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Bull Rush

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The Sun Trust building in downtown Tampa changed the color of its lights on top to green and gold to honor the University of South Florida

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By JOEY JOHNSTON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 28, 2007

Blog: Bulls Fans Watch | Blog: Bulls Report | Bulls Coverage

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TAMPA - Think Green (and Gold).

After a week of unprecedented college-football anticipation at the University of South Florida - and much of the Tampa Bay area - it's finally time to play the game.

'The biggest game of our lives,' USF sophomore defensive end George Selvie said. 'And everybody wants to be a part of it. It's great. Let's go.'

By all indications, the No. 18-ranked Bulls (3-0) already have the town's attention. Tonight, they can leap into the national consciousness when No. 5 West Virginia (4-0) arrives for the ESPN2 televised Big East Conference opener at Raymond James Stadium.

The game has been sold out since Tuesday.

There were 12,501 student-allocated tickets, fueling a phenomenon that included more than 1,000 people camping out in tents by the Sun Dome for Monday morning's pre-dawn distribution. The fans were visited by Bulls coach Jim Leavitt, who strolled over, barefoot, taking a break from watching film on West Virginia.

In the wee hours, Bulls senior associate athletic director Bill McGillis remembers being jarred alert by USF cheers and hundreds of people singing the school's fight song.

'That clock has run very, very slow the last few days,' USF junior Sharon Williams said. 'I'm exhausted having to wait this long. I want to get out there and wear my green.'

That's the idea promoted by USF officials, who envision a 'green-out' by apparel-wearing fans at the game.

This morning at 10, outside City Hall, Mayor Pam Iorio and USF athletic director Doug Woolard will hoist a Bulls banner on the side of Tampa's municipal office building. Iorio has declared it Green and Gold Day.

Tonight, the SunTrust Financial Center building in downtown will be illuminated in green and gold.

USF Football Has Arrived

'It's chaos,' said Craig Brunstein, owner of Bulls Outfitter, a campus-area business that specializes in USF gear. 'The area doesn't know what to do with this level of excitement. It's all new ground.'

On Sunday, Brunstein arrived at his store to get organized for the week, anticipating a booming business. He noticed someone with his face pressed against the glass. 'Please?' the fan mouthed. Brunstein opened the door. Then another USF fan showed up. Then another.

'By the time it was done, we had sold something to 200 people,' Brunstein said. 'And we aren't even open on Sunday. It's crazy. I think it's safe to say that USF football has arrived.'

Ten years ago, USF began its football program in Division I-AA, playing the likes of Kentucky Wesleyan, Morehead State, Charleston Southern and Cumberland.

USF passing game coordinator Mike Canales remembers calling plays while sitting on top of the tiny press box at Cumberland (game attendance: 1,001). He yelled down to a receiver who was out of position. The receiver looked up, nodded and corrected himself.

'That kind of epitomizes where we started,' Canales said. 'That's where we were at.'

'Are You Kidding Me?'

And now?

'USF is one of the most unbelievable stories in college football history,' said ESPN analyst Lee Corso, a former head coach at Louisville and Indiana. 'They came from nothing. They didn't even have a football. And now they're beating Auburn? Now they're selling out with a chance to beat West Virginia? Hello! Are you kidding me?'

'USF's goal - and our goal for them - is to capture the city of Tampa, which is a great football town,' Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. 'I'm not at all surprised by what is happening at USF. Surprised, perhaps, that it's happening so quickly. But they have worked so hard, and those fans should enjoy this stage.'

In a class of nearly 400 students Monday morning, USF sophomore quarterback Matt Grothe said the professor asked football players to raise their hands. 'I thought we were in trouble at first,' Grothe said. 'I was scared to death.'

'Congratulations!' she said.

'Everybody went nuts, screaming and yelling,' Grothe said. 'It makes you feel good.'

And everybody is swaying to the rhythm of a feel-good week, especially USF students.

USF junior Michael Rojas of Titusville has an ill-timed biology lab this afternoon. He's going in game apparel, preparing for a quick getaway to the stadium.

'Normally, I would paint my face,' Rojas said. 'I thought about doing it for the biology lab, but no. There's a lot of USF pride out there now. It's like everybody on campus is thinking about one thing.'

Thinking football.

Thinking Green (and Gold).

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353 or jjohnston@tampatrib .com.

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