J.R. Reed scores on defense and special teams and has three picks in front of his parents.
By DON WADE
Published November 30, 2003
MEMPHIS - He intercepted passes in triplicate. He recovered a fumble and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. He returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score.
Senior safety J.R. Reed's fabulous final day for USF left coach Jim Leavitt smiling, shaking his head and asking, "Has anybody had a game like that in the history of NCAA football?"
Certainly, no one has had a game such as this in the brief life of USF, not even Reed himself.
"That's the main man right there. I taught him everything he knows," fellow safety Kevin Verpaele said, joking.
In a macro sense, the Bulls defeated bowl-bound Memphis 21-16 on Saturday with defense and special teams. Memphis (8-4) committed seven turnovers, wiping out a 458-192 edge in yards.
At a micro level, Reed, who finished with a school-record 18 interceptions, was a one-man demolition crew.
"It was just a good day," Reed said. "They blocked good for me on the kickoff return. I can't take credit for that."
But, perhaps, a little credit should be passed to Reed's father, Herbert Reed Sr., who moved to Memphis from St. Louis and was watching his son play for the first time.
"He knew I was here," the elder Reed said. "I guess he wanted to do it for me."
Reed's kickoff return was the first play of the second half and tied the score at 7. He recovered the fumble midway through the quarter, and that touchdown put the Bulls up 14-10.
His third interception came early in the fourth with the Tigers at the USF 15. Reed made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone.
"I picked him off my sophomore year and last year," Reed said of Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine. "They were challenging me, and I just read him."
Not only did the victory allow the Bulls (7-4) to finish on an up note, it didn't hurt Reed's stock with NFL scouts. He has been projected as a mid round pick.
"That was the best thing for me," Reed said, "to go out the way I did. I wasn't nervous that my dad was here. I was excited that he finally was getting to see me play."
