Poker mania: UCF fans bombarding Grothe

USF quarterback Matt Grothe knows Saturday’s sold-out showdown with Central Florida is a rivalry game, if only because UCF fans keep poking him.

Not physically, but online, at Facebook.com, where users can “poke,” which sends a prompt to another Facebook user, seeking a reply or poke back.

“On Facebook, they have this stupid, ridiculous thing called Poke the Opposing Team’s Quarterback,” said Grothe, likely prompting much, more poking in the next four days. “I’ve probably been poked three or four times by other schools all year. I’ve probably been poked about 6-million times this week.”

USF fans will debate as to whether to call the UCF game a rivalry, but Grothe said it stands out to him because of how intense the fans get.

“(I remember) how packed it was at their stadium last year,” said Grothe, who led a second-half comeback, throwing the winning touchdown in a 24-17 USF victory with 3:20 to play. “To see their fans and our fans, how much their fans wanted them to win, how much our fans wanted to win. Hearing some of the comments I could hear behind me in the stands, how much our fans hate theirs, how much their fans hate ours, it’s just building up more and more. It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

USF has won both previous meetings with the Knights, and this is the last scheduled meeting in Tampa, along with a game in Orlando next season. For now, UCF’s fans have mobilized online, and Grothe has noticed, stopping short of saying they have too much free time on their hands.

“It’s just trying to get into their heads, I guess,” Grothe said. “It’s kind of funny. Some of those people … I don’t know.”

Comments

[flsportsfan83]

Sad

[Dav]

...

First they try to talk crap about us in our newspapers, in their newspapers, in our forums and message boards and now this. The funny thing is, we are barely aware they exist.

[Dave]

The concept was funny last year when it sprang up, but I have better things to do than poke Kyle Israel all day long. Ok, that's a lie, but I'm sure some people have better things to do.

[Tom]

"I'm looking forward to saturday." Matt Grothe is a competitor and feeds off the energy from this game. I believe the rest of the team will do the same. Poke away UCiFers.

[Michael Harding]

e-thugging at its finest?

See you at the game, Tinmen.

[Kyle]

No wonder O'leary said they were only growing by inches.

[tailgatebull08]

I helped create the "Poke the Opposing Teams QB - USF Version" last year...seemed like a great idea, we had about 600 members by the bowl game. Kind of grew out of it this year, and it hasn't seen any action. I'm thinking about starting up again now...but instead of poking Kyle Israel (who's going to get poked plenty by George Selive this weekend in real life)...I think I'll encourage poking of the creator of their group.

[Bulls R Pathetic]

For every comment posted on this board I will poke Matt Grothe one more time.

[Disgrunteled UCF Fan]

I'll second that notion. *Poke*

[Brian]

You know ... Had UCF been more receptive to scheduling USF during the Independent era this may have been a genuine rivalry.... Now it is just a team we will play one last time. USF's rivals are UL, WVU, and maybe Cincy. We have history with two of those and are making new history with WVU.

[JL]

We need to win, and win convincingly! This whole crap of "not deserving to be there" has been brought upon because our defense has been carrying us all the way, and our offense has been turning the ball over.

Our offense has been mediocre and that needs to change. I cannot think of a better time to change than this weekend at home!

[Bullstink]

I have a hard time believing that you guys barely know UCF exists, go look on any UCF Blog/Message board. Your idiot fans are all over it.

[Blake]

I'm not gonna lie, I am a member of the new USF poke group (the one that still does the poking every week) and its kinda funny hearing about how other schools qb's complain about it. Pat White had mentioned that he got a few hundred the week he played us.

[USF BULLS SUCK]

You guys think this is gonna be an easy game and that this rivalry isn't real but when you lose this year and next year and we get a bid to be in the Big East with you guys then you might be changing your minds...

[usfmike]

lol, that's a lot of if's, how about this IF we beat you saturday can you please get the F' off our blog?

[Chris]

I wanted to go to the game in Tampa, but I also don't want to get stabbed.

[Gobulls85]

lol @ the stabbing comment, all i know is its going to be an awesome game and an awesome pre-game, i encourage as many ucf people as possible to come down here its going to be a blasty blast...so to speak

[BiggTipp]

jackasses......GO BULLS

[Adam]

So this comment is going to cause Grothe to get poked?

I guess that will show him. 300+ total yards for Matt on Saturday, no doubt in my mind.

[BULLS GO]

UCF is the scum that sits on a frogs but just under the scales of pig vomit.

I love the fact they are messing with Grothe but what they seem to not understand it just makes him better so poke away glitter boys, and I mean that in a bad way as in you bunch of wannabees

[BullBard]

THIS GAME IS BIGGER THAN UF v FSU?

[SRQ Steve]

No it's not.

[BULLS GO]

you are right, it is not any where near the game of uf vs fsu...because in that game you have two well known ranked teams...but in this one you only have one in USF. ucf who!! UCF ranked where?? oh wait ucf is getting votes...NOT!!!

[Dave]

If UCF lived up to the part of the deal where they actually beat ECU, then we wouldn't feel so hostile towards them. Thanks a lot guys, way to wreck our Strength of Schedule (which was pretty high until you came along).

[Dial 800-Waa-aahh]

UCF fans have poked their opponents' QB for some time now. The other teams's QB just didnt whine about it.

Kudos though to the usf players that have a sense of humor and poked me back!

[usf balls]

who are u guys thinking ur so big? ur way overrated and any real team would kick ur butts, u got lucky with auburn and WV but dont think u guys are amazing. tampa is the crappiest city in florida and so is everyone thats comes out of it, ur football team may be doing DECENT this year but that doesnt help the fact that all of USFers are complete morons, dont forget to go to class, u kno the thing about college that counts....in 10 years when i am ur boss i will rub that in ur face...stop living off ur wins and being ranked cause its not gonna last long.

[USF is filled with crackheads]

Brian... guess you are one of those bandwagoners USF will be known for after they lose on Saturday. UCF TRIED to schedule USF but USF didn't want to because the nutcase they call a coach was scared to lose. And now it's getting cancelled for the very same reason. What a surprise!

[steve oneal]

Too bad ucf didn't get LUCKY against an over rated texas or LUCKY against powerhouse ecu. Then you slam EVERY person from the beautiful city of Tampa. Sounds like a lot of anger. At one time I thought it would be nice to have a rivalry game with ecu and USF, but the ecu students at first game were so rude and such poor sports, I thought forget it! A rivalry would only benefit ucf. They could say they play a bcs conference school and use as a recruiting tool, etc. I say DO NOT HELP ecu!! Let them languish in the non BCS conference USA. Leavitt isn't afraid of ucf, it's just not a money game(nothing in it for USF). USF's plan of trying to schedule other BCS conference schools for non conference games is better for USF. SO SCREW ucf, and GOOOO BULLLS!!!!

[Chris]

I decided to go to the game in Tampa, I just got stabbed by a USF student. They just released him from prison today. Crap...