Ledger: Bulls Need to Win 'Little' Ones, Too

[Jim Johnson]

Bulls Need to Win 'Little' Ones, Too

By Rick Brown

The Ledger

TAMPA | The University of South Florida Bulls football team has had a reputation of winning games it's not supposed to win, while losing a game it's supposed to win.

This year, the Bulls went on the road and upset then-No. 17 Auburn in overtime, giving them the win they're not supposed to get.

Now, ranked for the first time in school history, 23rd/24th-ranked USF will try to avoid an upset.

USF takes on North Carolina today at noon at Raymond James Stadium in an ESPN nationally televised contest.

Many think this could be a trap game for the Bulls, with Big East opponent No. 6 West Virginia coming to Raymond James on Friday.

Yet, USF quarterback Matt Grothe thinks his team has overcome its erratic behavior like a bouncing football.

"This year is different," the Lake Gibson product said. "You have to be in the locker room to really understand, but this team is different. This team is together. In the past couple of years, it has been a complacent thing. It seemed the team has been satisfied with what it got. There needs to be more and this team understands that.

"We can't worry about the past," he said. "We have to worry about the present. If we come out and play hard and keep mistakes to a minimum, we're good enough to beat anybody."

Grothe has completed 41-of-66 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception. He has also run for 53 yards and another score.

USF coach Jim Leavitt has tried to get his team to focus on one thing only - North Carolina.

"Playing an ACC team, here at Raymond James, I don't think we've done that," he said. "We have to work extremely hard to get ready for this game."

North Carolina is 1-2 but has lost the last two games by a combined five points. The Tar Heels lost to East Carolina, 34-31, then fell to Virginia, 22-20. North Carolina's last road win against a ranked team was in 2001 at Clemson.

The Tar Heels are led by freshman quarterback T.J. Yates.

Yates has thrown for 901 yards and nine touchdowns in his first three games, the best start of any UNC quarterback in school history.

He leads an offense that is ranked second in the ACC in passing offense (303.3), third in total offense (383.0) and fourth in scoring offense (29.3).

Those numbers are enough to keep USF focused, said linebacker Ben Moffitt, who is second on the team with 18 tackles.

"The mind-set of this team is North Carolina," he said. "As a team, you cannot get caught up. There may be a buzz but you have to stay focused and worry about the task at hand."

The defense has been the strong point this season for the Bulls. USF ranks second in the nation in tackles for losses and eighth in sacks.

Instead of worrying about the other team, Grothe said teams are going to have to start worrying about USF.

"They know we're a good team because of the reputation Auburn has," he said. "So they're going to have to prepare for us at a different level. That makes it even more fun."

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