South Florida Bulls

Oct. 15
Pitt 31 ... South Florida 17---College Football---
South Florida jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead before Pitt settled in and tore off 21 second quarter points on to Tyler Palko touchdown passes, including a 69-yard play to Greg Lee, and a one-yard scoring run from Palko. USF answered with a 76-yard Andre Hall touchdown catch, but couldn't get back on the board as the Panthers put it away late in the third quarter on a eight-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Strong. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Pitt QB Tyler Palko completed 16 of 22 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Pitt - Passing: Tyler Palko, 16-22, 201 yds, 3 TD---College Football---
Rushing: LaRod Stephens, 13-92. Receiving: Greg Lee, 3-106, 1 TD---College Football---
South Florida - Passing: Pat Julmiste, 18-35, 225 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Andre Hall, 18-75. Receiving: Andre Hall, 8-145, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Turnovers and inconsistency on both sides of the ball proved costly against Pitt, especially in the second half. The defense had an off game against the Panthers unable to to force enough mistakes or big plays on third down. QB Pat Julmiste is solid, but he needs to be better on the road for the Bulls to get back in the post-season hunt. This was a game the Bulls had to have, and now they're not only behind the eight-ball in the Big East race, but also in trouble for a bowl bid unless they can beat West Virginia next week. ---College Football---
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Oct. 1---College Football---
Miami 27 ... South Florida 7---College Football---
Miami took advantage of USF turnovers and got three touchdown runs from Tyrone Moss and two Jon Peattie field goals on the way to the easy win. The USF offense only managed 174 yards of total offense and didn't get into the end zone until late in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Peyton. The two teams combined for nine turnovers with Miami picking off four Bull passes. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Miami RB Tyrone Moss ran 22 times for 89 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Miami - Passing: Kyle Wright, 13-26, 173 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tyrone Moss, 22-89, 3, TD. Receiving: Darnell Jenkins, 4-30---College Football---
South Florida - Passing: Pat Julmiste, 8-25, 47 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Andre Hall, 19-53. Receiving: Johnny Peyton, 3-30---College Football---
What to take away from this game: There was no way the Bulls were going to recapture the Louisville magic against Miami, but the mistakes killed any hope of keeping it close. The Canes forced many of the USF mistakes, but five turnovers were way too many to overcome. On the plus side, the defense was strong keeping the Miami passing game from exploding. After the last few weeks, it's obvious the defense is good enough to compete for the Big East title. Can the offense help out the cause on a consistent basis?---College Football---
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Sept. 24---College Football---
South Florida 45 ... Louisville 14---College Football---
South Florida WR Amarri Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass on the way to the shocking rout. Andre Hall started off the scoring with a one-yard scoring run, and then Jackson tore off reverses for a 51-yard score and a 12-yard score. Louisville stayed alive with a one-yard Michael Bush touchdown run for a 24-7 halftime deficit, and then the Bulls put it away with a Chad Simpson kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half. Hall and Bush each added second short touchdown runs. ---College Football---
Player of the game: South Florida WR Amarri Jackson ran twice for 63 yards and two---College Football--- touchdown, caught two passes for 75 yards and threw a pass for an 11-yard---College Football--- touchdown.
Stat Leaders: USF - Passing: Pat Julmiste, 4-9, 93 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Andre Hall, 22-83, 2 TD. Receiving: Amarri Jackson, 2-75---College Football---
Louisville - Passing: Brian Brohm, 29-47, 389 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Michael Bush, 18-81, 2 TD. Receiving: Joshua Tinch, 9-83---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Wow. The passing game only completed five of ten passes, the running game was decent, but unspectacular outside of the runs from Amarri Jackson, and the defense gave up a ton of yards to Louisville. It didn't matter. The energy from Jackson's big plays, the kickoff return for a score from Chad Simpson, and a pass rush that pressured Brian Brohm helped USF reestablish its home dominance playing with the same confidence it had a few years ago. In the wide-open Big East, USF is now a major player. ---College Football---
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Sept. 17---College Football---
South Florida 31 ... UCF 14---College Football---
South Florida ran for 326 yards and held on to the ball for almost 40 minutes as Andre Hall ran for a one-yard score and caught a 26-yard touchdown pass helping the Bulls to a 21-0 halftime lead. UCF scored on a four-yard Steven Moffett run, but the Bulls answered with a one-yard Pat Julmiste touchdown run and a 21-yard field goal. ---College Football---
Player of the game: South Florida RB Andre Hall ran 22 times for 155 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: USF - Passing: Pat Julmiste, 10-16, 95 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Andre Hall, 22-155, 1 TD. Receiving: Andre Hall, 2-34, 1 TD---College Football---
UCF - Passing: Steven Moffett, 19-40, 208 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Steven Moffett, 11-50, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Walker, 5-70---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The Bull running game got rolling and showed how it can take over and completely control a game by never letting UCF breathe. Andre Hall was fantastic showing why he's the centerpiece of the attack, but QB Pat Julmiste had an equally strong game with his arm as well as his legs always keeping the chains moving. While this wasn't a perfect game going into the Big East showdown with Louisville, it wasn't far off. ---College Football---
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Sept. 10---College Football---
South Florida 37 ... Florida A&M 3---College Football---
Andre Hall tore off touchdown runs of two, two and 31 yards in the first half on his way to a 156-yard day and the easy win over Florida A&M. The Rattlers didn't come up with a first down until well into the third quarter, four for the game, and only managed 85 yards of total offense. Ricky Benton scores on a two-yard run and Cedric Hill caught a 36-yard touchdown pass for the Bulls.
Player of the game: South Florida RB Andre Hall ran 18 times for 156 yards and three touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: USF - Passing: Pat Julmiste, 6-10, 71 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Andre Hall, 18-156, 3 TD. Receiving: Jackie Chambers, 2-25---College Football---
FAMU - Passing: Chris Owens, 4-7, 31 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Roosevelt Kiser, 3-26. Receiving: Joe Lawson, 2-9---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The Bulls got a nice scrimmage against Florida A&M to get the running game rolling, but it would've been nice if Pat Julmiste and the passing game got a little more work. He only threw the ball ten times, he didn't need to throw it any more, and didn't need to toss it deep. He'll need to get even more in tune with his receivers against UCF before kicking off the Big East slate with Louisville and at Miami. Yeesh. ---College Football---
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Sept. 3---College Football---
Penn State 23 ... South Florida 13---College Football---
Big plays helped Penn State jump out to a 17-0 lead highlighted by a 16-yard Alan Zemaitis fumble return for a touchdown. But the Nittany Lion offense bogged down only managing an early fourth quarter four yard Michael Robinson touchdown run. South Florida got two touchdown passes to Johnny Peyton, but struggled to keep the chains moving and couldn't handle a Nittany Lion ground game that managed 262 yards. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Penn State RB Tony Hunt ran 14 times for 148 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: USF - Passing: Pat Julmiste, 21-36, 201 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tony Hunt, 14-148, 1 TD. Receiving: Andre Hall, 5-32---College Football---
Penn State - Passing: Michael Robinson, 9-15, 92 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Andre Hall, 22-73. Receiving: Derrick Williams, 3-38---College Football---
What to take away from this game: It might have been a loss to Penn State, but the team showed good heart coming back after getting hit by some disastrous plays. There were too many holes for the Penn State ground game and there weren't enough big plays from Andre Hall and the Bull rushing attack. QB Pat Julmiste wasn't bad, but he didn't do enough to make the game close when it was still on the line.---College Football---
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2005 Schedule ---College Football---
Sept. 3 – at Penn State 6-5, 3-5 in Big Ten) – Offense: A ton of experience returns to one of the worst Penn State offenses ever averaging 17.73 points per game with five games scoring seven points or fewer. The line has all five starters returning (if C E.Z. Smith and G Tyler Reed are back from spring suspension) and it has to be much, much better. The receiving corps got a major boost this recruiting season with lightning-fast Derrick Williams and Justin King adding some desperately needed pop. There has to be more from the quarterbacks with the underwhelming Michael Robinson getting the nod since star prospect Anthony Morelli hasn't progressed enough yet. There's talent in the backfield; now it has to do more.---College Football---
Defense: The nation's tenth best defense and fifth best scoring D should be even better with almost all the parts returning and FS Chris Harrell coming back after missing all of last year with a neck injury. The defense didn't allow more than 21 points per game coming up with a shockingly good season. The corners will be among the best in the nation as will the starting linebackers. Overall depth and a lights-out pass rusher are the slight weaknesses, but that's nitpicking.
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Sept. 10 – Florida A&M---College Football---

Sept. 17 - UCF 1-10, 0-8 in Conference USA) – Offense: UCF was 114th in the nation in total offense and 113th in scoring struggling all season to get anything going. The main problem was the offensive line that started three true freshmen and two sophomores, but the positive is that they're all back with a year of experience. There has to be some consistency at quarterback with Steven Moffett needing to be a bigger playmaker. The top running back (Alex Haynes) and top two receivers (Luther Huggins and Tavaris Capers) are gone, but they'll be easily replaced.
Defense: The defense didn't get any sort of pass rush and was crushed by injuries in the secondary. Now the issue is a very, very raw linebacking corps. The line should be the strength with experience, size and depth. A shutdown corner has to emerge and the young safeties have to make plays right away. Someone has to get to the quarterback after only generating 14 sacks.
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Sept. 24 - Louisville (10-1, 6-1 in Big East) – Offense: Talk about reloading. Louisville loses all-star quarterback Stefan LeFors, NFL-caliber, 20-touchdown running back Eric Shelton, and 73-catch receiver J.R. Russell, but should be just as strong as the offense that was the nation's best last year. There's plenty of talent returning and several great options among the reserves to keep the party rolling. QB Brian Brohm will instantly become one of the nation's top quarterbacks now that he's the full-time starter. The Cards are loaded with talented running backs and receivers and blessed with one of the nation's deepest and most athletic lines. However, the party could crash if Brohm gets hurt with no experience behind him.---College Football---
Defense: The Louisville defense was overlooked last year due to the brilliance of the offense. The Cardinal D ranked number one in Conference USA in almost every category and finished second in pass defense. It won't be quite as strong this year replacing three starters in the secondary, some stars on the line and leader and top tackler Robert McCune. Even so, it's a very fast, very athletic defense that should rank near the top of most Big East categories.---College Football---
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Oct. 1 – at Miami (10-1, 7-1 in ACC) – Offense: The Cane offense is long on great prospects, but short on proven production. Unlike last year when the attack relied on experience over potential, players like QB Kyle Wright, RB Tyrone Moss and WR Lance Leggett have more excitement around them and have more NFL potential. Moss and Leggett have given a glimpse of what they can do, but Wright, or Kirby Freeman, has to show the maturity and poise to handle one of college football's most glamorous and highly scrutinized positions. The offensive line will be more than solid, but it needs Eric Winston and Tyler McMeans to return to pre-injury form.---College Football---
Defense: This will be one of the best defenses in the country, if not the best. The only concern is with a run defense that was surprisingly soft last year allowing 155 yards per game. If that's tightened up, this will be a killer with 11 players returning who started six or more games last year. That doesn't include superstar Devin Hester taking over the full-time job at one of the corners. The linebacking corps has the potential to be one of Miami's best ever.---College Football---
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Oct. 15 – at Pittsburgh (9-2, 6-1 in Big East) – Offense: There will be a slight shift in the offense from Walt Harris West Coast offense to more of a balanced, running style under offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. Even so, there are more than enough weapons to have an explosive air attack with QB Tyler Palko, WRs Greg Lee and Joe DelSardo, and a fantastic tight end pair of Erik Gill and Steve Buches to keep the nation's 24th best passing offense going. The ground game won't be 105th in the nation again with a loaded backfield soon to be led by freshman sensation Rashad Jennings. The line is experienced, but it needs to be more consistent.---College Football---
Defense: Inconsistent throughout last year and average against the pass, there's hope for improvement with the return of seven starters and a truckload of depth. The strength is the back seven led by a linebacking corps that has several talented options to work with. The secondary has good corners in Josh Lay and Darrelle Revis, but they have to be better at not giving up the deep ball. The front four will be a concern if a reliable pass rusher doesn't develop.
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Oct. 22 - West Virginia (7-4, 5-2 in Big East) – Offense: Expect a major step back from Big East's number two offense of last year with almost all the skill positions going through a major overhaul hurt by a woeful lack of experience at quarterback and receiver. The running game will be up to the normally high Mountaineer standards with three good backs (Jason Colson, Pernell Williams and Erick Phillips) operating behind a good, veteran line. The winner of the three-man quarterback derby will have to be razor-sharp until the receiving corps comes around.---College Football---
Defense: The defense had a strong year, but it has to replace some major players including all-everything corner Adam "Pac Man" Jones. Even so, the secondary is the strength of the defense with three solid All-Big East candidates in FS Jahmile Addae, S Mike Lorello and CB Anthony Mims. The front three will be a rock with 295-pound veterans ready to hold the line. The question mark is at linebacker where tough backups have to become reliable starters. There's solid depth everywhere.---College Football---
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Nov. 5 – at Rutgers (5-6, 2-5 in Big East) – Offense: QB Ryan Hart will once again lead one of the nation's most productive passing attacks with a loaded receiving corps highlighted by Tres Moses and tight end Clark Harris. Can the attack actually produce points on a regular basis? It struggled wildly with consistency and turnovers while getting nothing from a ground game that averaged 2.5 yards per carry and 83 yards per game. There's way too much experience in the backfield to have a repeat disaster.---College Football---
Defense: It's an interesting mix of talents and strengths with a great group of ends led by Ryan Neill and an experience linebacking corps, but there has been little in the way of overall results. With many newcomers to the mix last year in key spots, things got rocky finishing 104th in the nation in total defense and 88th in scoring D. The biggest area of improvement should be the secondary where Derrick Roberson and Joe Porter are good looking corners who should be over most of their struggles.---College Football---
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Nov. 12 – at Syracuse (5-6, 4-3 in Big East) – Offense: The offense struggled way too much failing to get anything going in the passing game and finishing 100th in the nation in passing. Quarterbacks Perry Patterson and Joe Fields have to be more consistent, but they also need help with a young receiving corps that could struggle early on. The attack is being changed up a bit to throw it more in a West Coast attack, so the opportunities will be there. The offensive line is decent, but non-descript.---College Football---
Defense: The hiring of Greg Robinson as head coach should do nothing but help a defense that slipped into the abyss finishing 101st in the nation. There was little production against the run, nothing happening against the pass, and few clutch stops. There should be an improvement with a ton of returning experience led by a good-looking front seven. The corner is in the secondary where the corners have to make more plays after getting repeatedly torched last season.
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Nov. 19 - Cincinnati (3-8, 1-6 in Big East) – Offense: Last year's experienced offense averaged 406 yards and 29 points per game, and now just about everyone needs to be replaced. The backfield will be solid with redshirt freshman QB Dustin Grutza looking ready to be a more-than-capable fill-in for Gino Guidugli. There are enough running backs to come up with a steady rotation, but they're going to have a hard time early on behind a developing line. The receiving corps has potential if a number one target emerges.---College Football---
Defense: Outside of the 70-7 loss to Louisville, the defense was solid last season allowing 341 yards and 27 points per game. Eight starters need to be replaced with some major holes on the front seven. Fortunately, the Bearcats have a solid defensive coaching staff. The linebacking corps has no experience whatsoever and a pass rush has to develop. The secondary will be good if John Bowie grows into a steady corner.---College Football---
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Nov. 26 – at Connecticut (6-5, 3-4 in Big East) – Offense: All the focus is on the quarterback situation where Matt Bonislawski and D.J. Hernandez will try to replace heart-and-soul leader Dan Orlovsky, but the winner of the derby will be more than capable of putting up big numbers. The backfield is the best in the Big East with Terry Caulley returning from a knee injury to join defending Big East rushing champion Cornell Brockington. The receiving corps is more than solid despite some key losses. And then there's the offensive line. The interior could be a nightmare early, there aren't any true tackles and there's no depth whatsoever.---College Football---
Defense: Is this the Big East's best defense? It'll be close with a deep and experienced front four and secondary. While the numbers are there as far as good retuning players, the star quality is gone with the departure of LBs Alfred Fincher and Maurice Lloyd along with CB Justin Perkins. Even so, don't expect much of a drop-off from the D that finished 27th in the nation last year unless there's a major fallout from losing five players to suspension due to the shooting of a vehicle window with a pellet gun.---College Football---
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Perspective Piece
Louisville vs. West Virginia, Oct. 15---college football---

By Matthew Zemek---college football---

The word “respect” is often overused as a motivator in a college football game. Teams will often claim they’re being disrespected, even when they’re swimming in publicity and immersed in national media buzz. Ballclubs generate emotion and manufacture incentives for performance from within, creating the appearance of an “us against the world” attitude even if the world really isn’t set against them.---college football---

But on Saturday in Morgantown, in the Big East Conference game of the year, respect will very much be on the line. R-E-S-P-E-C-T will mean a lot to the Cards and Mountaineers—and their league—when they take the field before ABC cameras.---college football---
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What’s interesting about the bigger backdrop to this contest is the way in which the quality of these two teams is inherently linked to the prestige and stature of the Big East. Louisville needs the Big East to be special in order for the Cards to be considered an upper-tier team on the national college football landscape. West Virginia needs the Big East to be good because the Mountaineer program—like other mainstays in the conference—feels understandably upset at the defections of Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College, who valued the benjamins over longstanding relationships in the Northeastern United States, abruptly undercutting West Virginia and other league schools in the process. This injustice means the Mountaineers need Louisville to be seen as a big-time team, a bearer of new credibility to the conference. Six and a half months after these two schools played one of the most memorable basketball games in NCAA Tournament history, they’ll want each other to do well on the football field... but not well enough to win this game outright. ---college football---
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If each team is to earn true respect from the wider college football community this Saturday, the challenges are rather clear for the Cards and Mountaineers, as are the means by which those challenges need to be met. For Louisville, the challenge is proving that the road can be handled... no, not the road to a BCS bowl berth—just road games. UL struggled mightily at Kentucky and then got thrashed by 31 at the not-so-threatening confines of Raymond James Stadium against the South Florida Bulls. In their third road game of 2005, the Cards need to show that they won’t fold under the slightest amount of heat, and in Morgantown, they’ll face their most hostile road environment of the season. Louisville has an abundance of weapons; the only issue is if the Cardinals wilt if even the slightest hardship comes their way in the early going. If they sputter in the first ten minutes as they did in Tampa a few weeks back, will Brian Brohm and the rest of his teammates mentally check out of the game, or will they stand their ground and attempt to grind out a victory? That’s the supremely relevant question for Bobby Petrino’s bunch.---college football---

West Virginia’s challenge is to blend potency with ball security. The Mountaineers have not shown an ability to consistently stretch defenses with downfield passing in 2005, nor have they been able to avoid coughing up the pill. Rich Rodriguez’ offense has a pair of agile running quarterbacks in Adam Bednarik and Pat White, and a number of tough running backs led by Steve Slaton. But if West Virginia can’t take the threat of a rushing attack and use it to get a few big home run passes against the Cards, Louisville—blessed with more firepower—will likely prevail.---college football---
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One way or another, Louisville and West Virginia are both fighting for respect on Saturday. Louisville needs to show that the South Florida debacle was an aberration. West Virginia needs to show it’s on par with the new kid on the conference block, displaying a level of excellence that hasn’t yet come forth this season.
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Both teams hope for a well-played game that will reflect well on the Big East as a whole, but in the end, the ultimate measure of respect is gained by victory, and that’s what the Cards and Mountaineers will desperately seek this Saturday. After all, the only way this game does not wind up deciding an Orange Bowl berth is if South Florida runs the table. Respect goes to winners in considerable amounts, but to conference champions in even greater measure. Two programs with something to prove will have everything to fight for in Morgantown. Respect is only the beginning.---college football---

PSU's resurgence good for football

By NEIL RUDEL

For the Pocono Record

UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State's resurgence is positive for college football interest well beyond Happy Valley, according to Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. - College Football -

"I don't think there's any question," Delany said prior to the start of the Nittany Lions' 17-10 win over Ohio State on Saturday night. "We've got three programs in particular in this conference (PSU, Ohio State, Michigan) that have been national programs for 25, 30 years and in some cases longer. When any one of our programs which has historically been an elite team is not an elite team it creates a lot of angst on that campus and nationally.

"To have Penn State back in the mainstream is very healthy not only for Penn State and the Big Ten but also for college football," Delany said. - College Football -

The league's balance was in clear evidence Saturday as Northwestern dealt Wisconsin its first loss, and Minnesota won at Michigan.

"It's pretty obvious we don't have a bad football team," Delany said. "Illinois probably has the weakest record, and they went out to Cal and were ahead 17-7 at halftime. I don't see a bad team." That is more important to Delany than perhaps having one clear-cut favorite contending for the national title each year. - College Football -

"We might have eight-nine teams in the Top 30 that keep knocking each other off," he said. "That may affect where the highest-ranked Big Ten team would be. We have a very healthy middle class offootball teams. Nobody expected Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State to be as good as they are.

"The goal is not to create a situation where one team dominates. The goal is to create programs that can compete on a national level." Delany remains against expansion and doesn't see the Big Ten moving toward two divisions and a championship game. - College Football -

ALMOST RECORD CROWD

Almost record crowd Unlike four previous home games, there were virtually no tickets for sale outside Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Attendance was announced at 109,839, the second-largest in PSU history behind Nebraska's visit in 2002 that drew 110,753. - College Football -

"The crowd was great," PSU receiver Deon Butler said. "Their offense was calling timeouts; they couldn't hear things. Their defenders sometimes were trying to yell checks to each other and couldn't hear them. The crowd definitely got us going. It's crazy becomes it almost goes from dead silence to pure pandemonium." Joe Paterno visited some of the students who camped out in tents during the week.

"The students were absolutely unbelievable," he said. "In all the years I have been here, I have never seen more spontaneous enthusiasm." - College Football -

MEDIA HORDE

A total of 593 media credentials were issued, nearly 150 more than last week's game with Minnesota. They were split among additional writers and photographers. - College Football -

ESPN also made use of SkyCam, a camera on wires tethered above the field on a series of cables.

PERSONNEL UPDATE

Dan Connor made his first start of the season at linebacker, replacing Tyrell Sales ... Andrew Richardson made his first start of the season, replacing injured right tackle John Wilson, who is out for the year ... Lance Antolick started once again at center but was replaced in the second quarter by E.Z. Smith ... With defensive back and holder Paul Cronin suspended for disciplinary reasons, Jason Ganter has become the No. 1 holder ...

Linebacker Sean Lee saw his first career action tonight, making him the seventh true freshman to play for Penn State this season. - College Football -

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Penn State won the game despite punting four times in the fourth quarter and getting a total of 11 first downs ... Calvin Lowry's interception, returned 36 yards to the OSU 2 in the second quarter, was the seventh of his career ... PSU's eight-game winning streak, dating back to last season, is the third-longest in the country behind USC (27) and Texas (12) ... Penn State's win over the No. 6 Buckeys marks the highest ranked opponent that the Nittany Lions have defeated since beating No. 4 ranked Arizona in the 1999 Pigskin Classic. In addition, it is the first Top 10 team that Penn State has defeated since beating No. 8 Nebraska in 2002 ... The last time Penn State won when gaining 195 yards of total offense or less was when the Lions gained 162 yards in the 14-10 1987 Fiesta Bowl win over Miami. - College Football -

Copyright © October 11, 2005, Pocono Record

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PACKAGE: How do you contain USC? Bellotti and Nutt have some ideas

ANNE M. PETERSON

Associated Press

The 14th-ranked Arizona State could heed the words of Oregon coach Mike Bellotti when it comes to containing Southern California. - College Football -

There are two main things an opponent needs to do, he said.

First: "Contain Reggie Bush." And: "Pressure Matt Leinart."

OK, so those things are a lot easier said than done.

Leinart is second in the nation and leading the Pac-10 in efficiency, completing 67.8 percent of his passes. The Heisman Trophy winner has thrown 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Bush is ranked third nationally in all-purpose yards, averaging 212 a game. He is averaging 111 yards rushing. - College Football -

The Ducks (3-1, 0-1) went up 13-0 against USC last Saturday, but the Trojans (3-0, 1-0) then took command, scoring the rest of the way for a 45-13 victory.

Oregon, which was ranked going into the game, fell out of the polls afterward. USC, like it has for 23 straight rolls, stood firmly above the rest.

Next up for Bush and Leinart are the Sun Devils, who are coming off a 42-24 victory over Oregon State (2-2, 0-1) in their conference opener. - College Football -

Arizona State (3-1, 1-0) has its own pair of stars. Sam Keller has 16 touchdown passes with only two picks, while Derek Hagan holds school career records in receptions and receiving yards.

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt warned not to throw too much at USC's two biggest names.

"They're tough to defend. You put so much emphasis on Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush and then they have receivers and tight ends," Nutt said. - College Football -

Nutt called the Trojans "the best offensive team I've seen." The Razorbacks were a 70-17 victim.

USC is averaging 615.7 yards of total offense to rank second nationally and ASU is fourth with a 591.8-yard average. Additionally, the Trojans have outscored opponents 178-47. Arizona State, including a close 35-31 loss to LSU, has a 188-96 advantage. - College Football -

Beavers coach Mike Riley said he likes the offensive matchup between the Sun Devils and the Trojans, given the numbers.

"I like their (the Sun Devils') opportunity," Riley said. "If they can make the most of it, we'll find out." - College Football -

The game is set for Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium.

JC FOOTBALL: 3-quarter meltdown costs Mendo College

JEFF CASPERSEN\The Daily Journal

UKIAH Last week, Mendocino College dazzled in its final three quarters after looking atrocious in the first while beating College of the Redwoods 42-31.

On Saturday, the Eagles offense started strong and fell off the face of the Earth in quarters two through four. Diablo Valley College (2-1) capitalized, rebounding from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to top host Mendocino 17-16 in a down-to-the-wire defensive affair. - College Football -

Freshman quarterback Dayton Edwards and the Mendocino College offense had no trouble moving up and down the field in the first quarter, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game.

Brad Cintas capped a 10-play, 54-yard opening drive with a 1-yard TD run at the 9:22 mark in the first.

Moments later, Edwards connected with Ryan McCullough on a 52-yard scoring strike. Edwards eluded heavy pressure before dumping off a mid-length pass to McCullough over the middle. The big receiver darted past several defenders, closed in on the left sideline and hugged it all the way to the endzone. - College Football -

That was the last time the Mendocino offense would see the endzone. The defense added a third-quarter safety, but that was the last of the points the Eagles (1-2) would put on the scoreboard.

That didn't mean Mendocino didn't have its opportunities to score. The Eagles' safety was set up by a failed march that ended a yard short of paydirt.

Diablo Valley's defense came up with a huge goal-line stand on the opening drive of the second half. Starting from their own 12-yard line, the Eagles advanced all the way to the DVC 1, where, with 12:25 to go, the visiting Vikings kept their opponents out of the endzone on a fourth-down running try.

From there on, it all unraveled for Mendocino. A fumbled punt, an Edwards' interception and a series of failed offensive drives plagued the hosts as DVC posted TDs in both the third and fourth quarters to complete its comeback. - College Football -

"There's nothing to say. We gave up the game," said a fiery and frustrated Eagles head coach Tom Gang after the game. "We just made too many mistakes. We were the betterfootball team here today."

Vikings running back Jason Palmer, who finished with 90 yards on 26 carries, pounded home each of his team's TDs on short runs.

Edwards finished the day 11-of-35 for 230 yards, but faded down the stretch, missing on 22 of his last 27 tosses. Marcus Hansen was the quarterback's favorite target of the day as DVC's secondary keyed in on fellow wideout Robert Kirvin. Hansen had four receptions for 107 yards.

Running back Brent Barstow saw a fair share of carries early before the Eagles went primarily to their passing game. He racked up 43 yards on 14 takes. - College Football -

The Mendocino defense held up well, putting heavy pressure on DVC quarterbacks. Adrian Dunn and Jo'Dane Craigman were busting through the Viking line with regularity, each in on several sacks. Gary Norris had the Eagles' lone interception.

Mendocino College will attempt to climb back to the .500 mark at De Anza College (Cupertino) next Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. - College Football -

New legion of fans idolize Ol' Ball Coach

Tania Deluzuriaga and Steve Elling
Sentinel Staff Writers

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- There are T-shirts proclaiming "In Steve We Trust," billboards bragging that he's in town and a Spurrier Cocktail that claims to be "just a little tart."

Earlier this week, The State, South Carolina's largest newspaper, had two stories on the front page: Hurricane Katrina and Steve Spurrier. - College Football -
No doubt South Carolina has gone Spurrier crazy, and the man hasn't even won a game yet.

Spurrier is the new coach at a school that has one conference title in 111 full seasons of football, but that hasn't kept South Carolina fans from taking a leap of faith.

"True Carolina fans know that it's probably realistic to expect them to win seven or eight games this year," said Jim Adams, a junior at the university. "But some expect him to take us to the Promised Land right away." - College Football -

Seeking to make his mark in a program with an uninspired history, Spurrier, 60, makes his South Carolina coaching debut tonight against UCF in an atmosphere that falls somewhere between outright idolatry and slobbering devotion.

Fans are looking at Spurrier like a messiah in a visor. But there's a fine line between having delusions of grandeur and being downright delusional.

"He's the best coach in the country, maybe history," said Byron Sill, 30. "He's like a genius."

Despite his lifelong devotion, Sill never bothered to buy a Gamecocks jersey until Wednesday when he dropped into Todd & Moore, a sports apparel store in downtown Columbia. Since Spurrier signed on last November, store manager Tim Robertson said expectations aren't the only thing that's booming -- so is his business. - College Football -

Inside the store, there are no fewer than seven T-shirt designs dedicated to the visor-clad coach, including one with the line Spurrier ripped off the Boston Red Sox last spring, "Why not us?"

"It would be hard to put a dollar sign on it," Robertson said Wednesday. "But interest at this point would be higher than I've ever seen before. From my perspective, it's the biggest story in the NCAA right now."

South Carolina fans are hoping Spurrier will be as successful against SEC competition as he was in a dozen years at the helm of the Florida Gators, where he won six conference titles and a national championship in the 1996 season. - College Football -

His pedigree as an offensive mastermind notwithstanding, South Carolina fans might remember him best for his 10-0 record against the Gamecocks.

"I know that he used to beat the [expletive] out of us every time," Adams said.

Who hasn't?

The school played its first game in 1892, losing 44-0. Some might call it foreshadowing. In more than a century of football since, the Gamecocks are 500-507-44, mediocrity defined.

Now fans say they believe Spurrier can succeed where others have failed, often in spectacular fashion. Past coaches include Paul Dietzel and Lou Holtz, who won national titles at Louisiana State and Notre Dame, respectively, before striking out in Columbia. Holtz left with a thud last year, finishing 6-5 after a season-ending brawl with rival Clemson. The school also is in hot water for multiple NCAA violations committed during Holtz's watch.

Through thin and thinner, South Carolina fans always have been loyal, filling the stadium every Saturday. This year, the school has sold a school-record 62,618 season tickets.

When students lined up to claim their allotted 11,000 game passes, the line formed three hours before the window opened. - College Football -

"A lot of people sold their season tickets last year because they didn't have a good season," said Harry Drew, 58, of North, S.C. "And now they're knocking on that door."

Copyright © 2005, Orlando Sentinel

West Virginia Mountaineers at Syracuse Orangemen
Brian Covert

Line: Syracuse is a 1 ½-point favorite for Sunday’s game
Total: Oddsmakers have set the total at 44 ½-points

The Syracuse Orangemen and the West Virginia Mountaineers will hit the ground running Sunday when they meet in a key Big East contest in their season opener at the Carrier Dome. This has West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez concerned.

”Oh, I`d rather play non-conference games first, no question,” Rodriguez told reporters Monday. “Especially with a young team [like this]. I`d be lying if I didn`t say I`d rather be opening up with somebody easy at home.”

The Mountaineers lost eight offensive and six defensive starters from last year’s squad that went 8-4.

The big question is at quarterback where redshirt freshman Pat White has reportedly won the starter’s job from sophomore Adam Bednarik. West Virginia does return starting tailback Jason Colson who ran for 113 yards in the Mountaineers 27-6 win over the Orangemen as 15-point favorites at home last October.

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