Knocked down to size
TAMPA, Fla. — Hundreds of jubilant students vaulted from a wall behind the north end zone, ignoring the public address announcer's plea to celebrate in the stands rather than storm the field.
No. 18 South Florida is not only basking in the national spotlight, the Bulls are thriving in it.
"It doesn't get much better than this," USF safety Nate Allen said after Friday night's 21-13 upset of No. 5 West Virginia. "It's a great feeling. Words can't describe it."
Matt Grothe upstaged West Virginia stars Pat White and Steve Slaton for the second straight year, and rapidly rising USF proved last year's victory over the Mountaineers in Morgantown was anything but a fluke.
Grothe scrambled to avoid a sack before throwing a 55-yard touchdown pass to Carlton Mitchell, and Ben Moffitt returned one of his two interceptions 26 yards for a TD to lead a stellar defensive performance in the Big East opener.
"It's a huge statement win," Moffitt said. "It's something we've got to do to put this program where it's supposed to go."
West Virginia (4-1, 0-1) averaged 357 yards rushing in its first four games, but managed only 188 on the ground after surprisingly opening the game throwing on seven of its first 11 offensive plays.
The Mountaineers lost White late in the second quarter after the junior quarterback took a helmet to his right thigh on a running play. He limped off the field and remained on the sideline, but did not return.
"He couldn't get it loose," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said, adding that's he not sure if White will be able to play next week at Syracuse.
Slaton, the other half of West Virginia's explosive tandem, was held to 54 rushing yards on 13 carries and fumbled twice. The running back also had a poorly thrown pass glance off him and wind up in the hands of Moffitt for the linebacker's second interception — and the Mountaineers' sixth turnover.
White's backup, Jarrett Brown, threw a 9-yard TD pass to Darius Reynaud to trim West Virginia's deficit to 21-13 with 5:45 remaining. Brown had the Mountaineers on the move again when USF (4-0, 1-0) held them on downs at the Bulls 40 in the final minute.
"The guys seemed focused. For whatever reason we just did not move the ball well," Rodriguez said. "We're not going to point any fingers. We've got to start playing at a high level again."
The victory before a record crowd for a USF home game (67,018) figures to propel the Bulls to unprecedented heights for a program that has been in existence for only 11 seasons. They moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A, in 2001 and entered the Top 25 for the first time two weeks ago.
"It's a big win for everybody around here," USF coach Jim Leavitt said as he waved his left arm toward the on-field celebration. "Pretty neat stuff."
