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By Times staff
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 7, 2001
SCOUTING REPORT
Pittsburgh is the second-toughest opponent and the most-tradition laden program South Florida has ever faced. Only Southern Mississippi, which was ranked 17th when it whacked USF 41-7 in Hattiesburg, Miss., last season, tops the Panthers.
Pittsburgh, 1-0 after a 31-0 win over East Tennessee State last week, steadily improved in coach Walt Harris' first four seasons. The Panthers were 7-5 last year, including a berth in the Insight.com Bowl, and are just outside of the Top 25 in this week's AP poll.
Harris is a passing game specialist, and Pittsburgh used two quarterbacks against ETSU, senior David Priestley (15 of 20, 134 yards, 1 touchdown) and sophomore Rod Rutherford (4 of 8, 51 yards). Both are expected to play against USF. Priestley threw for 1,305 yards as a sophomore in 1999 and 805 last year while backing up John Turman. Both quarterbacks are considered dangerous runners, and Priestley had an 85-yard touchdown run last week.
Possible good news for USF is the status of Pittsburgh's star receiver, Antonio Bryant. The junior, who won the Biletnikoff Award last season as the nation's top receiver, sprained an ankle last week and is questionable. True freshman Raymond Kirkley started at tailback last week and rushed for 90 yards on 18 carries.
On defense, Pittsburgh returns 10 starters from a unit that registered a Big East Conference-best 35 sacks last year. The Panthers, who play a 4-3 scheme, had seven sacks in last week's shutout. Undersized end Bryan Knight, a 235-pounder, middle linebacker Gerald Hayes and free safety Ramon Walker are the headliners.
This is the Panthers' second game at new $281-million, 65,000-seat Heinz Field, which they are sharing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh played from 1925 to 1999, 75 seasons, at on-campus Pitt Stadium. The Panthers played last year at Three Rivers Stadium.
Bernard Brown's re-ascension to the top of the USF depth chart is one of the feel-good stories of the year.
The senior, who has started 27 games in his career, volunteered to redshirt in 2000 so that he would be the veteran presence in a rebuilt Bulls secondary this fall. However, Brown sustained a broken hip in offseason workouts prior to spring practice, putting his final season in jeopardy.
He has successfully rehabilitated, and after backing up sophomore Ron Hemingway last week, Brown has regained his starting position.
It is the second time the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder from Jacksonville Lee has overcome a serious injury to reclaim a starting spot. In the 10th game of his sophomore season in 1998 (a season in which he had a team-best four interceptions), Brown sustained a broken ankle. He missed the final game that year but started every game in 1999.
Brown will get no grace period. Pittsburgh has a potent passing attack and premier receivers, perhaps the best the Bulls have ever faced.
Last season's game at Kentucky marked the biggest crowd ever at a USF game, 63,821. The second-biggest is 49,212 from the program's first game, against Kentucky Wesleyan in 1997. Saturday's game is likely to be third-highest, supplanting the 34,432 vs. Southern Illinois in 1997. Pittsburgh drew 47,919 last week against East Tennessee State, and between 35,000 and 40,000 are expected Saturday.
It was all or little -- and usually little -- for USF against Northern Illinois. The Bulls gained 274 total yards with nearly half, 131, coming in just three plays: the two touchdown bombs to DeAndrew Rubin (57 and 52 yards) and a 22-yard run by Vince Brewer. In its other 59 plays, the Bulls gained just 143 yards, an average of 2.4 yards per play.
Wondering what became of 2001 Lakewood graduate Darren Felder, who signed with Pittsburgh this spring? Felder rushed for 1,086 yards on 137 carries (7.9 average) for the Spartans last fall, but he can't be found on the Panthers roster -- because he has changed his name. He now goes by Darren McCray. McCray is one of two local players at Pittsburgh. Joe Stephens, a freshman wide receiver from Armwood, and McCray both dressed for last week's opener against East Tennessee State but neither played. Both might redshirt.
"These guys are too busy to think about the last game. They go to class, they study, they've got to be in the weight room, they've got to read scouting reports, go over special teams, offense, defense -- we don't give them time to think about the last game."
-- JIM LEAVITT
USF coach on how the Bulls were coping with last week's 20-17, final-play loss to Northern Illinois