Front-page news, and then some

I've been at the Times since 1999, have written literally thousands of stories, but only once in nine years did I have a story relevant enough to go 1A. That's the very front page -- that section annoyingly blocking the Sports section for many of you each morning, I imagine -- and I had a story back in 2002 on the demand for Ted Williams autographed merchandise after he passed away. So I went 1A the year after the Bulls went I-A.

Anyway, I woke up Sunday expecting to do a short, routine story on USF's new ranking, fully expecting it to be around 10th, a huge jump but nothing unexpected after Friday's big win. When the coaches' poll came out and the Bulls were ninth, I was surprised, no like most people, when the AP voters put them sixth, I had to double-check on another site to make sure it was correct. The high level of interest in USF right now is such that within a few hours, the story had been plucked for 1A, both exciting and harrowing, in that I had to find some sources worthy of the front page in a short amount of time.

So here you have Monday's big story on USF's one-giant-step to No. 6, along with a John Romano column on how wild it is just to seriously talk about USF and the national championship picture. If you read my story, you'll see I talked with Jerry Palm of collegebcs.com, and he pointed out the very real possibility that USF could run the table, go 12-0 and be left out of the BCS title game, even if there are only two undefeated teams.

If Saturday's LSU-Florida loser were to go the rest of the way undefeated, then avenge that loss in the SEC title game, there'd be considerable interest in the polls, just as a one-loss Southern Cal team would command high ranking in the balloting. It's not really USF's fault -- what would have been quality wins against top-15 opponents in Louisville and Rutgers just aren't impressive. For maximum legitimacy, the Bulls needed to hand those teams their first losses, not their second or third.

I think it's relevant to bring up now because USF now has to start lobbying with voters, not only winning but winning convincingly, if they want to truly control their destiny. They've earned a reputation as one of the nation's top defenses, so that means voters will be looking to see how many points the Bulls give up, even in a lopsided win. Elon, North Carolina and West Virginia all scored their first touchdowns in the final six minutes; those kinds of scores can now hurt the Bulls in a way they never could before.

(It's hard to throw a non-football headline up right now, and USF's men's soccer team after -- tell me if this sounds familiar -- getting a big win against No. 6 West Virginia this weekend. Bulls won 1-0 in Morgantown, which should put them in the top 10 just like football. Last week, with West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez at 99 wins with the Mountaineers, I'd joked that it was a race to 100 with USF's women's soccer team, which got No. 99 on Sunday against Providence. They get a shot at No. 100 on Friday at home against Georgetown.)

Thoughts? Comments? Expect plenty of news and updates Monday as the national and conference awards come in. Jim Leavitt is due to appear on ESPN's "First Take," which starts at 10 a.m., and USF is working to get him on with a certain nationally syndicated radio host who could distribute "jungle karma" to the Bulls. Curious to see how that conversation goes. ...

Bowden on USF: 'As good as anybody'

USF has the highest ranked football team in the state, but that isn't a surprise to Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who was asked about the Bulls' new position -- No. 6 in the AP and No. 9 in the coaches' poll -- as his Seminoles remain on the outside of the top 25, still looking in.

"That's about where i had them," Bowden told the Times' Brian Landman of USF's new ranking. "I'm glad to see them up there. They deserve it because they're playing winning football and our winners are not playing winning football."

Being ranked sixth in September is one thing and being ranked sixth in December another, but Bowden said he's glad to see someone from Florida keeping the state's reputation as a football power intact.

"I'd be amazed if they can stay where they are, but they might; they might," he said. "I really like their coach. I like their coaches. I think they're probably as good as anybody, and I'm glad to see somebody in the state of Florida hold the banner up while the rest of us try to get off the floor."

No. 6 USF preparing for sellout against UCF

I was just getting comfortable writing "No. 18 USF," so this No. 6 business is going to take a bit.

USF announced Sunday that it's opened an additional six upper-level sections for the Oct. 13 home game against Central Florida after all previously available tickets had been purchased. USF's athletic staff is "preparing for a second straight sellout," according to a release from the Bulls' sports information department. All lower-level seats have been sold.

Interest in USF football has increased at unprecedented rates in the last month, peaking with the program's first home sellout, with 67,018 fans packing into Raymond James Stadium for Friday's 21-13 upset of then-No. 5 West Virginia.

USF has won both previous meetings with UCF, but the close geography has made for a strong rivalry, even though the series is scheduled to end after a fourth meeting next season. With a win against N.C. State and close game with Texas in its home opener, the Knights are one of the top remaining teams on USF's schedule, behind ranked Rutgers and Cincinnati teams and Big East rival Louisville.

Wow: Bulls up to No. 6 in AP poll

USF, cementing its position as the hottest program in the country over the past month, has gone from unranked three weeks ago to a No. 6 ranking the Associated Press rankings released Sunday.

The Bulls (4-0) jumped 12 spots from No. 18 after knocking off No. 5 West Virginia 21-13 on Friday night. They are the highest ranked team in the Big East, and more impressively, the highest ranked team in the state of Florida, moving three spots ahead of defending national champion Florida, which lost 20-17 to Auburn in Gainesville on Saturday.

The Bulls made a significant move in the coaches poll as well, leaping nine spots to No. 9 -- the discrepancy between the two polls is that the coaches put USF behind Boston College, Kentucky and Florida. Of USF's remaining eight opponents, none is ranked higher than No. 20 Cincinnati; the Bulls must travel to face No. 21 Rutgers in 18 days, but will likely now be favored to win in all of their remaining games.

USF isn't the only big news in this week's poll: LSU has overtaken Southern Cal to become the new No. 1 in college football. The Tigers, who had one more first-place vote and two more total points than the Trojans, must defend that ranking this week against the Gators.

USF up to No. 9 in coaches' poll

Just two weeks after landing their first-ever top 25 ranking, USF is all the way into the top 10.

The Bulls moved up nine spots to No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll released Sunday. The jump comes after the Bulls knocked off then-No. 5 West Virginia with a huge 21-13 win Friday night. West Virginia dropped to No. 12.

The Bulls aren't quite the highest ranked team in the state of Florida. Despite a home loss to unranked Auburn, the Gators fell only to No. 7. In three weeks, USF has gone from unranked to No. 24 to No. 18 to No. 9 in the coaches' poll.

The Big East still has four ranked teams in USF, West Virginia, No. 21 Rutgers and No. 24 Cincinnati.

USF one of three with two wins vs. ranked

As we wait to see where USF is ranked in new polls released Sunday afternoon, it's worth noting that the Bulls are one of only three teams in the country with two wins against teams that were ranked in the AP top 25 when the game was played.

USF beat then-No. 17 Auburn and then-No. 5 West Virginia; California beat then-No. 15 Tennessee and then-No. 11 Oregon; LSU beat then-No. 9 Virginia Tech and then-No. 12 South Carolina.

There have been 28 games this season where a ranked team has lost; of those, 18 came against unranked opponents. In the first four weeks of the season, one top-10 team lost each week, but this weekend, five teams ranked in the top 10, including four to unranked opponents.

Leavitt on ESPN: 'Anything's possible'

Just got around to watching Jim Leavitt's guest appearance in a live phone interview on ESPN during Saturday night's Florida-Auburn game. Thought it came off a lot better than his appearance on College GameDay earlier in the day.

Where Leavitt seemed disinterested (and probably tired) with a camera on him talking to Chris Fowler -- squinting, biting his lip, almost unhappy the morning after a huge win, intent on establishing only that he's very focused -- he came off more casual and laidback during the phone interview Saturday night, laughing and taking advantage of the buzz surrounding USF's success. He used the game being played to show first the danger of being upset, and that his team had beaten the Auburn team beating Florida.

Here's a transcript, from video kindly posted onto Youtube.com:

MIKE PATRICK: Jim, you took this job 10 years ago, this team did not have any players, any facilities, any anything. What were your friends telling you about your decision, to get in on the ground floor of this program?

LEAVITT: That I've got to be out of my mind. (laughing)

PATRICK: That's sort of what I thought.

LEAVITT: It's been a lot of fun. There's talent around this area. We play in a great stadium. It's had a great community in the Tampa Bay area. People see together a pretty good vision that anything's possible.

TODD BLACKLEDGE: You mentioned the talent in Florida and around you. Obviously, you've got Miami and Florida and Florida State that recruit hard in their home state. What has your strategy been to recruit in that state, knowing you may not be able to necessarily go head-to-head with those guys, how do you target the guys you get for your program?

LEAVITT: Opportunity to play, stay in your home state, being part of history, being part of something that's never been done before, being part of a great story.

BLACKLEDGE: I've got to ask you this: I watched the game last night, and after the game, when they talked to you, you said 'We're just going to go get ready for FAU and that's all we're focused on.' Please tell me you went out and enjoyed a little bit after the game last night.

LEAVITT: Oh, goodness, Todd. it was kind of fun, it really was, and it was a big win for us. But you know how it is. You look at all the upsets happening right now. If you get ahead of yourself and you don't stay focused on one game at a time, you're going to be the next team that loses. I just want to keep them playing good football, keep them focused on the next team, and let's just see what happens by the end of the year.

PATRICK: Jim, I know coaches just dread looking ahead, but we've got the remaining schedule of yours, you've got two top 10 opponents left on the schedule, both in conference. A lot of people are going to say right now you are the team to beat in the Big East. Do you think your kids are ready to accept that role?

LEAVITT:  A lot of things are going to come out. There's a lot of distractions that are going to come your way, but it's important for our staff and our players to not look ahead, not look at those kinds of things. You've got to come out and play every time out, you're well aware of that. You look at what's happening right now with Auburn and Florida. Auburn's got so much talent, we really had to battle to beat them. It's an awfully good team. We're just still keep focused and try not to get ahead of ourselves.

BLACKLEDGE: Coach, I have one more question. We've talked a lot about Tim Tebow and he obviously is a great young quarterback. I'm really impressed with your young quarterback, Matt Grothe. Tell us a little bit, something about him. A lot of people may not know too much about Matt Grothe, but we're about to find out, I believe.

LEAVITT: Matt's so competitive and so courageous. He's got great feet, great release, keeps his eyes downfield, all those things, but he's a fierce competititor. He really keeps our team moving, keeps moving the chains, and I just love being around him, love being around people like that.

PATRICK: Coach, thank you so much for your time. I know how busy you are trying to get ready for next week and maybe celebrating this week a little bit. You've done such a tremendous job in building the program from absolutely nothing to where you are right now.

LEAVITT: I appreciate you having me on.

(I think a lot of Leavitt's comfort level is that the phone interview is just that, a regular phone call that happens to go out to 90-million homes. With the morning show, he's miked up in a studio, can't see who he's talking to. There's a scene in the movie "The Contender" a few years back where they talk about "sensory disadvantage," a natural discomfort when you can't see who's interviewing you, but they can see you. I think that's some of what happened Saturday morning. Good stuff Saturday night though.)

How high will the Bulls be ranked?

Lots of good questions to be considered before the new AP and coaches' top 25 polls come out Sunday afternoon. Just how high can the No. 18 Bulls jump after knocking off No. 5 West Virginia in what turned out to be at best the third-biggest upset of the weekend? Could USF be the highest-ranked team in the state? And with Rutgers losing to Maryland, is USF now the team to  beat in the Big East?

-- The Big East will probably take some hits this week, nationally. The conference's preseason Big Three of West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers have already lost four games to teams that weren't ranked when the season started. There will be a lot of ranked teams, but you'll probably hear criticism as to whether there's a real national contender in the league. It's going to take a while for USF or Cincinnati to be taken as seriously as the three programs that earned their national credibility last season.

-- My guess right now is that USF will be ranked 10th. Here's the logic: From being ranked 18th, I see the Bulls easily jumping five teams that lost this weekend (No. 5 West Virginia, No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Rutgers, No. 11 Oregon, No. 13 Clemson). After beating a respected top-five team like West Virginia, I think the Bulls hop ahead of one-loss teams South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia Tech, and that puts them 10th. That would have Kentucky ranked ninth, but very vulnerable to losing at South Carolina this week; Oklahoma, now sixth in my rankings, could fall at Texas, which I've got pegged at 12th. USF also could pass the LSU-Florida loser, which means simply by faring well at Florida Atlantic, the Bulls could be ranked eighth or even seventh when they play host to Central Florida in two weeks. Remember just a month ago when USF was, what, 38th, counting deep into Also Receiving Votes?

-- This weekend's games helped validate USF's start -- you think that win at Auburn looks like a significant one again now? And for the Bulls to beat North Carolina by 27, then have UNC give Virginia Tech a scare, losing 17-10 in Blacksburg, that adds some punch to USF's 4-0 start. Having said that, the Bulls now likely won't play another team ranked in the top 10 this season. Rutgers and Cincinnati should be ranked, and I think Louisville could get back in by November, so there will be pressure for USF to not only win its games but win convincingly to show voters they belong at such a high ranking.

Thoughts? Picks on where the Bulls should be ranked? Even with USF having a road win against the Auburn team that knocked off Florida in Gainesville, it's hard for me to see voters dropping the Gators much lower than eighth or ninth.

Morning after, I'm President Linkin'

If I'm tossing out links, I better start with my own paper: here's our game story, another strong column from John Romano,  a Ben Moffitt sidebar from Brendan Galella, our game notes, and all kinds of multimedia: photo galleries from the game and of fans, plus video clips. This is how newspapers are supposed to cover big events online, with a little bit of everything and stuff you can't get anywhere else.

But yes, other people are writing about the Bulls, so we selflessly deflect your loyal attention elsewhere:

-- Even with Friday's baseball, the Bulls were the main story Saturday morning at CBSsports.com, which had national writer Dennis Dodd in Tampa, impressed by the Bulls. And check this photo of kicker Delbert Alvarado, who got the words "FINISH STRONG" shaved into the back of his head. I don't have the real estate back there to do that.

-- ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel was also in attendance, writing that as quickly as you want to tell USF fans to act like they've been there before, you realize they haven't, and let them celebrate like they did. SI.com had two photographers from SI on hand, but has wire coverage otherwise. Fun to read 600-plus in-game comments on their ViewCast feature.

-- My neighbor Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger says everyone can stop calling USF a sleeper, that the Bulls are eyes-wide-open legitimate. The Orlando Sentinel had Bucs writer Chris Harry cover the game, writing that USF "looked right at home in college football's big time Friday night."

-- Even the backup kickers are celebrities today. We quoted Morgan Riley, who showed how Rich Rodriguez's "It's like the Yankees" quote struck a nerve with the Bulls, and the front page at ESPN.com has backup punter William Criswell celebrating the big win.

-- Rivals.com has a big writeup, wondering if it's time to talk about USF in the national championship picture. Probably ought to save that at least until after the Rutgers game ...

-- Harsh words back in West Virginia, understandably. The Times West Virginian writes that "the Mountaineers failed to show up," and correctly points out that Friday's game broke a USF record for combined turnovers. Same paper shafts the record crowd by 10,000 fans.

-- I offer this link to The Money Times if only because its UPI feed -- I honestly didn't realize UPI still existed -- calls the Bulls quarterback "Matt Dorothea."

Lots more to link to, so I might come back with a second batch tonight. For now, I'm enjoying a rare fall Saturday off ...

Herbstreit: USF 'story of the year'

USF coach Jim Leavitt appeared live on "College Gameday" on ESPN on Saturday morning, and analyst Kirk Herbstreit had high praise for what the Bulls have accomplished this month.

"That right now is the story of the year in college football," Herbstreit said. "What South Florida pulled off in knocking off a top-five team at home, and the way it affects not only the BCS and the Big East standings. You're wondering why the coach isn't going crazy, he just touched on that. They've already beaten teams like Louisville, they've beaten West Virginia twice. He's trying to keep perspective because they have bigger goals, bigger aspirations.

"Sure, it's a great win against West Virginia, but now it's no longer 'Geez, man, this could be fun. We might win this game ...' It's 'Let's stay focused. Let's beat Rutgers, let's beat Louisville, let's continue to go one game at a time. He's changed his tone because his team now is legitimate. They went to Auburn and beat Auburn, created five turnovers. Last night, they created six turnovers. That's 11 turnovers in their two biggest games. The defense is playing ball, and they have bigger goals. It's a big win, but he wants more."

Herbstreit said he still thinks Rutgers is the team to beat in the Big East, but that will probably be decided in 19 days in New Jersey. I'm not quoting Leavitt because he really didn't say anything worth quoting.

Bulls, Yankees, Phils and more

Craziness. That's all I can say about Friday night's sellout and historic win for USF over No. 5 West Virginia. There's a cool feeling when you're driving home from a game and think you might have covered the one game in college football that everyone is talking about. This was one of those games.

(I'll digress for a second to say I'm a Philadelphia native and cannot be happier about the Phils being a game up with two to play. Phils haven't made the playoffs since my freshman year in college, so it's just nice to think about.)

I'm capping myself at a half-hour so I can get some sleep, but lots to talk about ... (first, check out the Times' really cool video highlights of fans from the game. Really neat to see how proud Ben Moffitt is, celebrating after the game with his son Trevor.)

-- I think my follow story for Sunday is going to be on how USF's defense has beaten two ranked opponents largely on its ability to catch opposing passes, something they didn't do in the past. Seeing both of Ben Moffitt's interceptions, two sure-handed grabs, it's amazing he went his first three seasons without a pick.

-- As good as the defense has been, it'd be hard for an offense to do less with turnovers than USF has in its two wins against ranked teams. Against Auburn? Five turnovers forced, converted to zero points. Against West Virginia? Ben Moffitt took his interception to the end zone for a touchdown; the other five turnovers were converted to ... zero points. Can't even point to missed field goals: this was just three punts and two interceptions. In their five possessions after turnovers, USF totaled 37 yards.

-- Can't say enough about USF's opening drive of the second half. Up 14-3 but needing to get momentum, the Bulls went 74 yards in 13 plays. They went for it on fourth-and-inches from their own 35, converting on a Matt Grothe keeper. They converted a third-and-7 on another Grothe run, then got a huge 19-yard touchdown from Jamar Taylor, who had a big night with a team-high 58 yards.

-- Having said that: The rest of the second half? Five drives, 15 total yards. Grothe got four second-half first downs with his feet, but didn't have much in the air: 3-for-7 for 20 yards. Most important thing was zero turnovers in the second half, making it hard for West Virginia to get its points.

-- Nate Allen is a turnover magnet. Got another end-zone interception, killing a West Virginia drive, and took a fumble recovery and returned it 44 yards. Also led the team with 11 tackles. Not a bad first month as a college starter. ...

-- I think if Rich Rodriguez could do it all over again, he might give Noel Devine more than four touches on offense. He had more on one carry than Pat White totaled on his nine carries. He also had two kickoff returns, but I was surprised not to see him utilized more creatively. Oh, and maybe he shouldn't have made the Yankees comment. That one motivated the Bulls -- except maybe Larry Antonucci -- in a big way.

-- Fun to see Jon Gruden and Joey Galloway introduce USF's starting lineups. Galloway on corners Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams: "Expect to see these athletes on Sundays next season." I can understand folks complaining because it could have been a USF celebrity like Lee Roy Selmon, but I thought it illustrated the way Tampa has embraced the Bulls' success.

-- Thought it was cool USF opened the game with an unbalanced line, with starting tackles Walt Walker and Marc Dile both lined up on the left side and Cedric Hill basically as the right tackle. Hill let his end upfield and left Mike Ford open to run 35 yards around the right side. The rest of the night for Ford? Four carries for 7 yards: nothing gets you in Jim Leavitt's doghouse faster than a fumble. (OK, maybe a fumble, then pulling out a Sharpie, but that's it.)

-- Statistically, West Virginia had everything but the turnovers. They ran 28 more offensive plays than USF. Consider this: West Virginia's first seven drives netted 62 yards. Their next seven netted 374 yards, with no three-and-outs in that span. For them to have the ball for 19:03 in the first half and be down 14-3 at the half is what the math folks would call an anomaly.

-- One thing I'll warn USF about for Florida Atlantic next week: turnovers. USF had four tonight, and FAU ranks second nationally in turnover margin, plus-13 in four games. FAU, by the way, has sold about 10,000 tickets for the USF game, so the Bulls will go from their biggest home crowd to likely their smallest home crowd since UAB on a rainy weeknight in 2004. Yes, FAU beat Minnesota, but Minnesota has the worst defense in I-A football. Worst.

-- How high does USF go in the polls? My guess is No. 12, moving far enough to slide ahead of a one-loss West Virginia team and the Cal-Oregon loser. Shouldn't go higher unless there are upsets or really unimpressive wins from the five teams directly ahead of USF.

Thoughts? Celebration stories? Don't make me check the overnight arrest reports ...

'A history game': Bulls take down No. 5 W. Va.

TAMPA – Biggest game in USF history? Make that the biggest win in Bulls history.

Playing to the program’s first sellout crowd and a national TV audience, the No. 18 Bulls got a dominating defensive effort, forcing six turnovers in a convincing 21-13 win against No. 5 West Virginia.

“This is a history game. We made history tonight,” said safety Nate Allen, who had an interception and fumble recovery. “There’s no feeling like it. We’re just going to take it in.”

A record crowd of 67,018 at Raymond James Stadium spilled onto the field in celebration after the Bulls held off an offense that had averaged 47 points per game coming in. Senior linebacker Ben Moffitt led the way, returning one interception for the game’s first touchdown and picking off another pass in the fourth quarter.

“Our defense played as good as you can play,” coach Jim Leavitt said. “You’ve got to give (the defensive coaches) all the credit; they’re the ones that do it.”

It’s the second year in a row the Bulls (4-0, 1-0) have knocked West Virginia (4-1, 0-1) out of the top 10, but this win was bigger than last year’s upset in Morgantown.

Friday’s victory makes USF a team to beat in the Big East and sets up the Bulls' next Big East game, in three weeks at undefeated Rutgers, as another showdown of the league’s top contenders. Leavitt, stubbornly focused, won’t talk about anything but next week’s game at Florida Atlantic.

“Our goal is to win a Big East championship, and that’s very difficult to do. I won’t let my guard down,” Leavitt said. “I know you want me to take off my shirt and hug and kiss and all that. I feel good like that, but I’m serious about what I’m saying.”

It’s the highest ranked opponent the Bulls have ever beaten, and their third win against a ranked team in their last six games.

West Virginia came in with two Heisman Trophy candidates, but USF’s defense might have ended those campaigns. Quarterback Pat White left without his team scoring a point, suffering a thigh injury late in the first half, and running back Steve Slaton’s unimpressive 54 yards were trumped by two fumbles.

As was the case three weeks ago in an upset win at Auburn, the Bulls won despite numerous mistakes on offense. USF turned the ball over four times in West Virginia territory in the first half alone and missing on a 47-yard field goal attempt.

They scored when they needed to, first on a 55-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Grothe to freshman Carlton Mitchell for a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Up 14-3 at the half, USF came out impressively, marching 74 yards without completing a pass and scoring on a 20-yard run by freshman Jamar Taylor.

“We told them at halftime, ‘The first drive of second half is going to be the most important drive of your career,’” offensive coordinator Greg Gregory said. “We drove it down and scored.”

West Virginia moved the ball well in the third quarter, but saw a promising drive end with no points as backup quarterback Jarrett Brown was intercepted in the end zone by safety Nate Allen, allowing the Bulls to keep a 21-6 lead.

After West Virginia scored a touchdown with 5:45 to play, the Bulls needed one last stop. Brown scrambled to convert a fourth-and-11, but USF got a key sack from defensive end George Selvie, and Brown's last pass fell incomplete, allowing the Bulls to run out the clock and dump a cooler on defensive coordinator Wally Burnham.

The crowd broke the attendance record set more than a decade ago in USF’s first-ever game, an 80-3 win against Kentucky Wesleyan that had drawn 49,212 to Tampa Stadium in 1997.

USF even found motivation in the crowd, as West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez had taken some credit for the sellout this week, saying his team was “like the Yankees,” drawing big crowds on the road.

“Yankees no more,” backup kicker Morgan Riley said in the celebration after the game. “The Yankees came to Tampa and the D-Rays got ‘em tonight.”

Said Grothe: “Last time I checked, the Yankees haven’t won a World Series in a while.”

Up 21-13, it's up to USF defense

Clinging to a 21-13 lead with 2:51 to play, USF punted the ball away to West Virginia and hope its defense can come up with one last stop. Delbert Alvarado came through with a 56-yard net punt, helped by a big tackle by Louis Gachette on special teams. It all comes down to this ...

Nate Allen, turnover machine

Sophomore safety Nate Allen continues to have a knack for turnovers, getting an end-zone interception of West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown, the fifth turnover forced by the Bulls tonight.

A 38-yard run by freshman Noel Devine had set West Virginia up at the USF 7-yard line, but much like the Bulls so many times tonight, West Virginia's high-powered offense wasn't able to get points. Linebacker Ben Moffitt had pressure on Brown, who tried a pass into the end zone that Allen snared for his second turnover of the night.

Taylor's touchdown gives Bulls 21-3 lead

If the Bulls sought to reclaim momentum coming out of halftime, they did that and then some. USF marched 74 yards -- all on the ground -- and freshman Jamar Taylor scampered 20 yards for a touchdown to give USF a 21-3 lead against West Virginia.

USF had faltered offensively in the second quarter, managing just one first down and 64 yards of offense. They trumped that on one drive, getting scrambles of 16 and 11 yards from Matt Grothe, then Taylor's second career touchdown. Taylor rushed for 33 yards on the drive, giving him a team-best 50 for the game.

After field goal, USF lead 14-3 at half

West Virginia's offense has found itself, but a high snap on third-and-goal force the Mountaineers to settle for a field goal the end of the first half, sending USF into the locker room with a 14-3 lead.

West Virginia has outgained the Bulls 181-180, has held the ball for nearly twice as long and forced four USF turnovers, but the Mountaineers have been unable to convert all that into points.

The Bulls, getting a defensive score from Ben Moffitt and a long touchdown pass from Matt Grothe, are halfway to the biggest upset in the program's history. West Virginia quarterback Pat White, shaken up in the final minute of the half, was replaced by backup Jarrett Brown.

Trading turnovers again

USF picked up another huge defensive play, with Jerome Murphy forcing a fumble that Nate Allen returned 44 yards to the West Virginia 26-yard line. Again, USF's offense couldn't turn it into points.

But Matt Grothe threw a deflected interception on the next play, USF's fourth turnover in West Virginia territory. The two teams have combined for eight turnovers in 25 minutes of football.

Classic Grothe: Not a sack, but a TD

Wow. Matt Grothe, nearly sacked for a loss on third down, put his hand on the ground, scrambled out of the pocket and heaved a 55-yard pass to a wide-open freshman Carlton Mitchell for a huge touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

The play was reviewed, as Mitchell came very close to stepping out at the 8-yard line, but officials upheld the ruling on the field. Yep, I think this stadium just got louder.

It's Mitchell's first career touchdown. Grothe is 8-for-12 for 115 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

Even in a quarter, call it a shutout

How impressive is it that USF's defense kept West Virginia off the scoreboard in the first quarter? In its first four games this season, West Virginia had just one scoreless quarter, going 15-for-16.

USF outgained West Virginia 116-54 in the opening period.

Another turnover, but no points

USF's defense has forced three West Virginia turnovers in the opening 16 minutes, but USF's offense hasn't been able to do anything to put points on the scoreboard.

The latest turnover was a second Steve Slaton fumble -- in truth, he just fumbled it, with no help from the Bulls -- and defensive end Woody George pounced on the loose ball. USF's offense went three-and-out, however, as Amarri Jackson dropped a would-be first-down pass from Matt Grothe on a third-and-3.

Hey, exciting news, Bulls fans! The Bulls have more than 100 yards of total offense (for the 117th game in a row). That means 65,000 free 6-inch subs at area restaurants!

Defense rules: Moffitt INT gives Bulls 7-0 lead

Ben Moffitt went into his fourth season at USF without a career interception. Now he has two in as many weeks, none bigger than the pick he just had off West Virginia quarterback Pat White, returning it 26 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Bulls lead.

If you remember, USF got on the scoreboard last year on a defensive touchdown after a Pat White turnover.

Pressure from defensive end Jarriett Buie forced a bullet throw that Moffitt picked off near the line of scrimmage and ran into the end zone untouched for his first career touchdown. Raymond James Stadium just got a little bit louder.

USF, despite a missed field goal and three turnovers in West Virginia territory, is now in control thanks to its defense, leading 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

USF fumbles, Slaton fumbles right back

Just as USF was reeling from its second lost fumble of the opening quarter, USF's defense stepped up again, forcing a fumble from running back Steve Slaton. Linebacker Tyrone McKenzie put a big hit on Slaton at the line of scrimmage and safety Carlton Williams recovered the loose ball.

Low pass ends West Virginia drive

Going for it on fourth-and-3 from the USF 38, West Virginia quarterback Pat White found receiver Dorrell Jarroh open on the left side, but a low throw on the completed pass forced Jarroh to go down and miss the first down by inches.

The big defensive stop has brought the sellout crowd even more into the game, and now USF is driving into West Virginia territory, with first-and-10 on the 30-yard line.

Ford fumbles for game's first turnover

Freshman running back Mike Ford, who went for 35 yards on USF's first play, has made the game's first big mistake, losing a fumble at midfield on USF's second drive.

West Virginia, presented with a fourth-and-3 at the USF 38-yard line, is taking the game's first big gamble, opting to go for it. USF smartly called its first time out.

Nickel defense working for Bulls

USF is lining up exclusively in a nickel defense with sophomore Jerome Murphy starting as a fifth defensive back, and it's done the trick on West Virginia's first two possessions.

Teams normally employ a nickel defense in passing situations, but for the Bulls, it's a chance to put their fastest players on the field to combat West Virginia's speed on offense. West Virginia has gone three-and-out on its first two possessions, totaling 7 yards of offense.

In lining up with only two linebackers, USF has rotated its starters at outside linebacker to line up next to middle linebacker Ben Moffitt. Junior Brouce Mompremier was on the field for the opening drive, and junior Tyrone McKenzie took his place on West Virginia's second drive.

Unbalanced line yields 35-yard Ford run

I feel lucky. For Thursday's paper, I drew up schematics of two unique offensive formations new to USF this season, and one of them was an unbalanced line, with two tackles on one side and a tight end on the other side of the line.

USF lined up in that formation on the opening play, and as West VIrginia stacked its defense toward the tackle-heavy side, freshman Mike Ford, making his first start in a two-back backfield, went to the back side and sprung loose for a 35-yard gain. It's the longest play from scrimmage this year for USF.

The Bulls couldn't get another first down, however, and kicker Delbert Alvarado missed wide on a field-goal attempt from 47 yards to keep the game scoreless. Coach Jim Leavitt opted to kick instead of going for a fourth-and-3 from the West Virginia 30-yard line.

Moffitt now 4-for-4 as captain ...

Tonight's captains: senior linebacker Ben Moffitt, junior receiver Marcus Edwards, junior center Jake Griffin and junior safety Carlton Williams.

With the rotating captains, here are your updated coin-flip leaders through four games:

Ben Moffitt     4

Marcus Edwards 3

Jake Griffin 2

1 each: Nick Capogna, Amarri Jackson, Sam Miller, George Selvie, Walt Walker, Carlton Williams, Trae Williams.

Matt Grothe has a Mohawk

TAMPA -- More shocking, perhaps, than a sellout at Raymond James Stadium, is Matt Grothe's hair tonight.

I'd told you guys yesterday that a bunch of players got the Mohawk as a bonding deal, but Grothe's is as loud as any you'll see tonight. This post is really, really lacking without a photo, but we'll have that later.

If I were blogging live from a punk concert in 1985, he'd still be out there a bit. A bald Britney Spears would see him tonight and say "I hope he's OK," and then inadvertantly expose herself to international paparazzi.

Other Bulls sporting wild new looks: Mike Ford, Louis Gachette, Carlton Mitchell. If you see guys keeping their helmet on on the bench, this might be way. Fun stuff ...

Gruden on ESPN, me on radio

A little help for Bucs coach Jon Gruden, who gets to introduce USF's starting lineups on ESPN2's broadcast tonight: it's GROWTH-ee (how does this still get butchered?), and CLEE-bert (from his family's roots in Haiti, it probably should be cle-BEAR, but it's not how he says it) and BOO-ee (Pam Ward, you listen up, too).

And for you folks not already at the game: I'll be on USF's pregame radio show around 6:30 p.m. on 970 AM, and I'll be on Sportsline Radio West Virginia around 6:50 p.m. (listen at sportslineradio.com).

I'm getting an odd flurry of live-mascot e-mails today. There's no live bull. USF folks shelved that for at least a year, unable to answer all their logistical concerns before the season. Boosters are more than gracious in donating a bull that would be used, but if there's a threat of injury to anyone on the field, it's going to be hard for USF administrators to sign off on it.

Questions? Thoughts? I'll be back once I'm over at Raymond James Stadium ... 

While you're waiting, enjoy some links

These 8 p.m. kickoffs make for long days of waiting before kickoff, so for those of you not already inebriated beyond the point of blog-reading, I offer up all kinds of game-day links to help the hours pass like minutes -- nay, seconds!

-- Nobody gets Bulls fans in a tizzy like the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi, who writes about the USF-WVU game and says that "boosters and fans don't really care if their school is recruiting questionable characters and taking academic risks. Not as long as those risks result in victories." I think Mike get some e-mails from this one.

-- National press clippings -- can you call stories that only appear online clippings? printings? -- continue to come in, such as SI.com's Austin Murphy,

-- West Virginia clips ... the Charleston Daily Mail talks to ESPN's Sean McDonough, who can boast actually visiting Jim Leavitt in the old trailers. McDonough says "Florida has been turned into kind of a four-school state." Columnist Jack Bogaczyk makes more cigar puns than you can snuff out! Hey, do you have Prince Albert in a can? I link to the Wheeling News-Register if only in amusement that they put (New York) before Yankees, so readers wouldn't confuse them with, um, generic Northern stereotypes.

-- Curious phrase of the day: the Ocala Star-Banner's Dwight Collins says USF is "no longer an illusion performed with smoke and mirrors." When exactly were the smoke-and-mirrors years?

-- More coverage from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, with a preview story from Alan Dell (the guy sits next to me in the press box, so I've got to throw him a link), from the Bradenton Herald's Bulls 101 story and George Selvie feature; and from the Lakeland Ledger, which has a great pic of the couch and clever sign "SAVE A COUCH. BEAT W.VA" that's been on a trailer driving around campus all week. Pat Zier tries to build a story around Jim Leavitt quotes, a challenge for any writer.

Mayor, Woolard make it a banner day

(Update: Click here for some great video from Friday morning's downtown celebration.)

TAMPA -- If he gets nothing else out of this whole wild week, USF athletic director Doug Woolard can now say he got to ride on a fire-truck ladder.

Woolard and Tampa mayor Pam Iorio, addressing a downtown gathering of excited USF fans, took a precarious walk along a Tampa Fire Rescue truck, stepped into the bucket and rode up maybe 50 feet to secure a large banner on the side of the municipal building Friday morning. "GO USF," the banner reads, with the Bulls' iconic "U" logo. "Tampa's proud of you!"

Iorio, a USF alum, got the crowd going in eager anticipation of Friday night's prime-time showdown between the No. 18 Bulls and No. 5 West Virginia before a sellout crowd at Raymond James Stadium.

"Are you ready for the Bulls to beat West Virginia?" Iorio said. "We are so proud of our Bulls. Most of us can remember back way before USF even had a football team. But once we got that team, boy, did the spirit start growing. In 11 short years, USF has accomplished what no other team has ever accomplished in the United States. We love our Bulls, and we want to show it. So today is Green and Gold Day in the city of Tampa and beyond. Even in West VIrginia, it's Green and Gold Day."

Woolard, wearing a green USF polo under a black jacket, thanked fans for their support in making the sellout crowd possible.

"This is what it's all about, college football and the atmosphere it can create. We couldn't be where we are without all of you," Woolard said.

About 20 members of USF's "Herd of Thunder" marching band were in attendance (with a small number, is it a Pride of Thunder? Gaggle?) as well as a few cheerleaders and members of the Sun Dolls dance squad.

Even the lone misstep of the morning was a fun one, as Iorio called the dance squad the "Sun Dials," but she took that in stride.

Two freshman baseball players arrested

Pitcher Michael Franzese and infielder Tommy Bates, both 18-year-old freshmen on USF's baseball team, were arrested in Ybor City early Friday morning and charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of alcohol by an underage person.

Franzese, a right-handed pitcher from Sherman Oaks, Calif., and Bates, an infielder from Fort Lauderdale, were arrested by Tampa Police officers, who said they saw them drinking beer as they walked through the main parking garage for Centro Ybor at about 12:30 a.m. Franzese initially told police he was 21, but gave his correct age when asked for identification. Both players were booked about two hours later, then released at about 6 a.m. after a relative of Bates paid $250 cash bond for each player.

Franzese's father, Michael, is well-known in New York as a former organized crime figure who spent time in prison but now leads a changed life, a published author who tours college campuses to speak with students and, according to his official site, delivers "powerful anti-crime messages." He spoke at USF this spring.

USF coach Lelo Prado declined to comment Friday, saying through USF's sports information that the matter would be handled internally. He was not aware of the arrests when contacted.

Greenlight for green and gold

TAMPA -- On a week where local support for the University of South Florida' s nationally-ranked football team has reached a fever pitch, even some downtown Tampa architecture is getting in on the action.

The pyramid-shaped cap of the SunTrust Tower, shown here glowing in radiant green and gold, was illuminated overnight.

Oh, heck, why wait until the morning ...

I know you guys are all Times subscribers, of course, but I'll say it again if somehow some of you are just freeloading on the blog: Today's a great day to find a rack and buy a copy of the Times.

It's hard to pack too much more Bulls coverage into one day: we'll start with Times news writer Rodney Thrash's preview for the front page, headlined "Now nation knows who Bulls are." Columnist Gary Shelton writes about USF's bright future -- my favorite line is that "in Oklahoma, onlookers would suggest he's tough enough to cut his own chicken."

Here's my game preview, starting with a fun anecdote from ESPN2 analyst Chris Spielman. We collected game predictions from some top national writers, many of whom are picking a USF victory. There's our standard scouting report, our history lesson on 10 of the biggest college football games ever played in Tampa, and Terry Tomalin even tracked down the 23-year-old who is West Virginia's proud mascot. Back in Thursday's paper, USF football even made it onto the editorial page.

One more link: here's how to subscribe and get all of this in print, without the hassle of me making rude remarks about the spelling on your blog comments. Lots more to come, so keep checking back, all the way through live blogging during the big game. A commenter pointed out that, more than ever, the people who would be reading this might have something better to do tonight, but we're here for you out-of-towners and anyone else that can't be among the 65,857 at Raymond James Stadium. ...

Recruiting: Six from Plant to visit USF-WVU

One point I've heard made from the "don't play college ball on Friday night" crowd this week is that because high school players are busy playing on Friday night, they won't be able to attend or watch the Bulls' big game against No. 5 West Virginia.

First, there's TiVo, and second, not all high school teams are playing this week. Among those with bye weeks this week is Plant, which will have six USF recruits making unofficial visits as guests of the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. Most notable of the six is junior quarterback Aaron Murray, who has made a strong impression in his first four starts since taking over for Robert Marve, now at Miami.

Murray already had a scholarship offer from USF before his first game this season, but check out his numbers in Plant's 3-1 start: he's thrown for 1,302 yards, with 11 passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, rushing for another 277 yards and four scores. According to Plant coach Robert Weiner, the other five including two seniors with scholarship offers from USF: receiver Derek Winter, who graced the cover of the Times' Hillsborough County season preview section, and running back Lovell Jackson.

The other three due to visit from Plant are offensive lineman Rhonne (pronounced "Ron") Sanderson, defensive lineman Tyler Evans, and receiver Cornelius Gallon. Gallon has made a big splash -- Winter has three touchdowns in four games so far, while Gallon has caught seven. By the way, you can learn a ton about Plant from our team page at the Times' High School Hub. Some really good stuff there -- with pictures on player pages and college-quality statistics. Plant, by the way, is No. 4 in our latest Top 50.

Lots more to come on USF-West Virginia -- in the morning, I'll add links to our preview in sports, a column from Gary Shelton and a story on 1A (yes, the actual front page) about how this is exactly what USF had hoped for when it launched its football program. Keep those comments coming ...

Final batch of student tickets go fast

The sandwich-shop sign outside the Sun Dome said it all: "NO W. VA FB TICKETS"

The line outside the Sun Dome got long enough fast enough that USF started distributing its final allotment of 400 student tickets a few hours early on Thursday, with the last ticket handed out just before 3 p.m.

USF had asked for students to start lining up at noon, five hours before the original time designated for ticket distribution. But football-crazed students were lining up at 10 a.m., and rather than subject them to a few more hours of midday sun, the ticket office got things started. Students arriving after 3 p.m. -- that's really not two hours early, but three hours late -- were given the unfortunate news, next to a short line of people buying tickets for USF's remaining home games.

Lots more to come in the next 30 hours -- we'll be blogging live from the game Friday night and should have plenty of updates between now and then. I've heard that about 20 players, in either a show of solidarity or an alarming shoutout to Mr. T, will be boasting Mohawk haircuts for Friday's game.

USF alum Consuelos a proud bandwagoner

Actor Mark Consuelos said his timing as a college student was all off, because USF didn't have have a football team when he went to school there.

"I spent my first two years of college at Notre Dame, which obviously had one," Consuelos said Thursday. "I knew (later) that USF had started a football program, but last year was the first year I really noticed. I would be considered a major bandwagoner, but you have to start somewhere."

Consuelos, 36, who starred on "All My Children," said he started following USF again because his wife, actress Kelly Ripa, has a Rutgers alum for an agent. "USF almost beat them, and I remember thinking, 'They have a nice team. They might be really good next year.'"

Consuelos, who graduated in 1994 with a marketing degree, said he'll be watching Friday night's USF-West Virginia game -- while nervously flipping to his stumbling Mets -- and said he's been neglectful in getting himself USF gear to watch in. "I've got to find a green and white jersey to wear," he said.

Does wife Kelly, of TV's "Live with Regis and Kelly," pull for the Bulls? "I'm not sure she's really aware USF even exists," he joked. "She knows Jon Gruden makes crazy faces after every play, but that's really about the extent of what she knows about sports in Tampa. But if USF beats West Virginia, I'll make sure she talks with Regis about it."

(photo courtesy Yahoo.com)

One last line for West Virginia tickets

The last 400 student tickets -- lower-level ones, it turns out -- are to be distributed at the Sun Dome at 5 p.m. today, but the line was already about 120 fans deep at noon, when USF officials had said students should start lining up. No companion tickets will be sold, no holding places for friends, nothing but one ticket for each student with ID.

The smart fans have umbrellas and lawn chairs to help them survive the afternoon, laptops and decks of cards to pass time. Some are even digging beach umbrellas into the grass on the Sun Dome's east side. It's one last boost of exposure and excitement for USF, with at least two TV trucks lined up for live reports from the hottest ticket in town.

The cynic in me thinks it's a little cruel to schedule hundreds of kids to line up in direct 90-degree heat for a few hours, especially when they're doing so directly outside a climate-controlled arena with several thousand empty seats, but then again, the tickets are free, after all.

The secondary market for tickets continues to be strong, with pairs of tickets selling on eBay.com in the $160 range this morning, at least double face value. Cheapest on there in the past 24 hours has been $66 for a single student ticket.

Listen up: West Virginia web audio!

I get the same e-mails all the time: "Greg, I love the blog, but I tire of simply reading your work and not hearing your distinctive if slightly nasal voice. If only there were technology in place to allow your paper to record your words and play them back for all to hear. You have a face made for Web audio."

Yes, if it weren't abundantly clear already how big Friday's USF-West Virginia game is, this pushes it over the top. Click here and you can listen to me talking to the Times' Tom Jones (the Two Cents one, not the guy who sang "Thunderball," easily the worst James Bond song ever) about Friday's big game.

Gruden 'happy and proud' for USF's success

Everybody's chiming in with kind words for USF as the No. 18 Bulls prepare for Friday's showdown with No. 18 West Virginia. Bucs coach Jon Gruden, riding a two-game win streak himself, talked about the Bulls in his weekly news conference.

"Well, I don’t think I’ll be able to attend, but I’m really happy and proud and certainly impressed with Coach [Jim] Leavitt and what he’s done with his staff and that program," Gruden said. "The USF Bulls beating West Virginia on the road and beating Auburn – no wonder Cadillac (Williams) is off to a slow start. His feelings are hurt. Good job to the Bulls. We’ve got a big game this week. I know my dad and my boys will be at the game, and some of our players. I’ll do my best.”

Upper level now open for USF-UCF game

Strong interest in USF football is continuing beyond Friday's sold-out game between the No. 18 Bulls and No. 5 West Virginia, as USF announced Wednesday that the Oct. 13 home game against Central Florida has sold enough tickets that the upper bowl of Raymond James Stadium is now open.

USF said only 500 lower-level seats remain for the UCF game, which is the final game scheduled in Tampa between the cross-state rivals. USF won the two previous meetings, including the first meeting in Tampa in 2005.

"Our ticket office has not had a moment to breathe the last few weeks," senior associate athletic director Bill McGillis said in a statement. "Really, things have stayed steady as we approached and sold out West Virginia.  People were purchasing UCF tickets along with their West Virginia seats and those that missed out this Friday were scooping up the open tickets for UCF.  We only expect the requests to increase as the date approaches."

It's only the fifth time in USF's history that fans have spilled over to the upper deck -- three games in 2005 and Friday's sellout. USF has had success selling three-game mini-plans for the Bulls' final home games, against Central Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville.

Tampa skyline will be green and gold

Special USF colors for Tampa's skyline will get the green light for Friday night after all.

As No. 18 USF plays host to No. 5 West Virginia before a national ESPN2 audience Friday night, the 36-story SunTrust Financial Centre in downtown Tampa will be illuminated in USF's school colors of green and gold, an official for the company that manages the building confirmed Wednesday.

"We're good community partners and we want to be able to participate in a positive manner," said Nancy Brusher, vice president of marketing for Stiles Corporation, which owns the building. "It's a good thing for the building, a good thing for the college and good for us as well."

An assistant to the property manager had told the Times on Tuesday that the request for special colored gels came in too late for the building to display USF's colors. Brusher said a decision wasn't made until Wednesday, with the gels being flown in from New York and expected to arrive Thursday. Brusher said the cost of the lights, said Tuesday to be approximately $4,000, would be incurred by Fort Lauderdale-based Stiles Corporation.

All kind of great links: It is what it is

So many good links to share just two days before the big USF-West Virginia game. Here we go ...

-- Even more intrigue up in West Virginia, where one story suggests that Rich Rodriguez hired Rod Smith away from USF so Smith couldn't use his background as a player and assistant under Rodriguez to help the Bulls figure out West Virginia's offense ... again. Yep, there's a Bill Belichick reference.

"It seemed like they had our plays before we'd run them," linebacker Reed Williams told the Times West Virginian.

Smith does his best to dispel that notion, acknowledging the scuttlebutt but dismissing it.

“When I first got here last winter, that’s what I heard: That’s the reason why South Florida beat West Virginia, because I gave away the game plan,” Smith said. “That’s like someone saying, ‘Can you give out South Florida’s secrets?’ I don’t think there are secrets. They know me. I know them a little bit. It is what it is.”

-- Want an anti-Bulls perspective on things? Check out Sundaymorningqb.com's rant against South Florida. How's this for a pullout quote:

"For so many reasons, South Florida cannot win Friday, because it is not really a good team, because its success has been fluky, an illusion, and because I still need South Florida to be in the Big East what it signed up to be: a fifth-place punching bag whose occasional competence kept it hovering around mediocrity. This is who you are, South Florida. Only West Virginia can send the Bulls staggering away, punch drunk, disillusioned and violated now, perspective smacked back into their impudent faces."

Methinks the message-board types won't like this guy much today.

-- The Bradenton Herald and Sarasota Herald-Tribune have stories on the frenzy for student tickets at USF's Sarasota campus, and the Lakeland Ledger wrote about the line for tickets there. With 400 tickets available Thursday afternoon in Tampa, I'm curious what the turnout will be, since USF officials are saying fans can't line up before noon. If more than 400 people are randomly gathering next to the start of the line before noon, it'll be interesting to see how things turn out.

-- Speaking of the Ledger, columnist Dick Scanlon is angry -- angry! -- that the USF-West Virginia game is being wasted on a "horrible" Friday night. I understand the reverence for high school football, but I think this game gets much more national attention on a Friday than it does lost in the shuffle of a Saturday afternoon.

-- USF's official site has a story and photo gallery on ESPN's production crew interviewing Matt Grothe and George Selvie for Friday night's broadcast.

-- Lots of Selvie stories coming this week, like one in the Herald-Tribune. I need to come back and write Selvie again in the next few weeks, though we were way ahead of the curve last year in telling his story early last season. Think I threw my shoulder out patting myself on the back there.

-- Just to push back some of the crazy "Auman hates UCF" crowd a bit, the Orlando Sentinel points out today that Central Florida leads Conference USA in ticket sales. Lots of good football stories all over the state right now, and that UCF-USF game is another one we'll be writing a lot about.

-- Former USF offensive coordinator Rod Smith, discussing the Bulls' offensive gameplan in last year's upset win against the Mountaineers, sounds a lot more like a West Virginia quarterbacks coach than he does a former USF assistant. "We threw a lot of screens and a lot of possession-type passes that we knew were easier throws for our quarterback, safe throws we thought we could complete and use to move the ball," he told the Charleston Daily Mail. "We knew we wouldn't score a lot of points that way, but they wouldn't, either."

-- Check out ebay.com, and you'll find plenty of USF-West Virginia tickets up for auction, many selling far above face value. That also means more West Virginia fans in what would be USF seats -- here's an auction for two front-row seats that went for $480. Seller's from Palm Harbor, and the winning bidder recently won an auction for a pair of West Virginia cargo pants.

-- More love for USF from the New York Times, this on their blog, The Quad, wondering how defensive end George Selvie, leading the nation in sacks, can help the Bulls contain West Virginia's vaunted running game. Worth linking again to Pete Thamel's feature on Ben Moffitt, and for some great pics of Ben with his children.

-- Nothing to do with USF-West Virginia, but men's basketball coach Stan Heath was quoted in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story about two-sport athletes -- he wanted football star Jamaal Anderson to play for him at Arkansas. Wonder who USF's first football-basketball player will be. ...

Thoughts on all this? I hate to bump the Rodriguez-Yankees thread down, because that looks like a blog-comment goldmine, but want to get you guys as much information as possible. Thoughts? Questions? Keep 'em coming ...

Rodriguez on sellout: 'It's like the Yankees'

Here's a parallel sure to strike a nerve with fans in the Tampa Bay area: West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is taking at least some credit for USF's first-ever sellout, comparing the following for his No. 5 Mountaineers to another team with a strong following on the road in Tampa.

"We're highly ranked (No. 5) and when you go somewhere, they're going to sell out the stadium," he told the Charleston Daily Mail of West Virginia. " I think it's like the Yankees. Every game they get a big crowd."

Well, sort of. West Virginia played a similar weeknight game at Maryland two weeks ago, drawing a crowd of 53,107, which was the fifth-largest crowd ever at Byrd Stadium. Just the same, Maryland's home opener -- against I-AA Villanova -- drew 50,389 in the same stadium, so a I-AA team was drawing within 3,000 fans of what the Mountaineers pulled in.

West Virginia was allotted 4,000 tickets for the game initially and sold all those tickets, then requested another 250 earlier this month, which USF granted. The Mountaineers returned 150 of those on Monday, however, which were quickly sold on the USF end.

The same Daily Mail story quotes Rodriguez as saying Ray-Jay will be a "hotdog environment" -- I can only assume he said "hostile" and the reporter heard wrong. Otherwise, I'm not sure what a hotdog environment is.

When West Virginia came to USF two years ago, they were 9-1 and ranked 12th and drew 45,274 fans against a USF team that was 6-4 and hoping for an upset. That crowd is still the record for most ever to see the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. The same stadium will have 20,000 more fans on Friday night, so my question is this: how many of those 65,000 fans do you think will be cheering for West Virginia? And for that matter, how many will be wearing Yankees jerseys?

Big recruiting weekend ahead for Heath

You've been asking for basketball recruiting updates, and now you've got one: first-year basketball coach Stan Heath has timed a key weekend for official campus visits to coincide with Friday's huge showdown between No. 18 USF and No. 5 West Virginia at Raymond James Stadium. Here's the full writeup in this week's USF notebook.

Three recruits are coming in, two already carrying scholarship offers from the Bulls: point guard Damier Pitts, who we'd told you about a few weeks back; another Charlotte, N.C., standout in forward Ken Gabriel, and junior college forward Billy Rush, a former prep standout from Chicago.

Rush is the newest name on the scene, getting a personal visit Monday from Heath, who set up the campus visit. He's thin at 6-7, 190, but hit 43 percent of his 3-pointers at Southeastern Community College in Burlington, Iowa, last season. He'd played at Dolton Thornridget in the Chicago suburbs, where one site had him as the No. 12 recruit in Illinois two years ago. After a coaching change in Iowa, he opted to come to South Suburban College, also in the Chicago suburbs, and his coach there describes him as a "very athletic" player with "a lot of perimeter skills." He's either a small forward with good range or a big 2-guard who can rebound. DePaul was on him hard until they got another commitment, and besides USF, he's looking at mid-majors like Valparaiso, Ball State, FIU, Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois.

Pitts has in fact moved to Hargrave Military Institute in Virginia, and his coach there listed South Carolina and Marshall in his top three with USF. Called him a "very heady" point guard, and though he's just 5-11, 170, he can hit the outside shot as well. Seems to be USF's top target at point guard.

There hasn't been much written about Gabriel, who spent the last two years at Hope Christian Academy in Kings Mountain, N.C., just west of Charlotte. When his coach, Shaun Wiseman, took a job at United Faith Christian Academy in Charlotte, Gabriel transferred with him. Averaged about 17 points and nine rebounds for a 29-8 team last season, and he's another one on the skinny side at 6-8, 198 pounds. "He wants to play at the highest level possible," Wiseman said, so the lure of Big East basketball is a solid one. He's visited two schools close to home in Clemson and Winthrop and is planning visits to Auburn and Old Dominion. Coach called his recruiting "wide open" but said he's "definitely interested" in Heath and USF.

So there's three names in play this weekend -- we'll follow up to check on possible commitments, with the early signing period ahead in November. You've probably noticed a lack of centers in this group, and obviously Heath needs to find a successor to senior Kentrell Gransberry inside, but he clearly wants to address other positions in this class. He's either expecting another scholarship to free up one way or another or is content going with a smaller, quicker, more athletic lineup in the Big East.

We now resume the wall-to-wall USF-West Virginia coverage already in progress.

More USF love from Dickie V.

Dick Vitale has been singing Mike Ford's praises since the start of the season and was on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike on Monday morning, talking up USF football, calling Jim Leavitt "the best coach in America you haven't heard of," and the same for Bulls quarterback Matt Grothe.

His latest post on his page at ESPN.com is all about USF football, with the headline "Frenzy expected Friday at South Florida." Vitale is known for his love of college basketball, but he's really a fan of anything college, and football's no different. He said three weeks ago that he would get to a Bulls game this season, and he said Tuesday that he'll be at Raymond James on Friday night, along his wife, his grandkids and son-in-law Thomas Krug, a former quarterback at Notre Dame.

I'd even heard this week that Vitale might introduce the USF starting lineups as part of ESPN2's broadcast, but he said Tuesday he wasn't aware of any plans to do that. We're putting our money on Lee Roy Selmon right now ...

USF-WVU highest-ranked ESPN Friday game

Friday night's USF-West Virginia showdown at Raymond James Stadium will be only the second Friday night game ever on ESPN's networks to feature two ranked teams, and never before has a Friday game on ESPN or ESPN2 featured teams ranked as high as No. 5 West Virginia and No. 18 USF.

The only other Friday game on an ESPN network featuring two ranked teams was an October 2003 game between No. 13 Minnesota and No. 19 Michigan, according to ESPN's communications department.

A sellout

The USF-West Virginia game Friday is a sellout, according to the USF ticket office.

It's the first sellout in USF's 11-year football history with 65,857 fans expected at Raymond James Stadium.

"There are no tickets remaining for that game," assistant athletic director Jim Louk said in a message on USF's ticket line. "Individual game tickets are sold out, as are Tampa campus student tickets and mini plans."

USF is now selling three-game mini-plan packages for the the Bulls remaining three home games against Central Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville.

No green lights on SunTrust building

"Project Greenlight" looks like a no-go for Friday night.

Bulls fans on thebullspen.com message boards, remembering how Rutgers got the Empire State Building illuminated in red for an ESPN home football game last fall, brought up the possibility of illuminating one of the tallest buildings in Tampa's skyline for Friday's USF-West Virginia game, due for national broadcast on ESPN2. The movement got some legs, with USF officials, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau getting involved, but it appears the short timeframe isn't conducive to a green glow downtime.

"It's not going to happen," said Vanessa Roa, assistant to the property manager for the SunTrust Financial Centre, the 36-story building in downtown Tampa. "It's just a little bit of late notice."

Roa said she wasn't contacted until Friday about the possibility of lighting up the building, and such a request typically takes about four weeks to get the proper colored gels to put over external lights on the building. The cost of such a makeover is about $4,000, she said, though the logistical problems of getting the lights in time for Friday's game kept discussions from getting to the point of payment.

-- Demand for USF-West Virginia tickets continues to be high. An eBay auction for three club seats on the 45-yard line went for $635, and a pair of front-row seats were bidding at $215 on Tuesday morning.

Scout's honor: Simulating W. Va.'s speed

We don't get to write a lot about USF's scout team, the redshirting freshmen and reserves who don a different jersey number every week, doing their best to simulate the opposing squad to give the Bulls a better sense of the formations and players they'll be lining up against.

This is an interesting week, because it's difficult to simulate the speed that West Virginia has in its offensive skill players. So we took an extra interest in the casting Monday night, seeing which Bulls were chosen to portray which Mountaineers in preparation for Friday night's game. Your playbill ...

AS RUNNING BACK STEVE SLATON ... freshman running back Tyson Butler, who wore Slaton's No. 10 jersey with the word "SLATON" on masking tape on the front of his helmet. Butler is 5-11, 170, and Slaton is 5-10, 190, so they're of similar build, and Butler is one of the fastest scout-team players.

AS QUARTERBACK PAT WHITE ... a host of Bulls. True freshman walk-ons Alton Voss and Matt Piloto are both wearing No. 5 -- they tend to wear the opposing QB's number every week. Neither is exactly a physical match for White -- Voss is 6-2, like him, but is 40 pounds heavier, and Piloto is 6-5. So the real Pat White, for scouting purposes, is former starting free safety Danny Verpaele, who is ineligible this season but still practicing with the Bulls and filling an important role this week.

AS TALENTED FRESHMAN NOEL DEVINE ... walk-on running back Rafael Bennett. Bennett, who joined the team after two-a-days when USF could expand its roster above 105 players, is a bit big for Devine -- he's 6-2, 205, while Devine is just 5-8, 170. I'd thought USF might turn to Devine's friend and high school teammate, cornerback Quenton Washington, who at 5-10, 172, is a closer match for Devine's size and speed and might have a better familiarity with his tendencies. Washington's wearing his normal No. 16 and working on the scout-team defense.

AS SPEEDY RECEIVER DARIUS REYNAUD ... a combination of two of the smallest, fastest Bulls on roster. Freshman receiver Patrick Richardson and walk-on David Cozzo are both wearing No. 2 jerseys to simulate West Virginia's top receiver, who actually was the team's leading rusher against the Bulls last season despite getting only two carries. Richardson is 6-0, 163, and Cozzo is 5-10, 160, but they're there to show his speed for USF's cornerbacks, who will have to contain Reynaud on Friday while helping with run support.

There you have it. The kind of silly minutiae you only get here ...

Bucs' Galloway likes the Bulls to win

I'm driving to practice Monday night and listening to WDAE 620 AM, where Bucs receiver Joey Galloway does his weekly show with Steve Duemig. Sure enough, they're talking about the USF-West Virginia game, so I turn on my digital recorder while I'm driving.

Galloway's asking Duemig if he's confident USF can win outright. Duemig, whose general reference point on any given game is its point spread, sees the Bulls as touchdown underdogs and is hesitant to pick them outright to pull the upset.

GALLOWAY: I can't call Vegas. They don't bet apples. I have to walk into the locker room, eyeball to eyeball with my teammates, and feel good about it.

DUEMIG: You're putting me on the spot. You're going to blame me if they don't win.

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