USF Still Looking For That Signature

[ChiTownBull]

http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGB41FG0PUE.html

By MARTIN FENNELLY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Nov 19, 2006

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - They'll go bowling again. The South Florida Bulls knew that before they came to Kentucky.

Ah, Birmingham.

But they were determined to make more believers, to do something special Saturday. Or so we thought.

A year ago, Jim Leavitt's club did just that, upsetting then ninth-ranked Louisville for the signature win in USF history.

But the ink dries on signatures. You have to keep writing history.

Before this season, you would have sworn Louisville would exact revenge in touchdowns. But this was a different sort of Louisville, still ranked 10th, but fighting a funk after having its national-title hopes dashed at Rutgers, a Louisville team that started slowly Saturday.

A signature opportunity?

USF left no mark.

"We didn't fight like I thought we could fight," Leavitt said.

A Meineke Car Care Feel

The 31-8 final spoke to that. For the second time this season, the Bulls scored late to avoid the second shutout in school history, the first being their first bowl game. Truth is, this one had a distinct Meineke Car Care feel to it.

"It was sad," Leavitt said.

What's odd is that there really was a window of opportunity. When it was open, ever so briefly, USF had it first-and-goal at the Louisville 7-yard line early in the second quarter of a scoreless game.

When the window closed, Louisville was giddy again, maybe not delirious, as the Cardinals were after beating West Virginia here a few weeks back, but certainly Big East and BCS peppy, given Rutgers' horrific landslide loss at Cincinnati.

It was a far cry from last season in Tampa, that magical night, when everything went right for USF and wrong for Louisville.

Still, there was that window. From their own 1-yard line late in the first quarter, USF raced downfield, chiefly on a 43-yard pass from Matt Grothe to Amarri Jackson, the same Amarri Jackson who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another last year against Louisville.

But they went from first-and-goal at the 7 to fourth-and-goal at the 20. They went to a holding penalty to Grothe getting sacked to a wide right from 37 by kicker Delbert Alvarado.

"That was bad," Leavitt said.

The window, and game, went with it. The USF defense gave up 446 yards. The offense died. The life left the Bulls. That was bad.

They're 7-4, but that should change for the worse next week at West Virginia. Still, seven wins doesn't seem bad when you consider that losses to Kansas and Rutgers went down to the final plays.

Then again, only one of their seven wins came against a Division I opponent with a winning record, namely Pittsburgh.

One USF win came against McNeese State, another against winless FIU. Throw in North Carolina and three of the schools USF beat will go with new head coaches next season. Read into that what you want, but the Bulls are still looking for a game like Louisville last season, a defining win.

Plenty Of Madness In The Sunshine

Louisville scored a touchdown on the drive after Alvarado's miss. It led 10-0 at halftime and 24-0 after three quarters. Grothe hit Amp Hill for a 44-yard touchdown and some dignity late in the game.

There are worse things than being 7-4 and going to another bowl. Look at the madness in the Sunshine. Saturday, while Florida was pulling the wings off poor Western Carolina, Florida State barely beat Western Michigan. Miami lost to Virginia. One nutty state.

But this was still no message for Leavitt's Bulls to send, not with Morgantown and another bowl game ahead. If this was the dress rehearsal, this outfit needs work.

Some good work, but still no signature.

[E.T.]

And we need a signature season ... and then continue winning.

Hopefully a Bowl win will start it in about a month.

Go BULLS !!!

[Kyle]

Some may call last year's win against Louisville a signature.

[ChiTownBull]

I think you need to consitently have "signature" wins

pitt in 2001

lville in 2005

1 more chance in 2006

in order to get national press it needs to be consistent and not a fluke....

[USF03]

Signature game maybe... but we need a signature season like ET said.  

We need something to REALLY jump start our recruitment and fan base.  Then, and only then, will we have the talent and money to go higher.  Hard work ahead...

[ChiTownBull]

agree...i think it usually happens slowly....1 or 2 maybe in a season...then a breakout season...

[E.T.]

...

in order to get national press it needs to be consistent and not a fluke....

Exactly . . . the Pitt win carries us further than the L'ville victory ...

We need to win these games and it not be publicized as an "upset" ... we will get there.

Go BULLS !!!  [smiley=GoBulls.gif]

[tampajo]

...

in order to get national press it needs to be consistent and not a fluke....

Exactly . . . the Pitt win carries us further than the L'ville victory ...

We need to win these games and it not be publicized as an "upset" ... we will get there.

Go BULLS !!!  [smiley=GoBulls.gif]

True, but also, the lows can't be so low. Quality programs (and therefore, maybe Rutgers isn't under this definition) show up on national TV and are always competitive in big games. Our effort vs. Cincy and Louisville, and i'm hoping NOT WVU, clearly classify us as pretenders, not contenders.  I'd give us a C this year, a B+ if we beat Louisville.  We have not shown the ability to go on the road, in-conference, and be competitive.

[dabull80]

I like the progress but everyone is right , we need that sig. season not the sig win.

[E.T.]

... Quality programs ... show up on national TV and are always competitive in big games.

...

Disagree.

Define quality ?

I think you could look at each season and there will be a "quality" team lose to a team that they should not have lost to.

Notre Dame could be playing Ohio St and who have they played this season ? Their lone lose was to then #11 Michigan and gave up the most points at Home in 46 years. And this is suppose to be one of their better teams in years! They were down 34-14 at the half. ND was ranked #2 at the time.

We are still a mid-major working our way up and we lost away to a #10 team at the time.

Perspective.

[smiley=GoBulls.gif]