TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 2, 2006) ?  Holding onto a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the University of South Florida football team (1-0) exploded for 27 points in the final 15 minutes that led to a 41-10 rout of McNeese State on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Raymond James Stadium.

Out-gaining McNeese State 495-163, USF racked up 286 yards on the ground. Senior Walt Smith led the Bulls with 70 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns. Both of Smith's scores came in the fourth quarter.  Freshman Matt Grothe, who was making his first-career appearance, threw for 171 yards, completing 9-of-13 passes and two touchdowns. He also ran one touchdown in.

The Bulls' defense, which was second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense and third in both pass defense and total defense last season, held the Cowboys to just 163 yards of total offense, forcing two fumbles and two interceptions.

McNeese State took an early 7-0 lead following a fumble recovery by Cowboy linebacker Jared Dolan with 35 seconds left in the first quarter. A fumbled snap in the end zone by freshman punter Ilia Petrov resulted in the first-ever fumble recovery in the end zone by a USF opponent. 

USF tied the game on the ensuing drive. A 13-play, 66-yard drive, which lasted 5:10, was capped off by a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Grothe. The score, which was the first of his USF career, tied the game at 7-all with 10:25 left in the half. During the drive, Grothe registered his first-ever completion with a 6-yard pass to sophomore Amp Hill. The catch was the first of Hill's career.

A 22-yard field goal by Blake Bercegeay gave McNeese State a 10-7 lead with 4:52 left in the second quarter. The Cowboys chewed up 5:33 with a 13-play, 67-yard drive, leading to the McNeese State field goal. The drive was highlighted by a trick play which resulted in a 35-yard gain for the Cowboys. On an end-around by wide receiver Carlese Franklin, the McNeese State senior completed the long strike to Quinten Lawrence down to the USF 10-yard line.    

The Bulls had a chance to tie the game with time winding down in the second quarter. USF pushed the ball to the McNeese State 23 yard line, setting up a 40-yard field goal attempt by sophomore kicker Mike Benzer. However, the Altamonte Springs, Fla., native struck the right upright, keeping the score at 10-7, heading into halftime.

Despite out-gaining the Cowboys 153-94, the Bulls entered halftime trailing by three.

"We looked like a young undisciplined team, we really did, and that's what we are," said head coach Jim Leavitt. "It's not because these guys are not real good guys, they are. I love this football team. We probably have half the guys on the football team that have never taken a college snap before, and it looked like it. We made a lot of mistakes. But I'm proud of the way we came back, and kept battling."

Gorthe's first-career touchdown pass gave USF its first lead of the game, 14-10 with 2:04 left in the third quarter. The freshman signal caller connected with Marcus Edwards on a post play down the middle of the field. The completion was good for 47 yards finished off a 5-play, 87-yard drive which lasted 2:10.

A botched punt by McNeese State at the start of the fourth quarter gave USF excellent field position at the Cowboy 12-yard line. Two plays later Grothe connected with Ean Randolph for a 10-yard touchdown pass to extend USF's lead to 21-10. Randolph, who recorded his first-career reception during the first quarter (six yards), finished the night with three catches for 24 yards and a touchdown.

Smith added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to give USF a 25-point cushion. His first, a 3-yard run with 9:47 left in the game, made the score 28-10. The score was the first of the career for the 5-foot-10 running back. An interception by sophomore Luis Gachette set up Smith's second rushing touchdown of the quarter. The interception, at the McNeese State 36-yard line, was the third of Gachette's career. The ensuing drive resulted in Smith extending USF's lead to 35-10 on a 24-yard scamper with 6:19 left in the game.

The Bulls added one final score as freshman running back Keeley Dorsey ran for a 52-yard touchdown on the final play of the game.

The win marks the 10th-consecituve home-opening win for the Bulls. It also snaps a three-game losing skid (tied for the second-longest in school history) in the team's 101st game.

A total of 22 players made their USF debut during tonight's game.

The Bulls host Florida International on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Raymond James Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 360.