Sports

Colleges

Moffitt tips game early

Linebacker's first of two interceptions goes for score as Bulls clamp down on Mountaineers.

By BRENDAN GALELLA, Times Correspondent
Published September 29, 2007

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TAMPA - Linebacker Ben Moffitt has made an impact in every big game USF has been a part of for three seasons.

The senior's bruising hits, deceiving speed and knack for being around the ball has made him one of the Bulls' more promising NFL prospects.

The only glaring weakness in his game was his inability to hold onto an errant pass from opposing quarterbacks. Cornerback Trae Williams, the Big East leader in interceptions in 2006, joked after Moffitt's first career interception last week that he finally got a pair of hands.

"I guess he proved me wrong tonight," Williams said. "But he did drop one pass. I didn't make fun of him for that though."

Moffitt intercepted two passes against the Mountaineers on Friday, returning the first 26 yards to give the Bulls the lead in their eventual 21-13 victory.

"It was awesome to be able to score a touchdown. It's been a long time coming," Moffitt said. "We knew we had to play our defense to stop them."

Moffitt had an opportunity to intercept a third pass Friday but dropped the pass from backup quarterback Jarrett Brown.

The Bulls forced at least four turnovers for the third consecutive game and now have 15 in four games.

"There were a lot of turnovers in this whole game (on) both sides," USF coach Jim Leavitt said. "Ben's outstanding; for him to make those plays shows the kind of ball skills he has."

Before this season, Moffitt only knew the feeling of forcing a turnover by knocking the ball loose or diving on a fumble. For his career, Moffitt has forced five fumbles and recovered three.

The big plays from the leader of the defense didn't come unexpectedly.

"I think all of us knew he was going to play well this week," quarterback Matt Grothe said. "He was on fire inside, and he couldn't explain it. He just wanted us to know that he was ready to go."

Moffitt picked off the first pass of his college career last week against North Carolina.

After Friday, he shares the team lead with safety Nate Allen.

"Ben's played as good as anyone we've got right now, and we expect that out of him. He's not a no-name football player," defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. "Turnovers are important, and that was really probably won the game for us."

"Obviously this was a huge win," Moffitt said. "It's a great win and we're going to enjoy it because we have to work harder now."

[Last modified September 29, 2007, 01:40:01]