Randy Edsall is factoring South Florida’s Jessie Hester into his gameplan. The Connecticut head coach knows his Huskies will have to stop Hester if they are going to win Saturday.

The Bulls’ Hester is on the threshold of eclipsing the school record for single-season receptions. Hugh Smith set the current mark of 62 in 2002 for the Bulls (6-4, 1-4 Big East). Hester has 47 receptions thus far.

‘He’s somebody you have to be concerned with,’ Edsall said Monday during the Big East coaches’ teleconference. ‘He’s very, very productive and very, very skillful.’

The junior wide receiver delivered the most dominant performance of his career Nov. 15 in South Florida’s 49-16 loss to Rutgers. Hester had 10 receptions for 110 yards against the Scarlet Knights.

Hester ranks fourth in the Big East in yards per receptions this season, averaging 10.8 yards per catch. He’s snagged three receiving touchdowns so far this season.

‘He really catches the ball well,’ South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt said during the teleconference. ‘He does some really good things for us.’

During the Bulls’ bleak three-game losing streak, Hester and South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe have provided the occasional glimmer on offense. Grothe leads the Big East in pass average, having completed 109-of-305 passes for 2,362 yards with 15 touchdowns. The Bulls won their first five games, lost to Pittsburgh, cruised past Syracuse and then dropped three straight.

Even though the Bulls are sputtering down the stretch, Hester’s recent success worries Edsall.

‘I think Jessie is a very good receiver and he had a very good day this past Saturday,’ Edsall said. ‘You have to be concerned with a guy like him.’

Hester finished the 2007 season tied for first on his team in touchdown receptions with four.

Last season, in overtime against Auburn, Hester caught a 14-yard pass from Grothe for the game-winning score, putting the Bulls on top, 26-23.

With two games remaining in the regular season, Hester and the Bulls will face Connecticut Nov. 23 and West Virginia Dec. 6. Hester needs 15 catches in those two games to break Smith’s school record.

‘Jessie has always been good,’ Leavitt said. ‘It’s just not this year you know, that catch against Auburn a year ago was huge, it was big. He’s always been a pretty good receiver for us.’Cincinnati wins Keg of Nails

Cincinnati’s roster thinned out quickly this season. By the fourth game of the year, head coach Brian Kelly started his fourth-string quarterback. But the Bearcats (8-2, 4-1 Big East) overcame the injuries and now sit alone on top of the Big East standings.

Saturday Cincinnati claimed the Keg of Nails for the first time since 2002 by beating Louisville, 28-20.

‘This was a wonderful win for us, especially in a rivalry game,’ Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly said. ‘We haven’t beaten them in awhile, but our seniors got to bring back the Keg of Nails.’Redshirt junior Tony Pike completed 19-of-33 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals. Pike injured his left arm against Akron Sept. 27, but returned with a soft cast on his arm to play against Connecticut one month later.

Dustin Grutza, Cincinnati’s original starting quarterback who broke his leg against Oklahoma Sept. 6, returned to play a small role in the Bearcats win. Grutza completed one pass for 24 yards.

Earlier in the season, redshirt freshman Chazz Anderson stepped in to lead Cincinnati to wins over Marshall and Rutgers.

‘This has been uncharted territory beating West Virginia and Louisville,’ Kelly said. ‘I just try to keep them in the moment and finish strong.’

Cincinnati hosts Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Saturday and then plays its final game at home against Syracuse Nov. 29. The Bearcats will travel to Hawaii Dec. 6 for their season finale.

Britt breaks into record booksKenny Britt had eight receptions for 173 yards in the Scarlet Knights win over South Florida during the weekend, the most receiving yards in a single game by a Big East player this season. The outing raised Britt’s career total to 2,666 yards – a new school record.

‘Kenny breaking the all-time receiving record in Rutgers’ history was great, it was a very important performance,’ Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said.

The junior wide receiver leads the Big East in receptions and receiving yards. Britt has 68 catches for 994 yards and five touchdowns, while averaging 14.6 yards a catch.

The New Jersey native received Big East offensive player of the week for his performance last weekend. Britt has helped the Scarlet Knights (5-5, 4-2 Big East) recover from losing five of its first six games. Rutgers is now on a four-game winning streak.

The Scarlet Knights host Army Saturday at noon and will finish their season against Louisville (5-5, 1-4 Big East) Dec. 4 at home.

mkgalant@syr.edu

Published on November 18, 2008 at 12:00 pm