Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
It wasn't pretty for either Cincinnati or West Virginia, but each got a conference victory Saturday with fill-in quarterbacks.
Chazz Anderson made his second start for the Bearcats, who held off Rutgers 13-10 in their conference opener. Anderson was efficient, going 21-of-29 passing for 239 yards, but Cincinnati was 0-for-11 on third downs. The Bearcats (5-1, 1-0) now will have a week off and could get Tony Pike back before they take on Connecticut. The woes continued for Rutgers (1-5, 0-2), which for the second straight week could not mount a winning drive in the final minutes.
West Virginia showed just how important Pat White is, struggling past Syracuse 17-6. His replacement, Jarrett Brown, was 14-of-20 for just 52 yards and ran eight times for 18 yards. The Orange trailed just 10-6 in the fourth quarter and had a drive inside the Mountaineers' 10-yard line but were stopped on fourth down. A few plays later, Noel Devine sprung free for a 92-yard touchdown run on a third down.
The Mountaineers (4-2, 2-0) survived and now have a week off to get White ready for a showdown against Auburn. Give Syracuse (1-5, 0-2) credit for fighting hard for a second straight game. But like their last outing against Pittsburgh, the Orange couldn't hold it together in the fourth quarter.
