Register-Herald (WV): Bulls are ready for ‘Game of the Century’

[Jim Johnson]

Bulls are ready for ‘Game of the Century’

By Mickey Furfari

For The Register-Herald

MORGANTOWN  The University of South Florida, youngest of the three new kids on the Big East block, has been celebrating a lot of firsts in football.

First-ever national Top 25 ranking, first-ever victory at Auburn two weeks ago, first-ever victory over then-No. 7 and favored West Virginia last year  and in Morgantown, no less.

Now the Bulls, ranked No. 18 with a 3-0 record, are preparing for what has been billed as USF’s first-ever Game of the Century. And it’s scheduled against the fifth-ranked Mountaineers (4-0) for Friday in Tampa.

Win or lose, the sky-high Bulls are anticipating still another first: The very first sellout in 63,000-seat Raymond James Stadium. Only about 3,000 tickets remained late Saturday night.

“Fun Is Just Beginning For Charging Bulls†read a headline on the sports pages of Sunday’s Tampa Tribune.

“Now they don’t have to take it one game (at a time),†the column by Martin Fennelly suggested. “There’s one game, one time.

“West Virginia, next Friday, 8 p.m.â€Â

Both teams appear to be coming off one of their best performances. While the Mountaineers were mauling East Carolina 48-7, South Florida was disposing of North Carolina 37-10.

It had to be a relaxing, fun-loving afternoon for both squads.

So much so, players and coaches at WVU as well as USF started thinking about the following week’s showdown long before Saturday’s games had ended.

WVU coach Rich Rodriguez, who called the performance against ECU the best overall in several years, admitted that his charges already were thinking about the Big East opener.

“It’s a conference game, and the guys are anxious to start Big East play,†he said. “USF is a really good football team. I’ve said this before, the Big East from top to bottom is as good as any conference in the country.â€Â

WVU players appearing in the interview room also were willing to talk about the South Florida contest. “I felt like this was a statement we wanted to make,†said senior wide receiver Darius Reynaud. “We played very well in all three phases.â€Â

Jim Leavitt, USF head coach since it started football 10 years ago, admitted that he began looking to WVU in the fourth quarter of the North Carolina game.

Cornerback Mike Jenkins was quoted in The Tampa Tribune, “Coach Leavitt’s exact words: ‘I don’t want to lie, but in the back of my mind I was thinking about West Virginia. But then again, everybody was.’â€Â

With Louisville already a shocking two-game loser, West Virginia-South Florida shapes up as perhaps the earliest of the biggest battles leading to the 2007 Big East championship.

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[Brad]

Clearly beating WVU is job #1, but this so important to the program. 

Win or lose, the sky-high Bulls are anticipating still another first: The very first sellout in 63,000-seat Raymond James Stadium. Only about 3,000 tickets remained late Saturday night.

Huge.....and "win or lose" we will continue to build on this and find ourselves unearthing more and more Bulls fans.

[cayman]

I think I remember one of the ESPN commentators talking about how wimpy the presence of the fans was at the UNC game was and he expected that to be a big question mark again WVU.  I was thinking to myself what an idiot...I hope I am right.

[Brad]

I think I remember one of the ESPN commentators talking about how wimpy the presence of the fans was at the UNC game was and he expected that to be a big question mark again WVU.  I was thinking to myself what an idiot...I hope I am right.

We can say this and no one believes it, but I was surprised at the number of people enjoying the game (and other things) behind the north end zone and in the club area....the weather was iffy, and I went up with my kids for a potty break, but I'm thinking " if you guys (in the club area) got in your seats, it would look better for TV"...  :-\