Post by wvumaryjane on Sept 10, 2007 19:06:56 GMT -5
This was the Courtney Denson game.
South Florida's senior receiver didn't do much in the Bulls' upset of Auburn on Saturday but that wasn't really the point. Denson was dressed out and on the sidelines. A huge thing when you consider South Florida's slow, inevitable move into big-time college football's consciousness.
Four years ago, South Florida coach Jim Leavitt was in the home of the Dade County (Fla.) Offensive Player of the Year trying to sell him on sun, fun and football in Conference USA.
"Coach, can you win a national championship?" Denson asked.
"What makes you think Auburn can?" Leavitt shot back, knowing that Denson was favoring the Tigers and the SEC.
Denson persisted. Can South Florida win a national championship?
"Finally," Leavitt said, "I said no."
Denson went to Auburn in 2003. Two years later, the South Florida moved to the Big East. The two occurrences aren't linked except by coincidence. But in between, Denson transferred from the school that was upset Saturday to the one that did the upsetting.
"Getting in the Big East, that's huge," Leavitt said. "You're in a BCS conference, which is so important in recruiting."
The Big East recruiting advantage is starting to take hold, at least for South Florida. The school went from begging in Conference USA to bragging in the Big East. To the naked eye Saturday, it looked like the Bulls had faster players, more playmakers than Auburn.
That Denson was one of them is a tribute to Leavitt's recruiting -- and re-recruiting. Denson came to South Florida to play quarterback. He lasted one game as the starter in the 2005 season opener and now is a back-up receiver.
Current quarterback Matt Grothe threw the game-winning touchdown pass on his 21st birthday to Jessie Hester Jr. Grothe was the Big East Rookie of the Year last season. Hester's father played at Florida State and was an Oakland Raiders first-round draft pick.
"Perseverance is a powerful word," Leavitt said.
Especially after kicker Delbert Alvarado missed four field goal attempts.
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"The first two times I was really nice to him," Leavitt said. "He said, 'I really let my teammates down.' I said, 'If you miss another one. you're going to really let them down.'"
Saturday was nothing new. It's just that South Florida has an image problem. The Tampa-based school isn't exactly in South Florida, but when it opened in 1956, all the best geographical names were taken. Central Florida already existed. So did the University of Tampa.
Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the program's first game. Saturday marked the six-year anniversary of the program's first upset. In its second game in I-A, the Bulls beat Pittsburgh. Folks quickly forgot -- 9/11 was three days later.
A series of upsets kept coming -- Louisville in 2005, West Virginia in Morgantown last season -- but the program never seemed to be in a position to capitalize.
"I always felt like we bit off a pretty big chunk," said Leavitt who has been the coach since the program started. "Trying to keep your head together is a pretty big thing."
ACC expansion helped speed up the Big East's progression. This is Year Three for South Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville. None were necessarily considered for BCS conferences until the ACC made its move.
The fallout:
• It should be an outrage that South Florida wasn't ranked this week. Aside from Appalachian State, it owns the biggest upset of the season. In the AP poll, the Bulls have the 27th most votes behind Auburn. The Bulls narrowly missed making it into the coaches' poll.
• South Florida AD Doug Woolard says no more guarantee games. Auburn paid $650,000 for the right to get beat at home but Woolard said no more. The program can stand on its own.
• The league race now goes five deep if you include West Virginia and Rutgers. That increases the likelihood of one of those teams making it through undefeated and competing for the national championship.
• Rutgers is edging close to becoming a national power. It already has the hearts of the New York metro area.
• League favorite West Virginia has scored 110 points in its first two games.
• Louisville won the 2006 conference title, playing in its first BCS bowl and second major postseason game.
• South Florida has played two consecutive bowls and has the fourth-most victories (17) since joining the league.
• Cincinnati destroyed Oregon State on national television Thursday night. The Bearcats (2-0) are off to their best start in four years under first-year coach Brian Kelly.
The Courtney Densons are listening. Last year, two Rivals top 100 players signed with Big East schools. Right now, Big East schools are on the lists of five of Rivals top 20 for 2008.
"For me it changed the landscape of recruiting," said Kelly, who came from Central Michigan. "I've been on the other end of it. It's really difficult to talk about playing for a national championship. It's virtually impossible to get in. Now you can compete with anybody for kids nationally."
www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10344072/1
South Florida's senior receiver didn't do much in the Bulls' upset of Auburn on Saturday but that wasn't really the point. Denson was dressed out and on the sidelines. A huge thing when you consider South Florida's slow, inevitable move into big-time college football's consciousness.
Four years ago, South Florida coach Jim Leavitt was in the home of the Dade County (Fla.) Offensive Player of the Year trying to sell him on sun, fun and football in Conference USA.
"Coach, can you win a national championship?" Denson asked.
"What makes you think Auburn can?" Leavitt shot back, knowing that Denson was favoring the Tigers and the SEC.
Denson persisted. Can South Florida win a national championship?
"Finally," Leavitt said, "I said no."
Denson went to Auburn in 2003. Two years later, the South Florida moved to the Big East. The two occurrences aren't linked except by coincidence. But in between, Denson transferred from the school that was upset Saturday to the one that did the upsetting.
"Getting in the Big East, that's huge," Leavitt said. "You're in a BCS conference, which is so important in recruiting."
The Big East recruiting advantage is starting to take hold, at least for South Florida. The school went from begging in Conference USA to bragging in the Big East. To the naked eye Saturday, it looked like the Bulls had faster players, more playmakers than Auburn.
That Denson was one of them is a tribute to Leavitt's recruiting -- and re-recruiting. Denson came to South Florida to play quarterback. He lasted one game as the starter in the 2005 season opener and now is a back-up receiver.
Current quarterback Matt Grothe threw the game-winning touchdown pass on his 21st birthday to Jessie Hester Jr. Grothe was the Big East Rookie of the Year last season. Hester's father played at Florida State and was an Oakland Raiders first-round draft pick.
"Perseverance is a powerful word," Leavitt said.
Especially after kicker Delbert Alvarado missed four field goal attempts.
Advertisement
"The first two times I was really nice to him," Leavitt said. "He said, 'I really let my teammates down.' I said, 'If you miss another one. you're going to really let them down.'"
Saturday was nothing new. It's just that South Florida has an image problem. The Tampa-based school isn't exactly in South Florida, but when it opened in 1956, all the best geographical names were taken. Central Florida already existed. So did the University of Tampa.
Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the program's first game. Saturday marked the six-year anniversary of the program's first upset. In its second game in I-A, the Bulls beat Pittsburgh. Folks quickly forgot -- 9/11 was three days later.
A series of upsets kept coming -- Louisville in 2005, West Virginia in Morgantown last season -- but the program never seemed to be in a position to capitalize.
"I always felt like we bit off a pretty big chunk," said Leavitt who has been the coach since the program started. "Trying to keep your head together is a pretty big thing."
ACC expansion helped speed up the Big East's progression. This is Year Three for South Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville. None were necessarily considered for BCS conferences until the ACC made its move.
The fallout:
• It should be an outrage that South Florida wasn't ranked this week. Aside from Appalachian State, it owns the biggest upset of the season. In the AP poll, the Bulls have the 27th most votes behind Auburn. The Bulls narrowly missed making it into the coaches' poll.
• South Florida AD Doug Woolard says no more guarantee games. Auburn paid $650,000 for the right to get beat at home but Woolard said no more. The program can stand on its own.
• The league race now goes five deep if you include West Virginia and Rutgers. That increases the likelihood of one of those teams making it through undefeated and competing for the national championship.
• Rutgers is edging close to becoming a national power. It already has the hearts of the New York metro area.
• League favorite West Virginia has scored 110 points in its first two games.
• Louisville won the 2006 conference title, playing in its first BCS bowl and second major postseason game.
• South Florida has played two consecutive bowls and has the fourth-most victories (17) since joining the league.
• Cincinnati destroyed Oregon State on national television Thursday night. The Bearcats (2-0) are off to their best start in four years under first-year coach Brian Kelly.
The Courtney Densons are listening. Last year, two Rivals top 100 players signed with Big East schools. Right now, Big East schools are on the lists of five of Rivals top 20 for 2008.
"For me it changed the landscape of recruiting," said Kelly, who came from Central Michigan. "I've been on the other end of it. It's really difficult to talk about playing for a national championship. It's virtually impossible to get in. Now you can compete with anybody for kids nationally."
www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10344072/1
