Papa_Bull

I don't know what's in a kids head, and neither do you. It is very rare for a TRUE freshmen to start in his first game in College, let alone in front of 100,000 fans in an away game. I expect Hill will play in some games as a QB this year, and other times he will be used as a WR. He wants to play somewhere NOW and he will see the field one way or another. As for Grothe, he too didn't want to be redshirted, but Carlton is two years older and has more versatility and it would be stupid to not redshirt one of them. Just about every QB in the nation - especially from BCS schools - redshirt.

If they continue losing players at this same rate we might be the favorites come game time. ;D

Hill said he didn't want to redshirt. He knew coming in he wouldn't start at QB from day 1 with no experience. So, he's practicing at both QB and WR. So what?

Good story on that yesterday: Stats don't live up to LSU trio's talent Monday, August 22, 2005 By William Kalec Staff writer BATON ROUGE -- Can the LSU wide receivers be the No. 1 pass-catching unit in college football when, among their gifted ranks, they don't possess an established No. 1 receiver? ESPN.com has already formed its conclusion. Apparently, it's yes. According to its viewpoint, the Tigers' core of Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis and Skyler Green is unmatched athletically, though past production leaves their names buried under a heap of other receivers in the SEC and beyond. But that's hardly the trumpeted trio's fault -- which seems to be the foundation of the Web site's argument. Bowe's and Davis' numbers were stunted by the conservative offensive play-calling of Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban, who waited, then waited some more, for JaMarcus Russell or Marcus Randall to take a firm grasp of the passing reins. When it finally happened, LSU had 15 minutes remaining in the Capital One Bowl, making it just a bit late for either receiver to threaten Josh Reed's season marks. Yes, the quarterbacks are easy targets and logical scapegoats, but neither Davis, Bowe nor Green stepped up their game so they could stand out as Russell's or Randall's go-to guy. Reed did so in Rohan Davey's senior season, catching 94 passes for more than 1,700 yards. Michael Clayton gladly served as Matt Mauck's primary read, with Devery Henderson a superb second choice. Of the three projected starters, Green gets a free pass because he admirably limped through 2004 on a bum ankle and visibly was not the same player Tiger fans recalled skipping into the end zone for an early 7-0 advantage in the 2003-04 BCS championship game in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. Still, Green's size -- or lack of it -- makes him a better fit at slot receiver as opposed to the outside. Bowe, a junior from Miami, definitely passes the "looks" test. Big hands. Lanky frame. Leaping ability. He's a good four inches taller than most defensive backs, with a prototypical NFL body. Those attributes make most Tigers fans wonder why it took until Jan. 1 for Bowe to display his potential dominance against a quality opponent -- hauling in eight catches for 122 yards against Iowa. Labeled as the team's most consistent receiver in 2004, Davis led LSU in receptions (43) and yards (659) but must find ways not to disappear inside the red zone. Davis, from O.P. Walker, caught his only touchdown pass against Vanderbilt last year. "The special thing is we have certain players who can do certain things," Davis said. "We're so deep right now. I don't think we've ever been this deep -- I don't know -- since the school started playing football. We're eight strong right now. Where else you gonna find that?" It's hard to imagine any place where an Olympian (Bennie Brazell) and a world-class sprinter (Xavier Carter) are at best the fifth options on the depth chart. It was enough for former prep All-American Amp Hill to transfer this past week. But besides that isolated incident, Bowe says he expects there to be enough distribution to satisfy everyone. "A lot of us came in during 2003," Bowe said. "Look around. We roomed together, got to know each other and we told each other, 'We're going to wait our turn and be just like brothers, like Michael and Devery were.' "If you're talented, you're gonna get your balls. And everyone around here has a lot of talent, so they know their time is coming." Not mentioned until recent practices has been the play of freshman Brandon LaFell, a 6-foot-3 Bowe clone from Houston who continues to progress. Don't forget Early Doucet either, whose ability to stop and start rivals Green's shiftiness. We got a talented group, and all we've been saying is that, 'Hey, don't worry about us; we're going to make those catches and get those first downs,' " Bowe said. "I can say that because of the way we've practiced so far. It's a lot better than last year. "Tempo is better. Everything is flowing." http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-20/1124692069242840.xml

If not, there are others waiting in the wings.

Put your finger near it's mouth, if you want to find out.  ;D Ugliest dog is apple of owner's eye: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/features/3319439

Gregory transferred out of the Big Ten. Wouldn't you call that a top conference? He was scheduled to be in the mix at Indiana, but he saw an opportunity here when his dad became a coach for us. Wilson, has said he, would have come to USF last year if we had a scholarship available, which we didn't at the time. He was scheduled to be #2 RB this year for NC. The funny thing is that the guy who is now #1 RB for NC transferred there from LSU. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/colleges/12450686.htm?source=rss&channel=charlotte_sports Maurice Charles, who we also previously recruited, has seen plenty of playing time at NC St. We've turned down NUMEROUS transfers from big schools over the years for one reason or another. We try to be very selective.

Not sure as it says Networks: "Fox Sports Networks has picked up the UCF-USF game, USF officials announced. . ."

Here it is: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/college/orl-ucfbeat2305aug23,0,2051361.story?coll=tf-main-sports

It was labled as Carlton Williams on the rivals site. I just thought he was using Leavitt's barber.  ;D Here is another one of him from Rivals:

Oh, I was hoping Fox picked UCF over USF in the game. ;D

Related thread for those interested: http://www.thebullspen.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=BigEast;action=display;num=1121987746

27802 Blahs and counting.

Pitt came within a whisker of losing to a 1-AA team in 2004. If we had played them at the beginning of the season when it was originally scheduled, rather than at the end when the game had no meaning for us who knows what may have been.

Flashback: http://www.thebullspen.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=news;action=display;num=1076361841;start=29#29

It seems like I've been touting him forever. Why stop now?  ;D STEPPING UP: With sophomore Danny Verpaele out with a foot injury, redshirt freshman Carlton Williams has emerged as the starter at free safety. "He's really coming on. He's not practicing like a freshman," co-defensive coordinator Rick Kravitz said. "He's running with the (No.) ones now. He works, he pushes himself hard. He's a great kid to coach." Verpaele, injured in the first week of practice, won't have his cast off until next week, making it questionable whether he can make a healthy return in time for the Sept. 3 opener at Penn State. Williams, a 6-foot-3, 205-pounder from Valdosta, Ga., who joined the team last season, entered the preseason as the starting nickel defensive back. That role now goes to another redshirt freshman, converted quarterback Louis Gachette . More stories at this link: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/23/Sports/Ex_prep_star_leaves_L.shtml

Bulls Beef Up Radio Signals Published: Aug 23, 2005 TAMPA - The University of South Florida's football games are moving to WFLA, 970 AM this fall, while "The Jim Leavitt Show" will be broadcast Sunday nights on WDAE, 620 AM. USF's men's basketball games will be broadcast on WHNZ, 1250 AM or WTBN, 570 AM. Also for the first time in school history, USF's women's basketball games will be broadcast on the radio by WTBN, 570 AM. The change to WFLA, 970 AM as the Bulls' flagship station and WDAE, 620 AM for Leavitt's show gives USF two of the most powerful signal strengths in the Tampa Bay area. Leavitt's radio show will follow Tampa Bay Bucs games on Sunday nights. The Bucs have all 1 p.m. starts, except for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff Oct. 30 at San Francisco. Since the men's basketball Big East schedule hasn't been released yet, it's unknown how many games will be split between WHNZ, 1250 AM and WTBN, 570 AM or which station will carry "The Robert McCullum Show." Brett McMurphy http://bulls.tbo.com/bulls/MGB9T8ONPCE.html

Another article on it: Cook: Connor disgraces PSU Tuesday, August 23, 2005 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette We should be talking this morning about Penn State linebacker Dan Connor's chances of making some of the All-American teams this season. Or maybe we should be talking about Connor's sizable role on a terrific Penn State defense that seems more than capable of bringing a disgraced football program back to respectability and perhaps beyond. But there's no way we should be talking about Connor's suspension from the Penn State team because of his involvement in a series of crank telephone calls to a retired football staff member in the spring and summer. Connor couldn't be that stupid, could he? At a time Connor should have been getting ready for a critical season for Penn State and its legendary coach, he was playing silly phone games? When Connor should have been on his best behavior, especially considering the scrutiny on a Penn State program that has had its share of criminal behavior in recent years, he was involved in a State College police investigation and was tagged with a summary offense? A team leader? No player could be that stupid. But that terse, troubling statement out of Happy Valley Friday said otherwise. The university announced Connor had been suspended indefinitely by coach Joe Paterno because of his role in the calls, which, quoting the school spokesman in a stunning admission, "escalated to the point of harassment." The target was Joe Sarra, a longtime Paterno assistant. That's beyond stupid. That's despicable. It's too easy to blame Paterno, too easy to suggest this pathetic behavior by a Penn State player is just one more example that Paterno has lost control of the program. The players clearly don't fear or respect him the way Penn State players once did. Penn State already was heading into the season with four players -- E.Z. Smith, Tyler Reed, Andrew Richardson and Scott Paxson -- in limbo because of off-the-field indiscretions. Connor makes five. Of course, it's easy to say this is further proof that Paterno has stayed on way too long. But, at some point, don't the players have to be held accountable for their actions? Paterno must be getting tired of all the nonsense. That can be the only reason he responded so swiftly, so severely and so publicly with Connor, that and the fact Sarra, a member of the Penn State football family and a close friend and loyal lieutenant, was the victim of the crank calls for no apparent reason. As abhorrent behavior goes, whatever Connor did is significantly down the list of incidents -- sexual misconduct, drunk driving, underage drinking, an ice-rink fight, a potentially deadly bow-and-arrow episode -- that has put other Penn State players in the jackpot during the past few years. It's almost as if Paterno is trying one more time to send a message to his squad by making an example of Connor, one of his stars. Connor deserves what he gets. Before the calls, Connor showed no signs of being so foolish. He was smart enough to graduate from high school a semester early so he could enroll at Penn State in January, 2004. That gave him a big jump on last season, when he became a starter on a defense that was one of the best in college football, a defense that should be even stronger this season, perhaps so strong that it could carry the Nittany Lions to a third- or even second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference. It's hard to imagine any college team in America having a better pair of linebackers than Connor and Paul Posluszny. Now, it is unclear when Connor will play. Paterno left the suspension open-ended, which means it could end tomorrow, next week, after the Sept. 3 opener against South Florida or sometime later. The guess here is Connor will have to sit out at least the first game. What good is sending a message without any bite? But the length of Connor's suspension isn't what's important. What is significant is that Connor embarrassed Penn State. He let down his teammates. And, perhaps most unforgivably, he did no favors to Paterno, who is fighting hard to go out with a little dignity after enduring the worst five-year period of his otherwise spectacular career. Some All-American, huh? http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05235/558304.stm

Denson Moves Ahead in USF QB Race By BRETT MCMURPHY Published: Aug 23, 2005 TAMPA - Sophomore Courtney Denson has moved ahead of junior Pat Julmiste and freshman Carlton Hill in the University of South Florida's competition for the starting quarterback position. Denson and Julmiste were virtually even last week, but Denson's performance in Saturday's scrimmage moved him past Julmiste with 12 days to go until the Bulls' season opener Sept. 3 at Penn State. HILL TO USF: Former LSU WR Amp Hill, one of the Tigers' top receivers until a knee injury as a freshman, said he will transfer to USF. "It's definitely a program on the rise," Hill said. "Coach Lawrence Dawsey and I had a great rapport at LSU and that factored in my decision. "When I decided to leave LSU, USF was the first name that came into my head. Coach Dawsey had a warm heart to me, he welcomed me with open arms. It made it easier to know they felt so deeply moved for me to transfer to South Florida." Hill was a prep All-American at Jacksonville First Coast. As an LSU freshman, he worked into the Tigers' four-man rotation, along with Bucs WR Michael Clayton, before suffering a season-ending knee injury that required two surgeries. Hill, who had four catches for 80 yards and a TD in LSU's spring game, said he left LSU because he wasn't getting a fair chance to compete. "The coaching change didn't have a big thing to do with it, it was mostly the lack of playing time," Hill said. Hill must sit out the 2005 season and will have two years eligibility remaining. He is USF's fourth transfer in the past two months, joining QB Grant Gregory (Indiana), DE Maurice Webster (N.C. State) and RB Vince Wilson (North Carolina). ODDS AND ENDS: Freshman Mike Benzer moved ahead of Kyle Bronson in the battle to replace Santiago Gramatica as USF's placekicker, USF coach Jim Leavitt said. ... Information about events for USF's Sept. 10 home opener against Florida A&M are available at: www.famu-usf.com http://bulls.tbo.com/bulls/MGBKKQ4KPCE.html Brett...If you are reading this, have them change that to Maurice Charles.

It's "tentatively" scheduled for 8 PM, last I read in the newspapers.

Some promising offensive efforts were also short-circuited by penalties. Rookie back Carnell Williams’ stats would look a bit better, for instance, if his successful 10-yard sweep around left end handed come back on a holding penalty on the tight end. Same is true for first-year receiver DeAndrew Rubin, who is fighting for a roster spot and helped himself with an eight-yard end-around while playing with the first-team offense in the second quarter. It looks like four yards in the box score because a crackback penalty erased half of it. Fortunately for Rubin, Gruden sees the good and bad of every play on videotape. “Some young players stepped up,†said Gruden. “I was pleased with a lot of things that happened in the running game. We had four nice runs called back for holding. That’s not good. But there was some good execution in between these plays I’m talking about.†<snip> Rubin is making a case to be that guy with his work on special teams. While the Bucs have struggled a bit in the return game through the first two contests, Rubin has been a bright spot, catching the ball well and making some positive gains. On Saturday night, after the Bucs had fallen behind 6-3 in the second quarter, he returned the resulting kickoff 42 yards to midfield, though a post-play roughing penalty cost the Bucs 15 yards. “Rubin is picking it up in our return game,†said Gruden. “He’s going to push to make this team. We need a couple other guys to eliminate the penalties and the carelessness and try to make our team.†http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=4652

Thanks Greg. I see you have a story up on your Blog: Monday, August 22, 2005 Transfer U.: USF lands former LSU WR USF has picked up its third scholarship transfer for this season as former LSU receiver Anthony "Amp" Hill said he's accepted an offer to join the Bulls. Hill, a profilic prep receiver at Jacksonville's First Coast High who was ranked as the No. 8 receiver prospect in the country in 2003 by Rivals.com, will sit out the 2005 season and have two years of eligibility at USF. Hill's career at LSU was derailed by a knee injury in August 2003 that tore two ligaments in his right knee. He redshirted the 2003 season and played in four games last year but did not catch a pass. At USF, he'll be reunited with Bulls receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey, who was a grad assistant working with the LSU receivers in 2003. Hill also said he talked last week with Bucs star Michael Clayton, who played with him in Baton Rouge for one season. Hill is the third scholarship transfer to join the Bulls, following Indiana quarterback Grant Gregory and N.C. State defensive end Maurice Charles, who is still awaiting acceptance into USF. The Bulls also have received a release on North Carolina running back Vince Wilson and remain a possibility for former Georgia Tech receiver Pat Carter. Look for more on Amp Hill in Tuesday's editions of the Times. http://www.sptimes.com/blogs/usf/

That's NOT SOS. That's their preseason ranking for USF

Rubin Injures Ankle, Out Indefinitely By Fight On State Staff Date: Aug 22, 2005 FightOnState.com has learned that Penn State sophomore receiver Mark Rubin has sustained an ankle injury that will sideline him indefinitely. The injury happened at practice last week.  Multiple team sources have confirmed the injury. One source said the problem is a torn ligament or ligaments. We have been told it will knock Rubin out of action for at least one month. Stayed tuned to FightOnState.com, and we will deliver more details on Rubin’s injury as we confirm them. Rubin, a 6-foot-3, 213-pounder from Amherst, N.Y., is Penn State’s leading returning pass-catcher among the full-time wideouts. As a freshman, he hauled in 16 balls for 187 yards after coming out of a redshirt at the start of the Big Ten season. Since Rubin played as a true freshman, he has a redshirt available. http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=359&p=2&c=427158

SuperPrep's Top 100 players for 2003 24. Amp Hill WR 6-3, 200 Jacksonville, Fla. Louisiana State 60. Courtney Denson QB 6-1, 185 Miami Auburn http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/recruiting/superprep100.htm