LAWRENCE, KAN. (September 23, 2006) USF appeared ready to pull off a fourth straight come-from-behind win tonight, but the Bulls fell 29 yards short in a 13-7 loss to Kansas before 40,933 fans at Memorial Stadium. The loss was the first of the season for the Bulls (3-1), who won with second half comebacks against McNeese State, Florida International and UCF to open the season.
USF quarterback Matt Grothe moved the Bulls 34 yards on a 20-yard pass to Taurus Johnson and a 14-yard run on third and 10 in the final drive that started with no timeouts and just 1:06 remaining. That placed the Bulls at the Kansas 29-yard line with a first and 10 and time for three passes. The first two fell incomplete, including an open sideline route to Ean Randolph, before Grothe's final effort into the end zone for Colby Erskin was intercepted by Justin Thornton.
“I really thought we'd win the game on the last drive,” said USF head coach Jim Leavitt. “I thought we used the clock extremely well. We came in here expecting to win and we didn't win. That's the point. They got more points than we did, so all of us failed.”
Grothe, who entered the game leading all freshmen quarterbacks in the nation in passing yards and total offense, completed 17 of 32 passes for 196 yards and ran for another 66 on 18 carries that included a touchdown.
A freshman battle between Grothe and KU freshman starter Kerry Meier never materialized as Meier did not dress with an injured arm. But senior Adam Barmann led the Jayhawks admirably, completing 25 of his 35 attempts for 273 yards.
USF and Kansas (3-1) played to a 0-0 tie in the first half, only the second time that has ever happened in USF's 10 seasons of football (SW Texas State, Sept. 11, 1999). But both teams had opportunities in the opening stanza, including a game-opening drive by the Bulls that moved from their own 20 to the Kansas two-yard line, where Grothe was stopped short on a fourth and two sneak.
Kansas, meanwhile, saw a golden chance pass it by with a fumble into the end zone after a 98-yard drive. After USF's Justin Teachey pinned the Jayhawks at their own two-yard line with 13:01 to play in the second quarter, Barmann used three straight complete passes to cover 64 yards, and three Jon Cornish runs mixed in, brought the Jayhawks to the Bulls'18-yard line. Barmann then hit an open Marcus Henry who raced just to the edge of the goal line, where he was met by USF safety Carlton Williams, who jarred the ball loose. USF's Chris Robinson recovered the fumble for a touchback and USF avoided a 7-0 deficit.
The Bulls snuck in one more potential scoring opportunity in the final :37 of the second period, when Grothe completed two passes for 30 yards and ran for another nine to reach the Kansas 29-yard line. But on second and nine, Grothe threw a sideline route that was picked off at the one-yard line and Kansas killed the rest of the first half clock.
Kansas took a 3-0 lead just under six minutes into the second half when Scott Webb connected on a 37-yard field goal, culminating a 12-play, 60-yard drive that opened the second half. But that seemingly awoke the Bulls as Taurus Johnson returned the ensuing kick to the USF 42 yard line, where Grothe and the offense took over.
In 13 plays, Grothe engineered a 58-yard drive that included three crucial third down conversions, including two receptions by Marcus Edwards and one by tight end Will Bleakley that covered 11 yards on a third and 11. Grothe capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown run, his second rushing touchdown of the season. After Mike Benzer's extra point, USF led 7-3 with 2:57 to play in the third quarter.
Kansas responded immediately with a touchdown drive that covered 79 yards on just seven plays, aided along by a 15-yard personal foul against the Bulls on the kickoff and a 29-yard pass from Barmann to Brian Murph on a third and six. The Jayhawks regained the lead at 10-7 on a two-yard option run by Cornish on a third and goal that marked the first play of the fourth quarter.
After an offensive pass interference call stymied the Bulls on their next possession, Kansas again began a march from their own 33, but the USF defense stiffened and held the Jayhawks to a 42-yard Webb field goal that made the score 13-7 with 8:51 remaining.
Both defenses then went to work as the offenses traded two series each that ended in punts before the Bulls got their final opportunity on the final drive of the game that eventually ended with the interception in the end zone.
