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No. 5 UC will use 2 QBs vs West Virginia

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.

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By JOE KAY, The Associated Press 11:59 AM Friday, November 13, 2009

CINCINNATI — Receiver Mardy Gilyard has nicknames for both of Cincinnati's quarterbacks.

Zach Collaros? He's "Joystick," a reference to the way he darts one way and then another. Tony Pike is "Pistol," inspired by how fast the ball leaves his hand.

The two very different quarterbacks have gotten the same results. They've kept fifth-ranked Cincinnati perfect (9-0, 5-0 Big East) and one victory away from setting a school record for best start.

West Virginia will get to see Joystick and Pistol on Friday night.

The Bearcats plan to let the sophomore Collaros make his fourth start in place of Pike, who hurt his non-throwing forearm on Oct. 15. Pike, a senior, will get into the game at some point, his first action since the injury. And the Mountaineers (7-2, 3-1) will be forced to deal with the Bearcats' very dynamic duo.

"They are really good with a large amount of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, so it's going to be really hard to contain them," West Virginia defensive lineman Chris Neild said. "They have Pike coming back and their backup is just as good as him, so it's going to be a tough game for us."

In different ways, Pike and Collaros have made it tough on everyone.

Pike broke his left forearm last season, got a plate inserted, and missed two games before returning and leading the Bearcats to their first Big East title. One of the highlights was his touchdown pass in overtime for a breakthrough 26-23 victory over West Virginia in Morgantown last November.

He was one of the nation's leading passers when a helmet hit to the forearm damaged the plate in South Florida on Oct. 15. Collaros came to the rescue, running for a pair of touchdowns as Cincinnati pulled away to a 34-17 victory.

He's kept the offense running at a record-setting speed.

In 3 1/2 games as the fill-in, Collaros has completed 70 of 89 passes for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception. He also has run for 281 yards and four touchdowns. He passed for 480 yards — the second-highest total in school history — during a 47-45 win over Connecticut last week.

While Collaros excelled, Pike healed. He was able to practice with a protective brace last week, and will have a package of plays to run against West Virginia. The plan is to let him work off some of the rust from his three-week layoff, then get him ready during a bye week to start against Illinois on Nov. 27.

"Physically, I think I'm almost there," Pike said. "The biggest thing right now is mentally. It changes a lot from when you're in practice and in the game. We'll mix me in a little bit here and there. I think it's a good idea not to rush in there right away. I'll be able to kind of ease back into it."

For West Virginia, there's no easing in. The Mountaineers need to hold down Cincinnati's high-scoring offense — fifth in the nation at 40 points per game — and get big days from quarterback Jarrett Brown and running back Noel Devine, both of whom got hurt during a 17-9 win over Louisville.

Devine, the Big East's second-leading rusher, sprained an ankle and missed most of the second half. Brown missed one play with a sore foot and finished 9 of 17 for 94 yards with an interception.

"His foot was a little sprained up, but I told him, 'Hey, buddy, I want to you be alive in the pocket,'" coach Bill Stewart said. "'I want you to have fun this week. I want you to play like it's sandlot football. Just go play and have fun.' He needs to pick it up. We all need to pick it up."

The game in Morgantown last year featured one of the Big East's wildest endings. The Mountaineers scored 13 points in the last 1:11 of regulation — safety, touchdown, onside kick recovery, field goal — to send it to overtime. When Cincinnati pulled it out, the Bearcats were in line for the league title.

"To be honest, I don't know if everybody thought we could win that game," said Gilyard, who leads the Big East in receiving. "We knew that was a game we needed not only for ourselves, but for our program. We knew we needed to show we could compete with the big dogs in the Big East."

They've taken it one step further this season. A win on Friday would keep them in the conversation about national title contenders and set up a showdown at No. 8 Pittsburgh for the league title on Dec. 5.

"Obviously it's going to mean a lot, not just for me but the program and the guys who put in the work to see that Cincinnati's a program that can do that year-in and year-out," Pike said. "To be the first team to go 10-0 would be an amazing feat and something that's going to put our program on more of a national level and keep us in contention for the big goals we have."

Game Breakdown

Line: Cincinnati by 9 1/2.
Series Record: West Virginia leads 14-2-1.
Last meeting: 2008, Cincinnati 26-23, OT.
With a win, Cincinnati would have the best start in school history and keep itself in the national title conversation. The Bearcats plan to use senior QB Tony Pike for a few plays, his first action since he hurt his non-throwing arm on Oct. 15. Sophomore Zach Collaros will make his fourth start in place of Pike. West Virginia needs a win to keep itself in the running for the Big East title.
Mardy Gilyard against the Mountaineers kicking teams and defense. Last year, Gilyard ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown in Cincinnati's 26-23 overtime win, the first kickoff return for a touchdown against West Virginia in 18 years. Gilyard leads the conference in receiving (65 for 908 yards) and all-purpose yards, and is third in kick returns.
West Virginia: RB Noel Devine. The junior is second in the Big East in rushing with 112.2 yards per game and has scored 10 touchdowns. A twisted ankle limited him to a few plays in the second half of a 17-9 win over Louisville last week. The Mountaineers will be facing a defense that let Jordan Todman run for 162 yards and four touchdowns in Cincinnati's 47-45 win last Saturday night.
Cincinnati: Pike. He was being mentioned among second-tier Heisman Trophy candidates before he hurt his left forearm again. Coach Brian Kelly plans to give him some plays against the Mountaineers, then start him in two weeks against Illinois. Everyone will be watching to see if he's rusty or favors the arm, which has a protective metal plate.

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