What's being written in Joisey..re: Mr. Selvie and the Bulls

[Brad]

Rutgers' Sosa needs to hold line against Selvie

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

Pedro Sosa isn't naive enough to believe that South Florida defensive end George Selvie is simply his latest challenge. When a player leads the nation in sacks (11 1/2) and tackles for loss (20 1/2) and does so for the nation's No. 2-ranked team, as Selvie does, it's more than just another test.

"Of course I'm looking forward to it," Sosa, Rutgers' left tackle, said. "But I have to just go out there and play my game. I know what my role is. I'm the left tackle. I have the quarterback's blind side. I know how important my job is."

For a change, though, Sosa won't be toiling in relative obscurity.

His is one of the glamour matchups when 7-0 South Florida visits Rutgers Stadium for an ESPN national TV appearance against the 4-2 Scarlet Knights on Thursday night.

Sosa, a fifth-year senior and three-year starter, has seen enough defensive ends come and go.

But Selvie, a third-year sophomore, rates as one of the best Sosa has seen. And that includes Louisville's Elvis Dumervil three years ago.

"I've played against a lot of good defensive ends," said Sosa, who will have the game-long responsibility on Selvie, since the Bulls' star rarely flips sides. "Last year he was a good player. He's a good player now. All I can do is my best."

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said the 6-4, 242-pound Selvie is in the mold of two other past defensive end stars in the Big East: Dumervil and Syracuse's Dwight Freeney.

"He's that kind of guy productionwise," Schiano said. "He's a little different body type. He's a little longer -- at least he appears longer to me."

Freshman safety Joe Lefeged has angered another opposing coach with a controversial hit on a quarterback, with Syracuse's Greg Robinson saying at his weekly press conference yesterday that he was submitting a tape of Lefeged's second-quarter sack of Andrew Robinson to Big East officials for review.

"That was a vicious blow to the head, helmet to helmet," Robinson said.

Lefeged's hit forced a fumble that Rutgers recovered at its 34-yard line, with Schiano disputing Robinson's interpretation of the play.

"I think Joe went in there to hit him and block the football high and what happened is they ran into each other high," Schiano said.

Lefeged also drew some sharp criticism from Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen after the Terps' Sept. 29 victory at Rutgers Stadium for a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked quarterback Jordan Steffy out of the game, also in the final minute of the second quarter. Friedgen accused Rutgers of intentionally trying to injure Steffy on the play.

No penalty was called on either hit.

"We're not about cheap shots or anything like that," Lefeged said after Rutgers' 38-14 victory at Syracuse on Saturday. "We just come out and play hard. We just come out and do our jobs. That's it."

Though the Big East has the power to suspend a player for a hit during a game, the league has never done so.

At No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 and the first BCS poll of the season, South Florida is the highest-ranked team to visit Rutgers Stadium since No. 1 Miami on Nov. 2, 2002.

Schiano reported no major injuries after practice last night, taking a noncommittal stance on strong safety Ron Girault, who has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.

"Maybe. I don't know," Schiano said when asked if Girault would play against USF.

Tom Luicci may be reached at

tluicci@starledger.com

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Why do I keep reading stories of cheap shots by Rutgers players?

[BrownBullsFan]

We are 6-0 not 7-0

[alumna1210]

We are 6-0 not 7-0

I was wondering if there was a game I'd missed somewhere.

Or maybe he's making a prediction of our record after we play Rutgers...?