South Florida @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 15, 2009 ) Cincinnati 34, South Florida 17

Two first year coaches meet Friday night as South Florida visits Cincinnati in Big East play.

The Bulls, under coach Skip Holtz, own a 3-3 record but they are 0-2 in conference play. The Bearcats, under Butch Jones, also are 3-3 but are 1-0 in the Big East.

Cincinnati has won the last four meetings.

While at East Carolina, Holtz developed an imaginative offensive and helped the Pirates to three straight bowl games before leaving for USF. But his Bulls have struggled after a 3-1 start, having not scored a touchdown in consecutive losses. They rank last in the Big East in total offense.

The Bulls lost to Syracuse 13-9 two weeks ago, then were beaten by West Virginia 20-6. Field goals accounted for all their scoring in both contests. The Bulls managed 202 yards of offense against the Mountaineers, 219 against Syracuse.

While not explosive, the Bulls are balanced. They average 157.7 yards on the ground and 157 in the air. Quarterback B.J. Daniels has maintained his job despite throwing 10 interceptions. The leading rusher is Moise Plancher, who has run for 352 yards.

Cincinnati boasts a potent passing attack led by junior quarterback Zach Collaros, who gained valuable experience last year filling in for the injured Tony Pike.

Last week, in a 35-27 win at Louisville, Collaros threw five touchdown passes and has 17 for the season against three interceptions. He is completing 63 percent of his throws and the Bearcats average 244 passing yards per game.

Unheralded tailback Isaiah Pead is another big threat. He averages just over 100 rushing yards per game and an eye-popping 9.8 yards per carry.

Jones won a pair of Mid-American Conference championships while at Central Michigan and led the Chippewas to three straight bowl appearances. His three-year record in the MAC was 22-3.

With a home win Friday, the Bearcats can become the first Big East team to go 2-0.