NO BULLSHIT: South Florida Topples West Virginia, Proves Itself

If the Mountaineers were looking for revenge, they didn't find it.

Who says the Big East can't play defense? South Florida sure can.

For the second year in a row Jim Leavitt's group made the very extraordinary White-Slaton tandem look very ordinary. And they did it by playing solid and fast defense.

The Bulls looked unbeatable.

Before a record 67,018 fans, South Florida rushed, sacked, tackled and intercepted West Virginia's offense for the entire 60 minutes, never letting up for a second. LB Ben Moffit, who had two INTs one of which he returned for a touchdown, and LB Tyrone McKenzie hunted Steve Slaton throughout the night, giving him no opportunities to make a big play. Not surprisingly, DE George Selvie did his part, quickly collapsing the pocket on Pat White and back-up Jarrett Brown. Selvie added to his already impressive season totals for sacks and tackles-for-losses. S Nate Allen knocked down pass after pass, and CB Trae Williams and CB Mike Jenkins kept West Virginia's very dangerous WR Darius Reynaud under control.

And the offense did their thing, too.

Matt Grothe showed poise and stamina under center. In the second quarter he avoided a tackle, scrambled and found Carlton Mitchell wide open for the touchdown, putting the Bulls up 14-0. Grothe completed 11 of 20 for 135 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Jamar Taylor carried the ball 15 times for 58 yards and a touchdown.

South Florida's offense was split almost exactly evenly between the rushing game and the passing game, putting up 274 yards of total offense.

It's clear that the Bulls won this one by playing defense, controlling the pace and setting the tone of the game from kickoff.

Coming into this game, West Virginia ranked third in the nation in rushing yards, averaging 323 yards per game. They ranked 16th in the nation in points scored, averaging 40.4 points per game. Against the Bulls they managed 188 rushing yards and only 13 points. They also had six turnovers.

Here's something to think about: if USF beat Auburn on the road and Auburn beat Florida in the Swamp, doesn't that make South Florida the best team in the state? Just a thought, but either way South Florida is not a team to be taken lightly.

With a pair of key victories already this season, it's obvious that they've got the talent and the skill to be recognized nationally. This win has catapulted this team with a brief 11 year history into the AP Top 10.

And that's a big deal.

The only question now is whether the Bulls can deal with the attention.

We'll soon find that out.

And while it may take some getting used to, just say the FSU acronym backwards and you'll have the latest powerhouse not only amongst the football programs in Florida, but also those across the country.

—R.Cooper