College football

Task-oriented to the better end

Bulls' Andre Hall has records and NFL dreams, but a job to finish with a bowl win.

By GREG AUMAN
Published December 28, 2005

TAMPA - Two years and 2,613 rushing yards ago, Andre Hall came to USF with an ambitious to-do list, motivated to check off his personal and team aspirations.

"I hit every goal," the senior running back from Dixie Hollins said. "Coming to South Florida, my goal was to go to a bowl game, to break records, to make history. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a big fish in a small pond. I wanted to be a hometown hero."

That pond isn't as small as it used to be, and Saturday he plays his final game as a Bull, having led USF to its first postseason appearance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte against N.C. State. He has every school record he could want, but he isn't thinking about his future in the NFL as much as other draft prospects.

"A lot of guys I talk to, it's all they're talking about, NFL, what round you think you'll go," said Hall, who considered entering the draft last season. "I think about the NFL, sure, but I want to do my best in this game."

Hall led the Big East this season with 1,256 rushing yards, and led the Bulls in touchdowns (15), receptions (24) and receiving yards (272), but his biggest impact might be by leading. The Bulls will miss his running ability as well as the standard he set in practice and the way he has made younger players better.

"He's such a good leader," coach Jim Leavitt said. "He has humility. He goes out and works so hard, and he understands you have to work for everything you get in life. He's got the right mind-set, and that's why I think he'll make it in the NFL."

As much as Hall has emerged as a leader, he said he'll accept captain duties reluctantly this week, preferring the honor go to seniors who have worked four or five years to get here. Even in his final game, he said he'll be playing for them.

"For captain, I'll tell Coach Leavitt I want John Miller, Frank Davis, Johnnie Jones and Tim Jones," Hall said. "I want the guys who have been here from the Sun Dome days. Four years. I came and did my tough two, but they paid their dues. They deserve this. ... I want a win for them."

It's easy to appreciate Hall's talents on a long touchdown, but it's smaller, private things his teammates will remember. After practice one day, sophomore Chad Simpson had to perform an "arm drag" punitive drill, running across the field and back several times with one arm dragging on the ground, a grueling physical test. Hall ran the drill alongside Simpson, urging him to continue, then convinced him to run it an extra time to better appreciate the lesson.

"He's shown all the intangible and tangible things you look for," running backs coach Carl Franks said. "We've tried to prepare him as well as we can. The next month and a half will be just as important for him as the past two years have been."

Hall was USF's lone first-team All-Big East selection this season, the one player opposing gameplans consistently sought to contain with limited success. A strong showing Saturday with a national ESPN2 audience watching can elevate his draft status, but he looks at the game as an opportunity to end a two-game losing streak, to give his team a push of momentum for next season.

How high Hall will be drafted will depend on his play in the Senior Bowl next month and at the NFL combines. He won't attend classes at USF this spring, focusing on maximizing his draft position, training at elite facilities across the country. But Saturday, his focus is where it's been for two seasons: helping take USF places it has never been.

"You've got to finish a job," Hall said. "Don't half-do it. I knew it'd be a lot better if I came back, but I still want a little more respect for this team. It's just going to continue to grow."

[Last modified December 28, 2005, 01:12:31]