Bulls look to avenge blowout loss

South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt vividly remembers the beating his team took from the… South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt vividly remembers the beating his team took from the Panthers in last year’s regular season finale. Needless to say, his team readily awaits a rematch with the Panthers.

“You never like to get whipped on like that,” Leavitt said on GoBulls.usf.edu. “They beat us pretty good. A new year is a new year though, different people and different players.”

After dominating one ranked opponent and playing two others competitively, the 2005 Bulls have already proven that they are not your typical South Florida football team.

“We’re 3-2, and our guys have played hard,” Leavitt said. “The rest of our games are Big East games, and they are going to be a barn burner. It is important to not get ahead of yourself and to focus on Pitt.”

For the second-consecutive week, Pitt faces a new member of the Big East Conference in South Florida. Although Saturday’s game at Heinz Field marks the first in a string of Big East Games for the Bulls, it was their first conference game of the season that was most impressive.

On September 24th, the Bulls hosted the Louisville Cardinals, the team widely favored to win the Big East Championship. The Bulls proved their worth in that game as they annihilated the then-No. 8-ranked Cardinals, 45-14. In fact, the only two losses the Bulls have suffered this season were to the AP’s current seventh- and eighth-ranked teams, Miami and Penn State.

In their first visit to Heinz Field (2001), the Bulls similarly upset a highly favored Pitt team, 35-26, and are 1-1 all-time versus the Panthers. Since that season, South Florida has compiled a 31-18 record (.633.). An independent before 2004, the Bulls spent a year in Conference USA before their switch to the Big East.

The 2005 Bulls barely resemble the team that lost at home to the Panthers 43-14 on Dec. 4 of last year. In that game, Tyler Palko threw 28 times for 411 yards and five touchdowns. His primary target, Greg Lee, also came up big with eight catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns in the victory that clinched a Fiesta Bowl berth for the Panthers.

Pitt is fresh off their first Big East victory of the season, a 38-20 triumph over Cincinnati. In that game, the Panthers welcomed back from injury place-kicker Josh Cummings, who connected on field goals of 27, 39 and 45 yards and all three of his extra-point attempts, and freshman running back Rashad Jennings, who achieved the first 100-yard rushing game of his career and Pitt’s first of the season. The game also featured great special teams play, notably Darrelle Revis’ 79-yard punt return for a touchdown and freshman Adam Gunn’s blocked punt, which gave Pitt possession at the Bearcats’ six.

USF had its bye last week, leaving their players and coaches more than ready to get back on the field.

“I’m excited and anxious to play,” Leavitt said. “I’m not a guy who likes to sit around much. I’m anxious to see if we can compete with Pitt.”

The Bulls last played on Oct. 1, in a 27-7 loss at Miami. The game was a sloppy one for both teams, who combined to commit nine turnovers, with South Florida having all five of its giveaways before halftime. The Bulls finished with a season-low 174 total yards, more than half of them coming in the fourth quarter with the outcome long decided. Their top offensive weapon, running back Andre Hall – who came in averaging 117 yards per game – managed just 53 yards on 19 carries in the loss. Despite his sub par performance in that game, Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt is well aware of Hall’s game-breaking abilities.

“He’s awfully talented,” Wannstedt said on PittsburghPanthers.com “The thing they’re doing best at this point is running the ball. It’s a credit obviously to Hall.”

In five games, Hall has 103 rushing attempts for 537 yards and six touchdowns. He has helped South Florida outscore its opponents 133-81. Stopping Hall will be the defense’s main challenge, especially considering the number of missed tackles the Panthers had against Cincinnati last week.

“We’ve got to work on our tackling,” Wannstedt said. “That was a little bit disappointing. Cincinnati had over 300 yards in [total] offense and there was close to over 100 yards in missed tackles.”

The missed tackles may have disappointed the coach, but he was pleased with the four sacks registered against the Bearcats.

“The sacks last week, they came without blitzing. That’s where a lot of your turnovers will come. We’re making progress.”

The 17 players on the Pitt roster from the Sunshine State will likely be facing some of their childhood friends when they take the field on Saturday. South Florida’s admission into the Big East could hurt the Panthers’ strong recruiting ties to the state, but coach Wannstedt feels that it will actually prove to be beneficial.

“I think it’s a positive for us because we can walk down there and tell the kids in Florida, ‘Hey, you’re going to be coming home to play every other year. We’re going to be playing South Florida.’ I think it’s a positive for us in recruiting.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. The Panthers go into the game having won 19 of their last 26 Big East games (.731), dating back to a 33-7 victory over Temple on Oct. 27, 2001.