PENN STATE 23, USF 13: Early miscues overshadow an otherwise solid outing.
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published September 4, 2005
[Times photo: Chris Zuppa]
USF quarterback Courtney Denson fumbles after being hit by Penn State's Tim Shaw and Tyrell Sales (46).
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - It was a 9-year-old program against a 78-year-old coaching icon, a tiny island of 800 green-and-gold fans in a sea of nearly 100,000.
And in the end, it wasn't the lopsided mismatch that USF's season opener at Penn State was supposed to be.
Facing the overwhelming tradition of Joe Paterno and the largest crowd in their history, the Bulls dug a 17-0 hole, then outplayed the Nittany Lions the rest of the way, salvaging some respect in a 23-13 loss that leaves many questions and a few promising answers.
"If you looked at the end of last season, you'd say they definitely played better defense," coach Jim Leavitt said of his team. "I think you'd say there's a little more continuity of the team playing hard throughout. I'm not saying we played smart, but we played hard."
Another unexpected answer came at quarterback, where sophomore Courtney Denson struggled in his first start but junior Pat Julmiste came in to stake a new claim to the job he held last season.
"I think you have to look at Pat right now," said Leavitt, who will go with Julmiste for next week's home opener against Florida A&M. "If I think about the game, I'd say Pat has earned that right now. ... I expect a lot out of Pat, out of all our quarterbacks. In this offense, your quarterback better be a star."
Leavitt opted to give Denson his first college start, and he showed his inexperience. He failed to complete a pass or lead the Bulls to a first down in three possessions, and a costly fumble was returned 16 yards for Penn State's first score.
In came Julmiste, who started 10 games last season. He threw an interception on his first drive that led to another touchdown but played well after that, throwing for 200 yards and two touchdowns to sophomore Johnny Peyton against one of the nation's stingiest defenses.
"Penn State was a very sound defense, and obviously we could have done more things on our part," said Julmiste, who completed 21 of 35 passes (60 percent). "I've got all the experience under my belt, but we didn't do a good enough job because we didn't come out with a win."
Defensively, the Bulls bore little resemblance to the porous unit that gave up more than 40 points five times last season. USF forced two fumbles and cornerback Trae Williams picked off a Michael Robinson pass. Last year it took the Bulls four games to get three takeaways.
Seven of Penn State's points came on a defensive touchdown and seven more came on a 13-yard touchdown drive, but the Bulls gave up two big plays that contributed to the other nine points.
"We've got to eliminate those big plays," said co-defensive coordinator Rick Kravitz, speaking of an early 61-yard reverse by freshman Justin King and a late 70-yard run by Tony Hunt that put the game away. "That's the difference in the ball game. We don't give up that last run, it's a 17-14 game with a few minutes to go and there's no telling what happens. We've got to play lights-out all the time."
Twenty-two Bulls made their USF debut, and much of the team's problems could be traced to its relative youth. Freshman Mike Benzer mistimed his approach on a 32-yard field goal, botching the kick so badly it barely reached the end zone. The Bulls' young receivers contributed to the early offensive woes with numerous drops, and the lack of an early passing threat helped Penn State hold senior running back Andre Hall to 74 yards on 21 carries.
Hall is a known commodity, expected to lead the Bulls offense, but quarterback was a glaring uncertainty until Saturday. Julmiste was at his best at the end of the first half, when USF got the ball on its 45 with 1:47 to play. He went 4-of-5 for 53 yards, hitting four receivers and missing only when he spiked the ball to stop the clock with nine seconds left. After considering a field goal, Leavitt went for it, and Julmiste found Peyton on a lob in the corner of the end zone, the first of two nearly identical touchdowns.
The Beaver Stadium crowd of 99,235 was, by more than 20,000 fans, the largest ever to see the Bulls. The last time USF went to Pennsylvania as a heavy underdog, they handed Pittsburgh a shocking upset in September 2001. They weren't as successful this trip, but Paterno said he tried to warn his players not to underestimate the Bulls or judge a program by its young history. Saturday left him impressed with his opponent.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't convince some people that South Florida has some athletes, because they do," Paterno said. "They're not here as a bunch of kids. They've played some good football teams in big stadiums and they played well. They're sound and well-coached. They're a lot of things I thought they'd be."
