Kevin Verpaele compares it to having a second family. As a husband and father of two, he should know.
Verpaele's alternate family is the South Florida football program. But not for long. Saturday at Raymond James Stadium vs. UAB, Verpaele will be among 14 seniors to play their final home game.
"The friendships and the bonds you develop over five (seasons), it's something that's irreplaceable," said Verpaele, a fifth-year senior safety from Merritt Island. "These are people I've pretty much spent every day with over the last five seasons, as much if not more time than with my wife and kids.
"I don't think people outside of football understand how close we are. These are guys you fight with, you bleed with, you cry with."
With so much at stake Saturday - USF must win to keep alive its hopes for its first bowl appearance - the seniors will battle emotions to stay focused. They will be introduced individually before the game and greet family and/or friends on the field.
Verpaele and linebacker Courtney Davenport, a fifth-year senior from Quincy, don't think staying focused will be a problem.
"It's going to be a special moment, but right now I'm thinking about beating UAB," Davenport said. "It's going to hit me sooner or later, it's going to be emotional when it hits me. It's a good thing for my parents to see, but I haven't given it much thought because I'm so caught up in the season. On game day I'm real focused. Probably after the game I'll start reflecting. Or after (the Nov. 29 season finale at Memphis)."
Verpaele is accustomed to thinking about his family before kickoff, so he expects the pregame ceremony to be routine.
"Before the game I don't even think about the game itself because I'll get too excited. I usually listen to some Lizzie McGuire because it reminds me of my daughters and it relaxes me," Verpaele said. "But my wife (Kathleen) told she was going to cry."
Receiver Elgin Hicks of Port Charlotte, who transferred to USF after a season at Florida, said he hopes to channel the emotions into his performance.
"You know senior night's going to come, you know the last home game is going to come. It will be really emotional," said Hicks, who tallied all seven of his career touchdown receptions this season. "I'll be thinking about every home game we've won in Raymond James, the summers, the hard summer workouts, all the hard work and all of the struggles I've gone through to get to this point."
The seniors leave an impressive legacy. USF is 30-12 the past four seasons and 23-1 at home during a period of stunning development. The Bulls were a Division I-AA team in 2000 when most of the seniors first took the field. Last season USF went 9-2 and was ranked No. 23 in the final BCS standings. This season the Bulls likely will go to their first bowl if they beat UAB and Memphis.
"It's sad in a way, but it's exciting," Verpaele said. "The program's getting ready to take the next step."
The seniors: Vince Brewer, Quinton Callum, Casey Cobb, Davenport, DeJuan Green, Ron Hemingway, Hicks, Chris Iskra, Julian Johnson, Maurice Jones, Jason Lehman, J.R. Reed, Verpaele and Huey Whittaker. (Lee Roy Selmon Jr. and Cedric Battles expect to be awarded an additional season of eligibility and chose not to be introduced.) CRUNCH TIME: The perennially powerful volleyball team has endured a sub-par season, but the Bulls might be peaking at the right time. USF, the defending C-USA champ, defeated No. 20 Cincinnati at home Saturday, handing the Bearcats their lone C-USA defeat and earning USF (12-19, 6-7) the No. 9 seed in the league tournament. The Bulls face No. 8-seeded Houston on Friday in New Orleans; the winner faces top seed Cincinnati on Saturday.
- Pete Young covers USF sports. He can be reached at 813 226-3346 or via e-mail at young@sptimes.com
