USF Football Post Game Notes
USF 30 (6-2, 2-2 BIG EAST) vs. No. 20/20 West Virginia 19 (6-2, 2-1 BIG EAST)
Friday, Oct. 30 2009, 8 p.m.
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Team Notes
- USF's win over West Virginia improves the Bulls' record to 6-2 for the third consecutive year and the sixth time in the programs 13-year history ... USF was also 6-2 through eight games during the 1998, 1999, 2002, 2007 and 2008 seasons.
- The Bulls' victory tonight improves their all-time record over West Virginia to 3-2 ... USF has won three of its last four games against the Mountaineers with the only loss during that four-game stretch coming last season in Morgantown, 13-7, on Nov. 24 ... In addition, the Bulls are now 2-1 against West Virginia at Raymond James Stadium.
- This season USF will honor former player Keeley Dorsey by wearing his No. 10 jersey ... Tonight, senior S Nate Allen donned the jersey ... Dorsey passed away after a team conditioning workout on Jan. 17, 2007 ... This season would have been his senior year.
- After a 12-game streak of 40,000 or more fans coming through the turnstiles at Raymond James Stadium to see the Bulls play was snapped against Charleston Southern on Sept. 19 (39,798), tonight's attendance of 56,328 marks the second consecutive home game of better than 50,000.
- Tonight's attendance is the seventh largest to ever see a USF home game ...
- West Virginia was the fourth ranked opponent USF has played, which is the most in a single season in program history ... In addition to West Virginia being ranked No. 20 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Top 25 polls, the Bulls also took on No. 18/25 Florida State, No. 8/8 Cincinnati and No. 19/20 Pittsburgh.
- USF has never played three consecutive ranked opponents, let alone three in a span of 16 days or even in a single season ... The Bulls took on No. 8/8 Cincinnati on Oct. 15 and No. 19/20 Pittsburgh on Oct.. 24, in addition to No. 20/20 West Virginia tonight.
- By the end of the weekend, USF will be one of only eight teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision to have faced four ranked opponents this season, joined by Miami, USC, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.
- The USF defense came up big against the BIG EAST's top rusher Noel Devine ... Devine came into the game averaging 130.3 yards per game, however was held to just 42 yards on 17 carries ... It was the first time in nine games - dating back to last season - that he was held to fewer than 50 yards rushing.
- The Bulls' defense also held Devine without a touchdown for the first time in eight games.
Individual Notes
- RB Moise Plancher, S Nate Allen, LB Kion Wilson and DE George Selvie were USF's captains for tonight's game ... Captains will be announced throughout the season by coach Jim Leavitt on a game-by-game basis.
- Tonight's offensive starters were: WR Carlton Mitchell, WR Jessie Hester, LT Jamar Bass, LG Jeremiah Warren, C Sampson Genus, RG Zach Herman, RT Mark Popek, TE Ben Busbee, WR Dontavia Bogan, WR A.J. Love, QB B.J. Daniels, RB Mo Plancher, HB Richard Kelly.
- Tonight's defensive starters were: LE Jason Paul-Pierre, NT Terrell McClain, DT Aaron Harris, RE George Selvie, LB Sabbath Joseph, LB Kion Wilson, LB Chris Robinson, LC Quenton Washington, SS Mistral Raymond, FS Nate Allen, RC Jerome Murphy.
- DE George Selvie tied the USF career record for games started tonight with 45 ... He joins Carlton Williams (2005-08), Stephen Nicholas (2002-06) and Trae Williams (2002-06) who also started 45 career games.
- QB B.J. Daniels threw his first of three touchdown passes on the night with a 49-yard strike to WR Carlton Mitchell with 7:41 left in the first quarter ... Daniels would then hit WR A.J. Love on an 11-yard pass with 6:57 left in the half ... Daniels then hit Sterling Griffin on a six-yard pass for a TD. The three TDs were a career-high for Daniels.
- Mitchell's TD reception was his fourth of the season and the ninth of his career.
- Mitchell moved from fifth on the school's career receiving yards list (1,352), coming into tonight's game, to second after recording 132 yards on the night on five receptions ... He is second only to Hugh Smith (1999-02) who finished his career with 1,523 yards.
- Love's TD reception with 6:57 left was his first of the season and the fourth of his career
- LB Kion Wilson recorded his first interception of the season and the second of his career early in the second quarter ... Fellow LB Sabbath Joseph picked up his first career fumble recovery when Wilson put the ball on the turf at the end of the play.
- WR Sterling Griffin caught his second career touchdown pass on a six-yard reception from B.J. Daniels with 5:26 left in the third quarter.
- B.J. Daniels had more total yards - 336 (104 rushing and 232 passing) - than West Virginia turned in on the night ... The Mountaineers had 323 total yards (118 rushing and 205 passing) in tonight's loss.
- Daniels' 104 yards rushing tonight is the third time in his career that he has surpassed the century mark ... He also ran for better than 100 yards against Florida State (126 yards) on Sept. 26 and Charleston Southern (105 yards) on Sept. 19.
- K Eric Schwartz is just the third player in the BIG EAST this season to be perfect in field goals with three or more attempts ... Schwartz finished the night 3-3 after coming into the game 3-6.
