Welcome to the Big East
By TimsGiants, COMISSIONER
Welcome DaONE league Big East page.

Powerful 'Canes Cream of Big East Crop
By Slip-N-Toes, SPORTS WRITER
As the season draws near, there will certainly be a lot of controversy and intrigue to look forward to in the Big East. The commissioner of the Big East has already made comments about his disapproval and outright disappointment of Miami and Virginia Tech leaving for the ACC after this following season. However, there doesn't seem to be any love lost or concern between the remaining coaches of the Big East.

As we look into the ratings of all the teams in the Big East, we start with the national runners-upp from last season, the Miami Hurricanes. It seems that for the last three to four years, the Canes have reloaded after each season. The same holds true this year. Coach Canes142 has a core of leaders and playmakers urgent to lead his team to another run at the national championship. We start with the projected first team All-Americans; TE Kellen Winslow Jr., Vince Wilfork, and probably the best all-around defensive back in Miami history, Sean Taylor. Not to mention the linebacker corps of Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams that will lead the defense.

Every year for the last four years, Miami has always had a running back to step up after the previous running back has either broken records or helped his team to a national championship. This year, that feat will be in the hands of Frank Gore. Coach Canes142 specifically mentioned Gore and Winslow as players to watch. He also discussed his enthusiasm about playing Florida and Florida State again. "As always the in-state rivals of Florida State and Florida will be tough. I am sure they are bouncing back from last year." The sky's the limit for this team.

Pittsburgh had a very productive season last year finishing third in the conference behind Miami and West Virginia. Although losing a few key players on defense, the Panthers of coach Bigwill33 seem ready for another run at a Big East title. The most exciting player to watch will be 2002 Big East Rookie of the Year Larry Fitzgerald. He burst onto the scene in 2002, becoming the second Panther ever to earn Big East Rookie of the Year accolades. A unanimous All-Big East first-team receiver, he was the first true freshman in league history to earn such an honor. Fitzgerald was first in the Big East with 12 touchdown catches, finishing with 1,005 yards on 69 receptions.

The guy that will be responsible for getting him the ball will be senior quarterback Rod Rutherford. For the first time in recent memory, Pittsburgh enters a season without questions at the quarterback position. Rutherford was an All-Big East second-team choice last season after throwing for 2,783 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is the league's top returning player in total offense, as he ranked second with 244.7 yards per game. He brings a unique balance of pass and run to counter opposing defenses. On defense Claude Harriott will be the anchor and the vocal leader. A member of the All-Big East first team, the defensive end finished second in the conference with 9.5 sacks and 20.0 tackles for loss. Pittsburgh has an advantage in the special teams department with potential All-American Andy Lee at punter. He led the league and was 13th in the nation with a 43.1-yard average. He's sure to change field position every time he puts a foot on the ball.

After a one-year hiatus, West Virginia finished second in the conference and was back in postseason play in 2002. A total of 44 lettermen are back, including 11 starters. In the backfield, most coaches would dread having to replace a player the caliber of All-Big East tailback Avon Cobourne. While Coach WhyNot does have big shoes to fill, the Mountaineers boast a very capable replacement in senior Quincy Wilson. He rushed for 901 yards and six touchdowns last season and had 72.1 all-purpose yards per game. He will definitely be one of the most explosive backs in the Big East.

West Virginia brings just four starters back from a defense that ranked fourth nationally in turnover margin (+1.75). The defensive leader is All-Big East first-team linebacker Grant Wiley. He finished with 133 tackles last year, including 91 solos. He also recorded 13.5 tackles for loss. Wiley was named the Big East Rookie of the Year in 2000.

At Boston College, Coach MattyG will try to maintain the consistency the team experienced under its previous coach. With four straight bowl appearances, the feat will not be easy. However, MattyG has the luxury of an incoming recruiting class that was rated among the top 20 nationally. “Obviously, I'd like to be the top team in the conference, but anything about a .500 record is an accomplishment for me,” MattyG said.

The Eagles have several key holes to fill on offense, but are led by one of the league's top running backs in second-team all-league senior Derrick Knight. He finished third in the conference with a 110.2-yard rushing average, amassing 1,432 yards with 12 touchdowns. He was also the team's third-leading receiver, grabbing 37 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, the only dominant potential All-Big East performer is Doug Goodwin. He had 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in an injury-shortened five-game season, but is expected to be full strength. MattyG is looking forward to a shot at Miami. "Well, anytime BC plays Miami, that's always the biggest game of the year,” he said. “I'm sure it'll be the same in the league.”

The Virginia Tech program has joined the nation's elite in the last decade, having played in 10 consecutive bowl games. Boasting a streak of national rankings that spans 70 consecutive weeks, the Hokies expect to continue that success in 2003. Sixteen offensive and defensive starters return, along with both kickers. Most coaches would love to have the "problem" that head coach Tale of Woe may encounter under center. Junior quarterback Bryan Randall is the returning starter for Tech, but is expected to receive a stiff challenge from red-shirt freshman Marcus Vick. Randall started the Hokies final 12 games last season, passing for 2,134 yards and 12 touchdowns. He completed 63.7 percent of his passes, the second best season mark in Big East history. He also posted 507 rushing yards and was second in the Big East and 10th nationally with a 143.1 pass efficiency rating. Vick, the younger brother of former Tech All-American Michael Vick, has shown promise and will give the Hokies a potent combination at signal-caller. Tale of Woe has made it clear that Vick will see the field this year.

In the backfield, junior Kevin Jones will take over full-time at tailback after sharing duties with VT record-setter Lee Suggs. Jones has rushed for 1,828 yards over two seasons, including 871 with nine touchdowns last year. The wide receiver position starts with senior Ernest Wilford, who set a Virginia Tech record with 51 receptions last season. An All-Big East second-team choice, the big-play threat had 925 receiving yards in 2002, third in the Big East. Second-team all-conference cornerback DeAngelo Hall had 15 pass break-ups last year, sixth in the Big East. His four interceptions tied for second in the league.

Head coach Chuckles630 heads into his first season at Temple looking to 39 returning letterwinners to move the team into the upper echelon of the conference. Six starters are back on offense and will join 23 incoming junior college players for the Owls, who will face a schedule that includes eight teams that played in bowl games a year ago. "I hope my team will be as good as they can be, or overachieve,” Chuckles said. “Temple football hasn't been that good in the past, but I want to change that."

Junior quarterback Mike McGann is the most experienced signal-caller for TU. He finished fourth in the Big East with 166.2 passing yards per game in 2002. The backfield must cope with the loss of one of the top rushers in school history, Tanardo Sharps. Senior Makonnen Fenton is a leading candidate to step in. Known for his kick return ability, Fenton saw limited action in the backfield in 2002. On defense, sophomore end Rodney Wormley is the lone starter returning up front. The leader at linebacker is expected to be sophomore Rian Wallace, whose 76 tackles lead all returners. The secondary also has just one starting player back in senior cornerback Yazid Jackson, who had 65 tackles and three picks. Coach Chuckles630 will definitely have an uphill battle but he seems optimistic. "We may not have the personnel, but we will NOT quit,” he said.

Head coach unstopski looks forward to the fruits of his building process at Rutgers beginning to show as the Scarlet Knights enter 2003. A key factor will be more experience as 43 letterwinners and 13 starters are among those who look to establish themselves this season. The returnees are seeking to mix with several impact newcomers to help RU move up the conference standings. When asked if the Rutgers had a chance to make a run at the conference title, unstopski responded: "Yes I do. We have been training a lot more this season then ever. We have been looking at a lot of our footage of our team and other team footage that we play this year. As long as we keep our head in the game we will prevail every time."

The offense boasts 14 players who started games last season. Two of those are at quarterback with the return of sophomore Ryan Hart and senior Ted Trump. Hart started the last four games, throwing for 479 yards and two touchdowns. He completed a team-best 45.9 percent of his passes. Trump was the leader in the Knights' victory over Army last season, completing 16-of-23 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He had 740 passing yards in 2002.
Defense is what has coach unstopski very excited to get started. "Look for our entire defense this year,” he said. “We have be working on that a lot in the offseason and preparing different types of packages against certain circumstances."

Senior Raheem Orr is the leader on the defensive line. The end was fifth on the team with 62 tackles, including 9.5 for losses. Seniors Brian Bender and Brian Hohmann get the first mentions at linebacker. Bender had 81 tackles last season, including eight for loss. Hohmann added 47 stops. Three of four starters are back in the secondary. Leading the way is senior standout Nate Jones. Well-known for his special teams exploits, Jones was third at RU with 84 tackles in 2002 and is the top returning tackler. The other cornerback spot is expected to be manned by Brandon Haw, who was fourth in the Big East with 16 pass breakups. With the coach’s high spirits, look for the Rutgers to make some noise this following season. We do know this however; he will at least make it exciting and competitive for the other teams in the league.

Head coach Better AI hopes to lead Syracuse back to its winning ways after suffering the program's first losing season in 16 years. The Orangemen will bring back seven offensive and seven defensive starters with 26 lettermen back overall. Leading the way will be two talented tailbacks who may be one of the most explosive duos in the country. The offensive charge will be led by junior Walter Reyes and sophomore Damien Rhodes. The running backs combined for 1,703 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2002. Reyes finished sixth in the Big East in rushing with 1,135 yards, including 100 yards or more in a game six times. He also scored 17 rushing TDs, a SU single-season record. Rhodes had 1,268 all-purpose yards, the sixth-best total in the conference. Senior R.J. Anderson returns to call the signals again at quarterback. He started seven of the nine games he played last season, completing 58 of 134 passes for 899 yards and four touchdowns.

The defense will be led by three solid senior returnees on the front line in tackles Louis Gachelin and Christian Ferrara and end Josh Thomas. An All-Big East second-team pick in 2002, Gachelin was fifth in the league with 17.0 tackles for loss and ranked sixth overall with 8.5 sacks. Senior Rich Scanlon is one of two returning starters at linebacker. Senior Jameel Dumas finished second on the squad with 94 tackles. Sophomore cornerback Steve Gregory is the new leader in the secondary. A freshman All-America choice in 2002, he led the Big East with 21 pass break-ups, the first freshman in conference history to lead in that category. There's a lot to look forward to for Coach BetterAI.