South Florida wraps up the victory even before FAMU's heralded marching band takes the field at halftime.
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published September 11, 2005
TAMPA - At least Florida A&M brought its band.
The Rattlers came to Raymond James Stadium with little else Saturday, and South Florida marched to a 37-3 victory before a record crowd of 43,122 at Raymond James Stadium.
If there was any disappointment, it was only from a Bulls defense that wanted a shutout and saw the Rattlers' only points sneak onto the board in the fourth quarter, helped by three special-teams mistakes.
"I'd be happy with 3, but my deal is I'm not satisfied with my play until we get a goose egg," defensive end Terrence Royal said. "I've got high expectations for this defense. I love to suffocate."
For most of Saturday night the Bulls battered their Division I-AA opponent. So dominant were the Bulls that it was midway through the third quarter before FAMU (0-2) gained a first down. The Rattlers finished with 85 total yards, breaking a 34-year-old record for the lowest total in the program's history.
"We were playing against a great football team, a team I knew was very athletic on both sides of the ball," first-year FAMU coach Rubin Carter said. "But I didn't know how athletic."
FAMU has had a rough summer, with more than 200 NCAA violations unearthed in its athletic department that led to the firing of longtime coach Billy Joe this summer. On the field the Rattlers were overmatched, as expected.
"They've gone through a lot, we all know that," Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said. "We played in the first half like I guess we should. We know it's a tough situation for them."
FAMU's points came after a blocked punt set them up on the USF 30, and two Bulls committed two penalties on fourth down, one of which negated a missed field goal. By then the game was long over.
USF (1-1) set a school record with 377 rushing yards, 156 coming from senior running back Andre Hall, who had three first-half touchdowns and watched most of the second half from the sideline. His backups, Ricky Ponton and Chad Simpson, who entered the game with five career carries, combined for 24 against FAMU, with Simpson rushing for 91 yards and Ponton finishing with 83.
"We knew we wanted to run the ball," Leavitt said. "We were really disappointed we didn't run the ball better against Penn State. It sets everything else up."
After a tough 23-13 opening loss at Penn State last week, this was a laid-back home opener for the Bulls, who were able to rest key starters at the end. "The only reason they got three points was because of penalties, and we have to eliminate those," USF defensive tackle Tim Jones said.
FAMU, making its first Tampa appearance since 1996, brought plenty of fans that swelled the crowd to nearly 7,000 more than any other Bulls game at Raymond James Stadium. The crowd wasn't treated to much, as the Bulls dominated the first half as if they were playing FAMU's famed Marching 100 band, building a 30-0 halftime lead.
A week after digging a 17-0 hole at Penn State, USF came out strong, leading 14-0 after 9 minutes. Quarterback Pat Julmiste, starting his first game this season after strong play off the bench last week, completed his first five attempts and was relaxing on the sideline before halftime. Backup Courtney Denson threw his first touchdown pass, a 36-yarder to freshman receiver Cedric Hill.
About the only thing that didn't go right was the kicking game, which saw freshman Mike Benzer miss an extra point and two field goals before he was replaced by freshman walk-on Kyle Bronson, who made all four of his kicks.
Special teams were a mixed bag for the Bulls, who set a school record with 209 yards on nine punt returns, including three of 27 yards or longer.
They also had a punt blocked and sent a kickoff out of bounds. "You saw the mountains and the valleys in our special teams," Leavitt said. "Mostly mountains though. We had some pretty good returns."
Two long plays led to USF's demise against Penn State, and the Bulls fixed that problem against the Rattlers, allowing no play longer than 22 yards.
"If you're not on top of your alignments, they can easily pop a play on you," co-defensive coordinator Rick Kravitz said. "Our guys did a good job of recognizing what they were trying to do and getting into the right position to stop them."
Next week brings a long-awaited meeting with a Central Florida team that has lost its past 16 games, the nation's longest losing streak. And while Leavitt said he thought about UCF "most of the second half, at times, in moments," Saturday, the Bulls remained a focused team. Kravitz spent eight years at FAMU as defensive coordinator, but couldn't tell you how the band sounded Saturday night.
"One time we were ahead so much (Coach Ken Riley) let us sneak out and watch the halftime show," he said. "That's not going to happen here."
