Lakeland Ledger: Limping GrothE to play

[TyBull]

USF

SATURDAY

North Carolina

Away, Noon

ESPNU

TAMPA -- South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe was walking with a slight limp and had his injured right foot in a boot here Tuesday, but both Grothe and USF Coach Jim Leavitt insisted he'd be ready for Saturday's game at North Carolina.

"It hurts a little bit but I'll be all right," the Lake Gibson prep product said.

"I don't think I'll practice today (Tuesday) but I will tomorrow," Grothe said.

Grothe said his right foot "swelled up like a balloon" Sunday after the game with Connecticut.

"But I've had a lot of treatment the last couple days and it's a lot better," Grothe said.

Grothe apparently sprained his right foot on the first play of the second quarter in the Bulls'

38-16 win over Connecticut.

He sat out that series, but returned to run for two touchdowns and throw for another before being taken out midway in the final period.

Grothe's injury led to increased speculation over whether he is being asked to do too much offensively.

He was hurt running the ball, and has gained more yards rushing, 422, than all the running backs on the USF roster combined.

Of course running quarterbacks are not uncommon in college; West Virginia's Patrick White is an example, but White has less than half as many rushing attempts as Grothe.

Leavitt said he was "not really concerned" about the number of hits Grothe takes, indicating getting hit was part of football.

"I used to play quarterback, I wasn't very good, but I always wanted to run the ball," Leavitt said. "You get hit, you keep going."

Still, keeping Grothe healthy is imperative if South Florida is to have a successful season.

The Bulls are heading into the toughest part of their schedule, with only two home games left and road trips to Louisville and West Virginia as well as Saturday's visit to North Carolina coming up.

And while Leavitt puffs up the quarterbacks playing behind Grothe, the only one with any real experience is Pat Julmiste, and he is wildly inconsistent and has generally failed to produce under pressure in big games.

Help may be on the horizon, though, in the person of Ricky Ponton, a 205-pound sophomore who played behind graduated Andre Hall last year.

Ponton, along with receiver Jackie Chambers and defensive end Josh Julmiste, Pat Julmiste's brother, rejoined the team this week after being suspended the first six games because of a failed drug test.

Ponton goes into the North Carolina game listed as the No. 2 back behind Lake Wales' Benjamin Williams, but he is expected to work into the starting roll, although Leavitt won't confirm that.

"Benjamin has run hard from the beginning and he hasn't slowed down. That's why he's in there," Leavitt said.

"Ponton hasn't played," Leavitt said. "We'll have to wait and see how he plays, see how it will all work out."

Still, Ponton is expected to give the Bulls a more viable option at running back, and Leavitt admitted "if he (Grothe) can hand off, let somebody else carry, that's probably a good thing to do.

"It makes us more balanced, helps us out," Leavitt said.

[bulls96go]

i hope grothe is ready for sat...who needs practice(TO)

[MikeG]

i hope grothe is ready for sat...who needs practice(TO)

Practice? Practice? We're talking about practice?  -- Allen Iverson

[ChiTownBull]

i hope grothe is ready for sat...who needs practice(TO)

Practice? Practice? We're talking about practice?  -- Allen Iverson

I love watching that clip...cracks me up

[Matt]

it doesn't hold a candle to jim mora sr and his playoffs rant.