Tribune-Review (PA): South Florida stuns West Virginia

[Jim Johnson]

South Florida stuns West Virginia

By Rick Starr

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Saturday, September 29, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. -- In a game hyped as the biggest event in South Florida football history, the 18th-ranked Bulls jarred No. 5 West Virginia, 21-13, in a hard-hitting, defensive struggle Friday night at Raymond James Stadium.

West Virginia (4-1, 0-1 Big East) took turns fumbling, and then throwing away, its first big road test of the Big East race.

The Mountaineers turned the ball over six times before a school-record crowd of 67,018 -- the largest in the conference this season. The attendance beat South Florida's previous largest crowd by almost 18,000.

"We just didn't execute," Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez said. "We played about as badly as we can play.

"We're disappointed, but it's a long season. Certainly, the conference race isn't over yet."

South Florida (4-0, 1-0) remained West Virginia's nemesis, defeating the Mountaineers for the second consecutive season.

West Virginia's loss possibly ended its hopes of playing for a national title this season and also did considerable damage to the Mountaineers' chances of earning a Bowl Championship Series berth.

South Florida's seventh-ranked defense came away with three fumbles and three interceptions.

"That was a very physical game -- a lot of hitting," Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said. "They were as good as I thought. They have talent all over the place."

West Virginia quarterback Pat White said he was frustrated the offense couldn't take advantage of big plays by his defense, which came up with five turnovers of its own.

"They kept giving us the ball, and we kept giving it right back," White said. "We didn't play our best game."

West Virginia didn't get into the end zone until 5:45 remained in the game. The Mountaineers cut the lead to eight points on Darius Reynaud's 9-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback Jarrett Brown.

West Virginia's final drive ended on Brown's incomplete pass 38 yards from the end zone with 39 seconds to play.

The Bulls held the nation's second-ranked rushing offense to 81 yards on the ground in the opening half and 188 for the game.

"The key for us is how we bounce back from this loss," Mountaineers safety Eric Wicks said. "It's hard for any team to go through the Big East undefeated."

South Florida limited West Virginia to a pair of Pat McAfee field goals -- 36 and 35 yards -- heading into the fourth quarter.

Freshman running back Jamar Taylor dashed 19 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulls a 21-3 lead in the third quarter.

Free safety Nate Allen all but sealed the game with three minutes remaining in the third quarter with his third interceptions of the season. Allen picked off a pass from Brown, who made a questionable decision to throw for the end zone while scrambling away from pressure.

Linebacker Ben Moffitt ended any remaining doubt when he picked off another Brown pass that bounced out of running back Steve Slaton's hands with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

Wide receiver Carlton Mitchell scored on a 55-yard catch and run to give South Florida a two-touchdown lead midway through the second quarter after quarterback Matt Grothe extended the play by scrambling away from the rush.

The Mountaineers drove the ball down to the 2-yard line in the closing seconds of the first half, but a high snap by center Mike Dent sailed over the head of the 6-foot-4 Brown on third-and-goal.

West Virginia had to settle for McAfee's 36-yard field goal.

White left the game with a thigh bruise after taking a helmet to the leg on his 18-yard scramble late in the second quarter.

White was 12-of-18 passing for 100 yards when he left the game. He limped slowly to the halftime locker room and didn't return in the second half.

West Virginia opened the second quarter with more sloppy ball-handling. A wide shotgun snap by Dent and a hurried handoff by White ultimately led to running back Steve Slaton's second lost fumble of the game.

South Florida also turned the ball over four times in the first half, losing two fumbles and two interceptions.

West Virginia picked up only two first downs in the opening quarter and turned the ball over twice on White's interception and Slaton's first fumble.

Slaton finished the first half with 46 rushing yards on 11 carries.

Bulls linebacker Ben Moffitt opened the scoring with a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first quarter. South Florida defensive end Jarriett Buie forced the interception by grabbing White's arm while he was attempting to pass.

Linebacker Mortty Ivy forced both of South Florida's first-quarter fumbles, which were recovered at midfield by defensive tackle Scooter Berry and safety Eric Wicks.

South Florida came up empty on its opening drive when kicker Delbert Alvarado pushed a 47-yard field-goal attempt wide to the left.

The Bulls' defense held the Mountaineers to 29 yards rushing in the first quarter on nine carries.

South Florida, which upset the Mountaineers, 24-19, last season in Morgantown, W.Va., had never been ranked in the AP Top 25 until two weeks ago.

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