NCSU coach on Grothe: 'He's done it all'

We told you earlier today of a not-so-flattering comment about USF's defense from N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien, but he had nothing but nice things to say about USF quarterback Matt Grothe on Monday in his weekly news conference with local media.

"They're led by probably the most versatile quarterback in the country, throwing at 65 percent," O'Brien said, according to a transcript at Thewolfpacker.com. "He's thrown seven touchdown passes and only two interceptions. You look at their career record, he's third or fourth in career rushing, third or fourth in career rushing attempts. Score four touchdowns, he's got their record for touchdowns. So hopefully we don't let him set any records here, but he's done it all. The defense is even better. The defense is 12th in the country."

Here's one you don't hear often: O'Brien had equal praise for USF defensive ends George Selvie and Jarriett Buie, even though one is a consensus All-American and the other went without a tackle in the first three games of the season:

"(Selvie) is excellent, and the other end is excellent," O'Brien said. "Both guys at the perimeter make the other guy better. They've got two guys coming off the edge that are really special rushers."

Comments

[G.A.]

Nobody's getting Heisman votes until December. Grothe made the Heisman top 10 at SI.com last week, though his numbers in a lackluster win against FIU -- 136 passing yards and no touchdowns -- didn't help his cause.

USF is marketing Grothe for major awards, and it's reasonable to think he could be the Big East Offensive Player of the Year -- his toughest competition right now would be Connecticut running back Donald Brown.

If USF remains undefeated and he plays at a high level, he'll be in the conversation for the Heisman as other candidates take losses, but he's probably not more than a top-15 guy right now.

Hey GA,

Did Matt Grothe really start to receive Hesiman votes or is USF just marketing him for it? There's a Web site on gousfbulls.com dedicated to Matt Grothe for Heisman. Just wondering. I mean he's good, but...