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TAMPA - Much like last week's game with Tennessee Tech, Saturday's game at South Carolina is a "guarantee" game for USF, a one-game contract that carries a six-figure check with it.
But while last week's game at Raymond James Stadium meant USF paying a little more than $100,000 to Tennessee Tech, Saturday's game in Columbia is much more lucrative for the Bulls.
In exchange for playing at South Carolina, the Bulls will receive $450,000, according to Chris Massaro, South Carolina's senior associate athletics director.
"It's a good figure," said Massaro, who said South Carolina typically pays between $375,000 and $475,000 for a home football opponent.
COME A LONG WAY: If there's anything good to come out of Saturday's lackluster 21-7 win against Division I-AA Tennessee Tech, it's an appreciation of how far USF has come as a program.
"It's interesting how our program has evolved," coach Jim Leavitt said. "You take a I-AA team that beat another nationally ranked I-AA team, and it comes in for your opener, and if you don't absolutely blow them out, you're not doing very good. It hasn't always been that way in the long history of South Florida football. ... At least we've caused something to happen, that expectations have gotten stronger. It's the way it is as you grow and you build."
USF can revisit its younger days in at least one sense this week: the Bulls are 131/2-point underdogs at South Carolina.
PAGING DON KING: Leavitt was asked at his Tuesday news conference about going up against a coach as successful as Lou Holtz, and he said the storyline of coaches going up against each other is an overplayed one.
"I'm not studying film of Lou and what he can do and can't do," Leavitt said. "I'm really looking at their players. I'm sure Lou would say thank goodness it's not Lou Holtz playing, because he's had his day. I'm sure he was a good player in his time, but I don't think anybody would pay a whole lot to see me and Lou go at it at midfield. It probably would be pretty boring. I might have him; I'm a little bit younger, but he's got some fight in him, so I don't know."
SOCCER HONORS: Goalkeeper Dane Brenner is a big part of the Bulls' 3-0 start, having allowed no goals in his first 198 minutes of action. Brenner, this week's Conference USA defensive player of the week, posted consecutive road shutouts against C-USA rivals DePaul and Charlotte.
Despite opening the season with three shutouts, the Bulls managed to drop one spot to No. 18 in the Soccer America Top 25. They'll have a chance to get that spot back and potentially more when they play host to No. 16 SMU at 7:30 Friday in the opening match of the USF Invitational.
SMU, ranked as high as No. 5 in other polls, already has beaten C-USA's best, upsetting No. 4 St. Louis with a 1-0 overtime win Friday.
RECRUITS: Among recruits making visits at Saturday's season opener was A.J. Morosco, a coveted junior linebacker from Daytona Beach Seabreeze High.
The Bulls have offered a scholarship to Seabreeze center Richard Clark, a 6-foot-4, 298-pound senior who coach Marc Beach said is as strong in the classroom as he is on the field. Clark also is considering Wake Forest, Northwestern, Syracuse and Boston College.
Another recruit watching Saturday was Jefferson receiver and defensive back Dohnovan Simpson.
Hillsborough junior Jarred Fayson already has committed to the Bulls, and he's not the only Terrier interested in USF. Stephan Knight, a defensive back and running back, attended Monday's practice and said USF is at the top of his list, though the Bulls haven't offered anything yet.
They are also recruiting Terriers receiver Darryl Jones.
TRIP RESCHEDULED: A group of USF athletes was scheduled to travel Sunday to Polk County to aid in hurricane relief efforts, but the trip was postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Ivan. The trip has been rescheduled for Sept. 26.
Greg Auman covers USF. Reach him at auman@sptimes.com