Baldwin stepping up for No. 8 Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (AP) -Jonathan Baldwin was difficult to miss for anyone watching No. 8 Pitt's 27-22 win over Notre Dame, making five catches - two that were exceptional - for 142 yards and a touchdown.

That wasn't always the case during Baldwin's freshman season last year, when he was a deep receiving threat and little else.

"Jonathan is becoming - hasn't become, but is becoming - a more complete player," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "Whether he's getting the ball or he's not getting the ball or it's a run or it's a pass, he's doing all of those things much better."

Last season, Wannstedt said, "Really was a situation where we would basically throw him the ball deep on one or two routes. He's learning the game, and I think he's really matured as a person. I can't wait to see him a year or two from now."

The 6-foot-5 Baldwin and 6-2 Dorin Dickerson form one of college football's best receiving tandems. Dickerson has 43 catches for 496 yards and 10 touchdowns, the most of any major college tight end. Baldwin has 40 catches for 840 yards, a 21 yards per catch average, and five touchdowns. He was named Big East offensive player of the week for his performance against the Irish.

Baldwin played at Aliquippa High, the same Pittsburgh-area school that sent tight end Mike Ditka and cornerback Darrelle Revis to Pitt. Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett played at Hopewell High, which is also in Aliquippa. Dickerson starred at nearby West Allegheny High.

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TRULY ROVING LINEBACKER: Cincinnati linebacker Marcus Waugh figures his four seasons at Cincinnati have been the perfect preparation for coaching. After all, he's played just about every position.

The 6-foot, 270-pound linebacker from Toledo came to the Bearcats to play fullback. Since he first stepped on campus, the Bearcats have changed coaching staffs and Waugh has changed positions - six times. He's been a fullback, offensive lineman, defensive lineman and linebacker, bouncing back and forth between roles.

"I've always said to myself, if I ever want to be a coach, I should be able to have all the positions down," Waugh said. "Through the position changes and the coaching changes, too, I've found it's going to help me grow."

He has finally settled in as a reserve linebacker for the Bearcats (10-0), who are off to the best start in school history and are off this weekend. Coach Brian Kelly has shown an aptitude for moving players into roles where they can excel. At one point, every one of the starting linebackers had been an offensive player.

"Really that's what our success is built on, seniors giving themselves up to play a role," Kelly said. "He hasn't liked the role he has, but he's accepted it. I think that says a lot about the kids who dedicate themselves to wins and not individual stats, and that's Marcus Waugh."

Waugh had a different dream when he came out of high school. His father, Thomas, was a center for Ohio State and captain of the 1979 team that played in the Rose Bowl. Waugh wanted to go to Ohio State, but the school wasn't interested. When the teams played in Columbus in 2006, Waugh's father wore Cincinnati gear.

Their discussions have taken a different turn this season, with Cincinnati moving ahead of Ohio State in the poll and the BCS rankings.

"He kind of takes it with a grain of salt," Waugh said. "When we played at Ohio State a few years ago, he was in the Ohio State section with his Cincinnati gear on. He said, 'I'll be a Cincinnati fan until you're done, then I'll go back to Ohio State."'

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NO CRYING OVER FUMBLE: West Virginia coach Bill Stewart decided not to make an issue out of a controversial call by the officials that ended up being a key moment in a 24-21 loss at No. 5 Cincinnati.

Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead fumbled while diving over a pile and stretching the ball toward the goal line in the second quarter on Friday night. West Virginia recovered, but the call was overturned on review, which indicated the ball crossed the goal line before Pead lost control of it.

Instead of West Virginia taking over at the 1 leading 14-7, the score was tied.

"That game is beyond us," Stewart said. "It's over and in the books. It was in Saturday's sports column as 24-21 and it can't be changed.

"I got on the bus and took my boxed lunch and did a lot of soul-searching and thinking and I'll let it go at that."

The Big East conducts regular reviews of game officiating but keeps those specifics private, Big East spokesman Chuck Sullivan said.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY: Louisville wide receiver/punt returner Trent Guy has made a habit out of bouncing back from adversity, both on and off the field.

Guy was shot numerous times following an incident outside a Louisville night club in the summer of 2008, but recovered in time to join the Cardinals for the season-opener against Kentucky. He ended up battling nagging injuries but still returned a kickoff for a touchdown in a win over Memphis.

This year the bumps have been limited to the football field. His late fumble against the Wildcats helped Kentucky rally to victory, and he's had a case of the drops while playing wide receiver.

Yet he's also had a hand in Louisville's two biggest wins of the season. His late 65-yard kickoff return against Southern Miss helped the Cardinals escape and he added a 45-yard punt return in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown last week against Syracuse just minutes after a 95-yard punt return for a score was called back when officials ruled his knee hit the ground as he collected the ball.

"We knew we needed to make a big play," Guy said. "We wanted to get good field position and get a touchdown. I was surprised they kicked it to me again. I thought he was going to kick it out of bounds but he didn't. It set us up for a good return."

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AWARDS: Louisville linebacker Chris Campa was selected as Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his play in a 10-9 win over Syracuse. The senior had a career-high 15 tackles, including two sacks and a forced fumble as Louisville's rapidly improving defense held the Orange to 266 yards.

Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after making a pair of game-turning plays in a rout of South Florida. McCourty forced a fumble on punt coverage, blocked a punt and had 36 yards on kickoff returns.

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AP Sports Writers Joe Kay in Cincinnati, John Kekis in Syracuse, N.Y., John Raby in Morgantown, W.Va., and Will Graves in Louisville, Ky., contributed to this report.