Tampa, Florida					Thursday, September 09, 2010

South Florida Takes Giant Step in College Football
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
TAMPA—Maybe they should have torn the goalposts down this weekend past. No, not the Tampa Bay Bucs, who also claim homestead tax exemption in topnotch Raymond James Stadium here. It is the up and coming South Florida Bulls, I mean, the goalposts at RJS, they didn’t tear down Saturday night, but had just earned the right on the field to do just that. The Bulls share the stadium with the NFL tenants who also had a celebrated win over the storied Green Bay Packers last Sunday, but in Lombardi Stadium in Green Bay, 17-16, the grinder Vince Lombardi would have appreciated, to advance to a heady 3-0. Maybe, at great risk, the winning Buccaneers Sunday, should have done that up there. The Bulls the night before here in RJS pulled off what most consider their biggest win ever, not only because of the ninth national ranking position of their victim, but the manner and the margin of it, over college football’s darling—the University of Louisville, then undefeated. Louisville was an overwhelming favorite, had thumped USF in Louisville a year ago. It was going to be a romp for these Cardinals this time, too, for some had suggested might be in the national champion ship race. The Bulls’ Jim Leavitt has coached all of their football lives, 10 seasons, with methodical progress, and offense, but nonetheless with progress, was quietly optimistic. By Florida educational standards, USF is one of the newer major universities in Florida. These South Florida Bulls, represent a fine university now second only in enrollment (42,000) second in this state to the University of Florida, a surprise to many, are often confused with others of the cadre of big, big colleges in this exploding growth metropolis. And, the USF Bulls are located in the population/business/education/sports center Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater has become. An ambition, down the line, is to join the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles among the elite in the bigtime college ranks. They probably will, in time. But few thought they could beat redhot Louisville last Saturday, even at home, surely not by such a margin. The final: South Florida 45, Louisville 14. And it could have been 52-14. Leavitt called off the Bulls in scoring position, late. It was a landmark win for the Floridians. It was horrific for the ex-No. 9 ranked Louisville. The 4-1 Bulls got a share of first place (1-0) in the Big East, Louisville got written off the national title candidates’ list. USF’s only loss was at Penn State. That one was close. South Florida had its chances there, too. It was more than a landmark win for South Florida. “It was our biggest, ever,’’ said John Gertis for USF. Until now, it was Pittsburgh during our 9-2 season in 2001. It was Leavitt agrees, but it won’t be, he knows, as big as an upset at Miami this weekend ahead could be. Miami “may be the best in the country,’’ Leavitt said. His schedule is plenty tough, including a trips to Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Syracuse in Tampa, as well as Rutgers, Syracuse and Cincinnati. “They (Louisville) were good,’’	Leavitt said. “I told our team that, in preparing for the game. But, I told them we’re pretty good, too. I told the team that they had plenty of talent, too, and I wanted them to know that. I told them they could win, and it would be no fluke.’’ Well, it surely wasn’t. And yet, quarterback Pat Julmiste passed a USF record low nine times, for 93 yards, while stud running back Andre Hall was declared the ESPN game star with 93 hard yards on 22 carries, and a touchdown by passing, on a reverse, 19 yards to tight end Derek Carter. Leavitt allowed his offensive coordinator to go to the trick bag in this one-end arounds, reverses, the works, not always in the game plan. But, Leavitt noted the Bulls also stuck with the running game as foremost. So, Leavitt and Tampa Bay have themselves a solid college football team this year to go with its Bucs of the NFL and its Stanley Cup defending champions of the National Hockey League, the Lightning, who open Oct. 5 and are stocked again for a title run. So, the choice of Leavitt in the beginning seems now more solid than ever, and his decision not to seek another head coaching at a bigger, more established program seems now to have been the right one. “I love it. I love the place. I love the people here. I love the school. The presidents. Boards, alumni, press, have been good to me. I said when I came about a dozen years ago. “Our recruiting has gone well and we seem to be on schedule,’’ the even-handed, no nonsense coach said. He is not easily ruffled, even if in the eye of activity. He was in the college coaching hunt forefront a few years back when Alabama sent people after him. He had just committed to a new contract at USF. Asked, I said if he had committed, he would not break his word. He did not. And he still has no regrets. He must like it. “Well, so I have made it through three presidents (Betty Castor hired him), three different logos, and three athletic directors (Paul Griffin, Lee Roy Selmon and Doug Woolard) and three basketball coaches, Bobby Paschal, Seth Greenberg and now Richard McCullom), and that’s something, I guess.’’ As is his careful building of the football program and relationship with boosters and alumni. Asking not to forget them, “including the great Mr. Ed Rood,’’ who gave the first a million dollars to crank it all up, who was a financial supporter of golf and basketball as well, and of his own college, Florida. You know better than most how they were, and in retirement, is Dick Bowers, the longtime athletic director out here and friend of Mr. Rood and Mr. Pepin, and former presidents Castor, Cecil Mackey, John Lott Brown, Frank Borkowski, Bob Bryan (interim), Carl Riggs (interim), now President July Genshaft.’’ “Too many have forgotten and those who lobbied all the earlier years to get football at USF, some (like Bowers) in the face of stiff official opposition. “Aren’t you glad you lobbied, too?’’ Absolutely, coach, especially after your victory this weekend past and promise to stick around. “Let’s see,’’ said Coach Leavitt, “I was 39 when I came here. I am 49. I expect, I hope to be here when I am 59.’’ ##
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