Orlando Sentinel Homepage, Sports, State Teams

[BULLfreak]

toon town deserves about as much attention as UCF football program.......... NONE

[bulldad10]

I sent my email.  As a fellow Orlando resident, I feel your pain.

[flsportsfan83]

what a paper reports is a reflection of what the people of the town want to see (sports section) and if people email the papers it will be the start of a change. more publicity like this will definetly help out with recruiting in the long run.

This guy's okay.... Even if he does have a gator icon. He supports USF. I do though wish that icon would change. I hate lizzards from Gville.

[Bull Martin]

I'm just messing with him.  No hard feelings.  Just like to give the UF fans a hard time when I can.

[cophbulls]

I wrote

[twillybull]

I just checked it out at around 10:15.  The Bulls are on there.

[Knight_Light]

what a paper reports is a reflection of what the people of the town want to see (sports section) and if people email the papers it will be the start of a change. more publicity like this will definetly help out with recruiting in the long run.

Actually, and most important, is if people from the Orlando Sentinel "delivery area" requested more USF info (current and non-subcribers a like), that would be most effective.

Having folks outside Orlando request more USF info is well...worthless.

PS.

USF is already listed at the Sentinel, its just initially listed under "other colleges" (along with FAMU, BCC, FAU/FIU, etc...).

You will find the USF link there.

You can find a new article on USF Football that was in today's print edition under that link.  addition n article on USF Football Today  

[Unintelligibull]

Done.

[smazza]

write jeb

[kdawgy_orlando]

In spite of the humor of you all.  I received e-mails back from Orlando Sentinel staff today.  Once certain sports writers were made aware, they stepped up to the challenge and the website was modified today.

Thanks to all of you for your effort.  The Orlando Sentinel is sending a reporter to B'ham and they will also be doing a preview of the game in the Saturday edition. Also, page 3 of the Sports section;

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/orl-usfgrothe2106dec21,0,385388.story?coll=orl-sports-headlines-college

Unassuming Grothe lets his play do the talking

The freshman QB has led the Bulls to an 8-4 record and a spot in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

Keith Niebuhr

Special to the Sentinel

December 21, 2006

TAMPA -- As far as college football players go, USF quarterback Matt Grothe is about as unassuming as they get.

When he arrived at a recent media gathering sporting a ball cap, a well-worn Guy Harvey T-shirt, baggy shorts and flip-flops, he looked more like a typical college student than a guy who has become the proverbial big man on campus.

A quiet, humble player with a soft voice, Grothe isn't particularly tall (the media guide lists him at 6 feet, but he's closer to 5 feet 10), lacks a broad set of shoulders and doesn't speak with the kind of tone that says, "Hey, look at me."

"Matt," said Keith DeMyer, Grothe's coach at Lakeland's Lake Gibson High, "has always let his play do the talking."

In leading USF to an 8-4 record and a Papajohns.com Bowl appearance against East Carolina on Saturday, Grothe's play has been nothing short of exceptional. He has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,495 yards and 14 touchdowns; he also has rushed for a team-best 607 yards with nine scores. His average of 258.5 yards per game leads all freshmen quarterbacks in total offense.

"I think Matt's done a real good job," Bulls Coach Jim Leavitt said. "People say, 'Why don't you say more great things about Matt?' I don't need to. Matt knows I'm in his corner."

What makes Grothe's rise to prominence all the more interesting is that for quite some time, he was little more than an afterthought at his position. That's odd when you consider how successful he had been at Lake Gibson. There, Grothe twice led his team to the state final (losing both times to Seffner Armwood), was the Class 4A Player-of-the-Year as a senior and finished his career with more than 7,000 passing yards.

But not long after committing to USF, Grothe's luck seemed to take a turn for the worse. First, the Bulls landed Carlton Hill, a coveted quarterback from Monticello Jefferson County High. Then, USF gave a scholarship to Indiana transfer Grant Gregory. Finally, after Grothe redshirted last season, USF signed two more quarterbacks in February 2006.

Not many gave him a chance to play.

"There were times when I felt [frustrated]," Grothe said.

Frustrated enough to ponder his future at USF. But while feeling as though he had gotten lost in the shuffle, Grothe sought the advice of his parents and of DeMyer, and each told him the same thing: Keep your head up.

"They all said, 'If you get your chance, people will realize you can play,'" he said.

That chance came sooner than expected. Hill, a player some hailed as a program-builder, lost the starting job during spring ball, struggled with academics, was arrested in June on a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana and transferred to Pearl River CC in Poplarville, Miss. A few others who were expected to compete for the job also departed.

As this transpired, the Bulls turned to former starter Pat Julmiste, who edged out Grothe during the preseason largely because of leadership and experience. Julmiste started USF's opener against Division I-AA McNeese State, but was ineffective before being sidelined by a thigh bruise. With the door open, Grothe seized the moment.

In relief, he went 9-of-13 for 171 yards and two touchdowns while adding 58 rushing yards and another touchdown.

"I was a little nervous that first game," Grothe said.

He hasn't been since. With each week, Grothe gained a better grasp of the offense, and his poise impresses his teammates. Much to his amazement, Grothe has become a big deal to USF faithful, particularly in the wake of the Bulls' most recent victory, a stunning 24-19 upset of then-No.7 West Virginia. That Saturday in Morgantown, he was 21-of-29 for 270 yards and one touchdown, with another score coming on the ground.

Since then, he said, "Life has changed. . . . People are so excited about what we're doing. I get stopped a lot by people congratulating me."

Grothe still is unassuming. That doesn't figure to change. But around here, he's no longer anonymous.