Rebound from huge loss? Leavitt knows how

Could Central Florida surprise USF on Saturday, just a year after losing to the Bulls by 52 points? USF coach Jim Leavitt knows a thing or two about how much a badly beaten team can improve in a year's time.

As an assistant coach at Kansas State in the early 1990s, Leavitt witnessed two such turnarounds against ranked teams, and while neither resulted in upsets, they represent the exact kind of scare the Bulls hope to avoid Saturday at Bright House Networks Stadium.

In 1990, Leavitt's first year on Bill Snyder's staff at K-State, the Wildcats were humbled with a 64-3 loss at Colorado. The next year, with the game at home in Manhattan, the Wildcats gave No. 16 Colorado a real battle, losing 10-0.

The next year, in 1992, Kansas State was destroyed again by Colorado in Boulder, 54-7. Back in Manhattan in '93, an unranked K-State team played the No. 16 Buffaloes to a 16-16 tie (remember those?) and would spend the rest of that season in the top 25.

Asked whether UCF might be motivated by last year's lopsided score, Leavitt said he didn't think that would be the case.

"Every year's different. It really is," he said. "Every year's a new year. I don't live in the past. You live in the now. That's all there is to it, and we focus in on what's going on today."

Asked if he remembered such turnarounds at Kansas State, Leavitt played the focused-on-now-and-nothing-else card ...

"Lord, I don't know," Leavitt said. "That's so long ago, I can't remember that far. Last night I remember we had a practice. I'm being honest. We could have done better. It was a good practice, wasn't great."

-- My favorite Leavitt quote from Tuesday's news conference? He was asked about what stood out from the previous three meetings with UCF: "Good football. A lot of emotion, a lot of kids from Florida playing, like any time you're going to play another team in Florida. We've played a bunch of Florida teams. There's a lot of emotion, because in the state of Florida, everybody's in one state. Whether it's an hour's drive north, two hours' north, 15 minutes, it's going to be the same. There's always emotion and people are going to play hard."

Comments

[cg]

nice

[Justin]

I love CJL

[T. Bever]

That's how Leavitt built this program. He'd schedule challenging programs, lose the first year then win the second. Citadel, Western Kentucky, Troy State, etc. all during the early I-AA days.

[Dave W]

I am not predicting a blow-out win. I think that based on talent, coaching, and those tangible intangibles (Jeter wins the game with a clutch intangible!), we will win. However, it is sheer folly (yea, I said folly!) to presume a win. UCF is dangerous team, and if the players and coaches take them too lightly, we could be extremely embarrassed on national TV by them. Again, I think that Leavitt will have everyone ready to go so that we can put this "rivalry" nonsense to bed. He wants to prove how much better we are; to do that, he'll fire the team up.

But remember: UCF hates us. Their players hate us (I bet 30 players on that roster were dying for a USF offer so they could play in the BCS). We can't be sure about the coach because he'll just tell a lie anyways, but I think he hates us

Anyways, as a general, lets never dismiss an opponent out of hand. That's how upsets happen.

[oldgreengold]

Dave W.
You are absolutely right. Any team can beat you on a particular day given the right circumstances. It's a scarey game based on how perceptions would change if we don't win. I'm sure the team and coaches are not taking the game lightly and will be prepared. Go USF!

[Chris]

Dave W, 30 UCF players were hoping for USF offers???? Uh, that would be incorrect, most players chose UCF over USF, why you ask? Facilities, Campus, Stadium (on campus), coaching staff, and the list goes on. We have already taken 4 recruits away from USF this year alone. the number one response from players who chose UCF over USF, "the campus blew me away".

[G.A.]

Chris, can you name those players who chose UCF over offers from USF? Just curious. It'd make a good note if so ...

[Jason]

Well I am glad the UCF recruits like the campus so much. It will provide solace for them when they are NOT playing in BCS bowl games at any point in their four-year career.

I am no football prodigy, but if I were choosing between a nice campus and the opportunity to play for the National Chamionship, it is a no-brainer. Maybe that is why the kids pick no UCF: no brain! Or maybe Chris just embellished the facts in his post.

[Jason]

GA, when Chris give you those names, see if the quote was, "the campus blew me away," or, "the coaching staff blew me off."

[flsportsfan83]

So UCF is taking the players we want, and we still beat them every year. It must be coaching. Why else would you get killed yearly?

[Mike Lakeland]

Greg - I asked this to Brett McMurphy on his blog, and maybe you could provide some perspective on this:

Why do we get called "South Florida" while the other guys get called "UCF"? I know that it doesn't matter much, but to me, "USF" rolls off of the tongue much easier and takes the "directional" sting out of it.

Was it because UCF has had their football team longer? Or maybe a strategy by USF people to keep us from being confused with our Mousketeer bretheren in Disney?

Thanks.

[SteveStacy]

I agree w/ Mike Lakeland. Our marketing budget should be spent on training ESPN, the local papers and media to call us USF instead of South Florida or, worse, "So. Florida". I've even seen it written as "So. Fla. like we were still living in 1956.

On another note -
Greg,
Where do you weigh in on the USF/UCF discontinuation? You write about it and see all our opinions. But I've yet to see you offer up yours.

[G.A.]

Mike, I can't speak for other newspapers, but we write "USF" on all references. We feel like our audience in the sports section knows what it stands for, and spelling it out can be more confusing than helpful sometimes.

USF asks news organizations to spell out the first reference -- The University of South Florida -- and then use "USF" thereafter, avoiding "South Florida" if possible.

As a rule, I call UCF "Central Florida" on first reference, then use the initials the rest of the way, just because our readers aren't as used to reading about the Knights on a daily basis. I'd do the same for Florida Atlantic or Florida International. It's not any kind of disrespect, just a style on referencing a school we don't cover as much as we do USF.

[T. Bever]

After watching/listening to people stumble over the initials for several years - I prefer it when the commmentators (TV, Radio) call us South Florida. It's certainly better than UCF or "U.C-S.F." which is how it invariably comes out at least once a game.

On another note, I've started to see media list the area in the state as "south Florida" so as not to confuse Miami-Dade area with the University. Obviously incorrect, but an indication of increased recognition.

[Adam]

T-Beaver - I heard the same thing I think on College Football Live, they were talking up a RB recruit for OSU, and said the is out of "South Florida", they went on to say Palmetto High School. I like it, maybe that's what Oleary meant when he said "when geography changes".

[Mike Lakeland]

Thanks, Greg!