Bradenton Herald: South Florida building a brotherly bond as it climbs the polls

[Jim Johnson]

South Florida building a brotherly bond as it climbs the polls

By RYAN T. BOYD

rboyd@bradenton.com

TAMPA --

The white-collared shirt hung from the door. Each University of South Florida football player who addressed the media covered up with the shirt, sat down in front of a green sheet featuring the Bulls' logo and yapped away. When they finished, they took off the shirt and headed on their merry way.

It was like brothers exchanging the same shirt with little regard.

That's the feeling among USF's football team this season - it's a family affair.

"Those 100-something guys in that locker room (are) my family," sophomore quarterback Matt Grothe said during Tuesday's news conference. "You can tell it's different emotionally and different physically and different family-wise than it has (been) in the past two years.

"I think if we get down in a game like we did in Cincinnati last year, we are not going to lay down. We are going to fight to the end."

USF must band together to keep its No. 23 ranking in The Associated Press poll intact when it hosts North Carolina at noon today at Raymond James Stadium. This week, the Bulls cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history.

The Bulls (2-0) are coming off a bye week after going on the road to defeat then-No. 17 Auburn 26-23 in overtime two weeks ago.

If South Florida is rusty, it must shake it fast with the Tar Heels (1-2) averaging 29 points and 383 yards of offense a game. North Carolina is averaging 6.5 yards a play. Its two losses were by a combined five points to East Carolina and Virginia in consecutive weeks.

"North Carolina is a very good football team," USF coach Jim Leavitt said. "I'm very impressed with the quarterback (T.J. Yates), he's got very good feet, he's got range, he makes plays, quick release and very confident. Their receivers are outstanding, absolutely outstanding. They have some of the best receivers I've seen in a while."

In contrast, the Bulls' defense is ranked 18th in the country, allowing 274.5 yards of offense a game and three touchdowns total. Opponents are gaining only 79 rushing yards a game.

This is second straight year the teams will face each other. In 2006, South Florida won 37-20, as Grothe complete 14 of 21 passes for 158 yards, and Ricky Ponton rushed for 101 yards. USF is a two-touchdown favorite going into Saturday's contest.

"The media take (us) and hype us up like that," said senior linebacker Ben Moffitt, who has 18 tackles. "We come out here every day and just try to work. I try not to pay attention to what's going on. Each day of practice beats you down enough and gets you back in focus on what you got to do."

Yet, if the Bulls do fall behind early, the players believe in each other.

"If we come out and play hard and keep mistakes to a minimum," Grothe said, "we're good enough to beat anybody."

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