I thought P.J. showed some real composure

[SkypointBull]

I think PJ has settled in and matured as leader for the offense. There were still some passes that were off last week and there were a few where our receivers got hit in the chest and hands and weren't able to convert.

PJ just has to play within the game plan and not force anything. Hopefully that will be enought to move the chains.

[E.T.]

...

He still lacks any creativity or touch or deep ball confidence.

Would you be happy with 21-35 for 200 yards 2 TD's from PJ Saturday ?

[E.T.]

[move][/move]

[move]PJ Scrambles for a TD !!![/move]

[bulls96go]

Would you be happy with 21-35 for 200 yards 2 TD's from PJ Saturday ?

yes i would do backflips if you would add no INT's

[E.T.]

Well he did it 3 weeks ago(at psu) and sure he can do it again ... but with more success.

Go BULLS !!!

[Ricky the Bull]

Julmiste's Maturity Has Helped Make Bulls Better

Skip directly to the full story.

JOE HENDERSON

Published: Sep 24, 2005

The flight home from Louisville, Ky., that night was a long one. South Florida had been embarrassed 41-9 by the Louisville Cardinals, which was bad enough. But for quarterback Pat Julmiste, the game had been a nightmare.

He completed just three of his 20 pass attempts for 67 yards. Two of his passes were intercepted. By the time Julmiste led the Bulls to their only touchdown -- on a 50-yard pass to freshman Johnny Peyton -- Louisville led 41-3.

"After we got back, I called him," receiver Jackie Chambers said. "He was real upset, down on himself. We talked. I told him we had nine dropped balls that game. As a team, we did a lot of things wrong."

Julmiste's performance that night became the standard for how bad things can get.

He was befuddled, pressured, rattled. He was a leader without the confidence to lead.

"He had happy feet in the pocket," was how Chambers put it. "He'd lock in on one receiver, and that was it. If that guy was covered, he'd just take off. Sometimes he'd run and the offensive linemen would still be holding their blocks, and he'd have time, but he'd still be running."

That was then.

Tonight, the Bulls play Louisville again and Julmiste, now a junior, will be the starting quarterback again. The Cardinals are heavily favored, which might make this seem like a déjÀ uh-oh, but at least some things are different. The Bulls are playing better, looking better, and that's partly because Julmiste is considerably better.

How much better? We're about to find that out.

Put Me In, Coach

Julmiste wasn't supposed to be in this position tonight. He lost the starting job during summer practice to his friend and competitor, sophomore Courtney Denson. Julmiste was disappointed, of course, but in keeping with his nature he put the team first, supported Denson, and waited for his chance.

"I had a lot of ifs in my mind right about then," he said. "I just had to learn from my mistakes, and be patient."

It didn't take long.

He relieved Denson early in the opening game at Penn State and played well enough that USF coach Jim Leavitt announced afterward that Julmiste had regained his starting job. Julmiste made mistakes, but he kept his poise and even showed skill that even his teammates weren't sure he had.

"When he came in at Penn State and threw that pass for a touchdown, he doesn't usually throw a good fade ball," Chambers said. "That's when I really noticed the change in him."

That was an 8-yard fade route to Peyton in the left side of the end zone for the Bulls' first score in what eventually was a 23-13 loss. In two games since, both with Julmiste under center, the Bulls haven't lost.

"I think a lot of it is maturity," Leavitt said. "He's a lot more familiar with the offense now. He's getting older. He has been in this offense longer."

Leavitt doesn't spend a lot of time looking back, so last year's game at Louisville has been purged from his memory -- along with Julmiste's poor play. He just shrugged when asked about that night.

"It was a short week, I remember that," Leavitt said.

The game was a televised special on a Friday night, after the Bulls had played the previous Saturday.

"He didn't play well, but he wasn't alone," Leavitt said. "I haven't talked to him about it that much. With me, it's just focus on getting better today. I'm really that way."

And that's what Julmiste has done.

"I see him studying film a lot harder than last year. He's paying attention to details," Chambers said. "And he's so competitive."

Moved From Offensive Line

That competitiveness led to a mid-course career correction. When he was 14 years old and playing youth-league football for the SWBJAA Knights in Miramar, Julmiste was an offensive guard. Well, he is a big guy -- he now stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 220 pounds.

His career as a lineman came to an end one day in practice.

The Knights' quarterback was a little kid and he was having trouble taking the snap. Julmiste yelled at the coach to get someone in there who could run the plays.

"My coach said, 'Why don't you try it?' "

Julmiste did just that. He took the snap and threw a pass.

"The coach went, 'Wow,' " he said.

Julmiste had found a home.

He has a powerful arm and he has the physique. What he really lacked was experience. In high school, his teams ran the wishbone, so maybe that explains why he has been so quick to tuck and run. He also had to learn touch; his passes tended to be delivered with such velocity, they were tough to catch.

But as he plays more and grows more comfortable as a drop-back, setup passer, you can see his game maturing in all phases. The game has slowed for him. Instead of locking on just one receiver, Julmiste now has the patience and confidence to check to options two, three and even four if need be.

Of course, he might not have much time for such things tonight. Louisville has a fearsome pass rush, led by Elvis Dumervil, who has nine sacks in the Cardinals' two wins. If anything, the Cardinals appear to be better than they were a year ago. It will be Julmiste's task to help the Bulls control the ball tonight and keep Louisville's go-go offense off the field.

It won't be easy, but he owes the Cardinals one.

"That game last year, we had a lot of mistakes on offense. It was a horrifying loss," he said. "We got our butts handed to us. I remember how hard they ran to the ball, and I was down. I didn't get the offense moving, and I put our defense in a bad position.

"But Coach always tells us not to put any team on a pedestal. Just work hard, do what we do, and things will take care of themselves."

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