The South Florida Bulls must move on
without their record-setting quarterback, and their first test comes this
weekend against state rival and 18th-ranked Florida State in a non-league bout
at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
South Florida's 59-0 romp over Charleston Southern last Saturday came at the
ultimate cost as senior quarterback Matt Grothe, the Big East's career leader
in total offense (10,875 yards), tore his right ACL and will miss the
remainder of the season. Going back to his freshman season, Grothe had started
41 consecutive games at USF.
"Matt's a franchise guy and an even better human being," said head coach Jim
Leavitt. "We all know that. What he's done in college football is
extraordinary. He has been one of the greatest names out there. We all know
that and our entire program feels bad for him. Matt is a special, special
guy."
In addition to his ever-progressing passing skills, Grothe also gave defenses
fits with his legs, having rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns
in his illustrious career. Now, it appears, the keys to the USF offense will
be turned over to redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels, who will make his first
career start in his hometown.
Florida State has been a tough team to figure out thus far. After a narrow
loss to Miami in the opener, the Seminoles squeaked by Jacksonville State the
following week despite trailing for most of the game. Then last weekend,
playing on the road at seventh-ranked BYU, the Seminoles had their way with
the Cougars en route to a 54-28 win. In the process, FSU snapped BYU's 18-game
home win streak and subsequently catapulted to No. 18 in the AP Poll. With the
national spotlight once again shining brightly on FSU, the Seminoles are out
to prove they are not a one-hit wonder.
This game marks the first-ever meeting between these two schools on the
gridiron.
Of all the players the Bulls could not afford to lose, dual-threat quarterback
Grothe tops the list. As mentioned, his ability to make plays with his arm and
with his legs is what separated him from most signal-callers in the Big East.
All of a sudden, the attention shifts to the youngster Daniels. However, coach
Leavitt has plenty of confidence in his new quarterback.
"(Daniels) is a confident young man, he has tremendous athletic talent, throws
the ball well, runs the ball well and has great leadership ability," Leavitt
said. "We recruited him knowing all those things, and he will continue to grow
and develop. He is excited about his opportunity. We are excited about B.J.
quarterbacking for us. I know B.J., and his focus is always great."
While Daniels is making his starting debut, he isn't entirely wet behind the
ears. After replacing Grothe last week, he went 10-of-13 for 149 yards and
a TD. Like Grothe, he also made plays with his legs, as he ran for another 105
yards and two scores on just eight carries. Obviously, the speedy Florida
State defense represents a stiffer challenge than Charleston Southern. But
USF's offense is one that can score points in a number of ways, and the
coaching staff will look to utilize Daniels' skill set which, ironically, is
very similar to Grothe's. The Bulls currently boast the nation's No. 6 scoring
offense with an average of 44.67 ppg.
The South Florida defense has been lights out. Through three games, the Bulls
have allowed a total of 20 points, which ranks them No. 2 in the country in
scoring defense (6.67 ppg). They've been particularly stout against the pass
by holding opponents to just 84 ypg through the air, which ranks third in the
nation in that department. The obvious caveat before reading too far into
those stats is that USF so far has played Wofford, Western Kentucky and
Charleston Southern; not exactly three powerhouses. Playing on the road
against a nationally-ranked opponent is USF's toughest obstacle so far, and
possibly of the entire season. Senior linebacker Kion Wilson leads the defense
with 20 tackles (1.5 TFL), while senior safety Nate Allen has 18 stops and a
forced fumble. Now would be an opportune time for defensive end George Selvie
to have a statement game. Selvie had 14.5 sacks in 2007 but totaled just 5.5
last season. He enters this contest with just one sack in addition to his 14
tackles.
Florida State's offense sputtered against Jacksonville State two weeks ago,
but broke out big time last weekend at BYU. In fact, the 54 point scored tied
FSU's own ACC record for most points against a top-10 opponent. The Seminoles
were able to move the ball with ease in both the running game and the passing
game, as they piled up 511 yards of total offense. Redshirt junior quarterback
Christian Ponder really stepped up, completing 21-of-26 passes for 195 yards
and two touchdowns. He also ran for 77 yards and a touchdown. The key for
Ponder is avoiding turnovers, as he was able to do last week against the
Cougars. The team is now 7-0 when Ponder doesn't throw an interception. And if
the ground game produces like it did last weekend, Ponder won't need to make a
whole lot of plays with his arm. Overall, the FSU rushing attack was downright
dominant against BYU, racking up 313 yards (6.4 ypc) and four touchdowns. Ty
Jones led the way with 108 yards and a score on just 12 carries, while Lonnie
Pryor carried seven times for 50 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Seminoles still have some work to do. They've been
inconsistent defending the pass, as they rank 117th in the nation in pass
defense (321 ypg). Miami quarterback Jacory Harris torched the FSU secondary
for 386 passing yards and two TDs in the season opener. Last weekend, BYU
quarterback Max Hall threw for 306 yards and two scores. On the other hand,
the 'Noles have been able to produce some big turnovers. They intercepted
Harris twice, including one that was returned 31 yards for the go-ahead
touchdown in the fourth quarter. And last weekend against BYU, they came away
with three picks, including one that was returned 63 yards for a score. The
front seven has been able to generate pressure on a pretty consistent basis,
which has forced opposing quarterbacks to make some costly decisions. If guys
like linebacker Dekoda Watson (4.5 sacks) can keep generating that kind of
pressure, more turnovers could be in store for the FSU secondary.
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