Teel’s six TD passes lift Rutgers past Pitt, 54-17

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Mike Teel, booed at times by his own fans this season, threw five of his school-record six touchdown passes in the first half as Rutgers walloped No. 17 Pittsburgh, 54-17, Saturday at Heinz Field.

Rutgers came out throwing to confound Pittsburgh’s previously reliable defense.

Teel, a senior who had only three touchdown passes in seven games, found Kenny Britt on scoring plays of 79, 7 and 26 yards and Tim Brown for 60 and 36 yards — all against what was the Big East’s top-ranked and nation’s 10th-rated pass defense.

The 36-yarder to Brown made it 41-31 and came one play after Aaron Berry’s fumbled punt midway through the third quarter, not long after LeSean McCoy’s fourth touchdown run got Pittsburgh (5-2, 2-1 in Big East) to within 34-31.

Louisville 24, No. 14 South Florida 20

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hunter Cantwell threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Scott Long with 7:07 left to play to help Louisville upset penalty-plagued South Florida.

The 14th-ranked Bulls committed 14 penalties for 109 yards, including a defensive holding on a missed field goal by Louisville that would have given USF (6-2, 1-2 Big East) the ball back late in the fourth quarter.

South Florida’s Matt Grothe threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns, but he also was picked off twice. His fourth-quarter interception gave the Cardinals the ball at USF 27 and allowed the Cardinals (5-2, 1-1) to run out the clock.

With Pittsburgh losing to Rutgers on Saturday and UConn knocking off Cincinnati, the Big East race is muddled behind first-place West Virginia. The Cardinals have bounced back well following a disappointing first season under coach Steve Kragthorpe and are in the thick of the chase.

Connecticut 40, Cincinnati 16

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Donald Brown ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns and Connecticut scored 20 fourth-quarter points.

Brown, who came in as the nation’s leading rusher, set the school’s single-season record with 1,324 yards in just eight games.

Redshirt freshman David Teggart, making his first career start, hit four field goals as the Huskies (6-2, 2-1 Big East) won their 11th consecutive home game.