Bulls trying to find leader

[Papa_Bull]

Posted on Wed, Aug. 10, 2005

Bulls trying to find leader

USF's quarterback postion up for grabs

EMERY SKOLFIELD

Herald Staff Writer

TAMPA - Pat Julmiste wore the confident smile of an incumbent, a junior with a stranglehold on the starting quarterback job at South Florida.

Across the field, sophomore Courtney Denson sat alone, tired of the questions and weary from the wait, wondering if he'd get a fair shot at seizing Julmiste's title.

Not far from Julmiste, freshman Carlton Hill stood among a pack of reporters on Tuesday inside Raymond James Stadium, seemingly uncomfortable with all the attention.

Three quarterbacks in varying stages of their careers, all auditioning for the same job.

"Personally, I love it," said Rod Smith, USF's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "To me, it's not a quarterback controversy, by any means. It's a competition. And who doesn't love competition?"

That depends on who you ask.

"It's very intense," said Denson, who sat out last season after transferring from Auburn and will, according to Smith, get every opportunity to be the Bulls' QB, "because you know every mistake counts."

Denson, who at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds is built more like a running back, was one of the nation's top quarterbacks coming out of Miami Central two years ago. But in an effort to get Denson on the field immediately, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville experimented with him at defensive back.

Frustrated and hopeless of winning the quarterback job from Jason Campbell, the Washington Redskins' first-round draft pick, Denson transferred to USF a year ago in search of a fresh opportunity.

"That's what I'm here for," Denson said.

Julmiste flashed promise as a freshman, winning both of his starts, but struggled in the No. 1 role as a junior, completing 47.8 percent of his passes for 1,570 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.

"I have that experience under my belt from last season, and I feel like I've learned from my mistakes," said Julmiste, whose statistical low came during a 41-9 loss at Louisville in October, when he completed 3-of-20 passes for 67 yards and two interceptions.

The Bulls finished the season among the nation's worst in passing efficiency (99.43), and due in part to Julmiste's spotty play, finished 4-7, snapping a streak of six consecutive winning seasons. It was reverse step for a program looking for a spot among the nation's top programs after a meteoric eight-year rise from Division I-AA.

"The bottom line is productivity," Smith said. "We've got to do something offensively that gets us back to being productive, consistently productive."

Even, Smith adamantly claimed, if it means throwing a freshman out there. That's where Hill, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound mega-athlete from Monticello's Jefferson County High, and another freshman, Lakeland Lake Gibson's Matt Grothe, enter the conversation.

"We're excited about both those guys," Smith said.

"The opportunity is here for any of us," said Grothe, a dual-threat QB who passed for 58 touchdowns and rushed for 29 over his final two seasons at Lake Gibson. "Whoever plays best is what they'll be looking for over the next three weeks."

Smith would prefer to avoid a platoon system under center but said he'd be willing to try it. Whatever, he said, gives the Bulls the best chance to win as they embark on their first season in the Big East.

"If you've got guys of equal value and one hasn't separated himself from the other, that's a possibility," Smith said.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/sports/12346155.htm

[bulls96go]

that would be great to give the frmen some experience ala broem last year

[ChiTownBull]

will we see a platoon until someone emerges?

[BULLfreak]

will we see a platoon until someone emerges?

It never works I remember when UF tried it and it din not work.

[Velcro]

It might work better than just using Julmiste

[BULLfreak]

if thats the case then put in Denson or Hill

[Velcro]

if they aren't ready, no point in putting them in (full time, at least).