So close, so far away: Bulls fall 22-15

First look at Sunday's game story. A quick update: Mike Ford was scheduled to return home with the Bulls on their flight to Tampa late Saturday night.

      EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – One yard away.

      As close as that seems, the Bulls are now miles from where they were two weeks ago, and so many things once within a reasonable grasp are now all but out of reach.

      For all the big runs USF gave up to Connecticut on Saturday, for as bad as the Bulls played in the first half, they had three shots from the 1-yard line for a game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter.

      They missed on all three, typifying a nightmarish day anytime they were near the end zone, and the Huskies got a 22-15 victory, handing a reeling USF squad its second straight loss.

      “We didn’t score,” coach Jim Leavitt said, summing up his offense neatly. “We wasted too many opportunities. … We’re making too many mistakes. … We couldn’t have played worse in the first half. That was probably as bad as you could play.”

      Two weeks ago, the Bulls were ranked No. 2 in the country, discussed as a possibility for the national championship game. Now they’re realistically out of contention for even a conference title, leaving their fans to ponder the relative merits of non-BCS bowls.

      “It really, really hurts,” defensive tackle Richard Clebert said. “We know we’re the better team, but we’re not playing like it. We got so upset about people talking bad about us on ESPN, about how we’re overrated. We’re playing as if we are overrated. It’s up to us and the coaches to bounce back.”

      USF had a 1-yard touchdown run brought back by penalty, then had a sure touchdown catch dropped by that penalized player, tight end Cedric Hill.

      The Bulls got the ball back with 5:11 to play and again drove to the 1, but couldn’t get closer. With Mike Ford out with a rib injury, reserve Moise Plancher, with one carry this season, was stopped for no gain. USF ran a naked bootleg for Grothe, but UConn saw it coming and dropped him for an 11-yard loss. Grothe’s final pass sailed high and incomplete. Game over.

      “We ran a boot. We figured it’d be there, but they played it right,” Grothe said. “We struggled. We’ve got to fix some stuff. We can bounce back.”

      Connecticut (7-1, 3-0) should today parlay its first-ever win against a ranked opponent into its first-ever poll rankings; if the Bulls stay ranked, it will be largely because of other ranked teams losing.

     The Huskies got out to a 16-0 halftime lead, getting a huge game from running back Andre Dixon (167 yards) and an interception returned by Scott Lutrus for a touchdown.

      Want lost points for USF? How about two missed field goals by Delbert Alvarado? And when Jerome Murphy blocked a Huskies punt, freshman Dylan Douglas couldn’t fall on the loose ball in the end zone, allowing Connecticut to fall on it for a safety, a loss of five points.

      The offense was barely better near the end zone, getting inside the Connecticut 5-yard line five times, but getting only 10 points to show for it. A 54-yard run by Jamar Taylor was spoiled by a missed field goal; Grothe, who rushed for a career-best 146 yards, threw an interception in the end zone to end another drive.

      It was Grothe, however, that rallied USF, breaking loose on a career-long 53-yard run, then scoring from 10 yards on the next play to cut the lead to 16-9.

      The defense woke up, holding the Huskies to 102 yards in the second half, but the Bulls dug too deep a hole to escape from.

      “It was a half too late,” defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. “First half, we didn’t come close to stopping them. … I don’t know how you explain it, not wrapping up, not doing all the things it takes to be a great tackler. We didn’t do it last week, second week in a row. It’s a major problem … We’ve just gone backwards.”

      “It’s hard to understand why you could not go out there and turn it on, having the opportunities we had to be 7-1 and back in the conference race. For a whole entire half and not get the job done.”

      The Bulls return home but face another stout defense in Cincinnati, hoping to avoid losing three Big East games in a row for the first time.

      “It’s going to really show our character,” Clebert said. “It can either go downhill from here, or we could go 10-2. 10-2 would be a great season.”

Comments

In two consecutive weeks USF has allowed to 180+ rushing performances.

Hey Wally, its more than just "wrapping up."

A whole city is depressed.

[Ari]

In two consecutive weeks USF has allowed two 180+ rushing performances.

Hey Wally, its more than just "wrapping up."

A whole city is depressed.

Dear Leavitt,

I don't think anyone will blame you for losing faith in your kicker at this point.

Thanks

[Ari]

www.delbertforLou-Groza.com

Guy is as reliable as the sun rising in the east.

Go Delbert!

[Tampabaysportsfanatic]

Big time loss for the Bulls, but not the end of a season. They need to regroup and get back to winning. Come on Bulls fans, don't be bandwagoners. PLEASE. (This from a Gator fan)

[Still a fan]

No, not all of us are bandwagoners. It was a very disappointing loss to be sure, but I'll still root for the team. Hopefully, if the Bulls can get their act together and play like we all know they're capable of, USF can still end up in a decent bowl game.

[staindnlinkinn]

wake up USF is nothing this year, maybe next year it's obvious their own coaches gave up on them if they by some odd reason win the rest of their games this year they just might make it to the pizza or tire bowl to play a school of UCF caliber or East carolina again and really look like fools bc they will prolly lose that..... what a huge disappoint me this year all the hype and for what they really suck no talent, nothing there just average guys.... nothing outstanding on the team just a bunch of penalty serving guys.... i could have caught the ball in the end zone if i was in the end zone i would have pushed cedric hill out of the way with my hand to his helmet and said hey loser i got this one

[staindnlinkinn]

they will not play in a descent bowl if any.... they are losers and losers deserver to lose more games one thing to look forward to if they keep losing maybe they will fire coach jim leavit......let alabamba or arkansas or who ever wants him to raise his salary lower it next year maybe he will leave on his own.... no one wants you to coach at usf anymore leavit leave now is your chance.......

[Stephen Blackehart]

Seriously, this is the best kicker we can find? REALLY!?

This is a team that'll go (and only go) as far as Grothe and the D will carry them, and Grothe's made a critical mistake at the end of both of these losses.

And, don't we have an I-formation anywhere in the playbook? There are so many times when we'd be best served by just running it down their throats, and we send these backs running east and west.

I'll never stop rooting for them, but this is hard to watch.

[G.A.]

Alabamba. Ritchie Valens!

[staindnlinkinn]

jim leavit please leave and go coach at a divsion one double a team that is where you always belong..... who is giving u money to make sure u call bad plays to make the bulls lose??

[Stephen Blackehart]

If I'm Leavitt right now, I take the FG off the table and out of the playbook for the rest of the season. It's pointless (almost literally). Then, I withdraw Alvarado's scholarship. You could call a fan out of the stands and have an equal chance of nailing one.

Next, pick a featured RB and stick with him. You trusted Pat Julmiste and Alvarado based on nothing...choose to trust one of your RBs, and take some of the pressure off of Grothe and the stone-handed WRs.

[JAFASEA]

we have a kicker on the sideline that just walked on this year, morgan riley.

he was the best in pinellas county during his high school days, why isn't he kicking ?

if anyone watches practice, he is the most consistent on field goals and kicks touchbacks every time.

[Tampabaysportsfanatic]

It always amazes my how good programs cannot get good kickers. Florida has not had a good kicker since Chris Chandler left like 6 or 7 years ago. You would think with as important FG have become these teams would get a good kicker

[Ken]

Interesting. JAFASEA, do you mean you've watched practice and actually compared the two kickers? If so, I don't understand this. Alvarado was horrible, then he improved enormously, and now he is not too good (again). I can't believe, though, that we have a better kicker on the bench. Are we going for a red-shirt year, so we can have Riley for four years starting next year? A reliable kicker would be worth his weight in gold (to any team, of course).

[G.A.]

Riley's a transfer from Murray State. He's already used his redshirt season.

[UCONN]

Ummmm...Maybe you just got beat by a better team. Yeah, your kicker shanked a couple. You still lost by 7 points. I believe 2 field goals still only add up to 6 (do they teach math as USF?). UCONN has one of the top ranked defenses in the nation, hence the giant donut they dropped on you in the first half.

[vinnypwv]

boy the bandwagon that filled up so fast is emptying out even faster