USF Can Thank Goodness for Polk

[bullwark]

By Patrick Zier

Ledger Correspondent

ORLANDO -- There are three players from Polk County on South Florida's football team, and if they weren't there, it's a good bet the Bulls would be 0-3 instead of 3-0.

By now, anyone who has even a casual interest in this team knows about freshman quarterback Matt Grothe, a product of Lake Gibson who has started his college career with an amazing run of pressure passes and drive-saving scampers that have breathed life into the Bulls' offense when it was all but dead.

In Saturday's 24-17 win over Central Florida, Grothe was the offense. He completed 21-of-31 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns and was the team's leading rusher with 73 yards.

Combined, the rest of the Bulls' running backs gained 27 yards.

If the Bulls are to get better, the backs have to get better, and that falls on two other players from Polk, Bartow's Walt Smith and Lake Wales' Benjamin Williams.

Although both have had their moments, both were held in check here Saturday, Smith gaining just 14 yards and Williams only five.

Still, just as Smith made some big plays in the opening win over McNeese State, Williams had a critical catch against the Golden Knights.

With the score tied at 10 early in the fourth quarter, Williams caught a 2-yard toss from Grothe that put South Florida ahead, 17-10.

"I was just running my route and the linebacker didn't follow," Williams said.

"Walt Smith has had some good runs, and Williams is a great guy who's made some plays," South Florida Coach Jim Leavitt said.

Still, both are handicapped by a lack of size and whether they can carry the load for the Bulls remains to be seen.

"We lost Ricky Ponton for reasons that have been all over the paper (suspended for a failed drug test), and Moises Plancher tore up his knee and is out for the season, so this is what we've got right now," Leavitt said. "It's where we're at."

In typical Leavitt fashion, neither Smith nor Williams worry about things they can't change, like how physical they are.

And as far as which one starts, Williams, who started here against the Golden Knights, said he doesn't worry about that, either.

"I don't make those decisions," Williams said. "It doesn't matter. All I know is we play our hearts out, at least I do."

With three straight comefrom-behind victories, the Bulls have to be confident that when a play has to be made, they can make it.

"Any time we step on the field, we're confident," Williams said. "We just play our game. We feel like we're going to win."

Grothe echoed that.

"Even when we were behind, we knew we could do it," he said. "Everybody knew we could do it. Every time we had the ball, we were able to drive it."

[E.T.]

And I think more Polk kids will be considering USF.

Go BULLS !!!

[applepj]

Hopefully kids from all over will consider USF.  The circle widens.

[RandyGator]

Yes, it was a nice article, but it was on page 10 of the Ledger Sports section.  NO mention of USF on the front of Sports page.

I know they needed to give WELL desreved coverage of the Lakeland win over Xavier, Ohio but a pic and mention of USF on the Front Sports page instead of Notre Dame would have better served the Polk community.

:( :( > > > > > > > > > > > > >

AND last week Rick Brown had 2 large article on the USF-UCF clash BUT both came from a UCF slant and how they were up and coming!!!!

[Bulls 1]

Rick Brown and about half of the Ledger sports writers picked UCF to win on saturday's paper

[RandyGator]

Yes, saw that too!!

I also noticed that they have a new Sports Editor, maybe I can get HER to see the value of a local USF team coverage as opposed to UF, FSU or even UCF.

[smazza]

usf and leavitt  need to mend fences