Herald-Trib: Bulls hope to justify ranking with victory

[Jim Johnson]

Bulls hope to justify ranking with victory

BY ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT

TAMPA -- For the first time in its 11-year existence, the University of South Florida football team enters a game ranked among the nation's top 25.

The Bulls are also pegged as 131/2-point favorites against North Carolina in today's noon kickoff at Raymond James Stadium.

Still, one person not impressed with all the hype is USF head coach Jim Lea-vitt, who has run the program since its inception.

"For me, it (being ranked) doesn't change anything," Leavitt said. "How it affects other people and our players, I can't say.

"We've prepared for over 100 games with never being ranked. I am not getting moved by it one way or another. I am just focused on North Carolina and playing well."

Leavitt isn't far off when he says the Tar Heels (1-2) are better than their record indicates. They have lost to East Carolina and Virginia by a combined five points and could have won either game.

On the other hand, North Carolina has been inconsistent offensively and its run defense took a beating last week when Virginia's Cedric Peerman rushed for 186 yards on 30 carries.

The Bulls, ranked No. 23 in The Associated Press poll and 24th in the USA/Today Coaches poll, hope to get their running game untracked after victories over Elon and Auburn.

"Is it an accomplishment getting ranked? I don't know. It's an accomplishment that we are 2-0," Leavitt said. "We better practice hard. You've got to play 60 minutes of football no matter who you play.

"If you don't finish strong, you are not going to win. Rankings are a by-product of what you do. It's never our goal (to be ranked)."

Last year, the Bulls ran for 234 yards in a 37-20 victory at North Carolina. Leavitt still hasn't settled on a feature running back and says the Bulls will continue to get rushing yards by committee.

Sarasota High graduate Mike Ford leads USF with 157 yards on 27 carries (5.8 avg.) while Bulls quarterback Matt Grothe is right behind with 26 rushes for 100 yards.

"I am real excited to see how our running backs do," Grothe said. "I think you might see some long plays by them. They've done a good job.

"We ran for a fair amount against Auburn and no one has been able to do that. We've put in some new stuff this week."

With freshman quarterback T.J. Yates, North Carolina has a weapon USF didn't have to deal with last year. Mobile and quick, he has thrown for more than 300 yards in the past two games and has nine TD passes for the season.

USF defensive end George Selvie, who leads the nation in sacks (51/2) and tackles for losses (91/2), says he is worried about his teammates looking past North Carolina to next Friday night's game with fifth-ranked West Virginia.

"Looking ahead is a real big concern because everyone wants to think about the bigger games coming up, but coach reminds us if we lose this game, the others don't matter," Selvie said.

USF-North Carolina notebook

Starting at offensive guard for the Tar Heels will be Venice High graduate Aaron Stahl (6-foot-3, 295 pounds). A sophomore, Stahl switched over from the defensive line last year. ... USF's victory over Auburn Sept. 8 was its first in five games against SEC opponents. ... Jerome Murphy is third nationally in kickoff return yardage (37.0 average). ... With USF moving into the top 25, the Big East has four ranked teams and is 18-5 against nonconference opponents. ... Ford leads the Bulls in yards per game rushing (78.5 avg) and in all-purpose yards with 169. ... Amarri Jackson, a Riverview High graduate, lost his punt return job, but is among the Bulls' top three receivers with six catches for 95 yards.

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