Big East roundup \ Saturday’s games

West Virginia 24, Marshall 7

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Noel Devine rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, freshman Geno Smith threw a scoring pass after Jarrett Brown went down early with an injury and West Virginia beat Marshall. West Virginia (5-1) overcame its first halftime deficit of the season to improve to 9-0 against Marshall (4-3) in the series between the state’s only Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Brown took a helmet-to-helmet hit on West Virginia’s first series and did not return. Coach Bill Stewart said afterward he didn’t know the extent of Brown’s injury. With former standout Pat White watching from the sidelines, Smith completed 15 of 21 passes for 147 yards in the first extensive play of his young career. Devine outdueled Marshall’s Darius Marshall in a matchup between two of the nation’s top three rushers, although both players struggled to find running room on a cold and wet afternoon. Devine was held 23 yards below his third-best average. Marshall, whose 146-yard average ranked second to Fresno State’s Ryan Mathews’s 148, was limited to 82 yards. After West Virginia was limited to two first downs and 84 yards of offense in the first half, its defense came up big, holding an opponent scoreless after halftime for the second time this season.

Connecticut 38, Louisville 25

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Andre Dixon ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns and Connecticut got its first Big East win of the season. Cody Endres threw for 273 yards and a touchdown as UConn (4-2, 1-1) beat the Cardinals (2-4, 0-2) for the third consecutive season. Marcus Easley had 108 receiving yards, including a 16-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Endres that helped UConn blow open a 14-13 game with 17 third-quarter points.

Associated Press