NoCar Paper: No bull: USF among Florida's finest

[Brad]

No bull: USF among Florida's finest

South Florida is 2-0, including a win at Auburn, as it prepares to host UNC

A.J. Carr, Staff Writer

The football programs at Florida, Florida State and Miami have long garnered most of the headlines and hurrahs in the Sunshine State.

But the "Big Three" may be on the verge of becoming the "Big Four." The University of South Florida keeps rising, a team determined to join Florida's elite.

The Bulls are 2-0, including a 26-23 overtime win at Auburn, and this week they cracked the top 25 for the first time with a No. 23 ranking in The Associated Press poll. That leaves them well behind Florida, but ahead of FSU and Miami in the race for state supremacy.

All this could be a bad omen for North Carolina (1-2). UNC lost 37-20 to South Florida last year, and Saturday in Tampa, Fla., the Tar Heels will face another speedy Bulls team that returns 16 starters.

In just its 11th year of football, USF has grown up fast with home-grown talent. Of the 111 players on the roster, 103 are from Florida, where blue-chip prospects seem to outnumber the palm trees.

"When your school is located in the state of Florida, you have a tremendous recruiting base,'' said USF assistant Carl Franks, a Garner native and former head coach at Duke.

"We have spring practice [in high schools]. There's great weather, great coaching. It all lends itself to developing athletes that are able to help people throughout the country."

A member of Steve Spurrier's Florida staff from 1990-1998, Franks was well established when he went to South Florida as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator in 2004. Not surprisingly, he helped upgrade the USF talent.

Among the standouts are quarterback Matt Grothe, a 62.1 percent passer; receiver Taurus Johnson (10 catches) and running back Mike Ford (5.8 yards per carry). Ford undoubtedly is chomping at his chin strap to run against a UNC defense that Virginia's Cedric Peerman punctured for 186 yards rushing last week.

Also, the Bulls' defense is fast and aggressive, with eight sacks in two games. Stalwarts include George Selvie (5.5 sacks) and defensive back Nate Allen, who won national player of the week honors for his play against Auburn.

"[Grothe] gives us a great opportunity,'' said Franks, who watched the sophomore quarterback pass for 2,576 yards and rush for 622 last fall. "The defense [also] is coming around ... and we have pretty good team speed."

Franks also can tell the Bulls all about North Carolina, having competed against the Heels as a player and as a coach at Duke. As for this UNC team, he sees a "talented group" just a few points shy of being 3-0.

With its new national ranking, there's additional incentive for South Florida to tame another name school this weekend. In addition to upsetting Auburn two weeks ago, the Bulls have knocked off powers Louisville and West Virginia in recent seasons.

And things could get better. Joining the Big East, a BCS conference, has been a "tremendous boost," Franks said. Playing at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and starting a series with Miami next year will further help credibility.

Meanwhile, Franks and the USF staff have to keep winning in-state recruiting battles.

Doc Holliday, a former N.C. State assistant, is at Florida. Ex-Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato is back at FSU. South Carolina, Spurrier's school, also works the area.

"We wind up recruiting against people from all over the country,'' Franks said. "We try to find players who fit our personality. We want the type who wants to [be part] of building history."

Which is what South Florida is doing.

a.j.carr@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-8948

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