High and mighty
No. 18 USF shuts down No. 5 West Virginia 21-13 for a historic victory.
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published September 29, 2007
TAMPA - Biggest game in USF history? Make that the biggest win in Bulls history.
Playing before their first sellout and a national TV audience, the No. 18 Bulls got a dominating defensive effort, forcing six turnovers in a convincing 21-13 win Friday against No. 5 West Virginia.
"This is a history game. We made history," said safety Nate Allen, who had an interception and fumble recovery. "There's no feeling like it. We're just going to take it in."
An announced 67,018 at Raymond James Stadium spilled onto the field in celebration after the Bulls held off an offense that entered scoring 47 points per game. Senior linebacker Ben Moffitt led the way with two interceptions, returning the first for a touchdown.
"Our defense played as good as you can play," coach Jim Leavitt said. "You've got to give the defensive coaches all the credit. They're the ones that do it."
It's the second year in a row the Bulls (4-0, 1-0 Big East) have beaten a West Virginia team ranked among the top 10. But this win was bigger than the one last season in Morgantown.
It makes USF a team to beat in the Big East and sets up a matchup of potential unbeatens at Rutgers on Oct. 18.
Leavitt, stubbornly focused, won't talk about anything but next week's game at Florida Atlantic.
"Our goal is to win a Big East championship, and that's very difficult to do. I won't let my guard down," Leavitt said. "I know you want me to take off my shirt and hug and kiss and all that. I feel good like that, but I'm serious about what I'm saying."
West Virginia represents the highest-ranked opponent the Bulls have ever beaten, and their third win against a ranked team among their past six games.
West Virginia (4-1, 0-1) came in with two Heisman Trophy candidates, but USF might have ended those campaigns. Quarterback Pat White left without his team scoring a point, suffering a thigh injury late in the first half. And Steve Slaton ran for only 54 yards and fumbled twice.
As was the case in the Sept. 8 upset at Auburn, the Bulls won despite numerous mistakes on offense. They turned it over four times in West Virginia territory in the first half alone and missed a 47-yard field goal.
But the offense scored when it needed to, first on a 55-yard pass from Matt Grothe to freshman Carlton Mitchell for a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
Then up 14-3, USF opened the second half by marching 74 yards - without completing a pass - and scoring on a 20-yard run by freshman Jamar Taylor.
"We told them at halftime, 'The first drive of second half is going to be the most important drive of your career,'" offensive coordinator Greg Gregory said.
West Virginia moved the ball well in the third quarter, but a promising drive ended with no points as backup quarterback Jarrett Brown was intercepted in the end zone by Allen, allowing the Bulls to keep a 21-6 lead.
After West Virginia scored a touchdown with 5:45 to play, the Bulls needed one last stop. Brown scrambled to convert a fourth and 11. But USF got a sack from end George Selvie, and Brown's fourth-down pass fell incomplete, allowing the Bulls to run out the clock and dump a cooler on defensive coordinator Wally Burnham.
The attendance broke the record set in USF's first-ever game, an 80-3 win against Kentucky Wesleyan that drew 49,212 to Tampa Stadium in 1997.
USF even found motivation in the crowd. Earlier this week, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez took some credit for the sellout, saying his team was "like the Yankees," drawing big crowds on the road.
"Yankees no more," backup kicker Morgan Riley said in the celebration after the game. "The Yankees came to Tampa, and the D-Rays got 'em."
Said Grothe: "Last time I checked, the Yankees haven't won a World Series in a while."
Greg Auman can be reached at auman@sptimes.com and at (813) 226-3346. Check out his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/usf.