USF quarterback Matt Grothe had a surprise treat before Thursday's game, getting a chance to meet and speak with former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie, who was part of ESPN's broadcast team. Grothe is often compared to Flutie because of his height, but the sophomore said he was surprised how short Flutie was in person.
"The first thing that went through my head was, if he got listed at 5-11, how come I'm not listed at 6-3?" said Grothe, who is listed at 6 feet in USF's media guide. "He's a cool guy, came up to talk to me. I was surprised how short he was. To do what he's done, all the criticism people still say to this day about shorter quarterbacks, what he's done and how long he played in the NFL, to do what he did at his height is amazing. To have him come up to me, it was the last thing I was expecting warming up on the field. It was a good experience."
Flutie, we'll point out, was actually listed at 5-foot-10 in his final year in the NFL in 2005, and has joked that he is an eighth of an inch shorter than that in real life. Grothe, for the record, was listed at 6-foot-1 his first year at USF, but has been listed at 6 feet even each of the last two seasons.
Times sportswriter Greg Auman, who covers USF, will post news and thoughts on the Bulletin and we invite your participation in the comments area.
Amarri will you catch me please?
Posted by: Football | October 24, 2007 at 11:19 AM
Oh right hand there you are!
Posted by: Amarri's Left Hand | October 24, 2007 at 08:20 AM
I'd like to see Mitchell on the field a bit more ... that guy has both the size and speed to pose a matchup problem. He also seems to have the ability for big plays like Amarri.
Posted by: Brian | October 24, 2007 at 08:20 AM
it's not like this is some new phenomonon every game this year he's been dropping key passes. i'm not sure if its a confidence thing or what, it almost seems like he's regressed from last year.
Posted by: usfmike | October 24, 2007 at 12:28 AM
But don't you think he needs to catch some passes to.
Posted by: mike | October 23, 2007 at 10:46 PM
Amarri has earned his playing time and will be on the field for the remainder of the season. He's a senior who has a handful of games left and has helped win games and he still poses matchup problems for the opponents defense. Without the penalty at RU for the hand check with time running, there would be no Amarri bashing this week.
Posted by: BadA$$Bull | October 23, 2007 at 08:42 PM
If CJL would put my buddy Mike Ford in the game for more than a couple of token snaps, I think I could hold on to more passes.
Posted by: Amarri's Right Hand | October 23, 2007 at 08:13 PM
Flutie totaled 739 career rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in four seasons at Boston College. Grothe could top those numbers in this season alone.
Posted by: G.A. | October 23, 2007 at 07:53 PM
I wonder if Flutie's yardage at BC over the line of scrimmage is even close to Grothe's. Behind the line, they certainly look similar.
Amari needs a breakout game vs. UConn to earn any time vs. Lville (where he shined 2 yrs ago). With Johnson down, we need him more than ever.
Posted by: Jeff | October 23, 2007 at 07:28 PM
I wonder if Grothe was wearing cleats...
Posted by: shawn | October 23, 2007 at 04:37 PM
Hey Amarri,
Catch the ball. I am tired of watching you drop key passes. Your play has hurt the team. The third down pass you dropped in the first half of the Rutgers game was a huge drop. Stop dropping the ball and start earning your scholarship. Your play this year has been more than disappointing.
Posted by: Left Hand | October 23, 2007 at 04:25 PM
I wonder if Matt is taller than Drew Brees. The Flutie comparison is the one tossed about the most, and it does fit well, except that Grothe has beaten WVU twice, whereas Flutie never did it once.
Posted by: Dave W | October 23, 2007 at 04:17 PM