BearcatReport.com - The 2009 Schedule: South Florida

July 26, 2009

Chuck Saffell
Special to BearcatReport.com

ABOUT THE SCHOOL: The University of South Florida was founded in 1956, but it was another year before it had a name and classes didn't meet until 1960. The confusing name for the school, which is actually located in Tampa in west-central Florida, was chosen because at the time it was the most southern state university at the time. It is the ninth largest college in the United States and has an undergraduate enrollment of more than 34,000. The football team began playing in 1997 and moved to Division I FBS in 2001.

HEAD COACH: Jim Leavitt is the only head coach in the short history of the Bulls football program. After his graduation from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1978 he coached as an assistant at the University of Dubuque, Morningside College, Iowa, and Kansas State. In his twelve seasons at USF, he has a record of 87-52 and has led his team to four bowl games. He also took the Bulls to their first Top 25 ranking in 2007, the fastest a school has ever broken into the polls after making the jump to Division I FBS.

2008 IN REVIEW: A fast start and a disappointing finish has been the norm for the Bulls the last few years, and 2008 was no different. After opening with five straight wins including victories over BCS opponents Kansas and North Carolina State, the team went just 2-5 in the Big East. They earned a trip across town to the inaugural magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl where they defeated Memphis in a 41-14 blowout.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Miami finished first of eight teams in total offense in the Big East (405.0 yards per game); second in scoring offense (27.6 points per game); third in rushing offense (165.4 yards per game); and third in passing offense (239.6 yards per game). On defense they finished second in total defense (287.6 yards per game); fourth in scoring defense (20.0 points per game); first in rushing defense (95.2 yards per game); and third in pass defense (192.4 yards per game). They forced 17 turnovers (7 fumble recoveries and 10 interceptions) and committed 25 (10 lost fumbles and 15 interceptions) which placed them seventh in the conference with a turnover margin of -8.

Matt Grothe led the team in both passing and rushing for the third straight year. He threw for 2911 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while running for 591 yards and 4 touchdowns. He spread his passes out between several receivers with Jessie Hester seeing the most of them to finish with 579 yards and 3 touchdowns.

2009 OUTLOOK: The 2009 schedule sets USF up for yet another fast start with the possibility of struggling down the stretch. They open with three games that should be sure wins against Wofford and Charleston Southern at home and a trip to Western Kentucky between those two. Their first test will be a game at Florida State before opening up the Big East portion of the schedule. West Virginia and Cincinnati are both travelling to Tampa this season, but late season road trips to Rutgers and Connecticut could be tricky for a team that seems to struggle in cold weather environments. Thanksgiving weekend they have an intriguing matchup at home with Miami.

Grothe starts for the fourth and final year of his career at USF. He is a very dangerous weapon when he gets on the run and can make big plays when he puts the ball in the air, but he has to be more consistent in the passing game. He has thrown 14 interceptions in each of his first three years. If Grothe can't stay healthy the Bulls may be in some trouble due to the inexperience behind him. The backups are B.J. Daniels and Evan Landi, both redshirt freshmen. They are outstanding athletes with Daniels also playing basketball for the Bulls and Landi possibly being used as a defensive back or wide receiver at times this season.

Mike Ford was supposed to be the answer for the running game in 2008. Unfortunately ankle injuries limited to just over 100 carries and 407 yards. He is a powerful runner who is excels in short yardage situations. Right on his heels for playing time will be senior Mo Plancher and junior Jamar Taylor. None of them have breakaway speed, but all are experienced and will make defenses pay attention to the running game. New offensive coordinator Mike Canales is also expected to throw to the backs more often in the upcoming season.

South Florida returns four receivers who had more than 300 yards last year. Hester will once again be the first option and Carlton Mitchell, Dontavia Bogan, and A.J. Love will join him in the starting rotation. All of them have great speed and hands, but have struggled to make big plays in the past. Andrew Ketchel will step into the role as the starting tightend. This group is loaded with potential and if they can finally turn that potential into production Grothe could have his best year yet.

Grothe could be scrambling for his life a lot this season as the offensive line is replacing four starters this year. The right side will be manned by guard Zach Hermann and tackle Jacob Sims. Both have started at times during their careers and are better run blockers than they are providing pass protection. The left side will be very inexperienced. Sophomore Chazz Hine will be at guard and redshirt freshman Jatavious Jackson will man the tackle spot.

The defensive line should again be one of the best in the conference. George Selvie returns at defensive end after deciding not to enter the NFL Draft. An outstanding pass rusher, his number last year dropped due to seeing a lot of double teams and some injuries. Taking advantage of the attention on Selvie, senior Aaron Harris is looking to use his quickness to get after quarterbacks now that he has moved to the other end after playing inside in 2008. In the middle will be 306 pound Terrell McClain and 290 pound redshirt freshman Cory Grissom. Both of them are very quick for their size and extremely strong. The key to success will be how well the other three linemen rush the passer when Selvie gets ganged up on.

Kion Wilson is the only starter from last year and will try to improve on his 66 tackles he had as a starter in the middle. Chris Robinson will handle the job at strongside. He is a former defensive end with good pass rushing abilities. On the weakside Sabbath Joseph, who is excellent in pass coverage, will have to work on his run stopping game. This group isn't very deep and if the starters can't contribute right away there aren't many options on the bench for new defensive coordinator Joe Tresey.

Jerome Murphy returns to start at cornerback after a very solid 2008 in which he had 67 tackles and 2 interceptions. He has all the tools to shutdown opposing receivers. On the other side of the field, Quenton Washington will have to make an impact quickly in his sophomore year because teams are going to try and avoid throwing toward Murphy. Nate Allen will start at free safety for the third year and is big hitter who also has a nose for the ball. At strong safety, sophomore Jerrell Young is hoping to carry the momentum he finished with last year that earned him the starting spot for the bowl game.

Punting for the Bulls will again be Delbert Alvarado. He has a weak leg, averaging less than 40 yards a punt, but can place the ball well. Field goals will be the responsibility of sophomore Maikon Bonani. He was just 15-21 last year, missing 4 of his 7 attempts beyond 40 yards. Theo Wilson will return punts and took one to the endzone last season. The Bulls have plenty of speed to return kickoffs and those duties will be in the hands of Jerome Murphy and Dontavia Bogan.

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