Mick Elliot Column: USF's Offense Finally Arrives

[Ricky the Bull]

In Sunday's Trib:

USF's Offense Finally Arrives

MICK ELLIOTT

Published: Sep 26, 2004

 

FORT WORTH, Texas - Under a muggy, southwest Saturday-evening sky, college football's 115th-ranked offense squared off against the nation's 103rd-rated defense when the South Florida Bulls visited the Texas Christian Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

As local observers might say: Yeeee haw!

And some people think nothing in sports lives up to its advance billing anymore.

The good news is every game always makes somebody happy. Even if Pee Wee Herman arm- wrestles Tiny Tim, one of them gets to leave acting like a tough guy.

The Bulls came to Texas having moved the football like it was one of those old Cadillacs with the big fins they were pushing to the top level of a 10-story parking garage. But that was all right. TCU defended the football like it was the same Caddie rolling back down the exit lane. You have to admit, the possibilities seemed endless.

Alas, so did the game.

But that was a good thing.

In overtime that went into overtime, USF defeated TCU, 45-44.

It was a beauty.

Resistible Force, say hello to Movable Object. Moveable object, meet Resistible Force.

Talk about awkward introductions.

USF arrived looking for its first touchdown in six quarters. TCU came in fresh off having given up 70 points to Texas Tech, the result of allowing 441 passing yards - and that showed improvement. A week earlier, Northwestern threw for 513 against the Horned Frogs. (That aside, you have got to appreciate TCU because how else would you ever get to say ``Horned Frogs?``)

You had to love it. The night turned into a classic. The fourth quarter became a track meet. USF scored twice in the fourth period to tie the game, the second with just 1:21 left to play.

It took a while, but finally TCU's form held true. The Horned Frogs have proven to be easier to pass on than flu symptoms and for Bulls coach Jim Leavitt's once air-happy offensive scheme, it was like a bowl of mom's chicken soup.

Passing Years

Remember when USF threw the football around like it was loose change at Trump Plaza? The Bulls gave birth to their program with everybody going long. Just three years ago Marquel Blackwell threw 65 times in one game and completed 37 of them for 343 yards. The season before that he passed for 360 against Western Kentucky. Only two seasons past, the Bulls threw for more than 300 yards in two different games.

But after two games this year, the Bulls had thrown for 204 yards - totaled.

Eight seasons into the life of the Bulls' program and they were facing the thought of remembering the good old days.

But Saturday night sophomore Pat Julmiste, the man who completed 37 passes his entire senior year of high school while running a Wing-T offense, was 22-for-33 passing for 324 yards - with no interceptions.

He completed a nifty 28-yarder to Joe Bain going across the middle. On third-and-nine at the Horned Frogs' 10 he found S.J. Green for a first down to set up the Bulls first score. With 3:38 left to play, he hit Andra Hall out of the back field for a 17-yard touchdown on fourth down to bring the Bulls back to a 24-24 tie. He was veteran cool in overtime.

With their backs to the wall, the Bulls not only showed a pulse, they showed an offense.

They handed Hall, a 205-pound junior, the ball 28 times and d he responded with 119 yards and three touchdowns, with his biggest play coming on a 58-yard first- quarter dash. Hall also scored the Bulls' second TD of the night on an eight-yard run in the third quarter that capped a nine-play, 59-yard drive tied the score at 17. He scored again in overtime.

All told, USF had 407 total yards of offense.

Rest Of The Story

That put the Bulls on even footing.

Three previous TCU opponents averaged 464 yards per game.

And 38 points.

Thanks to the grading curve, the Bulls looked good.

``We just have to find a way to get the ball into the end zone,`` Leavitt said before the game.

``No matter how hard it is, we've got to try to find a way, at least work at it. We're trying; we're working hard on it. We've just got to find a way.``

They will have to do it in the future without the Horned Frogs. As Conference USA rivalries go, this is the drive-through window version. TCU won 13-10 last year in the only other meeting between the two schools, and next year the Bulls head off the Big East while the Horned Frogs hop into the Mountain West.

Too bad. For one night they made such a perfect pair.

http://bulls.tbo.com/bulls/MGBW83SMKZD.html

[smazza]

if julmiste plays like this the rest of the way the bulls could run the table

But Saturday night sophomore Pat Julmiste, the man who completed 37 passes his entire senior year of high school while running a Wing-T offense, was 22-for-33 passing for 324 yards - with no interceptions

.

[smazza]

the no interceptions and high rate of completions  are key

[bulls96go]

pat made few mistakes

if the rest of the team could do the same then we will win many games