Old friends reunite as Bulls host West Virginia

Best storyline I could find for Friday night's USF game against No. 20 West Virginia was Bulls cornerback Quenton Washington and West Virginia running back Noel Devine, who were as close as brothers in North Fort Myers before going their separate ways for college.

Devine remembers meeting Washington on the first day of school when he was 12 years old, and they've never gone up against each other until Friday night. (Washington played on special teams last year against West Virginia and Devine last season, but this is their first time facing each other as starters.)

I want to thank The News-Press in Fort Myers for sharing a great picture of Devine and Washington celebrating during their careers at North Fort Myers. The picture shown here is from News-Press photographer John David Emmett.

Here's our scouting report, which notes that USF has never played three consecutive ranked opponents in its history, let alone three in a span of 16 days. Before this season, USF hadn't faced more than three ranked opponents in an entire season, but now they've done it in a single month (October, no less).

Still lots of links and notes, so keep checking back in the next 24 hours, and don't forget our live blog during the game Friday night.

(Photo by John David Emmett of the News-Press)

-- USF women's soccer extended a strong season for another two days, getting a goal from sophomore Chelsea Klotz in the 84th minute -- that's six from the end -- to pull out a clutch 1-0 home win over DePaul in the opening round of the Big East tournament. USF advances to the quarterfinals and will play at Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon. That won't be easy, as Notre Dame went 10-0-1 in Big East play in the regular season. The Bulls didn't play the Irish this season, but lost 3-0 at Notre Dame last year.

Comments

[USFshould be 1-AA]

I can't wait to see U Suck Forever get their butt whipped again tonight to another so-so D-1 school.

Florida, FSU, Miami, who............?

Maybe you can put up a billboard that says: We've lost 3 in a row, but we did beat Western Kentucky in a close game!

[Jack Wise]

Spread Offense solutions:
Use one RB
Use the TE to open the field for WRs
Defense solutions:
Take guys out immediately that get offside penalties, chew their butt out for a few minutes, put them back in..if they do it again, sit them out the rest of the game...don't take the out that there is no back up, etc. Use a midget at nose if you have to...
DEs are allowed to play run defense and not pass russ only
Any personal foul penalties get the player off the field
Don't show loyalty to seniors
Is this rocket science? Ugh...
They still are our Bulls though...
GO USF BULLS!

[Jupiter Bull]

Richard Todd, I've seen every USF game this year, live or on TV. Almost every WVU game, too (my wife is a WVU die hard). We're going to our 5th straight USF-WVU game (thank God, no snow this year!).

Lewis is awesome, and shiftier. But you put the two of them next to each other, with weights or in football drills, and I promise you Devine is stronger. I didn't Lewis run anyone over (maybe I missed it?), but Devine can run around or thru you. He single handedly won the UConn game for WVU, when everyone knew he would carry, and he can for @ 170 yrds. Take away Lewis's 40+ yrd run, and Lewis has a good, but not "wow" game. Devine got 90 on 17 in the snow last year.

We'll see on the field...and I hope our D line hit him and we spread & stay disciplined on the read options...or we'll get shredded.

Honestly, I don't know if I'm more worried about our D or O...which I haven't felt in years.

[N33X]

I witnessed the same thing RT. I was looking for short passes so that our athletes would have open field play on the outside for short (+-5 yard) gains to counter that packed secondary.

Avoid Strength, Attack Weakness: Striking Where the Enemy is Most Vulnerable ~ Sun Tsu, "The art of war"

It was difficult watching almost every play go into the teeth of the defense. I just have to believe that they will work it out for a big win tonight. Go Bulls!

[Richard Todd]

Jupiter - only in his dreams is Devine stronger then Lewis -no comparrison.
Did you watch the Pitt game ?

David - Pitt used a 3 man rush and put 8 in the secondary. Why do you think BJ had sooo much time. Unless we had Brett Farve throwing the ball not much chance.

[Turd Ferguson]

I'm upset that we lost these last two games, and I'll be even more upset if we drop to WVU, but I don't think any of those losses warrants the pressing of the panic button.

Posted by: utahdog | October 30, 2009 at 10:04 AM

---------

Good golly, Miss Molly.

You apologists always try to act like we're freaking out just over the last loss or two. Yes, there are a handful of new people onboard who have just recently realized Leavitt can't get the job done. But most of us have been reading this pattern and bemoaning it for two or three seasons now.

So give the whole "you think it's the end of the world" and "stop panicking" thing a rest, if you kindly would please.

2-5 in a crappy Big East conference last season woke a lot of people up to reality.

[N33X]

i will be there with my family.

I will be watching for this guys ... when our defensive player has a receiver cross through his zone and he has to "hand him off". The man vs. zone thing is fun to watch ... because there are issues there. I will also be watching how we handle the out routes after a slant or run in the middle. Everyone knows the mid range out route is the tampa-2 (high low coverage schemes)killer.

I know we have the athletes with the closeout speed to handle it. So I hope we may see their run game reduced to about 2 to 3 yards per carry. Call me crazy but if their running game is slowed to that extent because of the coverage in the mid-field, I think this will win us the game. Go Bulls!

[Jupiter Bull]

Devine is stronger than Lewis...maybe faster, too. He seems to be hitting the north/south hole faster now, so he may have his bet game v. USF today.

We need to hit Brown early & often.

[Bill B.]

The WV fans will only make noise if WV is scoring. If USF is scoring the WV fans will just sit and enjoy the warm weather. It is up to the team to keep the WV fans from making noise.

[David Weber]

The last paragraph should read "I'm saying this right now." I'm not big on proof-reading (or math!).

[David Weber]

Devine is the type of back we can slow down and hold to about 4 YPC. It's the stronger guys like Stewart, Rice, McCoy, and now Lewis that eat us alive.

Tresey figured out WVU last year, and we have personnel that has slowed WVU done for three years in a row. WVU doesn't have the type of physical offensive line that Pitt and Rutgers have- the type that destroys our smallish d-line, so we can out-finesse them and hit Devine early.

Or, we can just give up and essentially forfeit the game in the first quarter like we did at Pitt.

I'm saying this right- Mike Canales' job should depend on this game. If we lose three games in a row with terrible offensive production, mainly due to terrible play-calling, then it shouldn't matter who we played against. If we're trying to win the Big East, three ranked teams in a row is no excuse for losses. We need to beat those teams, and Canales hasn't done a thing right since the first half of the Syracuse game. He had one nice call in the Pitt game- the deep throw against the worst secondary in the conference, and for some reason, it's like he didn't want to hurt Pitt's feelings, so he went right back to running it. It's absurd. If he screws this game up against a good, but not great, defense, then he needs to be gone at the end of the year.

[DELdaBULL]

Devine is a handful!

[DELdaBULL]

We need to win this game!

[Done with the Jim]

Are you saying that USF has gotten the same quality of players as the top level more established BCS schools have over the past three or four years?

Posted by: Steve O'Neal | October 30, 2009 at 10:14 AM

------------

Absolutely not! BTW, I think the problem is that we don't have the same quality coaching as the teams who have had better success in the BE.

[Jupiter Bull]

The diffence in the crowd tonite, as opposed to Cinci, will likely be ratio. The last two games I've been to in RayJay v WVU showed a HUGE amount of WVU. They are the best travelling fans in the BEast, and if we only have 55k in the stands, I'd bet 12-15k are WVU fans.

We need to remember the FSU, and not let that happen to us. The 12k fans at Doak Campbell made more noise than the 70k FSU fans most of the game. WVU fans will make noise...we need to make even more, to make it hard for Jarrett Brown to change plays at the line. GO BULLS!

[G.A.]

We write this a lot, but playing as a true freshman is often more about circumstance than talent.

Matt Grothe didn't play as a true freshman. George Selvie didn't, Trae Williams didn't, Ben Moffitt didn't. Lots of good players don't play as true freshmen. Again, there's an instinct to judge a recruiting class far sooner than it should be judged ...

[G.A.]

Wildcat Bull, USF hasn't given any recent figures, but I'd expect a crowd in the mid-50s -- like 55,000 or so. Not as strong as Cincinnati, but a good crowd.

[Steve O'Neal]

No it didn't hurt those programs because they were getting the top ranked BETTER players. Are you saying that USF has gotten the same quality of players as the top level more established BCS schools have over the past three or four years?

[Cat]

Yep, someone mentioned VA Tech lost...is it the start of upset weekend? Come on Bulls, lets do our part to continue the upsets! Beat those 'eers!

[utahdog]

1) Not true...the talent has been there for the last three seasons. Certainly talent enough to NOT finish 2-5 in the conference as we did last year.

Posted by: Turd
--------------------
No, Turd. It is true. Not until last year did we see a marked improvement in the quality of our recruits. Not just JUCO guys, but true freshman like RG. Take a look at the last 3 years of Pitt and the last 3 of USF. There's quite a difference. USF is getting better and better players for sure...but so are most Big East programs...

Remember, the other Big East teams are moving forward too... as we improve, so do they. Each one of the 6 or so top programs all get to use the same argument to attract recruits... that they are the team that sees itself positioned for conference domination. Winning a Big East championship will be harder than people think. It is a moving targert.

I'm upset that we lost these last two games, and I'll be even more upset if we drop to WVU, but I don't think any of those losses warrants the pressing of the panic button. All things considered...the program is on better ground than ever before.

Still...all that said...When BJ fakes to the RB, whoever it may be, I'd like to see the RB actually get the ball sometime. The whole 'fake' part works better if there's actually a question about which of the two players has the ball... He's young though. It'll come.

[Done with the Jim]

Did not getting those overlooked players hurt those programs?

Selvie was "overlooked", how would you rate his performance in the BEast this year?

[Steve O'Neal]

I didn't say whether CJL was doing a good job as a coach, just that USF has not been getting the same level of talented players as the more established and more successful programs.

[Done with the Jim]

Correction...delete "done"

[Steve O'Neal]

Rankings are subjective and not always exact, but the consistently successful teams have the consistently higher ranked recruiting classes. The better the recruiting year after year and the better talent level you have throughout the entire team. I'll be there tonight. GOOOOOOOOO BULLS!!

[Done with the Jim]

CJL has done a good job of getting some talent that was overlooked by other programs.

Posted by: Steve O'Neal | October 30, 2009 at 09:17 AM

------------

It's what you do with the talent you recruit that matters. CJL hasn't done fared very well in that department in the past few years.

[Done with the Jim]

"Any idea on the attendance for tonight's game vs. WVA? Thx."

Posted by: WildcatBull | October 30, 2009 at 09:03 AM

-----------

The real question is, will the Bulls show up.

[Done with the Jim]

Wade. Do you know the difference between fighting back and losing by 3 points and a 41-10 azz whoopin?

[Jupiter Bull]

I'm becoming less enamored with Recruiting rankings. Some of us highest rated players that got us our top class didn't play this year (or even qualify). Looking back, some of our best players we poorly ranked. Some of highest rated guys never panned out. It's a guessing game (not completely, but high school success doesn't always translate).

Still, no question we've got a lot more young talent than I've even seen at USF...so I am encouraged. And torn. Do we give Leavitt more time to build on what he's finally gotten off the ground in terms of strong new influx of talent...or do we look for 3 more years of 7-5?

Those questions can wait...leaving for Tampla in a few hours. LET'S GO BULLS!

[Steve O'Neal]

There is some truth to Wade's comment. CJL has done a good job of getting some talent that was overlooked by other programs. Look at the rankings of our recruiting classes and until last year they weren't that impressive overall. The difference has been that unlike the more established programs there is a bigger talent drop off after the 1st string players at USF. That will change as they continue to get more of the top recruits to come to USF like this last recruiting class. GO BULLS!

[WildcatBull]

Greg,

Any idea on the attendance for tonight's game vs. WVA? Thx.

[Turd Ferguson]

Jim Leavitt is just now starting to get real recruits. Give it time.

Posted by: Wade | October 30, 2009 at 08:52 AM

---------

1) Not true...the talent has been there for the last three seasons. Certainly talent enough to NOT finish 2-5 in the conference as we did last year.

2) He's going to get his chance. The extension Woolard gave him will all but guarantee that he stays for at least a few more seasons. Let's see how he handles this talent. I have a feeling this same discussion will be occurring three years from now.

[Wade]

Va Tech lost, so they most be terrible as well. Don't forget, teams lose. No matter how good they are. It isn't indicative of the team as a whole. Cinci is a good team, we hung in there for a half, we just played bad against Pitt. It's gonna happen. Jim Leavitt is just now starting to get real recruits. Give it time.

[utahdog]

VT lost yesterday to an inferior team. They will never win a title. Fire Beamer.

[G.A.]

Didn't make it in the story, but Devine made it clear their friendship doesn't exist on the field during the game. Before and after, yes, but not Friday night ...

[Taurean]

Let's just hope their personal connection doesn't get in the way of winning the game.

If Quenton sees Devine coming fast off the edge, I wanna see Q slam him!

[pingbull]

haha, I would expect nothing less from you terd.

[Turd Ferguson]

I think PingBull may be schizophrenic.

[pingbull]

Dear god, can you guys ever just comment on the article? You all immediately bash the offense, blocking, etc (PlancharD?? nice one). Trust me, i'm not pleased with what i've seen, but this is a good, brief article about two high school friends reuniting and all you can talk about is what's discussed in EVERY OTHER POST ON THIS BLOG.

Great story Greg. Good luck to the Bulls tomorrow.

PS. I just reread the comments and they're not as bad as my first impression, but I've typed too much to change my mind. So booya. hehe

[werbito]

CJL haters, please point out how it is somehow the coaching staff's fault for having three top 25 teams scheduled.

[John K.]

Great picture!

[Jim]

Jupiter Bull, we have no blocking, I know that Ford can hammer them and I agree I would use Ford, Taylor/Planchard on the field at same time. But, our O-line has not gotten push in the last 2 games. BJ needs to run to keep them staying and watching him giving more 1-1 coverage.

[Jupiter Bull]

We CAN run on WVU with power, and can throw with play action pass. UConn did. We just haven't shown that capacity much.

The run game is key...wear down WVU, and keep our D on the sideline.

[Cat]

Will be rooting for the home team from Disney! Let's go Bulls!

[941]

If Bulls have no non-BJ running game, it will be a very long night.