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Cincinnati QB Pike injured in win over USF

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Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike throws under pressure from South Florida's George Selvie during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, in Tampa, Fla.

AP Photo Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike throws under pressure from South Florida's George Selvie during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, in Tampa, Fla.

By FRED GOODALL, The Associated Press 9:09 AM Friday, October 16, 2009

TAMPA, Fla. — Cincinnati will have to find a way to keep its high-octane offense going without Tony Pike for at least one more game.

The No. 8 Bearcats lost their starting quarterback to a sprained left wrist during Thursday night's 34-17 victory over No. 21 South Florida, and the severity of the injury will be determined by a specialist.

Coach Brian Kelly said Pike, who broke his left forearm last season and played with a plate and six screws that are still in place, will miss Cincinnati's next game, at home Oct. 24 against Louisville.

"The plate that's in there has shifted," Kelly said, adding that it has not been determined if the injury will require surgery. He expects to know more after Pike undergoes an examination on Friday.

The Bearcats (6-0, 2-0 Big East) did not make Pike available to the media in the locker room, citing team policy regarding injured players.

Without the senior, who's thrown for 1,633 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions, Cincinnati rallied around backup Zach Collaros to put the game away.

The replacement scored on runs of 74 and 3 yards after Pike threw a pair of scoring passes to Armon Binns in the second quarter to help build a 17-10 halftime lead.

South Florida (5-1, 1-1) tried, but never truly adjusted to the Bearcats transforming themselves into a run-first team with Collaros in the game.

"We try to stay prepared for every circumstance," Kelly said. "Zach gets work on that during the week, and we had enough in there to be successful against a very, very good defense."

The Bulls led early on B.J. Daniels' 28-yard touchdown pass to Jessie Hester, and closed within 24-17 late in the third quarter when safety Nate Allen intercepted an ill-advised pass by Collaros to set up a 1-yard TD run by Daniels.

But Collaros, one of two freshmen quarterbacks who bailed Cincinnati out after two starters — Dustin Grutza and Pike — were injured early last season, was not rattled by the mistake. He led a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive that restored the 14-point lead.

"You never want to see your starting quarterback go down," Collaros said. "I just try to be as well-prepared as I possibly can."

Kelly was confident the sophomore could get the job done.

"He's a gamer. He's a competitive kid," Kelly said. "He's athletic, and we did what we had to do with him in the game, and that was obviously run him, control clock, play good defense and get out of here with a win."

It was another disappointing night for South Florida, which has struggled after climbing into the Top 25 each of the past three seasons.

The Bulls started 6-0 in 2007 and were ranked No. 2 before three consecutive losses dropped them out of contention for league and national titles. They were 5-0 last season before losing four of their next five, including the third of USF's four straight losses to Cincinnati.

Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said the team will regroup and prepare for next week's conference game at Pittsburgh.

"I'm going to look at the film, tell them what they did right and what they did wrong ... and we'll move on," Leavitt said. "I don't have any other magical formula I can use."

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October 16, 2009 07:41 AM EDT

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