Florida Bulls, Syracuse Orange, Teddy Bridgewater, Temple Owls, Tino Sunseri, Week 20, Yawin Smallwood
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