Setting The Scene
Date: Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007
Location: Hartford, Conn.
Kickoff: 3:30 PM Eastern
TV: ABC Regional
Radio: WFLA 970 AM (Tampa)
Stadium: Rentschler Field
Stadium Capacity - Surface: 40,000 - Natural grass
Tickets: (860) 486-2724 or (877) 288-2666
The Game
The No. 10 (BCS) University of South Florida football team (6-1, 1-1 BIG EAST) will have first place in the BIG EAST on its mind as it travels to league-leading No. 23 UConn on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. Eastern game on ABC. USF is coming off its first loss of the season, a 30-27 defeat at the hands of Rutgers. UConn defeated Louisville, 21-17, in Hartford.
The Series
USF leads the all-time series 3-1 with the only loss coming in Hartford. USF won in 2000, 2001 and 2006 but lost at Rentschler Field in 2005.
The Broadcasts
The game will be broadcast to a regional audience on ABC Terry Gannon (play by play), David Norrie (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter). USF's radio broadcast with Jim Louk, Mark Robinson & Mike Pepper can be heard on WFLA 970 AM, WFLL 1400 AM, WORL 660 AM, WTSU 1590 AM, WPSL 1590 and the Press Pass on GoUSFBulls.com
The Coaches
USF: Jim Leavitt (Missouri ?78) has a career record of 76-44 (.633) and is in his 11th season at USF. He has coached every game in the program's history. He is 4-1 when ranked, 14-10 vs. BIG EAST, 21-30 on the road, 45-38 on television and 0-1 on ABC Regional. The Bulls are 9-14 against nationally ranked teams. UConn is currently 23rd in the BCS Standings.
UConn: Randy Edsall owns a 47-52 (.474) record in nine seasons with UConn. Saturday will be his 100th game at UConn.
The Program
The USF program has an all-time record of 49-27 at the NCAA FBS level and a 76-44 overall record. The wining percentage of 63.3 is good enough to rank USF 16th among FBS schools in all-time winning percentage. USF became the fastest team in the modern era of college football to go from upstart NCAA FBS school to a top-10 ranking on Sunday, Sept. 30.
Player to Watch
Sophomore QB Matt Grothe needs just 38 passing yards to become the second quarterback in USF history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000. Pat White at West Virginia is the only current player in the BIG East that can claim those career totals. Grothe is already second in career rushing yards by a QB (1,026) and just the second signal caller to reach 1,000 yards on the ground. He is chasing former USF star Marquel Blackwell, who owns most of the USF passing and rushing records for a QB.
By The Numbers - 73.6
Matt Grothe has the highest winning percentage of any regular starting quarterback in USF history at 73.6. He has led USF to wins in 14 of 19 career games and has surpassed previous record holder Marquel Blackwell, who was 30-12 as starter for a percentage of 71.4.
The Largest
USF has the largest stadium (65,857), largest student section (12,501) and the largest enrollment (44,038) of any school in the BIG EAST.
Recapping Rutgers
USF saw its eight-game win streak end and its No. 2 national ranking drop as the Bulls were upset by an unranked Rutgers squad, 30-27 ... It marked the first ever loss at Rutgers Stadium for USF, who fell to 1-2 in the all-time series ... USF had won eight straight games entering the contest, which was the longest winning streak at the NCAA FBS level ... USF's 6-1 record is the best seven game start in program history ... -- USF played in front of its fourth straight sellout crowd as 44,267 came through the turnstiles to see the Bulls and Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Stadium ... Last week 65,948 came through the gates at Raymond James Stadium for the UCF game ... That was also the second straight sellout at RJS ... The final attendance of 44,267 is the largest to ever see a game at Rutgers Stadium ... The mark surpasses the previous record of 44,111 against No. 3 Louisville on Nov. 9, 2006 ... LB Ben Moffitt had another standout game with 10 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery ... QB Matt Grothe scored his fifth rushing TD and threw for another TD ... He finished the game with 58 net yards, although he gained 118 ... He was sacked seven times, which significantly lowered his rushing total ... Grothe, who completed his first six passes, threw for 247 yards on 17-34 passing ... Marcus Edwards equaled his season total entering the game by hauling in four passes for 50 yards ... Jessie Hester had three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown ... USF led 10-3 at the end of the first quarter and 17-13 at the half but could not hold on to the lead in the second half ... USF's defense forced three turnovers, all recovered fumbles, but only converted them into three points ... Rutgers running back Ray Rice rushed for 181 yards, which made him the first RB in 14 games to rush for over 100 yards against USF ... Rutgers QB Mike Teel only threw for 179 yards but 114 of those were to Tiquan Underwood, including a pair of TDs ... Freshman RB Mike Ford scored on a one-yard run ... Ford has six rushing TDs this season and one TD catch ... SAM linebacker Tyrone McKenzie led the team in tackles with 11 and had the only sack of the game on Rutgers' first possession ... McKenzie was also credited with one other TFL assist ... LS Eric Setser recovered his first career fumble on a dropped punt by PR Tim Brown in the second quarter ... DB Ryan Gilliam recovered his second fumble of the season and the second of his career ... LB Brouce Mompremier forced his first fumble of the season on Ray Rice with 4:11 left in the game ... The fumble was picked up by LB Ben Moffitt which was his first recovery of the season and the fourth of his career.
USF In The BCS | Complete BCS Stanings | Coaches Poll | Harris Poll
USF is No. 10 in the current BCS standings, after debuting at No. 2 last week. If the Bulls hold or gain ground, they could be heading to a BCS Bowl game as a top-10 team in the annual standings. The BCS standings use the Coaches Poll, Harris Poll and computer polls to determine the most worthy teams. USF is No. 12 in Coaches and the Harris Polls, but ranked No. 5 in the computer rankings.
Despite having beaten West Virginia, USF trails the Mountaineers, who are No. 6 in both the human polls and No. 7 in BCS standings.
USF also came in at No. 11 in the AP Poll this week. The AP Poll does not count in the BCS equation.
Notes
? (Courtesy Greg Auman, St. Pete Times) Other than USF last week, no other current member of the Big East has ever been ranked as high as No. 2 while a member of the Big East. The next-highest ranking before Sunday was No. 3, attained by West Virginia and Louisville last season and by West Virginia in 1993. Pittsburgh and Syracuse held the No. 1 ranking before the Big East started playing football in 1991, but neither team has done so since 1982.
Among former Big East schools, Miami is the only school to ever be ranked higher while a member of the Big East conference. The Hurricanes held the top ranking in four seasons, 1991, 1992, 2001 and 2002.
This and That for UCONN
A win would make USF bowl eligible for the third consecutive season ... Thursday will mark the seventh week of eight consecutive that USF has played on the ESPN/ABC body of networks ... ESPN/ABC has used its six day selection window for the USF-Cincinnati game on Nov. 3 ... USF is a popular commodity around Bristol ... The USF-Rutgers game received a national rating of 3.39 (approximately 3.25 million homes) ... It is the highest Big East rating on ESPN or ESPN2 this season ... Previous high was 2.72 on ESPN2 for WVU-USF ... It is USF's highest rating ever on ESPN ... This is the third time this season that USF has set a new all-time USF record for ESPN/ESPN2 ratings (1.61 ESPN for UNC, and then 2.72 ESPN2 for WVU) ... The MLB playoffs - Red Sox & Indians - did not out-rate the USF-Rutgers game in the Tampa area ... The Sept. 28 game with West Virginia was the second highest rated ESPN2 College Football regular season broadcast in the station's history.
First Place Scenario
A USF win over UConn coupled with a West Virginia win over Rutgers on Saturday would move the Bulls into first place in the BIG EAST.
Moffitt Anchors Defense
Ben Moffitt is the lone returnee out of USF's stellar trio of linebackers from last season ... He leads the team with 62 tackles, plus 10.5 tackles for loss ... He is 13th nationally with 10.5 TFL ... He is ranked as the fifth best senior inside linebacker prospect for the NFL Draft ... Moffitt is a candidate for the Butkus award and Lott 
Trophy ... He collected 10 tackles - 2.5 for a loss - and one fumble recovery ... The senior was named Camp & Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after picking off two passes, including one for a TD, against West Virginia ... Moffitt also had nine tackles, including two for a loss and a pass breakup vs. WVU ... He followed that effort with 11 tackles, seven solo, three TFL, two pass breakups, one third-down stop and one fourth-down stop in the Bulls win over Florida Atlantic (Oct. 6) ... The senior currently has 43 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions and four pass breakups for one of the best defenses in the land ... He had He collected a TFL and his first career interception, followed by a 41 yard return against UNC ... He began the 2007 campaign with 10 tackles, eight assisted, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup against Elon ... During the 2006 campaign, Moffitt teamed up with Stephen Nicholas ? now with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons ? and Patrick St. Louis, who is one of the Bulls' strength and conditioning coaches ... Last year Moffitt led the team in tackles with 112 and was third in tackles for a loss with 11 including four sacks ... During the summer Moffitt was named to the Bronko Nagurski Award and Butkus watch lists.
Monitoring Matt
Matt Grothe made quite a name for himself last year en route to BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Year honors ... Grothe became just the eighth player in USF history to rush for 1,000 career yards during the Rutgers game ... He is just the second USF quarterback to accomplish the feat and is on the verge of becoming just the second Bull to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 during their career ... Grothe rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games against UCF & FAU ... He had 100 yards against UCF, needing less than three quarters to accumulate the yardage ... Grothe accounted for 4 touchdowns against UCF ... He rushed for two and passed for another two - both to WR Taurus Johnson. ... He had 312 yards of total offense before leaving midway through the third quarter ... Grothe is just the second USF quarterback to have back-to-back 100 yard rushing days ... No USF QB has done it in three straight games ... He set a career high with 122 rushing yards against FAU ... It was just third time a USF quarterback has rushed for 100 yards ... Threw for 135 yards, including a 55-yard TD connection with Carlton Mitchell against West Virginia ... He had a streak of 136 passes without an interception snapped against the Mountaineers ... Grothe racked up 216 yards passing, the second highest single half total of his career, against UNC ... He built upon his legacy as a gamer by leading USF to a come-from-behind overtime win over Auburn ... After being sacked three times in the third quarter, Grothe went 6-8 for 75 passing yards, plus 25 rushing yards, and a TD pass in leading USF to the overtime win ... He began the 2007 season with 239 yards, two TDs and no picks against Elon ... The gun slinger attempted 39 passes, a career high, and completed 23 ... The Lakeland native threw for 2,576 yards on 202-317 passing while connecting on 15 touchdowns ... He also ran for 622 yards on 178 carries and rumbled for nine TD's ... For his efforts last year Grothe has been named to the Manning and Maxwell Award watch lists.
Trae & J
Seniors Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins are one of the most experienced CB combos in college football, the two have combined for 70 career starts ... Combined they have 18 pass breakups and four INT this season ... Both rank seventh nationally with nine pass breakups ... Their lock-down cover abilities allow USF to funnel all of the offensive action to the middle of the field ... Both posted impressive numbers in the season opener ... Williams had five tackles, one for a loss and a pass breakup ... While Mike Jenkins had two pass breakups ... Jenkins followed that performance up with an interception late in the fourth quarter against Auburn that he nearly took in for a TD before stepping out of bounds at the three ... Trae Williams has two picks this season and nine over the last two years ... Recently, Mel Kiper of ESPN.com listed Mike Jenkins as the best senior CB prospect for the 2008 NFL Draft and the 10th best senior prospect on his “Big Board” ... Kiper has predicted that Trae Williams would be a second round selection ... Last season the two also teamed up for eight interceptions, seven of which belonged to Williams, tying a single season school record (with J.R. Reed) ... Williams' seven picks also led the BIG EAST ... The duo has been sited as the best in the BIG EAST and the state of Florida by several outlets, including ESPN.com expert Mark Schlabach.
Ben Bullets
? Moffitt's three interceptions is tied with five other LB for the NCAA lead at their position
? No other Butkus Semifinalist has an interception
? Among Butkus Semifinalists, Moffitt only trails Michigan's Shawn Crable (19.5) in tackles for loss (10.5).
? Moffitt is sixth among Butkus finalists with 62 tackles this season.
Individual NCAA Stats
George Selvie leads the country in sacks (11.5) ... His closest competition is Penn State's Maurice Evans with 10.5 ... Selvie also leads the country in tackles for loss (21.5) ... His closest competition is Michigan's Shawn Crable, who has 19.5 in eight games ... Ben Moffitt is 13th nationally in TFL with 10.5 ... Trae Williams & Mike Jenkins are both seventh nationally in pass breakups with 9 ... Ben Moffitt and Nate Allen are both tied for 34th with 3 INTs ... Delbert Alvarado is 32th nationally in punting (42.6) ... Jerome Murphy is 38th in kick return average at 25.4.
Matt Moving Up Charts
Sophomore QB Matt Grothe is only 20 games into his college career, but he is already making his way towards the top of the USF career record books.
Against Rutgers, he became the second USF quarterback to reach 1,000 career rushing yards with 58 yards against Rutgers. He currently has 1,026 career yards - 622 last season and 404 in 2007. Marquel Blackwell (1999-02) owns the USF record for rushing yards by a QB with 1,235, which is certainly within Grothe's reach this season.
Grothe is also approaching the No. 2 spot in career passing yards. Grothe has thrown for 1,386 yards this season and 2,576 as a freshman in 2006 for a career total of 3,962. He needs just 38 to become the second player in USF history to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000. He also needs just 176 yards to pass Chad Barnhardt (4,138 from 1997-98) for No. 2 on the USF career list. The USF record is 9,108 by Blackwell. Grothe (23) is also just five TD passes shy of passing Barnhardt (27) for the No. 2 on that career list.
By George!
Sophomore DE George Selvie began the 2007 season with a record breaking evening against Elon ... He hasn't slowed down since ... He has broke the USF single season record with 11.5 sacks and is three shy of the career record of 20 ... Below is where Selvie ranks in the USF, BIG EAST and NCAA record books:
|
Sacks |
Season |
Career |
| George Selvie |
11.5 |
17 |
| USF |
11.5, Selvie (2007) |
20.5, Stephen Nicholas (02-06) |
| BIG EAST |
20, Elvis Dumerville, Louisville (2005) |
36, Cornell Brown, Virginia Tech (1993-96) |
| NCAA |
24, Terrell Suggs, Arizona State (2002) |
44, Terrell Suggs, Arizona State (00-02) |
|
TFL |
Season |
Career |
| George Selvie |
21.5 |
36.5 |
| USF |
21.5, Selvie (2007) |
53.5, Stephen Nicholas (02-06) |
| BIG EAST |
26, Bryan Knight (2000) |
NA |
| NCAA |
32, Jason Babin, Western Mich. (2003) |
75, Jason Babin, Western Michigan (00-03) |
Selvie broke his own single game record for tackles for loss with six against Elon ... Below is the new single game record chart for TFL:
1. George Selvie - 6, Elon, 9/1/07
2. George Selvie - 5, North Carolina, 9/22/07
George Selvie - 5, Florida International, 9/9/06
Tim Jones - 5, at Army, 9/27/03
Kawika Mitchell - 5, at Oklahoma, 9/28/02Craig Kobel - 5, Pittsburgh, 12/4/04
Selvie also tied the USF single game record for sacks with four against Elon ... Below is who he shares the honor with :
1. George Selvie - 4, Elon, 9/1/07
Shurron Pierson - 4, Southern Miss, 10/12/02
Selvie leads all NCAA players with 11.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss this season .... Terrence Royal (2005) and Shurron Pierson (2001) previously held the USF sack record at 10 ... The career record for sacks is 20 by Stephen Nicholas ... Selvie is No. 4 in the USF history book with 17 career sacks.
He broke the TFL record of 19 that was previously held by Craig Kobel (2003) and Kawika Mitchell (2002)... Selvie had 5.5 sacks adn 15 TFL as a freshman last season ... He was named a freshman All-American by The Sporting News.
Selvie's Wake Up Call
Selvie has exposed teams in the opening moments of games. He has recorded a sack on the opponent's opening series in three games this year, including the last two. He has a sack in the first or second series in four of six games. 60 percent of his tackles for loss have come in the first half, yet only four of have been sacks.
As for the second half TFLs, he has 8.5 and 7.5 of those are sacks.
Selvie Sidebar
From Joe Schad of ESPN
What's most amazing is that he was recruited to USF as a center and coach Jim Leavitt still says Selvie's best position may have been center.
Selvie told me that the only feeling he can compare to getting a sack is "eating a honey bun." Huh? "Yeah," Selvie said. "Eating a nice, tasty honey bun." Hah. Well, what's not as funny is that if Selvie hadn't gotten a scholarship to USF he told me he would have gone to Delta (Mississippi) State, a Division II school.
"I pretty much wouldn't be known by anybody," he said. "I wouldn't be chasing all these records." Selvie has been studying Dwight Freeney's spin moves and intends to add it to his reportoire.
From Martin Fennelly of The Tampa Tribune
?George is the man right now,' Bulls offensive lineman Walter Walker said.
But one night ...
It happened last season during USF's trip to the Papajohns.com Bowl. The Bulls took a trip to a Birmingham comedy club, where a comedian-hypnotist talked some players onto the stage and made them very, very sleepy.
George was one.
?The guy had George pretending to be the Grinch,' USF receiver Taurus Johnson said. You know, the one who stole Christmas. George even wore a little Grinch hat.
?George is up there, slinking around corners, pretending to steal presents,' Johnson said.
?Yes, it happened,' Selvie said. ?I didn't believe it until I saw the film.'
?He's still a Grinch,' Walt Walker said. ?George is making off with all the sacks.'
Defensive Experience
USF's defense is led by 62-year-old coordinator Wally Burnham, who has been in the game for 34 seasons. He isn't the only vet on the Bulls defensive staff. USF has the most experienced defensive staff - in terms of years coaching - in the BIG EAST. Rich Rachel (32), Dan McCarney (31) and Troy Murphy (19) all have at least 18 years on the sidelines. Combined, the defensive staff has at least a 30-year lead in experience on every other team in conference:
1. USF - 116 seasons
2. West Virginia - 86
3. Rutgers - 82
4. Louisville - 78
5. Pittsburgh - 72
6. Connecticut - 70
7. Cincinnati - 50
8. Syracuse - 38
Team NCAA Stats - Rank (per game)
Tackles For Loss - 1 (10.43)
3rd Down Conversion % Defense - 2 (24.5)
Fumbles Recovered - 4 (12)
Turnovers Gained - 4 (24)
Turnover Margin - 4 (+1.43)
Pass Efficiency Defense - 6 (94.2)
Total Defense - 12 (301)
Sacks - 15 (3.0)
Interceptions - 16 (12)
Pass Defense - 17 (184)
Scoring Defense - 18 (17.7)
Fast Starts
USF has scored first in six of seven games this season. The Bulls have received the ball first three times and scored 54 points in the first quarter of the last six games (14 vs. UNC & Auburn, 7 vs. WVU, 7 vs. FAU, 12 v.s UCF, 10 vs. Rutgers).
Making Plays
USF's defense is led by a bunch of playmakers, which are producing turnovers at a record pace ... The USF record for forced turnovers is 35 set in 2002 .... USF has already forced 24 in seven games and is on pace for 41 this season ... The Bull “D” ranks fourth nationally in turnovers gained, four in fumbles recovered (12) and ninth in interceptions (12) ... Nate Allen and Ben Moffitt both already have three interceptions, CB Trae Williams has a pair of picks, as does Mike Jenkins ... Moffitt, a four-year starter, did not have any picks prior to this season ... Allen also has two fumble recoveries and has a pick in three of four games ... The defensive line has accounted for 18 of the team's 21 sacks and 41.5 of the 71 tackles for loss ... USF is No. 1 nationally in TFL with an average of 10.4 per game.
USF's defense has forced three or more turnovers five times this season. They have averaged more forced turnovers (4.5) against major conference teams - West Virginia, UNC, Auburn & UCF - than against FCS teams (1.5) Elon and Sun Belt member FAU.
Secondary to None
USF's secondary has proven early that it may be one of the best in America ... Currently, the Bulls are No. 6 in pass efficiency defense (88.84) ... USF is also ranked No. 15 in pass defense at 194 yards per game, but that does not tell the whole story ... The secondary has eight interceptions, six fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles ... Prior to West Virginia, the Bulls had only allowed 250 passing yards combined to Auburn and North Carolina ... Carolina was averaging 300-plus yards passing before USF held them to 85 and intercepted four passes on Sept. 22 ... USF has held two teams below 100 yards passing ... UNC had 85 yards and UCF had 84 yards ... Sophomore FS Nate Allen has three INT, while Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins both have two ... SS Carlton Williams has 3.5 TFL, one sack and 33 tackles this season ... The secondary as a whole already has 27 pass breakups, led by T. Williams and Jenkins with eight apiece.
20,000 Season Tickets Sold
A national ranking, two wins (at the time) and now another plateau in season tickets. The USF ticket office announced on Tuesday, Sept. 18 that it had surpassed 20,000 season tickets. At the end of the business day on Tuesday, USF's season ticket total was up to 20,043. The record season ticket number of 20,619 was set in the inaugural season of 1997.
Starting Notes
Senior center Nick Capogna had his consecutive start streak of 14 snapped at Auburn due to a knee injury ... The fallout from that injury was Jack Griffin starting at center, while Ryan Schmidt moved up the depth chart and started at left guard ... Ben Busbee earned his first career start against Elon, as did right guard Zach Hermann ... Hermann has started ever since ... On defense Brouce Mompremier and Nate Allen started for the first time in their careers against Elon, both have started every game this year ... Mike Ford collected his first career start against West Virginia ... Courtney Denson and Jessie Hester both recorded their first career starts at WR against FAU when USF opened in a five receiver set ... Denson has one career start at QB ... Jamar Taylor earned his first career start against UCF.
T-Mac & D-Mac
Junior LB Tyrone McKenzie led Iowa State in tackles last season and transferred to USF after the 2006 season. He was able to play immediately thanks to a NCAA
hardship waiver.
McKenzie was on the USF campus to start the spring semester in January.
And in early February his former head coach at Iowa State, Dan McCarney, arrived in Tampa and took the position as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach.
The two have teamed up on defense and produced immediate results. USF held Elon to 13 points and just 33 yards rushing. McKenzie, who had 129 tackles for Iowa State in 2006 and was 10th nationally, is second on the USF team with 61 tackles this season, including 6 tackles for loss.
McCarney's defensive line has accounted for 18 of USF's 21 sacks this season. USF is 15th nationally with an average of 3.0 sacks per game.
Ticket Update
USF has sold out its last two home games, the first two sellouts in program history ... USF had a capacity and record crowd of 67,012 for West Virginia and 65,948 for Central Florida ... The Bulls are averaging 51,088 this season, which is second in the BIG EAST ... The crowd of 67,012 is the largest in the league this season ... Cincinnati returned 1,200 lower bowl tickets for the game on Nov. 3 ... The ticket office is prepping for sellouts in final two remaining games ... All ticket requests for away games should be made by the one week prior to the game ... Away game tickets can be purchased over the phone by calling 1-800-GoBulls.
Sophomores Starring
USF returned 16 starters this season and has quickly risen to national recognition despite being essentially a young team. The Bulls are receiving award worthy play from their sophomore class. At the top of that list are second year stars Matt Grothe, George Selvie and Nate Allen.
Selvie's leading the country in sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (21.5) in six games this season. He was named Walter Camp National Player of the Week (9/23) for his three sacks and five TFLs against North Carolina. He is a Lombardi, Hendricks and Bednarik candidate.
Grothe's numbers and recognition as the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year set the ground work for acclaim. Grothe is leading the team in rushing 404, while also passing for 1,368 yards and eight TD to 4 INT.
Nate Allen is putting himself all over the stat sheet with three INT, 48 tackles, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and one tackle for loss. Allen was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (9/10) and Nagurski National Player of the Week (9/11) after playing a part in three turnovers against Auburn.
USF has 15 underclassmen among its current projected starters on offense and defense.
Poll Position
In just its seventh season as a full-time member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, the University of South Florida football team made its first appearance in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll and the AP Top 25 Poll on Sept. 16. Over the next four weeks, USF rose to No. 2 in the BCS & AP and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll.
|
USF in the Rankings |
AP |
Coaches |
Harris |
BCS |
| Preseason |
RV |
RV |
-- |
-- |
| Week 1 |
RV |
RV |
-- |
-- |
| Week 2 |
RV |
RV |
-- |
-- |
| Week 3 |
23 |
24 |
-- |
-- |
| Week 4 |
18 |
18 |
20 |
-- |
| Week 5 |
6 |
9 |
10 |
-- |
| Week 6 |
5 |
5T |
6 |
-- |
| Week 7 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
| Week 8 |
11 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
Below are some notes:
? USF was ranked for the first time exactly 10 years and 10 days after its inaugural game against Kentucky Weslyan in 1997.
? USF earned an AP ranking 104 polls after becoming a full-time bowl eligible FBS member in 2001. The pace is one of the fastest in NCAA history
? USF became the fastest team in the modern era of college football to go from upstart NCAA FBS school to a top-10 ranking. There was106 AP polls and 112 Coaches Polls since USF became a full-time FBS member in 2001.
? The same can be said about the top-5 ranking, which took USF 107 weeks to achieve.
Built Ford Tough
True-freshman Mike Ford is third on the USF team in rushing yards with 260 (43.3 per game) ... He leads the team with six rushing TD and one TD reception ... The Sarasota native scored from one yard out against Rutgers ... Ford scored from 12 yards out against UCF and ran for 39 yards in limited action ... He did not play against FAU ... Ford ran for 42 yards, including 35 on his opening carry, against West Virginia ... Had just 13 yards rushing against UNC, but broke the scoring open with a five yard TD run in the first quarter ... The Sarasota HS product ran for 74 yards, including 59 in the first half, and 1 TD at Auburn ... He set USF freshman debut record with 3 TDs, two rushing and one receiving against Elon ... The debut record, regardless of class, for TD in a USF debut was four by Jermaine Clemons in USF's inaugural game (9-6-97) ... Ford had runs of 21 and 48 yards, which accounted for a large chunk of his 83 yards on six carries ... After the game when Ford was asked about breaking two tackles on his 48-yard run, he just said that his style was, “Ford Tough” ... ESPN college basketball commentator Dick Vitale, who lives in Sarasota, put himself among the Ford backers after watching him as a high schooler and hearing about his production in the USF opener .
September Numbers
USF owns a 26-17 record in the month of September ... This September was the first time in program history that USF has won four games in the opening month and the second time it has gone undefeated ... The Bulls were 3-0 in September of 1998 ... The Bulls have won three games in the in the opening month of the two prior seasons ... In 2005 USF went 3-1 with the lone loss coming to Penn State in the opener ... In 2006, the Bulls were 3-2 with wins in the first three games before narrow losses to Kansas and Rutgers.
Student Allotment Increases
After a turnout that exceeded the allotted number of seats for season opener against Elon, the University of South Florida athletics department has dramatically increased the number of tickets available to students for the remainder of the 2007 football season.
USF will now make 12,501 seats available to the student population. The USF ticket office allotted 8,000 for the Elon game and a student attendance numbered of 8,600.
“Our students support and interest is off the charts and that is why we made the decision to allocate 12,000 seats for students for the rest of the season,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director Bill McGillis. “We had 8,600 for the opener and there is no question those numbers will grow. Student attendance is critical because they bring a level of energy, spirit and tradition that is unrivaled. Our intent is to have the largest student section in the BIG EAST and we will.”
USF is the largest school in terms of enrollment, which tops out at over 44,000, in the BIG EAST and has the largest student section.
USF Honors Dorsey & Camon
The 2007 USF Bulls have two stickers, bearing the initials “JC” and “KD,” for former Bulls defensive back Javan Camon, who died after a collision in an indoor football game in February, and Keeley Dorsey, the freshman running back who collapsed and died during a team conditioning workout in January.
USF also observed a moment of silence in honor of Dorsey, Camon and late Sun Dolls coach Caroline Wiren, who died in May due to complications from labor, prior to the Elon game.
Time to Stand Out
For redshirt-freshman Carlton Mitchell, it is time to make his own name in a circle of family and friends that is full of standouts.
Mitchell's mother, Angela, is the cut “man” for professional boxer Antonio Tarver. The cut man position is a male dominated occupation and Angela is considered a pioneer in the sport of boxing.
Tarver and Carlton have been close friends since the Bull wide receiver was 12. He is also close friends with Tarver's son, Antonio Jr.. Antonio Jr. is a freshman point guard at Daytona Beach Community College.
Carlton's father, Carl, is 6 feet 8 and played pro basketball in Europe for 12 years. His half-brother, Carl Jr., is 6-10 and playing professionally in the Domincan Replublic.
In his first collegiate season, Mitchell has 13 receptions for 251 yards and two TDs. He was the first receiver to go for 100 yards in 2007 when he had 107 yards against UCF, including a 75-yard catch and score. He made Sportscenter's “Top-10 Plays” on the night of the West Virginia game (Sept. 28) after his 55-yard catch and score against the Mountaineers. Mitchell tip-toed the sideline after catching the ball on a crossing route before easily scoring. It was his first career TD. He leads the team in yards per reception at 35.9.
