Make the Pirates "Walk the Plank"

[E.T.]

Go BULLS !!!

And you can even drink to it:

http://www.webtender.com/db/drink/5622

::toasting::

[E.T.]

Published Saturday, November 13, 2004

Fresh Off UAB Win, USF Takes On ECU

By TED BECK

Ledger Correspondent

The South Florida Bulls will try to win consecutive games for the first time all season tonight at 7 against East Carolina at Raymond James Stadium.

In fact, USF is trying to win two straight for the first time since beating ECU in November 2003.

South Florida pulled last year's game out in double overtime, 3837, and became the only college team to win three overtime games in one season (Louisville, Cincinnati and ECU). All three wins were in double overtime.

USF (3-4, 2-3 Conference USA) snapped a three-game skid in its last game by beating AlabamaBirmingham, 45-20. Other than being ahead 3-0 early in the first quarter, USF trailed until the fourth quarter, when the team scored 28 points.

"We got something going in the fourth quarter (against UAB), which was good for us," head coach Jim Leavitt said. "You just play every play. You just don't know. We've been back and forth this year."

A major contributor to the school record 28-point fourth quarter was junior running back Andre Hall. Hall carried the ball 29 times for 275 yards and scored two touchdowns.

With 822 yards, Hall is only 195 shy of Dyral McMillan's 1999 USF record. His nine rushing touchdowns already have him tied for first with three other former Bulls.

But Hall is only concerned with one record -- touchdowns.

"I'm glad I'm up there in touchdowns," Hall said. "That just means that we're putting more points up on the board."

With the convincing win at UAB, Hall and his teammates like their chances the rest of the way.

"The mentality on the team is probably as high as it has been all year," Hall said. "Now we're really hungry for (the next game). We haven't won two games yet."

East Carolina (2-6, 2-4 C-USA) is 114th in the nation in defending the run (236 ypg). But even that stat hasn't kept Hall from preparing hard this week.

"I'm just going to study their defense like anyone else," Hall said.

"I just watch what I have to do. I don't really look at their stats."

RECORD FOR S. GRAMATICA

Santiago Gramatica broke his brother, Bill's, USF field-goal record with a 29-yard kick in the first quarter against UAB. It was Santiago's 37th career field goal.

He is USF's all-time leading scorer with 242 points. That record also belonged to Bill Gramatica at one time. Bill kicked for USF from 1998-2000 and tallied 193 career points.