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Elusive, Feisty Grothe Can't Pull This One Out

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By JOEY JOHNSTON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2007

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Hail Grothe?

Not quite.

Matt Grothe's last-gasp attempt at a miracle, a desperation fourth-and-37 pass, was intercepted by Rutgers defensive back Zaire Kitchen with 49 seconds remaining. The No. 2-ranked South Florida Bulls had finally gone down on Thursday night, losing to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 30-27 in a crushing Big East Conference loss.

But it wasn't over until the last gasp.

And that, more than anything, was a tribute to Grothe.

The man in the ESPN broadcast booth, Doug Flutie, offered his praise. The man in the booth liked what he witnessed. The man in the booth, who once threw the most famous Hail Mary pass in college football history and captured a Heisman Trophy, probably saw a little of himself.

Maybe even a lot of himself.

Grothe didn't win the game. The Bulls will drop in the rankings, probably losing any realistic shot at playing for a national championship.

But Grothe - slippery, elusive and feisty as ever - continued to win fans and supporters.

And he earned respect from Flutie. Grothe rushed for 58 yards, while completing 17 of 33 passes for 247 yards. Constantly harassed by Rutgers' front line, he was sacked seven times.

Grothe rushed for an 18-yard touchdown, giving USF its first lead. His 28-yard touchdown pass to Jessie Hester Jr. put the Bulls up 17-10 in the second quarter, and they carried an advantage into halftime.

Before the third quarter, Flutie explained how quarterbacks are trained to drop back, plant and throw on rhythm.

Flutie used to break those rules regularly - for the good - at Boston College. Grothe, at times, was providing his version of Flutie flashbacks.

'Grothe trusts his athleticism, avoids the rush, gets out of the way and then makes good plays,' said Flutie, sounding like a proud father.

Rutgers had Ray Rice - and that was plenty - but USF displayed an added dimension.

'Matt Grothe and the South Florida offense is more explosive,' Flutie said. 'Grothe scrambles and makes big plays.'

You didn't have to convince Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. Earlier this week, Schiano spoke about Grothe, calling him 'my kind of guy.'

'He just loves to play football,' Schiano said. 'He looks like he just enjoys being out there with his guys. There's no secret to the fact that his attributes are why they're playing so well right now.

'He's incredibly mobile and can throw the ball on the run, which makes him incredibly dangerous. He can throw the ball accurately on the run, which is a better way to say it. A lot of people can throw it on the run, but he makes you nervous.'

Unless you are in USF's huddle.

'Matt makes us all feel comfortable,' Bulls receiver Taurus Johnson said. 'We're not uptight on offense. It's because of him. He's a straight-up guy. He's a leader.'

Grothe couldn't lead a victory. But he never stopped gunning. Not until the last gasp.

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