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USF extra points

By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 8, 2002

SCOUTING REPORT

Memphis (2-7, 1-5 in Conference USA) had high expectations this season but has lost five straight and will incur its eighth straight losing record. The Tigers have undercut themselves with a massive minus-13 turnover deficit. They have committed 29 turnovers and forced 16.

Among Memphis' top athletes are a trio of tall, productive receivers: Travis Anglin (6 feet 4), Tavares Gideon (6-3) and Antoine Harden (6-2). Anglin, who played quarterback in Memphis' 17-9 win over USF last season, has 41 catches for 563 yards, Gideon has 34 for 394 yards and Harden has been the deep threat with 29 catches for 496 yards (19.1 average).

Sophomore quarterback Danny Wimprine, who took over for Anglin in the middle of last season, has completed 169 of 311 passes (54.3 percent) for 2,126 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He already is the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes with 32. Heralded true freshman DeAngelo Williams averages 6.4 yards a carry (511 yards on 80 attempts) and is a dangerous kick returner.

The defense has been hurt by the loss of star linebacker Greg Harper to injury and is allowing 374 yards a game, 203.3 on the ground (USF allows 94.5). Safety/linebacker Derrick Ballard leads with 77 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions.

OFFBEAT

For the second straight year, USF is confounding the "experts." Last season, the Bulls' inaugural Division I-A campaign, they were picked to be the worst or second-worst team by most publications among the 117 I-A teams. USF finished 8-3, and most computer rankings placed the Bulls between No. 55 and 75.

They're exceeding expectations again in 2002. USF was lightly regarded by preseason prognosticators despite having most of its starting lineup returning. Among the noteworthy underestimaters was The Sporting News, which rated the Bulls No. 91.

Wrong again -- way wrong. Among those TSN placed ahead of 6-2 USF were SMU (No. 79, 1-9 record), Kansas (No. 87, 2-8) and Rutgers (No. 88, 1-8).

USF has left those teams in the dust. According to collegebcs.com, a site which mimics the formula used to determine the BCS rankings, USF is No. 36 in the BCS. Among the seven computers used by the BCS, USF's composite ranking is No. 30, with a high of No. 24 in the Colley rankings.

Other computers like the Bulls, too. A Web site that takes an average of more than 50 computers and polls has USF rated No. 35, with a high of No. 15 on DPDwiggins College Football Rankings (www.people.memphis.edu/ddwiggns/ncaa/dpd.htm) and a low of No. 62 (www.geocities.com/kambour/football.html).

Those impressive figures should help the Bulls in the coming weeks as the bowls start determining which teams to invite. Fortunately for USF, preseason predictions are not a factor in bowl selections.

PLAYER PROFILE: TERRENCE ROYAL

Royal grew an inch and packed on 30 pounds of muscle through diligent weight training, transforming himself from an undersized to a ready-made Division I-A linebacker. The extra bulk had little effect on his speed, and the enlarged 6-3, 240-pound Royal was the revelation of spring practice while playing middle linebacker and defensive end. Coach Jim Leavitt said the Bulls had to find a way to get him on the field.

One problem: USF is stocked at his positions, with stars at middle linebacker (Kawika Mitchell) and defensive ends (Chris Daley and Shurron Pierson). The coaches opted to put Royal at end this fall, and he was so impressive he forged his way into a rotation with Pierson at right end, even though Pierson, a junior, was coming off a school-record 10-sack season.

Royal started Saturday's 56-6 win over Charleston Southern and had the best game of his career, leading USF with seven tackles, three for loss and a sack, the first of his career. On the season, he has 24 tackles, eight for loss and three passes defensed.

QUOTABLE

"It's going to be a state-of-the-art facility. We visited other facilities around the nation. We don't want to be behind anyone. What we're building is for the future. Coach Leavitt has said this to us so often, he said, "If you're building something too small, don't even start it, don't even bother.' We have to build for what we will be when we will be the lead team in all of Florida and all of the nation. Right? Right. That's the mantra that we have throughout the university in every way." -- JUDY GENSHAFT, South Florida president, at Wednesday's unveiling of the architectural plans for the 103,000-square-foot athletic facility, which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2004 at a cost of about $18-million.

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