CINCINNATI (AP) -One bad afternoon, one ugly blemish in the Big East.
Cincinnati went to Connecticut last season with a perfect league mark and high expectations because quarterback Tony Pike had returned from a broken left forearm. Wearing a removable cast on his non-passing arm, Pike started and the Bearcats seemed to be whole again.
Not for long.
Pike only made it until halftime, when his left hand went numb. Freshman Chazz Anderson came on and threw a pair of interceptions. Cincinnati played perhaps its worst game under coach Brian Kelly, turning the ball over six times in a 40-16 drubbing.
Cincinnati still went on to win its first Big East title. Its only loss in the league? That ugly one in Connecticut.
``That's definitely in the back of our minds,'' Cincinnati safety Drew Frey said. ``To get handled that easily last year - that's definitely going to sink into our hearts a little bit, and it's going to be one of the drivers for the game.''
There's faintly similar plot line for the rematch.
The fourth-ranked Bearcats (8-0, 4-0) have a perfect league record and Pike is recovering from an injury to the same forearm as they get ready to play UConn (4-4, 1-3) on Saturday night. This time, they're at home. And this time, they've got a different dynamic at quarterback.
Sophomore Zach Collaros has been sensational as Pike's replacement for the last 2 1/2 games. He helped Cincinnati pull away to a 34-17 win at South Florida after Pike got hurt, then made his first two collegiate starts and was nearly flawless in wins over Louisville and Syracuse.
In his two starts, Collaros has gone 41 of 52 for 620 yards with seven touchdowns. Against South Florida, he ran for a pair of touchdowns. Each game, he's looked a little better.
``In the South Florida game, I was kind of nervous getting in there,'' Collaros said. ``Louisville was big because it was my first start. I think I've settled down. The better you play, the more confident you are.''
It's the Huskies who might be lacking confidence.
Connecticut has turned into a team that can't finish games off. The Huskies' four losses have come by a combined 13 points. They've led in the fourth quarter of all those games, only to give up big plays.
During a 28-24 loss at West Virginia two weeks ago, UConn went up 24-21 with 3:50 left, only to watch the Mountaineers score on a 56-yard run with 2:10 to go. Last week, the Huskies took their first lead against Rutgers with 38 seconds left, then gave up an 81-yard touchdown pass for another 28-24 loss.
``They're clearly a very good football team that hasn't finished games off,'' Kelly said.
Toss in a 24-21 loss at Pittsburgh on a last-second field goal, and it's been an excruciating season for the Huskies.
``The tough losses, they do get to you,'' quarterback Zach Frazer said. ``But every week is a new week.''
This week represents a second chance for Frazer, who was the starter until he was sidelined by a knee injury. Cody Endres played so well as his replacement that he kept the job. Endres suffered a major shoulder injury during the loss to Rutgers, giving Endres the opportunity to play. The junior threw for 333 yards, but had three interceptions.
Coach Randy Edsall can relate to Cincinnati's quarterback situation.
``Maybe it runs in cycles,'' Edsall said. ``I have no idea. Maybe kids don't drink enough milk nowadays to keep their bones strong, or eat enough vegetables to help ligaments. I don't know, but it's part of the game.''
Connecticut also continues to mourn the loss of cornerback Jasper Howard, who was stabbed to death outside a dance hours after a game on Oct. 18.
The Bearcats learned a few things from that disappointing day in Connecticut last season. They lost three fumbles and had three interceptions, dooming their chances of a comeback. Through eight games this season, they've had only four turnovers - all on interceptions.
Cincinnati is the only Bowl Subdivision team that hasn't lost a fumble.
``That's one of the reasons why we're 8-0,'' Kelly said. ``We've taken care of the football. We haven't given offenses that extra chance, that extra opportunity to put points on the board. And we'll need to continue to do that to stay in the undefeated ranks.''
The Bearcats weren't the only ones thinking back to that meeting in Connecticut last year. The Huskies did a bit of reminiscing, too.
``Can we just take that game, not play this one, and just substitute it?'' Edsall joked.
Uh, no.
---
Associated Press writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Storrs, Conn., contributed to this report.
