A look around the Big East

The seat on which Orangemen coach Paul Pasqualoni sits has gone from warm to red-hot

Updated: September 8, 2004, 3:50 PM ET
By Joe Bendel | Special to ESPN.com
Will Paul Pasqualoni survive in Syracuse? What will Kay-Jay Harris do for an encore? Our Big East notebook addresses those questions, along with looks at Connecticut's Danny Orlovsky, Temple's growing problems and more.

Boston College
Some might suggest that it was foolhardy for Boston College to agree to a Thursday night opener in Muncie, Ind., against Ball State, particularly since the game was not televised and the Eagles barely escaped with a 19-11 victory. But there was a method to the madness. The Eagles gave themselves extra time to prepare for a home game against a rejuvenated Penn State team, which is coming off a 48-10 win over Akron last Saturday. The added rest and prep time could be the difference in this game of evenly matched teams. It might even allow the Eagles to concoct a scheme to stop Nittany Lions quarterback Zack Mills, who scored three different ways Saturday.

  • Boston College proved it could run the ball against Ball State, then, disaster struck. Freshman tailback L.V. Whitworth rushed for 129 yards on 21 carries in relief of starter Jeff Ross, but he hyperextended his left knee late in the game and is out for a month. "It's a big concern for us," Coach Tom O'Brien said. "We came into the year trying to settle on a tailback (to replace Derrick Knight) and it looked like we were moving in the right direction. Now we're back to square one." Ross and freshman Andre Callender must prove their mettle in front of a national television audience (8 p.m., ABC). Otherwise, it could be a long night for the Eagles.

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