The morning Press...

[RJWGoBulls]

Play `Taps' for USF; Loss To Army Dooms Season

By Patrick Zier

TAMPA

It is pretty much over for Army, a once-storied team in the murky origins of college football that, early on, produced great teams and great players in assembly line fashion.

But in the post-World War II years, military discipline and the military way of life began losing its appeal among America's youth, the great athletes went elsewhere, and now there are no great teams at West Point, only survivors.

When Army beat Cincinnati, 4829, last week, it snapped a 19game losing streak, longest in the 115-year history of the school.

That said, Army was a potential spoiler here Saturday for USF, a team with very little in its past but a program intent on building a bright future.

In order to start moving in that direction, beating Army was a must for USF, which has Louisville and Alabama-Birmingham on the road the next two weeks.

But perhaps drawing on its tradition, Army, behind 14 points in the third quarter, used big plays and USF mistakes to upset the Bulls' plans, 42-35.

This in front of the second-largest crowd ever to see a USF home game, 36,549. Only the first game the Bulls ever played, against Drake, drew more -- 49,212.

Like the loss to Southern Miss, this was a game the Bulls could, maybe should, have won.

Ahead 21-7, USF gave up a 59yard touchdown run to make it 21-14. Then, up 28-14, the Bulls allowed a 74-yard touchdown run to let Army back in it, 28-20.

Finally, a 47-yard pass by Army set up the go-ahead score, and then the Bulls' Jackie Chambers fumbled away USF's last real chance to get back in the game.

USF can't beat mediocre teams like Army, let alone solid teams like Louisville and Alabama-Birmingham, with these kinds of lapses.

Junior college transfer Andre Hall, who has developed into one of the key cogs in the USF offense, put the Bulls on his back and carried them for a while, but his effort wasn't enough to overcome USF's mistakes.

Hall, who has become USF's most dangerous weapon, had 151 yards rushing at the half, more than any previous USF player has gained in an entire game against a Division 1-A foe.

For the game, Hall had 200 yards, but it wasn't enough.

As in past games, the Bulls fought back with a lot of heart even after the game was lost, but playing hard isn't enough.

So it's on to Louisville. And as Army has the last two weeks, USF must now reach back and draw on something to save its season.

A win in this game, and the Bulls were looking at a shot at their first bowl game ever, even if they lost to Louisville and UAB.

But after the loss to Army, they are looking at nothing but a disaster.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041017/COLUMNISTS0613/410170418/1113/SPORTS

[RJWGoBulls]

Army runs all over USF to make itself at home

ARMY 42, USF 35: Carlton Jones rushes for 225 yards and five touchdowns.

By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer

Published October 17, 2004

TAMPA - For USF, this was the wrong game at the wrong time and the wrong place.

It could have been an easy homecoming win against an Army team that only two weeks ago had lost 19 games in a row and was touted as the nation's worst team. Instead, USF gave up 35 second-half points, blew a 14-point lead and did little to stop Army from handing it a painful 42-35 defeat.

"This is a hurting loss," said junior Andre Hall, who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns but watched the fourth-quarter meltdown from the sideline. "This is the worst. There are so many seniors on this team, and this is their last homecoming. This means a lot to those guys, and it means a lot to me because of that."

Like two weeks ago against Southern Miss, the Bulls rallied too late. Pat Julmiste connected with Joe Bain for a 43-yard touchdown with 1:11 remaining to pull within a touchdown. But also for the second straight game, USF couldn't recover an onside kick.

"It's the toughest loss since I've been here," cornerback Bruce Gipson said. "It's not a tragedy, but I just hate to lose. This is not the way we play."

USF (2-3, 1-2 Conference USA) had never lost consecutive home games. And the Bulls haven't had a losing record this late in a season since their first. Army (2-4, 2-3) has a two-game win streak, its first since 1997, establishing a new identity in its first season under former NFL coach Bobby Ross.

The Bulls are left with a short week and long trip to conference leader Louisville for a nationally televised game Friday. At halftime, the story looked to be Hall, who had rushed for 157 yards and two scores. A strained neck sidelined him in the third quarter. And he was trumped by Army's Carlton Jones, who had 18 yards at halftime but finished with 225 and scored touchdowns on five consecutive second-half drives. No player had rushed for as many yards or scored as many touchdowns against USF. "The bottom line was our defense couldn't stop their running game, specifically the toss sweep," coach Jim Leavitt said. "It's one of the toughest losses we've had, certainly, in eight years. Not because it's Army. Army is a good football team. It's because we had an opportunity. We were two touchdowns up, and usually, in that position, we do a good job. We didn't."

The game drew a crowd of 36,549, the largest to see USF at Raymond James and largest at home since the Bulls' first game in 1997. They saw one of the biggest disappointments in USF history, turning a 28-14 lead with 2:57 left in the third quarter into a 42-28 deficit and a loss that all but ends USF's hopes of playing in its first bowl game. "We've got to move forward. You've got to. It won't be easy," Leavitt said. "(This) morning will be incredibly hard. There's a lot of guys hurting in our locker room. You think they really wanted to lose, on homecoming especially? We used to have a pretty good homefield advantage. You've got to play well at home to have a chance at a decent team. We've got to change, somehow."

In the first half, the Bulls relied almost completely on Hall. He finished with the third-most yards in school history and the most against a Division I-A opponent. USF rushed for a school-record 367 yards.

The defense, which played without injured starting cornerback Mike Jenkins, held Army to 124 yards in the first half. It was nowhere to be found in the second, however, allowing Jones to break free for touchdown runs of 59 and 74 yards in the third quarter. Each cut into a 14-point USF lead. His 13-yard run with 12:21 left pulled Army to within 28-26, and his two-point conversion tied it. He wasn't done.

USF surrendered all control on a third down at the Army 32 with 10:20 left. Julmiste looked to have freshman Johnny Peyton in stride for a go-ahead touchdown, but the former Pasco High star let the pass go through his fingers. Instead the Bulls punted.

Army started at its 12 and drove the length of the field, getting a 48-yard pass to Jeremy Trimble then another touchdown from Jones for a 35-28 lead with 6:25 to play.

USF then folded on its first play of the ensuing series when Jackie Chambers fumbled after catching a screen pass. Army took over at the USF 22 and scored on Jones' 1-yard run for a 42-28 lead.

The Bulls must collect themselves for a trip to Louisville, which nearly upset Miami on Thursday and will be seeking revenge for double-overtime loss to USF last season. "They lost. We lost," Gipson said. "We're both going to be coming back fired up.

"We've got to come back as a unit, as a team."

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/17/Sports/Army_runs_all_over_US.shtml

[Cubanbull]

LOL, we played Drake? in our first game. Cant these guys even look at a media guide before reporting?. very sad.

[bulls96go]

sad loss.

[usfbulls2004]

We lost to Army. I'm glad, maybe that will wake the coaches and players up!

[smazza]

if we need a loss to army to wake us up we are more worse off than i thought

[beastiebull]

Leavitt keeps saying "we've got to get better somehow"??!!

Gsoh coach, somehow?  He just doesn't seem confident in this team.  I can understand why.

[smazza]

we are getting worse every game

we looked bad last night