Cincy loss is Grothe's lowest-rated game

More notes from Thursday's loss ... lots more to come ...

CINCINNATI -- USF quarterback Matt Grothe said Monday that Nippert Stadium was his favorite place the Bulls had visited, if only for the old-school design of the Bearcats' home field.

He can't be as happy with his performances at Nippert, where the Bulls have seen two lopsided losses and the two lowest-rated performances of his USF career.

"They had us tonight. That's all I can say," Grothe said after Thursday's 24-10 loss. "We couldn’t do anything. They did a good job of stopping us, and we did a good job of stopping ourselves."

Grothe, selected as a game captain for the first time in his Bulls career, went 13-for-31 on Thursday with no touchdowns and three interceptions. It marked the lowest completion percentage of his 35 career games, and his passer rating of 20.8 is also his lowest ever.

The previous low rating in his three seasons was his last game at Nippert, a 23-8 loss in 2006 that saw him pass for just 47 yards in 21 attempts. Grothe has had only three games at USF in which he failed to pass or rush for a touchdown; two of them have come at Nippert.

Thursday's statistics weren’t all Grothe’s fault, as his receivers consistently failed to bring in catchable passes, with at least five drops on a night in which Cincinnati’s receivers had several highlight-reel catches. Grothe’s third interception came on a pass that tight end Cedric Hill juggled into the arms of cornerback DeAngelo Smith.

Asked what has changed about USF from the team that opened 5-0 and was ranked No. 10 just a month ago, Grothe said he didn't have an answer.

"I have no idea," he said. "That’s a good question. Something."

BIG CHANGE: Before Thursday's game, Cincinnati hadn't converted a third down in its previous two games, going a combined 0-for-25, but the Bearcats had no such troubles against the Bulls.

Quarterback Tony Pike ominously converted a third-and-10 on the first drive with a 48-yard pass to receiver Marty Gilyard. The Bearcats went 4-for-5 on third downs in the first half in building a 17-7 lead.

THIS AND THAT: The 47-yard field goal by freshman Maikon Bonani is a season long for him by 3 yards. It matches the fourth-longest field goal in USF history and the longest since Delbert Alvarado hit a Big East record 56-yarder against Syracuse in 2006. … USF defensive end George Selvie, who saw some action as a roving "spy" linebacker, said the Bulls tried the defensive strategy after seeing Oklahoma use it against the Bearcats this season.

Bulls dominated by Bearcats

CINCINNATI -- Another year, another midseason freefall for USF football.

The soon-to-be-unranked Bulls lost for the third time in four games, struggling on both sides of the ball in another Thursday night embarrassment, falling 24-10 to unranked Cincinnati.

The No. 24 Bulls (6-3, 1-3) were dominated in a stadium where Cincinnati has owned them, winning two previous meetings by a combined 39 points.

USF's Matt Grothe threw three interceptions, while Cincinnati's Tony Pike was superb, throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

Click here for the complete game story for Friday's paper.

(Pictured - Matt Grothe is pressured by Connor Barwin in the first half. AP photo. Click to enlarge.)

Over? Bulls get to 2, can't score

This could be it for USF, as the Bulls offense drove to the Cincinnati 2-yard line, then came away completely empty. USF got a false start on first and goal, then two 1-yard runs by Ben Williams, then a bad pass from Matt Grothe on third down.

Down 14 with eight minutes to play, the Bulls went for it on fourth and goal, and Grothe's pass sailed into the back of the end zone with no receiver near it. Tight end Cedric Hill and receiver Marcus Edwards looked at each other, perhaps wondering who was supposed to be there, and Grothe raised his hands in frustration.

Another Pike TD puts Bearcats up 24-10

Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike is making great passes and getting great catches from his receivers, the latest a 1-yard touchdown that puts the Bearcats up 24-10 on USF with 14:31 left in the fourth quarter.

USF's defense had stepped up in the third quarter, forcing three straight three-and-outs, but Cincinnati bounced back, getting a one-handed catch by Dominick Goodman for a 24-yard gain on the last play of the third quarter.

The Bulls' offense generated only 55 yards in the third quarter, and it'll have to wake up quickly if the Bulls are to get back into this game and avoid their third loss of the season.

Hill bobble turns to Grothe's third INT

Matt Grothe threw just three interceptions in his first seven games this season and was praised for his ability to avoid the turnovers that had piled up in his first two seasons as starter.

In the last two games, Grothe is making up for the strong start -- he now has three interceptions against Cincinnati, giving him five in his last two games. His third pick came as tight end Cedric Hill bobbled a pass that was intercepted by Cincinnati's DeAngelo Smith.

The good news? USF's defense is doing another second-half makeover. After forcing no punts in the first half, the Bulls have forced three-and-outs on Cincinnati's first three possessions.

Bonani hits 47-yarder to cut lead to 17-10

Freshman kicker Maikon Bonani hit a 47-yard field goal -- his career long by 3 yards -- to cut Cincinnati's lead to 17-10 early in the third quarter Thursday night.

The Bulls defense forced Cincinnati's first punt of the night, setting USF up on its 42-yard line. An 11-yard pass and 11-yard run by Matt Grothe set the Bulls up in field-goal range, and Bonani connected. He's now 3-for-6 on kicks beyond 40 yards this season.

Force a turnover, lose a turnover

We wrote in today's paper about how USF need to force more turnovers, and the Bulls are doing just that. Unfortunately, the offense is keeping up with the defense pretty well.

USF's Craig Marshall deflected a Tony Pike pass that linebacker Sabbath Joseph intercepted and returned 38 yards to the Cincinnati 43-yard line. Unfortunately, the Bearcats did the same thing, as Matt Grothe's pass was batted by Connor Barwin and picked off by Lamonte Nelms to thwart the Bulls' drive.

The Bulls got one more turnover in the final minute, as Kion Wilson stripped Cincinnati's John Goebel and USF recovered to keep Cincinnati from scoring.

So the Bulls are down 17-7 at the half, and it's uglier on paper, as Cincinnati has rolled up 281 yards of total offense -- 13 more than USF allows in an entire game on average coming into tonight. Cincinnati outgained the Bulls 194-47 in the second quarter, yet only extended their lead by seven points ...

Digging another hole: Bulls down 17-7

USF has not been able to slow down Cincinnati's offense, as the Bearcats marched 91 yards in 12 plays, getting a 26-yard touchdown pass from Tony Pike to Mardy Gilyard for a 17-7 lead on the Bulls with 9:17 left in the first half.

At one point, Cincinnati gained at least 7 yards on six straight plays -- USF gave up Cincinnati's longest scoring drive of the season. Pike has been especially strong, completing 10 of 12 passes for 144 yards.

Gilyard nearly had a touchdown three plays earlier, but his foot was barely out of bounds in the end zone on a play in which he had to dive into the stands.

Fourth-down call goes for naught

USF took a big gamble, going for it on fourth-and-1 on its own 33-yard line in the first quarter, and while Matt Grothe's keeper got the first down, the Bulls weren't able to turn that to points.

For those of you calling for offensive gimmickry, here you go -- Taurus Johnson dropped for a 2-yard loss on a reverse, and three plays later, receiver Theo Wilson, making his offensive debut, was dropped for a 7-yard loss on an end around.

The Bulls have definitely established their running game, with 73 yards on the ground in the opening quarter, but this drive ended with a sack of Matt Grothe on third-and-11 from the Cincy 37.

Deep pass, penalty lead to Cincy field goal

Again, some of the same themes we've been writing about: deep passes against USF's defense, poorly timed penalties and another early deficit for the Bulls.

Cincinnati's Tony Pike completed a 48-yard pass to Mardy Gilyard -- who had a pass interference flag from Quenton Washington on the play -- to set up a 32-yard field goal by the Bearcats' Jake Rogers. Cincinnati got inside the 10 when Jarriett Buie was flagged for a late hit on Pike. We're still in the first quarter here, with Cincinnati up 10-7 at Nippert Stadium.