Cards Face Big East’s Best in October Finale
With Halloween just around the corner, it only seems fitting that the Cards welcome South Florida to town for their final game in October. That’s because the Bulls put a terrifying all-around performance on the 2007 Cards, harassing the offense with George Selvie and company while the South Florida O hung touchdown after touchdown on a deflated Louisville team. The result was a gruesome 55-17 defeat the Cardinals won’t soon forget.
But as the Bulls return just in time for All Hallow’s Eve, they will meet a UofL team that so far this season has appeared more prepared to challenge the scary prospect of Selvie and Cardinal killer Matt Grothe. A rejuvenated Louisville D is ready to turn the hunter into the hunted while Hunter Cantwell and company hope to reveal a few tricks up their sleeve. Will Saturday’s October finale end with treats for the Cards or just another torturous experience at the hands of the Bulls? We don our Jason Voorhees mask and go once again Behind Enemy Lines.
South Florida Bulls (6-1, 1-1 Big East)
Head Coach: Jim Leavitt (79-47 career at USF, 79-47 overall)
2007 Record: 9-4, 4-3 Big East Conference (L, 2007 Sun Bowl)
Returning Stat Leaders: QB Matt Grothe (2,670 pass yards, 872 rush yards, 14 pass TD), RB Mike Ford (645 rush yards, 12 TD), WR Carlton Mitchell (537 receiving yards, 4 TD), LB Tyone McKenzie (121 tackles), DE George Selvie (14.5 sacks), S Nate Allen (4 INT)
Other Key Returnees: DT Aaron Harris, DT Terrell McClain, WR Jessie Hester, WR Taurus Johnson, WR A.J. Love, LB Brouce Mompremier, RB Benjamin Williams, S Carlton Williams, K/P Delbert Alvarado
Key Losses: DT Richard Clebert, DT Woody George, CB Mike Jenkins, LB Ben Moffitt, CB Trae Williams, OT Walter Walker
What They’re Saying
For a good three seasons now, it seem like the South Florida Bulls have been on the verge of a big break-through for the program. As the forgotten member of the 2005 C-USA move, Jim Leavitt’s team shocked many when they undressed fellow C-USA refugee and 9th-ranked Louisville 45-14 on national TV en route to their first-ever bowl appearance. Back-to-back nine-win seasons, including a 6-0 start last year, suggest the Bulls are on the right path to a BCS bowl bid. But for all their major steps forward in the seven short years since joining college football’s highest ranks, it seems South Florida finds just enough stumbling blocks to stay on the edge of the national spotlight.
“They have fared better as the underdog,” observes Brad Meyer, better known to USF fans as board administrator Bulliever on TheBullsPen.com. “They need to play every game like it’s their bowl game – it’s that way in many cases for the opponents now. In fact, it’s the way the Bulls played when they were playing DI teams on the road in the early years.”
Now as the big dog in the Big East, the Bulls look to shake off one slip-up already this season (a 26-21 set-back to Pitt) and claim the conference title that has eluded this very deep, talented team. And their ability to do that – by finishing out the remainder of the conference schedule unbeaten – will most certainly fall on the shoulders of their multi-talented junior quarterback, Matt Grothe.
Entering his third season at the helm for the Bulls, Grothe has already begun an assault on his personal season bests and the USF record books while adding a legitimate passing dimension to his always-dangerous elusiveness and flair for the dramatic. In place of the nerve-wracking up and down play that USF fans had experienced in his first two seasons, Grothe has found a very solid balance of playmaking and smart decision-making in his junior season. The All-Big East candidate has completed 65.4% of his passes for better than 1,500 yards and a dozen touchdowns this season. Most encouraging to USF backers is the lack of the big mistake; after throwing 14 interceptions in each of his first two years, Grothe has just three so far this season.
“Grothe said coming into the season that he had to cut down on his interceptions and that’s exactly what he’s done,” says Tampa Tribune writer Brett McMurphy. “He’s smarter, more poised and also more mature being that this is his third year as a starter.”
“Grothe has become a much smarter and more patient quarterback,” adds Meyer. “In years past it seemed his first option was – like any young quarterback – to run. This year he has had better protection and much more time to pass. He looks through his receivers better and -as to the INT’s – he has thrown those balls away this year instead of up for grabs.”
That doesn’t mean #8 has forgotten about his remarkable escapability and willingness to run over a defender or two when the situation calls for it. Grothe has been more than willing to take off for a first down or a touchdown, leading the team with 316 yards rushing and ranking 3rd with a trio of TD scampers.
But despite Grothe’s apparent death grip on every offensive statistic, that doesn’t mean the Bulls lack playmakers at other positions. Instead of a feature back or go-to receiver, the Bulls have opted to take their many talented, speedy options at wide receiver and running back and go with the hot hand du jour. The result is four backs (Grothe included) with better than 200 yards rushing on the season and four wide receivers who have hauled in at least 200 yards passing. No other BCS conference team can boast that kind of balance.
“Since the start of the season, running backs coach Carl Franks has said there wasn’t going to be a feature back and they would play whoever they thought gave them the best chance to win,” says McMurphy. “That’s why you’ve seen a running back by committee with Mike Ford, Ben Williams, Jamar Taylor, and Mo Placher.”
“Wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator Mike Canales has said the same thing. The guys that practice the best, work the hardest will play, no matter who it is – a freshman or a senior. Wide receiver also is probably the deepest position, so the Bulls are able to get a lot of different players in there.”
In a pinch, though, both McMurphy and Meyer agree that Grothe is likely to seek out senior Taurus Johnson (292 yards, 4 TD, including the OT game-winner against UCF this season) or junior Jessie Hester (276 yards, 3 TD, including the OT winner against Auburn in 2007).
And if the Bulls need to work the clock late in the game with a strong running attack?
“(Coach Leavitt) loves to run Ben Williams when there is a lead and the clock needs to run,” says Meyer. “Ben advances the ball and is not prone to fumbling.”
McMurphy isn’t quite sure that will continue to be the case, however, noting the improvement of sophomore Mike Ford after an early ankle injury slowed him at the outset of the season. After missing the UCF game and getting just one carry in the team’s victory over Kansas, Ford has put up three straight outings of better than 50 yards rushing while scoring three of his 5 rushing TD’s on the season.
“Ford is finally healthy and has started to come around the past two games. He has been utilized a lot lately in the fourth quarter,” says McMurphy.
Defensively, the Bulls trot out a unit that may be even more imposing than their Top 20 counterparts on offense. Led by DE George Selvie and LB Tyler McKenzie, the Bulls have continued their punishing play in the front seven to pace the Big East and rank 7th nationally in total D. The scariest part? They’re just beginning to get healthy.
“The extra time off between the Pitt and Syracuse game (16 days) helped USF tremendously,” says McMurphy, noting the healthy returns of Selvie, LB Brouce Mompremier, and DT Terrell McClain. “Selvie looked like his 2007 version against Syracuse.”
And as dominant as the Bulls have been to-date, they looked more like their overwhelming selves against the Orange. With Selvie attacking the offensive line and drawing double- and triple-teams in coverage, the rest of the Bulls had a field day behind the line of scrimmage. Including a sack and tackle for loss by the powerful junior defensive end, the Bulls racked up a season-high 4 sacks of Cuse QB Cameron Dantley while piling up 5.5 tackles for loss.
“Selvie has been double-teamed much of the season,” says Meyer. “The Bulls need another disruptive force to take advantage of the Selvie’s attention-getting force on his side of the line.”
For much of the past season plus, secondary chaos has come in the form of linebackers Tyrone McKenzie and Brouce Mompremier. McKenzie, an All-Big XII transfer from Iowa State, has racked up tackles in bunches ever since stepping on the field for the Bulls. The senior leads all active I-A players with over 300 career stops, including a team-best 53 this year. His seven tackles for loss are also a team-high
“I think he’s most effective because, like George Selvie, he never gives up on a play,” says Meyer. “Tyrone is quick, and a good tackler to boot.”
On the other end, Mompremier has returned from a scary neck injury suffered against Florida International to take back his starting job outside. The senior has amassed just 15 tackles – including one for loss – this season, but is a force when healthy. His 83 tackles were 4th on the team in 2007 while his 6.5 TFL’s ranked 6th.
“Mompremier is a big part of the defense, along with McKenzie,” says McMurphy. “Having Mompremier back in the lineup at weakside linebacker allows McKenzie to remain at strongside linebacker and keeps Kion Wilson at middle linebacker. That’s USF’s strongest lineup when all three are in there.”
So where do opposing offenses attack this solid unit? In a bit of a surprise departure from recent seasons, deep through the air has been a common successful theme. With former Bulls DB’s Trae Williams (55 tackles, 6 INT) and Mike Jenkins (41 tackles, 3INT) now earning pro paychecks and nickel S Danny Verpaele out for the season with a broken foot, South Florida’s secondary is suddenly a unit short in the tooth and thin on depth. Senior Tyler Roberts and junior Jerome Murphy have been serviceable, combining for 60 tackles and a pair of interceptions this season, but both our informants see the drop-off from their NFL predecessors.
“The Bulls’ secondary is the chink in the armor, has been all year in my mind,” says Meyer.
Jonathan Baldwin proved that for Pitt, scoring on a 52-yard strike to tie their game with USF at seven before the Panthers went on to a 26-21 victory. Kansas’ Jonathan Wilson also took the Bulls deep, hauling in a 36-yarder to give the Jayhawks an early 7-0 lead. On the season, USF’s secondary has given up 16 passing plays of more than 20 yards, including six that have been for at least 40 yards.
Says Meyer, “If a team can throw over the top, there’s a good chance of a big gainer.”
For the Cards, that means a great opportunity for Hunter Cantwell to get on track and pull off a big upset for Louisville as it looks to return to the postseason stage. And if he and his wide receiver counterparts needs any extra incentive, all they’ll need to do is read a few comments from Tampa’s other beat writer, the St. Petersburg Times’ Greg Auman.
From his weekly live chat: “Regular blog readers know I haven’t been as impressed by Hunter Cantwell, but I think a big part of that has been that Louisville lost a ton of good receivers from last season. Their top receiver, Doug Beaumont, is a 5-9 speed guy with 33 catches but no touchdowns.”
Sounds like a good time for the Cards and their passing game to show USF a trick or two and give Lousville fans a nice Halloween treat.
