? GoUSFBulls.com USF-NC State photo gallery. 

? Brett McMurphy of the Tampa Tribune writes that Saturday's win over North Carolina State was certainly a statement win that they needed to get.

? Tampa Tribune correspondent Kevin Smetana writes that after scoring just one touchdown last week against Florida International, the Bulls recorded their second-best offensive performance of the season Saturday against the Wolfpack. 

? Brett McMurphy's USF-NC State notebook. 

? The Tampa Tribune's USF-NC State photo gallery. 

? Greg Auman of the St. Petersburgh Times say's that "this time, there was no late-game collapse, no offensive struggle, no disappointing letdown against an unranked opponent" in the Bulls commanding victory over North Carolina State.

? Greg Auman's USF-NC State notebook. 

? Alan Dell of the Sarasota Herald Tribune writes that the Bulls certainly made up for their lethargic effort last week against FIU with their win over NC State.

? USF-NC State Associated Press story. 

? Kevin Tysiac of the Raleigh News and Observer writes that the Bulls "sure know how to run the spread offense." 

? Luke Decock's column on the USF-NC State game in the Raleigh News and Observer.  

? The Raleigh News and Observer USF-NC State photo gallery.

? Mike Potter of the Durham Herald-Sun writes that despite dreams of a second straight upset over a ranked team, USF's Matt Grothe and it's offense were just to good against the Wolfpack Saturday night. 

? Sammy Batten of the Fayetteville Observer Times writes that "the University of South Florida was so efficient Saturday that the Bulls scored five times in the first half on their own offensive possessions and twice when N.C. State had the ball."

Voting has closed for the top 10 highlights of Matt Grothe's career and the fans voice was heard with the No. 1 highlight being... 2006 Pitt - Impossible Escape and Pass. 

The highlight from Grothe's freshman season narrowly beat out the 2007 West Virgina - Grothe to Mitchell Touchdown and the 2007 Auburn - Game-Winning Touchdown Pass.   The winning highlight earned 23 percent of the fans votes, while the West Virginia and Auburn highlights both received exactly 20 percent of the votes.

The entire top 10 and voting results are listed in the box to the right. To watch the highlights, simply click on the links. 

Thanks to all the fans that participated. 

And now that we have an official GoUSFBulls.com Matt Grothe Top-10, it is time to announce the biggest winner. 

Everyone that participated in the contest earned the chance to win two tickets to the Syracuse game on Oct. 18. 

The two tickets in section 135 will be going to Lynn Timmonds of Dade City, who is already a season ticket holder and is going to give the tickets to some friends.  Congratulations Lynn, thanks for your support of GoUSFBulls.com and most of all... enjoy the game.

? Check out an exclusive interview from ESPN.com Brazil's Everaldo Marques with freshman kicker Maikon Bonani in portuguese.


Daily Links
? Greg Auman features sophomore tight end Trent Pupello,"Even after the Jefferson High graduate had transferred in January from Florida to hometown USF, the 6-foot-2, 276-pound sophomore wasn't sure where he fit in with the Bulls, bouncing around at several positions during spring."

? ESPN.com blogger Brian Bennett writes,"And now, with Mompremier gone from the Bulls' linebacking corps, more responsibility falls to (Kion) Wilson. The junior-college transfer has been steady in the early going but usually is the first linebacker out when South Florida switches to nickel defense. Now he'll need to contribute even more."

? Brett McMurphy's Notebook. 

? Ryan Boyd of the Brandenton Herald writes," Grothe is as cool in the pocket as a seed in a cucumber and is waiting for passing lanes to open. He's not so eager to run this year - that's a plus, because that'll save his body for the Big East Conference stretch run."

What They Are Saying In Raleigh...
? Rob Daniels of the Greensboro News Record writes these remarks about N.C. State quarterback Harrison Beck,"Listen to Harrison Beck discuss his life in football and you swear Johnny Cash is laying down the soundtrack.

He's been everywhere. He's been to Lakeland, Lincoln, N.C. State and Nebraska. Been through West Coast Offense and Bible's Book. Starting chance, virtually no chance. All that's missing is some tall tale about Texas.

? Ken Tysiac of the Raliegh News Observer writes, "It took a while for N.C. State quarterback Harrison Beck to list his connections to the South Florida football team.

Beck grew up in Clearwater, Fla., about 20 minutes from the South Florida campus. Bulls coach Jim Leavitt is a friend of John Davis, who coached Beck at Countryside High."

USF head coach Jim Leavitt announced Thursday afternoon that senior LB Brouce Mompremier will make the trip to NC State and serve as a captain for the team.  Mompremier went down with a neck injury at FIU last weekend and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher before being airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

As for why he decided to make Mompremier a captain, we'll let Coach Leavitt tell you himself in this exclusive GoUSFBulls.com video from after practice today.

Mompremier has been cleared of any long term severe spinal damage, but has not returned to the football field.  He is out for at least the next two games, NC State and Pitt, and will be reevaluated next week.

Mompremier will be joined by senior LB Tyrone McKenzie, senior OC Jake Griffin and senior WR Taurus Johnson as captains.  Coach Leavitt picks captains on a game-by-game basis.

? Coach Leavitt also announced that freshman TE Jeff Hawkins and redshirt-freshman DL Kenneth Luberice were scout team players of the week.

? Leavitt does not expect Justin Teachey to handle the kicking duties on kickoffs this week because of an injured thigh.  Delbert Alvarado or Ilia Petrov will take over that role.

Three & Out
USF, which ranks 12th in total defense, is off its forced turnover pace from 2007 (17 in four games) but has still been a dominating force. Several factors play into the explanation, but arguably the biggest reason is the simple fact that opponents haven't been able to run that many plays. USF has held opponents to three-and-outs, (or the equivalent) on 29 of 55 drives this season. That means 52.7 percent of the time, the opponent has not been able to get a single first down. Below is breakdown:

ESPN The Magazine Features Selvie In Issue Due on Newstands Friday

TAMPA -- The ESPN the Magazine feature on George Selvie will hit newstands on Friday.  The story, titled "Eat, drink and be scary", was written by Wright Thompson and spreads over six pages in the magazine.

The idea behind Thompson's story was to go, "bite-for-bite" with the USF star during an average day.  Selvie, who is not the biggest eater on the team, consumes upwards of 6,000 healthy calories a day to maintain his weight of 245.

The entire feature story can be read on ESPNtheMag.com.

Below is an excerpt from the story:

I'm not sure if this is a comedy or a tragedy, but it's 4:30 a.m., and I am in a dark Tampa hotel room, choking down cupcakes. Normally, I love cupcakes. Who doesn't? But now, breaking them into tiny bites, I'm trying not to vomit.

Let me explain. There's a junior at the University of South Florida named George Selvie. He's one of the nation's best pass-rushers. But hovering around 245 pounds, he's undersized. And while all football players have to eat more than the average person, Selvie's coaches want him to eat more than the average platoon, insisting he scarf down three or four calorie-packed meals a day, plus several protein shakes. "As much as you can, as often as you can," Selvie says. In a lot of ways, he symbolizes the 13th-ranked South Florida football team: talented but struggling to grow, perhaps beyond the natural order of things. This is where I come in.

I have something of a reputation for gluttony among my friends and colleagues, so telling Selvie's story by going bite-for-bite with him for one day seemed like a great idea. Standing by the front door of an International House of Pancakes at 9:30 on a warm September Sunday morning, waiting for Selvie to drive there from his apartment near campus, I'm feeling good. He arrives, sore from last night's game, a 31-24 overtime win against Central Florida. We sit down, and the waitress comes over. "Let me get the breakfast sampler," he says. Two eggs. Hash browns. Some buttermilk pancakes with butter and syrup, plus the Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance of pork: bacon and sausage and ham. I grow confident: He's not going to beat me on this triple-team. I own the pig. One of my best friends makes his own bacon and sausage and has a swine tattoo on his arm. Pig? Come into my kitchen, George. "I'll have what he's having," I say.

A video feature produced by Anna K. Clemmons will also be available on ESPNtheMag.com in the coming days. Selvie was photographed in a studio on campus and at the Argos Dining Hall on campus (see photo to the right) by renowned photographer Bob Croslin.

Daily Links
? Check out Gameday Central for exclusive player interviews with GoUSFBulls.com's Garrett Woolvard.

? Brett McMurphy writes a feature on Bulls linebacker Kion Wilson.

? McMurphy's Notebook.

? Greg Auman's Blog

? Tom Edrington of the Miami Examiner writes,"USF's football team had its spirits lifted during their Tuesday evening practice by the return of linebacker Brouce Mompremier."

? The Sports Network previews this weekend's game.

? Ken Tysiac of the the Raliegh News & Observer writes,"Starting quarterback Russell Wilson and leading tackler Nate Irving are out for Saturday's game against 13th-ranked South Florida. Irving injured his right lower leg during last week's 30-24 overtime defeat of East Carolina and missed most of the second half."

? Keith Jarrett of the Asheville Citzen Times writes,"South Florida is one of those sneaky-good football teams that show up without a lot of attention or tradition and leaves with another victory."

? CFN takes a look at this weekend's game and has NC State quarterback Harrison Beck's press conference remarks.

Daily Links
? Joe Rienzi writes, "Senior linebacker Brouce Mompremier, who suffered a neck injury during Saturday's game against FIU, attended Tuesday's practice. He was walking around in a T-shirt and shorts and without a brace around his neck. The team gathered around him after chanting "Brouce Mompremier" and he led a chant after stretching drills."

? Tom Zebold of the Ledger writes,"Grothe's play on the field this season has been the reason he has to answer Heisman questions. Through four games, he has completed 65.2 percent of his throws for 916 yards and heads into Saturday's road game against North Carolina State with a 148.73 passing efficiency rating.

? Ryan Boyd of the Brandenton Herald writes," The takeaways were a big reason why South Florida's defense was so formidable last season. After four games a year ago, the Bulls had 10 interceptions and seven forced fumbles. That's not the case in 2008 as USF (4-0) has three picks and hasn't forced a fumble."

? Alan Dell of the Sarasota Herlad Tribune writes," Carlton Williams doesn't scare easy and doesn't shy away from contact when he is hurt. The University of South Florida safety knows football is not a game for the timid or cautious."

? Gregg Becnel writes,"I think we need to make a statement; it's an ACC team," Grothe said. "Everybody's been saying the Big East is down this year, so I think if we come out and play well and do like I know we can, I think it will help us as a team and help us nationally with everybody."'

? Andy Marks of the Star-Banner writes,"Former Vanguard tight end Jeff Hawkins is making waves for the USF football team as a true freshman. Hawkins was named Scout Player of the Week after a standout week of practice for the Bulls, meaning he'll suit up and travel with the team to face N.C. State on Saturday. Hawkins is expected to see limited action, at most, in order to preserve his redshirt status."

? ESPN.com blogger Brian Bennett writes, "The biggest obstacle in South Florida's path right now might not be the Big East competition or even Saturday's game at NC State. It's injuries."

? Bennett also writes his BIG EAST Internal Affairs.

? CBSSportsline.com previews this weekend's game.

What They Are Saying In North Carolina?
? Keith Jarrett of the Citzen Times writes,"But how the team climbed back to 2-2 has local fans excited that this year's squad can overcome a bunch of injuries and become a consistently competitive program."

Another edition of Bulls Live is set for Tuesday, Sept. 23, as Jim Leavitt has his weekly press luncheon in advance of Saturday's road trip to NC State. USF players and baseball coach Lelo Prado will be available on a live chat. Prado will talk about fall ball and his outlook for the coming season.

The live chat will begin at 12:15 p.m. and run until 1:30 p.m.

Daily Links
? Ryan Boyd of the Brandenton Herald writes,'"In South Florida's 17-9 victory at Florida International University on Saturday, Bulls quarterback Matt Grothe surpassed the 1,600-yard career rushing mark."'

The junior officially has 1,645 rushing yards on 422 carries (3.8 yards a carry). Against the Golden Panthers, Grothe rushed 11 times for 48 yards, and in the contest, he also completed his 500th career pass to A.J. Love in the first quarter."

? Gregg Becnel writes,"With University of South Florida senior LB Brouce Mompremier missing a minimum of two weeks, junior Chris Robinson will get his first career start when USF plays at N.C. State on Saturday."

? Athlon Sports previews the week in the BIG EAST.

?  Greg Auman's Blog.

?  Auman also writes, "With Mompremier out, USF has shifted strongside LB Tyrone McKenzie to the weak side, and junior Chris Robinson starts at strongside. USF has worked primarily in a nickel package with five defensive backs, and junior Kion Wilson, the starter at middle linebacker, was lined up next to McKenzie in seven-on-seven drills Monday."

?  Auman documents Tom O'Brien's comments on Matt Grothe.

? Tommy Bowman of the Winston-Salem Journal writes, ""Their offense is 19th in the country in total offense and they're led by probably the most versatile quarterback in the country," O'Brien said. "And their defense is even better. It's 12th in the country."

The Wolfpack will have to contend with Grothe, a 6-0, 205-pound junior who has completed 65 percent of his passes for 916 yards and seven touchdowns with two interceptions and leads the Bulls in rushing attempts.

"We've played against teams with good running quarterbacks, just like ECU," linebacker Ray Michel of the Wolfpack said. "I believe that our defensive line will be able to contain him."'

? GoPack.com previews this weeks game.

? James Anderson of Pack Pride write's NC State head coach Tom O'Brien's comments to the media.

TAMPA - USF senior LB Brouce Mompremier was cleared of any severe spinal injury during initial tests at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital last night.  He will be released later today.  He will return to Tampa late Sunday.  Mompremier will meet with USF doctors early this week to determine the specific injuries and a timetable for recovery. 

Mompremier is expected to be sidelined for USF's games against NC State and Pitt, but there is no timetable beyond that.

After colliding with teammate Carlton Williams in the third quarter of Saturday night's game at FIU, Mompremier was taken off the field on a stretcher and rushed to the emergency room at Jackson Memorial.  He was declared in stable condition after the game and could move all of his extremities.  He remained at Jackson Memorial overnight to undergo a CT Scan and MRI on his neck.

Mompremier is a native of Miami, who attended Edison HS.  He has started 16 of the last 17 games for USF and had 11 tackles this season.