bullwark

Embarrassing for Cincy also, a national Televised game and only a handful of fans show up. I quess the Bulls can't blame the loss on the loud and rowdy Bearcat crowd.

By BRETT McMURPHY The Tampa Tribune Published: Oct 22, 2006 CINCINNATI - As long as University of South Florida cornerback Trae Williams can remember, he grew up dreaming of playing in the NFL on Sundays. Half of Williams' dream will come true tonight when the Bulls visit Cincinnati in the program's first Sunday game. "It's always been a childhood dream to play on Sunday in the NFL," Williams said. "But I never thought I'd play on Sunday in college." The Bulls get that opportunity tonight. Because of the World Series, the NFL is not televising a Sunday night game, allowing college football to fill the football void. "We're the only team playing," USF wide receiver Amarri Jackson said. "No pros playing. No colleges playing. So we're the pros Sunday. It's a good feeling. I've never played on Sunday. "It's big knowing we're the only team playing. You have to watch us. Football fans will be watching us so you want to make a statement. Hopefully, we can put on a show on ESPN." Speaking of ESPN, which will telecast tonight's game, we interrupt for an ESPN testimonial from USF senior linebacker Patrick St. Louis. "It's always special to be on ESPN," St. Louis said. "I watch ESPN every day. How can you flip through the channels and not look at something on ESPN. I wake up every morning with ESPN on my television. "When you write this story tell ESPN I'm looking for a job. I wouldn't mind being a sports announcer for ESPN. Honestly, that would be one of my dream jobs to work for ESPN - to learn, work my way up." Back to tonight's USF-Cincinnati game. "I imagine a lot of people will watch it," USF coach Jim Leavitt said. "I don't know what people do on Sunday nights, I know I usually study film, but I imagine there will be some people watching it. It's a good opportunity for exposure." The Bulls (5-2, 1-1 Big East) need a win against Cincinnati (3-4, 0-2) to stay a game behind league leaders West Virginia and Louisville. USF's last visit to Cincinnati in 2004 was, well, not pleasant. The Bulls allowed 577 yards, still the most surrendered by USF, in the 45-23 loss. "It was rough," USF linebacker Ben Moffitt said. "I never experienced that very often. It was terrible. It's always in the back of my mind. That was a time we were struggling with defense and different things on offense and we just got exploited." Moffitt said his family will have a football party after church today. "They'll all get together and watch Sunday night football," he said. Quarterback Matt Grothe said the game could increase USF's national image. "It will be fun, especially being the only football game on and being on ESPN," Grothe said. "Hopefully millions of people are watching and if we can get a big win, it would be a big help for our program." Added Williams: "We want to do our best and come out with a win and show them what South Florida is all about." Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928 or bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com

By PAT ZIER Ledger Correspondent USF AT CINCINNATI WHEN: Tpday, 8 p.m. TV: ESPN. TAMPA -- South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt says his team "has been sort of under the radar" when it comes to attracting attention. That could change a bit tonight when the Bulls play at Cincinnati. South Florida, 5-2, and Cincinnati, 3-4, meet at 8 p.m. in a game nationally televised on ESPN. There is no NFL Sunday Night Football, so the game should draw a large television audience. "Hopefully, there'll be a lot of people watching," freshman quarterback Matt Grothe from Lake Gibson said. "It could be a big win for our program." Indeed. With a win over the Bearcats, the Bulls set themselves up for a second half run that could -- but probably won't -- propel them into the national limelight. After Cincinnati, USF has a week off, meets Syracuse at home and then closes out with three Big East powerhouses, Pittsburgh at home and Louisville and West Virginia on the road. The fantasy, of course, is that the Bulls somehow win out, finish 10-2 and put themselves in line for a major bowl as Big East champions. The reality is that they're probably not ready to do that, are likely to lose to Pitt and almost certainly will bow to Louisville and West Virginia. Louisville is ranked sixth and West Virgina fourth in the AP's Top 25. Still, this is a team that believes in itself and got a real shot in the arm with the return of running back Ricky Ponton plus receiver Jackie Chambers and defensive end Josh Julmiste. All had been suspended for six games after violating the school's substance abuse policy. With Grothe maturing as one of the top freshmen quarterbacks in the country and Ponton adding a legitimate running option to the offense, USF has a chance to improve offensively. Ponton has more size, speed and quickness than the other running backs and gained 101 yards in his first game back at North Carolina. He takes some of the pressure off Grothe, who was the team's best runner in addition to being the quarterback. "At the beginning of the (North Carolina) game, they didn't know who Ricky was," Grothe said. "He opens up a lot of other things for us." Meanwhile, Grothe got through the North Carolina win with no further damage to his injured foot, and it continues to heal. "I've done some cutting in practice, and it felt OK," Grothe said. "It's getting better every day. It wasn't sore Sunday (after Saturday's game) and I thought it would be. "I don't think it's something that will linger." Leavitt said Grothe continues to improve with each game. "The more you play, the more you see his decision making get better," Leavitt said. "I think he's doing an awfully good job.

Stopping run key to starting one UC climbs to 20th nationally in rush defense BY BILL KOCH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Defensive tackle Trevor Anderson has news for opposing offensive coordinators who might look at the University of Cincinnati defense and figure they can run the ball against the Bearcats. "A lot of people look at us and say they've got a small defensive line with small linebackers, so we're going to run on them," Anderson said. "No, that's not going to happen. Most people look at us like all they can do is play the pass. They're a small, quick team. No we like to play the run, too. We pride ourselves on playing the run." They've had a lot to be proud of lately. In their past three games, the Bearcats have held their opponents to an average of 59 rushing yards per game. They have risen to 20th nationally against the run, allowing an average of 93 yards per game. Last week, they limited Louisville, which ranks eighth nationally with 214.8 rushing yards per game, to 105 yards on the ground. UC (3-4 overall, 0-2 in the Big East) will face another test tonight against South Florida (5-2, 1-1) in an 8 p.m. nationally televised game at Nippert Stadium. The Bulls average 164.7 rushing yards. "A lot of teams want to come out and physically beat the other team by proving that they can run the ball on offense," said UC linebacker Kevin McCullough. "And on defense you want to come out and prove that you're more physically stronger than the other team by being able to stop the run." Actually, it's not physical strength that has enabled the Bearcats to flourish against the run. Instead, they've done it with quickness and speed. Their front four of Anthony Hoke (6-1, 245 pounds), Terrill Byrd (6-1, 285), Anderson (6-2, 258) and Angelo Craig (6-5, 220) is not especially big by major college standards. That's by design. "We're just trying to get as much speed as we can," said defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. "We don't go out and recruit size. We've never been a big defense anywhere I've been. We've done it with great athletes. Our two defensive ends are like big outside linebackers." In fact, both Hoke and Craig played linebacker last year, and Narduzzi said that Anderson was recruited with the thought that he might end up playing linebacker. The Bearcat defense will have to contend tonight with USF quarterback Matt Grothe, a redshirt freshman who unseated incumbent starter Pat Julmiste and leads the Big East in total offense with 264 yards per game. He ranks sixth in the league in rushing with 65.7 yards per game and second in passing (198.3). Like UC's Dustin Grutza, USF's Grothe is adept at scrambling when the pass protection breaks down, but the Bulls also run a lot of plays that are designed as running opportunities for him. USF received a boost last week when running back Ricky Ponton, in his first game of the season after a six-game suspension, gained 101 yards on 17 carries. The Bearcats have talked this week about needing to win three of their last five games to become eligible for a bowl game, but that talk is somewhat premature for a team with a losing record. UC has lost five straight Big East games dating to last season and is 2-7 in the league since joining the conference last season. The Bearcats' strong but losing efforts against nationally ranked Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Louisville appear to be indications of progress, but they're losses nonetheless. "We have to go out and play and prove to people where we're at," said UC head coach Mark Dantonio, "because people still don't know where we're at. That's just the way sports are. We have to go out and win and that's got to start this week." E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

1. Who is your Defensive "PlayMaker" (not MVP) of the season so far? No. 21 Williams 2. In the first 100 games, what was your "High Light" game ? The UL Game 3. In the next 100 games, what do you think will be your "High Light game ? BCS Bowl Game 4. Top recruiting need ? (1 Position) RB 5. Peanut Butter, smooth or crunchy ? Smooth

Fat Guy in a Little Vest. hehehehe.

Matt Grothe received some love today from Bill King and his quest college expert (forgot the guy's name), they mentioned how elusive Matt has been and with the suspended players coming back watch out for a better Bulls team to hit the field, with possible upsets of UL and or WVa.

Great Pics, Thanks Mike!

If my memory serves me correct, they got their big break on Star Search in the 80's.

Perhaps a job in rasslin is more appropriate.

Or you could fly southwest into Loserville, Ky and drive to Northern Ky/Cincinasti.

Bullfreak, I hope your wife has a complete and speedy recovery.

NO! The lizards can have Teabag, GO GROTHE!

Has a decision been made concerning game time? If the game is late in the day I will be able to attend.

This has become a very comical thread, one of your better ones E.T. The way I see it, the naysayers have Smazza and the optimists have E.T. Keep it up E.T.

Its a crap shoot, just look at the RB at UF, Wynn was supposed to be one the top five RBs in the nation coming out and he has not played like a top RB. For every case of a top recruit living up the hype there are at least five that did not.

PLUCK THE CARDS!

This game has Bowl Game implications.

Please no nicknames, especially, White Lightning, sounds like a bad NASCAR nickname.

Here is the link to the post game wrap up and video highlights from the USF-UConn game. Ignore the UCF reference by Weekley, the guy is a tool. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=262800058

smazza, I agree, however, down here in Florida, the media seems to be captivated with Tim Tebow at UF, despite the fact he is only a part time player.

Grothe Rushes For 3 Touchdowns By SHAWN COURCHESNE Courant Staff Writer October 8 2006 TAMPA, Fla. -- Last November at Rentschler Field a pesky, overachieving UConn team dashed South Florida's hopes of going to a BCS bowl with a five-point victory. It was a game that seemed to set the tone for the Huskies' future. Maybe they were ready to challenge for a mid-range finish in the Big East come 2006. Saturday in Tampa, the Bulls stampeded their way to revenge, in the process virtually ensuring that any remaining UConn hopes for a bowl game can be couched for another year. South Florida dominated the Huskies in all facets, rolling to a 38-16 victory before 30,010 at Raymond James Stadium in UConn's Big East opener. For the second consecutive week the UConn defense allowed a quarterback to run wild. This time it was South Florida's Matt Grothe. The freshman carried the Bulls (4-2, 1-1), rushing for three touchdowns and finishing with 82 yards on 15 carries. In the air, he went 12 of 15 for 146 yards with a touchdown. He sat out most of the fourth quarter. "He's a very good player, and we didn't do a very good job of defending him," UConn coach Randy Edsall said. "It was plays that we ran all week long [in practice]." The Huskies (2-3) left Tampa staring down at a schedule that doesn't lend itself to thoughts of reaching the six-win mark that would make them bowl eligible. "We've got a lot of work to do, and we'll continue to work hard," Edsall said. "It's just one of those things where we've got to take a look at a lot of different things and see what we can do to help them get better. That's what we'll do." For the second game in a row, the UConn defense dug a hole early and the offense couldn't climb out. A blocked punt on UConn's first offensive series set up a USF touchdown less than three minutes into the game, then South Florida scored on its next drive to open a 14-0 lead. "The thing that is frustrating is the fact that we worked on the look that they gave us and we just didn't execute it," Edsall said. "What they did offensively, we worked against that all week and we're just not executing well enough to stop people. "We're not a good enough team to play from behind like that, that far from behind. We're just not a good catch-up team. What we have to do is try to keep the game in check a little bit and keep it in balance and work to try to get ahead of people." After getting in the early trouble, the momentum appeared to be swinging in the Huskies' favor as they closed out the first half. They cut a 14-0 deficit to 14-9 late in the second quarter and looked to have found a way to stop the South Florida offense. But Grothe proved they weren't about to contain him. He used his feet and his arm to march South Florida 57 yards in six plays for a touchdown to start the second half and take away any thoughts UConn had of rallying. The drive was keyed by Grothe's 31-yard pass over the middle to a wide-open S.J. Green to put the Bulls at the UConn 8. Two plays later Grothe put a great fake on defensive end Dan Davis before running in from the 8 with 12:24 left in the third quarter, putting South Florida ahead, 21-9. "We have to come out and execute. It's a 60-minute game," Edsall said. "We had a blown coverage on the deep pass. We have a blown coverage with somebody again not executing the call. We have to become more disciplined, and we have to become more conscious of making sure that we execute properly." UConn stalled on its next drive, and Grothe showed that once he had regained the momentum he wasn't about to let it go. He led a 10-play, 93-yard drive that ended with him going in from the 6 with 5:46 left in the third quarter. His third rushing touchdown of the game put the Bulls ahead, 28-9. "We started to build momentum, and going into the second half we came out flat," UConn senior defensive end Rhema Fuller said. "It's two weeks in a row that we let an offense score on the first possession of the game and the first possession of the second half. We can't have that." Grothe extended the lead to 35-9, hitting Amarri Jackson from 5 yards with 12:29 left in the game. But the tone was set in the first quarter. The blocked punt put USF at the UConn 16 and Grothe ran in on first down to put the Bulls up 7-0 with 12:16 left in the quarter. Grothe then led a four-play, 54-yard drive on the next possession that was capped with Benjamin Williams' 13-yard run to put South Florida ahead 14-0 with 9:13 to go in the first quarter. UConn's Matt Nuzie missed a 24-yard field goal late in the first quarter and the extra point on UConn's first touchdown. Backup Graig Vicidomino came in to kick the 19-yard field goal, which deflected in off the upright to cut the South Florida lead to 14-9 at halftime. "[Nuzie] wasn't getting the job done so we made a change," Edsall said. "We'll probably stay that way."

1. Favorite Football Movie ? Brians's Song 2. Ae you saving now for your first/next AWAY Football game in 2007? No. 3. Most memorable play from Sept. 6, 1997 ? The score. 4. Will Ponton be our leading rusher in 2006? Yes. 5. Do you speak a foreign 2nd language ? Some Spansih, some Itialian, some German, A little Egyptian-languages picked up during my military days

I'm calling shenanigans on this one.

Along with E.T. and Grateful Dad, I knew of Grothe from living in Lakeland and I personally know some of the local high school coaches who provided some insight on Grothe. The kid has the "it", he just wins baby!