Pitt-fall: Bulls lose 26-21 to unranked Panthers

TAMPA – Maybe USF just wasn’t meant to play football on Thursday nights.

For the second year in a row, the Bulls went into a primetime ESPN Thursday game with an undefeated record and big hopes, only to fall to the same weeknight weakness. This time, the No. 10 Bulls overcame poor play to take a lead with six minutes to play, only give up a quick touchdown and lose 26-21 to an unranked Pittsburgh team.

"We made a lot of mistakes," said USF coach Jim Leavitt, whose team was held to 245 yards of offense – its lowest in nearly two years -- and committed 11 penalties. "We were fortunate to be in the game that close to be quite honest, with all the mistakes we made in this game."

For all their struggles, the Bulls (5-1, 0-1) drove 86 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take the lead 21-20 with 5:57 to play. Needing a defensive stop to preserve the win, USF instead watched Pittsburgh (4-1, 2-0) need only three plays for the go-ahead touchdown.

"I told the defense when we went out there: This is what we get paid for," said linebacker Tyrone McKenzie, who had a game-high 15 tackles. "This is why we’re a defense, let’s go out and finish this thing. …You don’t work so hard to go out there and just (pee) down your leg. We can’t do that."

The Bulls saw Pitt running back LeSean McCoy rush for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including a 3-yard scoring run with 4:43 left. USF got the ball back twice for a chance to rally, but couldn’t muster a first down the first time, then saw a last-second Hail Mary from midfield fall incomplete as time expired.

USF’s hopes of an undefeated season are now over, and the Bulls will need to regroup to stay in the hunt for a Big East title.

"One of the poorest exhibitions of tackling and coverage I’ve seen in a long time," defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. "We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do if we’re going to get this thing back on track, which I think we will. We’ve got good kids that want to win. We just have to work harder evidently."

USF’s offense, which piled up 353 yards and 31 points in the first half at N.C. State last week, never got going, held to its lowest total yardage since an October 2006 loss at Cincinnati. Twice in the third quarter, after a botched fake punt and a forced fumble, USF took over in Pittsburgh territory and went three-and-out both times.

"We never clicked. We didn’t play well all night," offensive coordinator Greg Gregory said. "We never got in a rhythm, for a number of reasons."

The Bulls hurt themselves with penalties – eight in the first half, where they trailed 17-7 -- and then there was a blocked field goal, a miss on a fake field goal, and giving up a 52-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

"They came out a little more prepared than us, I think," said Grothe, who was limited to 129 yards passing and 25 rushing. "They looked completely different than what they looked on film. ... It's hard to go undefeated in college football. It's just one game."

Down 20-14 in the fourth quarter, USF found its offense, with running back Mike Ford rushing seven times for 53 yards on one drive. Grothe rolled out to his left, stopped and found receiver Jessie Hester wide-open for a 22-yard touchdown and a 21-20 lead.

As was the case in close wins against Central Florida and Florida International, it appeared the Bulls might absolve themselves for disappointing play by escaping with a narrow win.

But the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, setting up Pitt on its 40-yard line. Stull found receiver Oderick Turner for a 38-yard gain, then McCoy rushed for 19 yards to the 3, setting up his touchdown that silenced a Raymond James Stadium crowd of 50,307.

Last season, the Bulls were 6-0 and ranked No. 2 until they lost 30-27 to an unranked Rutgers team, setting off a three-game losing streak that dropped them out of the polls. USF now has its first bye week of the season, with 16 days before they return to play Oct. 16 at home against Syracuse.

"Nobody's gone through the Big East undefeated (since West Virginia in 2005)," Leavitt said. "We've got to find a way to put it behind us, move forward and get ready to play, use the bye week wisely."

Comments

[Blitzburgh]

Let's get a few things straight: USF did not choke against Pitt. USF did not "not show up" against Pitt. They were physically manhandled by a tough, talented and determined Pitt team that physically imposed its will on an inferior and uninspired team. Upset? Nah. You were owned, owned and owned some more. It was a PHYSICAL BEATDOWN for which the ball-less Bulls did not have an answer.

[Ken]

Good enough, Dr. Rob--I'm with you entirely (except that degrees is plural, no aposthophe--punctuation free).

[Bull Daly]

I am sorry, but I am having a hard time taking a Michigan fan seriously after they hired a coach that recruited shady characters like Pac Man Jones and Chris Henry.

[Steve O'Neal]

I guess when your fb team sucks you have to go after anything you can. And I'm sure you like to read posts that agree with you, big deal. Wasn't it Alabama that had players involved in book scandal? And how many FSU athletes in all their sports programs were suspended for academic fraud? Go spend the day at dizzy world and worry about your own crappy knights team. Don't you guys ever get tired of being so jealous of the Bulls?

[Chris]

To "Dr." Rob("I would be though that i do..") Ritter ....need i say more?? Not when you said it far better than i ever could have..lol.

To Steve....GREAT comeback to Michigan factual post!! About as great as USF's 4th quarters..lol.

To Accountability...Good post..i always like to hear from passionate fans who don't have their heads in the clouds as some...ahem(above) appear to.

To all 3 i have mentioned...and any others...i would like to hear your opinions..rational or unrational as they may be..on USF's apparently well publicized lack of academic standards as it relates to the athletic program. I admit i have only seen this information second hand...but it seems to be all over the place...ESPN.com calling you out as the worst academically of the Top 25 had to be embarrassing to say the least. I noticed in your posts comments rebutting attacks on USF's standards were conspicuous by their absence. Anything to say on the subject??

[Al]

If I were a Michigan fan, I'd be pissed at Rich Rod...after all he brought the Krispy Creme Doughboy (Rod Smith) with him.

[Appalachian State]

Hey Michigan,

I think you're just bitter because your school stuck you with Rich Rod as head coach and you had to endure a long offseason in which he tried to get out of his $4 million buyout.

Good for West Virginia in holding him to the contract. A contract's a contract.

[Dr. Rob Ritter]

Ken,
I apologize for the poor grammar, quite obviously my degree's are not from the english dept. I never would have even posted anything like this, never have, usually just concentrate on the product on the field. However, when some poorly educated, low class fans post nonsense, then i have to respond. I will not do this again. Back to the Bulls. We need to heal, regroup and take it out on the orangemen in 2 weeks. BTW, it's homecoming. Should be a lot of fiun that weekend in Tampa.

[Steve O'Neal]

Michigan, isn't that the powerhouse that got beat by App State last year?

[Michigan]

I accidently stumbled upon this blog this morning and find it quite enjoyable. I thought I would rub a little salt in the wound. The Big East is a Joke this year and you don't deserve an automatic bid to the BCS. As it stands right now neither does the ACC. I'd pile on the PAC to this but USC still has a chance of redeming that conference. The MWC right now is the fourth best conference behind the SEC, Big 12 and Big 10. The WAC is close at fifth behind them. ACC is starting to come to gether, but you guys still suck! You don't deserve the BCS auto bid. Your conference's signature wins are against Conf. USA and the Sun Belt. I bet C-USA, MWC and WAC would be even higher if they got your annual $13 million dollar payout.

I've watched from a far the UCF and USF rivalry debate. Clearly USF has won every game on the field, but I have to note one thing that really stands out. The USF football team nearly lost scholarships because academic performances were so bad, while UCF's team GPA is nearly 3.0. I got it football player everywhere generally have joke degrees, but its telling of the type of program run.

Your conference is a joke, but congrats you'll make it the BCS because of it.

[Ken]

"I would be though that i do have double the education, and degree's that you have." Come on, Dr. Rob, you're making us all look bad with this sort of thing.

[Dr. Rob Ritter]

Chris,
This is not personal, just feedback on a disappointing effort by a passionate, concerned, and loyal USF bulls fan, alumni and supporter. They are not as good as we think or hoped they would be. We have all recognized their shortcomings. USF needs to refocus, heal, stop the run up the middle and we can recover. The coaching staff needs to re-establish discipline, cut down on the penalties and once again have better play calling. As for my degree Chris. I do not have a PhD. I would be though that i do have double the education, and degree's that you have. That should not stop you from taking my order at the drive thru.

[Steve O'Neal]

All the BS talk about USF not deserving of all the attention and success they have been geting because they are too young. What a joke! I guess because we only came out and started WINNING games and moved into BCS conference so quickly, has all the so called "traditional" programs all ticked off and JEALOUS! What, we were supposed to stink and "pay our dues" first? Sorry to dissapoint all you USF haters, no actually I'm not. So ya'll just keep on posting your jealous, angry comments, who gives a sh*t? GO BULLS!

[Rob]

Chalko you must be a UCF fan! How did that UTEP game go? Go Bulls! Good post Accountability!

[Chalko]

Mr. Accountability,

I enjoyed your post.... Up until the last paragraph. You're right, the Bulls are only 12 years old. Good thing that MA is holding up. However, the Bulls being 12 years old is a reason all the haters are coming out. USF has done nothing to deserve where they are. Leavitt has zero standards as far as recruiting a player, just research the football team GPA. USF got a lucky invite into the BE and the fans act like USF is a power. USF fans, remember, you're single bowl victory came in the Papa Johns Bowl over a C-USA team, the same conference you never won. The only big win you have this year is against Kansas at home. Nothing to brag about.... So sit back and enjoy the stomping USF takes in the power that is THE Big East!!!!

[Accountability]

No Bull Fan was more disappointed than me at the way our team performed (or failed to perform) Thursday night. While I sat and watched poor execution, confused players, and poor coaching, I considered ending my yearly purchase of 4 season tickets (it’s been 7 years now). This was a HOME game, with the 12th player in the stadium loyally cheering our Bulls. For all the hype about winning the Big East, potentially going Undefeated, and a possible National Championship game, WHY was our team NOT READY to play? I drove home totally disgusted.

I thought about this game all day Friday then watched the game again at home (thanks to DVR). I saw nothing that made me feel any better about the team. However, I have realized one thing. I attended THE University of South Florida earning a BA and MA degree before we had a football team. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I wished we had USF Football.

We Floridians have come to expect Greatness from our Football teams. We expect our Bulls to be as successful as the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes. Those are GREAT programs that we should aspire to emulate. How long did it take them to reach continued greatness, and what has happened recently to the Noles and Canes? Regardless, they are still great programs. Look at the other programs that have lost already this year, USC, Floirda, LSU…

Let me remind everyone that USF Football is only 12 years old. Can anyone name another program that experienced the same level of success as the Bulls. We are the talk of the nation, for two years now. Everybody loves our story, most want to see us succeed. Sure we fell last year. And yes, we fell last night. So what do we do? Give up, forget the rest of the season, never attend another game? Find another team to support? If you are a “Fair Weather” fan, that’s exactly what you will do. However, if you are a True Bulls Fan, you will do what I plan to do. We will go to the Homecoming game on October 18th and be that 12th man to cheer out team back to victory. Then, we will cheer for our team for the remainder of the season, possibly (still) to a Big East Victory. ………

What will you do?

GO BULLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No Bull Fan was more disappointed than me at the way our team performed (or failed to perform) Thursday night. While I sat and watched poor execution, confused players, and poor coaching, I considered ending my yearly purchase of 4 season tickets (it’s been 7 years now). This was a HOME game, with the 12th player in the stadium loyally cheering our Bulls. For all the hype about winning the Big East, potentially going Undefeated, and a possible National Championship game, WHY was our team NOT READY to play? I drove home totally disgusted.

I thought about this game all day Friday then watched the game again at home (thanks to DVR). I saw nothing that made me feel any better about the team. However, I have realized one thing. I attended THE University of South Florida earning a BA and MA degree before we had a football team. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I wished we had USF Football.

We Floridians have come to expect Greatness from our Football teams. We expect our Bulls to be as successful as the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes. Those are GREAT programs that we should aspire to emulate. How long did it take them to reach continued greatness, and what has happened recently to the Noles and Canes? Regardless, they are still great programs. Look at the other programs that have lost already this year, USC, Floirda, LSU…

Let me remind everyone that USF Football is only 12 years old. Can anyone name another program that experienced the same level of success as the Bulls. We are the talk of the nation, for two years now. Everybody loves our story, most want to see us succeed. Sure we fell last year. And yes, we fell last night. So what do we do? Give up, forget the rest of the season, never attend another game? Find another team to support? If you are a “Fair Weather” fan, that’s exactly what you will do. However, if you are a True Bulls Fan, you will do what I plan to do. We will go to the Homecoming game on October 18th and be that 12th man to cheer out team back to victory. Then, we will cheer for our team for the remainder of the season, possibly (still) to a Big East Victory. ………

What will you do?

GO BULLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jose]

USF = JUCO

[Bull Daly]

And until the SEC has the guts to schedule a game at USF, shut your mouths. You have not earned your right to talk smack with USF.

[Bull Daly]

Who cares about the mythical national championship in college football. It is all about winning your BCS bowl games for your conferences. I remember when BIG EAST's WVU beat SEC's UGA in Sugar Bowl a few years ago. Heck, USF went into Auburn last season and beat them in their own house. Guess what, SEC teams are afraid to play at USF, so I have no respect until they can come down here and beat us like USF went on the road and beat Auburn. I give the BIG 12 respect because they at least had Kansas visit USF. SEC is a good conference, but they are not that great.

[SHG]

Oh man, was that great. All the empty seats were my favorite thing early. The Glaziers put your logo on the field, but you still can't fill the stadium. And you're ranked #10 and starting conference play?!?! What a joke. Oh, wow, I'm still so happy to see you snot nosed thug fans so pissed. I know I'm being a bit low class here, but you should know all about that, huh?
May you continue to fall like a rock to the bottom of the NCAA.

PS Did you see ESPN ranked the AP top 25 by APR (academic standings)? Where was USF? DEAD LAST.....Idiots. It showed last night with all the undisciplined penalties. boneheads!!!

[Ken]

Time of possession was 36-24. Pretty tough on the defense with that ratio.

I guess this sort of thing must happen on the other teams' blogs, with USF fans showing up there to do all this sort of crappy trash? And this is just payback? Still, I wish they'd all go away, and leave us alone.

[wes]

Give cerdit where it is due.
Pitt just knocked the snott out of USF.
Sometimes the better players win.
Pitt is loaded and has underperformed.
That is the only reason people are talking upset today.

[Justin]

Still a Bulls fan, Always a Bulls fan...

but damn, we needed the D to stand up last night, and they sat on the bech w/ their heads down. I don't want to see that ever again.

for once I have to agree with the SEC people flooding this blog... USF fans are awful and as fairweather as they come

[Grothe]

Terry Lucas-Didn't your mama ever teach you manners? Actions speak louder than your weak words. I'm glad your miserable. Ha ha

Let me get this straight, USF fan is accusing the SEC of being overated. You mean because the last two national champions LSU and UF are from the SEC. You USF fans are such idiots and know nothing about football. By the way, we don't play Mississippi State, we played Ole Miss and got beat last week. We play real teams like LSU and Georgia. Enjoy being mediocre in a horrible conference.

[Chris]

To Steve O'Neal, Rob Ritter(Do you think anyone really cares if you are a doctor? PHd. in what?? Idiocy??),Mike Lakeland, BullBard, Don Corlene, Norb, Falko, and all you other Kool-Aid drinking trash talking regulars...time to EAT CROW!! How does it taste by the way...for the second year in a row no less!! Pretty nasty i would imagine. Time to put down the plastic cups, take off the rose colored glasses, pull your heads out of the sand, wake up and smell the coffe beans and realize what practically everyone else in college football has long ago. USF is not what they think they are....especially after being over-hyped and falling flat on their faces on national T.V.(love that it was on a Thurs..no other games for FB junkies to be distracted by!!) for the second year in a row!!! Classic!! That would have qualified for one of the biggest chokes all time if not for the fact that last year's tailspin would be hard to match anyway. Not to mention the creampuff schedule USF plays should automatically prevent any game they lose being called an upset. #211 ranked Stoney Brook College of the Blind called to say they are licking their chops. Oh and Ryan, what Non Conference powerhouses does USF have on its schedule?? Kansas??? Please..lol...they'll be embarrassed by the first REAL football team they play so don't worry...you USF junkies won't be alone as the laughing stock of the Top 25 for long...people will forget about you soon enough...just like last year. The way you guys defend the run, i easily see losses to Louiville, UConn, oh and lets not forget that run happy offense of WVU waiting for you at the end of the year. And then there's that road game at Cincy too..hmm...8-4 i think if you're lucky...the Meineke Car Care Bowl awaits. Maybe you'll get your wish and get to face Miami earlier than expected...that would be interesting. As a fan of football i would tell Mompremier to not risk coming back for this team....its not going to be worth the embarrassment and heartbreak. Maybe USF fans should take a step back off their high horses and realize that they haven't WON ANYTHING yet, had a few nuce upsets sure, snuck up on a few teams...but now teams that are equally big underdogs are exposing you...only USF doesn't have the long proud tradition of football winning that most schools do so good luck winning back the trust of the ratings pollsters...maybe they'll wait till you've actually won the Big LEast conference before they give you credit again. Better hope WVU and Louisville don't restock too quickly!! It was my birthday yesterday and USF gave me the best possible present..THANKS FOR COMING THOUGH IN THE CLUTCH!!

[Junior]

Oh, one more thing: NEWSFLASH to coaching staff: Whether you like it or not, Matt Grothe is NOT a pocket quarterback! You guys just can't seem to get that fact through your thick skulls!! Let Grothe be Grothe and watch the scoreboard light up. Un-friggin-believable. P.S. still do and will always love the Bulls, win or lose.

[Junior]

Un-friggin-believable! DB Roberts, stunk up the field so bad, I still cant get the smell out of my authentic Bulls #8 replica jersey! As I've said in past posts; hideous coaching, undisciplined thugs trying to play big-time football. I predict a plummet to #23 in the polls.

[The Pitt Panthers]

Yo USF, tell me ...
HOW'S MY A S S TASTE???

Let's look at it this way, basically, we really had no offense in the first 1/2. When you keep any defense out there that long, its bad news. But its a loss and it's early, if we use the bye week time to get well, and work on offensive issues, I think we can still run the table. The most disgusting thing about last night was the inability for the recievers to get open fast, please.

BUT, no team in the BE is going to go undefeated in BE play. WVU gets Pitt at home this year and will want revenge, not to mention the BE season really has just begun.

We appear to have a game like this in Tampa yearly where we self destruct (RU in 06, Cincy in '07 & last night). In all of these games we couldn't hold the lead. However we play much better afterwards. In '06, we beat Uconn & NC afterwards and last year after the Cincy game, we won the last 3.

hermann being hurt is not doing good things for our pocket protection, thank god he will be back by syracuse

go bulls

[Falko]

Glad that some of the pressure of going undefeated is gone. USF needs to regroup and prepare for the road games coming up. The Big East Championship is still in sight (PITT will lose 2 games). GO BULLS!

Jose, UTEP destroyed your school. Go away.

[Norb]

One game doesn't make a season, I do believe that 16 days until USF plays again will definitely help players recover & rejuvenate the team. I confess that I was sipping the Kool-Aid last year but this year only looking 1 game at at time (not thinking NC game nor BE title).

Last year the run defense was horrible, I do believe USF is doing a much better job this year. Issue last night was that defense was on the field basically the whole game. Grothe has also been playing much better this year, I was just bewildered as to where his accuracy went that whole 1st half, passes just seemed to be completely off.

[DELdaBULL]

McKensie was everywhere. Too bad he was the only one who could make a tackle for us.

GA,
How many tackles did McKillop have?

You know you've arrived as a program when all of the haters come out of the closet.

[mm]

Hey Ryan look at the the last couple BCS Championships. That's how you know how good the SEC is.

As for the rest of you loud mouth bandwagon Bulls fans. How did that medicine taste? The mustache put it on you again!

[Blake]

First of all, a fan can be critical of how his team plays and still be a fan. Although, those who are jumping ship can stay off when we come back after this game. It was the worst we've played in awhile. The defense did not play well. Another strong powerful running back ran all over us, which leads me to believe that the UCONN game will be very difficult for us. Also, while its a little understandable with all of the injuries on the D-line, we got very little pressure on the QB, which didn't help out the DB's at all. Once again, Jerome Murphy still needs to learn how to wrap up, and the Pitt offense really saw something they liked in having Tyler Roberts one-on-one with a receiver. Our coaching staff needs to learn how to make adjustments for these types of offenses.

Hats off to the punt-block/return unit, I thought overall they did well, they just need to replace Edwards back at returner. He can't cut it. I think they ought to give Daniel Bryant a look back there, or put Theo Wilson back out there when he is healthy. I was also glad to see that Leavitt pulled Johnson off kick-returns during the game, he hasn't shown us any kind of explosiveness this year.

I honestly feel bad for Matt Grothe. The guy seems to do everything he possibly can out there, but that is very little when he has a bad combination of no one getting open and not getting any protection from this O-line. Oh, and I can't forget Gregory. When a unit plays this poorly as a whole, the blame definitely lies with the coach. The coaching staff, especially Gregory and Burnahm, really hurt us this game.

I know we still have the talent to win the Big East. Hopefully we can turn things around and play up to our capability from this point on.

GO BULLS!

[phil l]

"This is what we get paid for". I guess they really don't get paid then, do they? They couldn't stop a 90 year old in a wheelchair last nite on those up the middle runs. Somebody just fall down in the middle and let the running back trip over you at least!

[Terry Lucas]

Fu*k off Gator fan. You pi$$ed away a game against MSU just as quickly as we did Pitt. You bought into the Tebow koolaid as well.

When our coaches realize Mike Ford is the best back to walk on campus to date, then our program will move forward after they scheme properly with him. However, playing five running backs a game is not getting it done when you need it most.

[Rueben Horowitz]

It's not right to blame Roberts. Dude was left on an island with a big WR, and Pitt intentionally threw short to draw penalties. Smart but sleazy imo. Feels a lot like the Rutgers loss.

"I told the defense when we went out there: This is what we get paid for," said linebacker Tyrone McKenzie.

Who's paying Tyrone?

[RR]

If we don't win the Big East this season, we need to go back to Conference USA.

Are you kidding me?? Along with maybe the PAC-10, the Big East is far and away the weakest BCS conference this season.

If the Bulls can't win the conference this season, I have my doubts they ever will....under this coaching regime.

[Ryan]

Yeah the gators play ole miss and a mississippi state team that lost to Louisiana Lafayette. And an Auburn team that beat MSU 3-2. USF blew donkey nuts last night, but the SEC is vastly overrated. They don't play big out of conference games, and I know the usual answer is they have to play other SEC teams, but how do we know how good they really are, when they only play themselves.

[Dan]

Somethings I just dont understand. 1. the play calling still sucks. Gregory, you have to go. 2. Where was Mike Ford all game? Why did he only get a few touches in the first half? This was a conferece game, and he should of been in there from the start. You saw what he could do in the second half but by then, it was to late. He needs more touches, plain and simple. 3. The D is still getting beat down field. The first TD by Pitt made me want to puke. It looked like NC State all over again, and the tackleing was pathetic. USF's D looked scared, mostly the secondary in wanting to tackle McCoy. Pitt played well, I give them credit, but wow we still have a long way to go if were going to win the BE. Good luck Bulls.

Markos-Funny how Karma works isn't it? Ole Miss would beat you too. People like you are why I don't like USF. You guys have a little success and start talking trash about the Gators. You haven't won any championships. I respect USF fans who are good sports and simply just support their team, but you and many other USF fans are nothing but obnoxious punks. I'm glad you lost as I live in the Tampa Bay area and don't want to hear idiots like you beat their chest anymore. The good thing for the Gators is voters tend to forget losses in September. However, USF lost their chance as they don't play anybody the rest of the season. West Virginia, Rutgers and Connecticut? Please. The Gators play real teams.

[Ryan]

recovers a fumble

[Ryan]

Game tied 7-7, Ford runs to the 2, but theres a holding penalty, 2 plays later a blocked field goal, then amazingly the d recovers a field goal and gives it back to us. Yet we go 3 and out and fake a field goal on 4th and 3. Awful turn of events. If you don't have faith in the kicking game and you want to go for it on 4th and 3, then just send out the offense instead of running a stupid fake field goal play.

They just dropped another flag for pass interference.

[phil l]

Painful to watch. When they gave the ball back in the first quarter on the roughing the punter penalty, I turned to my wife and said,"this is going to be an ugly night"!.
The kickoff out of bounds sealed the deal!