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USF Hits Big East Road Trip

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By BRETT McMURPHY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 25, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Even though the University of South Florida isn't even halfway through its Big East schedule, USF quarterback Matt Grothe realizes the importance of today's game at Louisville.

"The loser is probably out of the Big East race," Grothe said.

The 14th-ranked Bulls (6-1, 1-1) and the Cardinals (4-2, 0-1) each opened league play with a loss at home. USF was upset by Pittsburgh, 26-21, on Oct. 2, while the Cardinals lost by the same score to UConn on Sept. 26.

Those losses have left both teams with little margin for error if they want to stay alive for the Big East title and the league's BCS bowl berth. Only Rutgers and Syracuse, each with more than one league loss, are realistically no longer in the running.

"I think it's wide smokin' open," Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "There's not really been a team that's jumped out to the forefront yet, and there has not been a team that has really fallen off yet either."

Today's game (3:30 p.m., Bright House Sports Network) is the first of two road games in a six-day stretch for the Bulls. On Oct. 30, USF visits Cincinnati. USF is a combined 0-4 at Louisville and Cincinnati, a pair of former Conference USA rivals of USF before the three schools joined the Big East in 2005.

"Both are big games," Grothe said. "Any time we go up to places we've never won on the road, it's our biggest stretch of the year so far. Our goal is to win, if we go out there and we play our game, we will. We know we can compete with anyone anywhere."

To win, the Bulls must slow down the Cardinals' running game. USF has allowed a 100-yard rusher in consecutive games against Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Next up is Louisville's 5-foot-9 scatback Vic Anderson, who is averaging 110.5 yards a game.

Brock Bolen (52.7 yards per game) and Bilal Powell (41.8 yards) give the Cards two other options in a running attack that ranks third in the Big East and 18th nationally.

The Bulls, however, rank sixth nationally in run defense and seventh in total defense. USF leads the Big East in each category.

"We've got to stop the run, first and foremost," USF defensive end George Selvie said. "Make them one-dimensional. Hopefully stop the run then we have them where we want them."

Since losing their opener to Kentucky, the Cardinals have won four of their last five. They also are 2-0 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium against the Bulls, who lost to UL 41-9 in 2004 and 31-8 in 2006.

"They were better than we were on those days," USF coach Jim Leavitt said.

Wide receiver Colby Erskin said if the Bulls just worry about themselves, they should be all right. "We just have to be us."

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928.

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