GAME NOTES: The 16th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats continue their quest for a Big East Conference title, as they host the Syracuse Orange in the final home game of the season at Nippert Stadium.

It's been another trying season for the Orange, although they turned heads with last weekend's 24-23 upset victory at Notre Dame. There certainly wasn't any shortage of drama, as they needed a last-minute touchdown and held off a last-second field goal attempt to secure the win. Syracuse had lost five of six entering that bout and appeared headed to another setback, after going down by 13 in the second half.

Cincinnati is coming off a big 28-21 win over then-No. 20 Pittsburgh. A victory this weekend would clinch the program's first Big East Championship and also earn an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. Still, UC head coach Brian Kelly doesn't want his players to look beyond the Orange and their 3-8 record.

"Syracuse got our attention with a win over Notre Dame," Kelly told reporters after his team beat Pitt. "We know they are going to be a tough opponent. They will play loose...They are going to be a very tough team to beat because of this."

The all-time series between these two schools is tied, 4-4.

Syracuse quarterback Cameron Dantley threw a dart to wideout Donte Davis on an 11-yard slant pattern for the go-ahead touchdown with 42 seconds to play against Notre Dame. That touchdown connection capped an eight-play, 68-yard drive in the final minutes. Now, lame-duck Orange head coach Greg Robinson knows his players must channel their enthusiasm and focus on the task at hand this week. "I think that this is a real challenge for our football team," Robinson said. "You come off of a very emotional win and the hardest thing we'll have to deal with is that, outside of the people in our little room right here, everyone will want to talk about the Notre Dame game. We have to focus in on what's important now."

Dantley threw for only 122 yards in the game, though Antwon Bailey was effective on the ground, carrying 16 times for 126 yards and a TD. The Orange have had some success running the ball this season, though they rank 112th in the nation in passing offense (127.18 ypg).

Syracuse defensive tackle Arthur Jones took home Big East Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting a career-high 15 tackles (four for loss) and 1.5 sacks. And the team needed every last bit of his efforts, as the Irish completed a 40-yard pass play on 4th-and-10 during their final drive. That play set UND up with a first down on the Syracuse 34 with seconds to play, though the 53-yard field goal attempt came up short.

Syracuse has had all kinds of problems on defense this season, as the team ranks 101st in the nation in scoring defense (32.91 ppg) and 102nd in total defense (414.73 ypg).

Injuries have forced the Bearcats to use four different quarterbacks this season. Nevertheless, Tony Pike shrugged off a broken forearm (non-throwing) to toss three touchdown passes against Pitt. He completed an efficient 26- of-32 passes for 309 yards while showing no reservations about playing with a plate and several screws in his left forearm. Coach Kelly was quick to praise his signal-caller for looking to make big plays.

"He did a tremendous job of keeping (his eyes) down field," Kelly said. "He has become more comfortable, he knows where he is protected, and he has a good understanding of where our guys are. We could have thrown for as many yards as we wanted with him, but we wanted some balance."

Although they strived for balance, the Bearcats didn't quite achieve it. Not with Pike leading the team with 33 rushing yards in the game. That's been a problem this year for the Bearcats, who lead the Big East in passing offense (258.91 ypg) but rank eighth in rushing offense (117.91 ypg). Jacob Ramsey leads the team with 593 rushing yards (4.2 ypc), though he netted just 25 yards on 18 carries last week.

The Bearcat defense did an admirable job against Pitt, which boasts the Big East's highest scoring offense. They were extremely stingy against the run, yielding only 35 rushing yards on 26 attempts (1.3 ypc). They also sacked Pitt quarterback Bill Stull an astounding seven times. The Bearcats currently rank second in the Big East in sacks, and they lead the conference in tackles for loss. Connor Barwin logged three of those sacks, while Terrill Byrd got to Stull twice. One player who has helped the defense out with field position is punter Kevin Huber, who leads the nation in net punting average (41.34).

Syracuse can't afford a letdown in this game, not with the Bearcats clicking on both sides of the ball. Look for Cincinnati to come out with some big plays early to squash any hopes of an upset by the Orange.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cincinnati 45, Syracuse 20