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Wake-Up Call: Showdown even bigger this time for Jesuit, TC

Staff file photo (2007)

Jesuit and Tampa Catholic hook up again this weekend, with the stakes high on both sides.

By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 12, 2009

Updated: 11/12/2009 07:40 am

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The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

Jesuit vs. Tampa Catholic.

Friday night's game still endures as one of Hillsborough County's top football rivalries. Following this week, Jesuit (8-1) makes its first state playoff appearance since 2006. Tampa Catholic (8-0), trying to capture the first unbeaten regular season in school history, could have the goods to make a run at the Class 2B state title.

But first, it's Jesuit vs. Tampa Catholic.

"It's big," Jesuit quarterback Bobby Eveld said. "Always has been. Always will be."

"Flat out, it's a game we need to win," TC quarterback Christian Green said.

Jesuit vs. Tampa Catholic.

In recent years, the game's dynamics have seemed more appropriate for a psychologist's couch.

"Jesuit's in my head, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you," TC coach Bob Henriquez said after last season's 28-16 loss to the Tigers, the Crusaders' ninth consecutive defeat at the hands of Jesuit.

"And that's the problem. Because if it's in my head, then it's in the players' heads. We haven't been able to control our emotion in big games against these guys for some reason. If somebody has the answer, I'd pay for it. At this point, I can't figure it out."

Jesuit coach Joe Ross downplays any talk of a mental edge. The Tigers not only have won nine straight against TC, but also 17 of the last 19 meetings against the Crusaders.

"I saw what Bob Henriquez said, but I haven't given it much thought," said Ross, in his fifth season as head coach, who has been on the Jesuit staff since 1986. "My approach is it's another game, it's our next game, and we're trying to get better. It might sound boring, but it doesn't go any deeper than that for me."

When this week started, Henriquez took a different approach.

"Some people call this our rivalry game, but in my book, that doesn't fit the definition of a rivalry," Henriquez said. "A true rivalry means you win a game every now and then, and we haven't done that."

Interesting.

Jesuit players? What say you?

"It's a rivalry, no question," said Tigers senior linebacker Jordan Perhosky, who had a key fumble recovery, leading to a Jesuit touchdown, in last season's game. "We're just trying to keep the tradition going. It's all about tradition here and this game means everything.

"Some people might say, 'Well, the playoffs are more important.' If you're part of this game, you feel it all the time. Even the JV games are huge. Contrary to what people might think, I like a lot of the kids who go to TC. But something changes in football. When they're wearing the green and we're wearing the blue, there is no love lost."

Jesuit, which recently got its overall record boosted by a forfeit victory (Kathleen), might have the game's most intriguing player in Eveld, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior quarterback who has passed for 1,500 yards. TC's Green, more of a runner, is one of the nation's top recruits. But Eveld is capable of huge passing numbers.

"In the past, I've had Jesuit alumni come up to me, people I don't even know, and they always end the conversation with, 'Beat TC!' " Eveld said. "I don't think we do anything different in this game. It's intense, of course, and the rivalry is always in the back of our minds.

"I've been hearing about how TC might have one of their best teams in a while. Well, we think we have one of our best teams in a while, too. It should be a good one."

And what about that mental edge?

Does it exist for Jesuit?

"I'd like to think so," said Eveld, smiling, without elaboration.

Here are details on Jesuit's nine-game winning streak against TC:

2008 - Jesuit 28, Tampa Catholic 16. Greg Dupell rushes for three touchdowns in the second half.

2007 - Jesuit 31, Tampa Catholic 28. Adam Perhosky nails a 43-yard field goal with two seconds remaining, preventing Jesuit (5-5) from finishing with its first losing record since 1989. TC (8-2 in the regular season) would reach the state championship game.

2006 - Jesuit 35, Tampa Catholic 17. Kevin Valenti rushes 34 times for 168 yards and three touchdowns.

2005 - Jesuit 24, Tampa Catholic 0. Anthony Allen rushes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

2004 - Jesuit 42, Tampa Catholic 6. Anthony Allen rushes for 128 yards and two touchdowns - in the first quarter. Overall, Allen had 145 yards and three scores.

2003 - Jesuit 27, Tampa Catholic 7. Jesuit scores on three of its first four possessions and leads 21-0 at halftime.

2002 - Jesuit 35, Tampa Catholic 0. Aaron Fryer, playing only in the first half, rushes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

2001 - Jesuit 49, Tampa Catholic 7. Jesuit completes its first 10-0 season since 1975 behind the two touchdowns of Aaron Fryer. TC, trailing 35-0 in the second quarter, requested a running clock.

2000 - Jesuit 28, Tampa Catholic 3. Jesuit falls behind 3-0, but rallies with four rushing touchdowns, including one by Fryer, who has a game-high 84 yards.

USF: 0-for-Thursday night

ESPN's Thursday night football telecast has become the equivalent of ABC's old "Monday Night Football" NFL games.

Everyone else in the sports - all the coaches and players - is watching.

The national-exposure upside is off the charts.

That's why the University of South Florida (6-2, 2-2 Big East) would love to make a big impression tonight at Rutgers (6-2, 1-2).

Coach Jim Leavitt's Bulls are 0-3 on Thursday night - and each of the other times, they entered with an unbeaten, nationally ranked team.

• 2007 - Rutgers 30, USF 27.

• 2008 - Pittsburgh 26, USF 21.

• 2009 - Cincinnati 34, USF 17.

When USF went to Rutgers in 2007, the program was at its apex. The Bulls had risen to No. 2 nationally.

"Rutgers tried a few things that night (including some trick plays) and everything worked out beautifully for them," Leavitt said. "Still, toward the end, we had it at the (Rutgers) 40-yard line going in, but we got bogged down. We'd like to win one (on Thursday night), no question."

Money games ahead for Clemson

Clemson's Dabo Swinney, the ACC's lowest-paid coach at $800,000, has plenty to gain if his team reaches the league's championship game on Dec. 5 at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium - even more if he wins that game - according to a report in The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C.

If Clemson wins the Atlantic Division - something the team never accomplished under Tommy Bowden, the predecessor - Swinney's guaranteed compensation increases to $1.7-million (or the median for ACC coaches).

If Clemson wins its first ACC title since 1991 (the season before Florida State entered the league), Swinney's salary increases $2-million (or the average of the seven highest-paid ACC coaches).

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech? It's close

Clemson (6-3, 4-2) can wrap up the ACC Atlantic if it defeats N.C. State (4-5, 1-4) on Saturday, then Boston College (6-3, 3-2) loses at Virginia (3-6, 2-3).

Clemson might be extended to clinching against Virginia on Nov. 21. Boston College could still finish in a tie, but Clemson still holds the head-to-head tiebreaker because of a 25-7 win against the Eagles on Sept. 19.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1) can clinch the ACC Coastal on Saturday with a victory at much-improved Duke (5-4, 3-2).

Clemson-Georgia Tech may not approach Florida State-Miami in terms of local interest, but it's probably the next best thing for local organizers. Clemson should bring lots of fans, and Georgia Tech's interest should be on the upswing, too. If the matchup is clinched by this weekend, giving fans extra time in preparing for a Tampa trip, it's the best-case scenario.

Heisman contender visits Orlando

The Heisman Trophy race was supposed to be a three-man quarterback scrum between Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Texas' Colt McCoy and Florida's Tim Tebow, the 1-2-3 finishers from last season.

Bradford is out for the season. McCoy and Tebow remain top contenders. McCoy, in fact, might get some "lifetime achievement" votes. He is 41-7 as a starter, closing in on the all-time career victory record for a quarterback (42 by Georgia's David Greene).

But also keep an eye on Houston quarterback Case Keenum, who has 3,815 passing yards, 28 touchdown passes and just five interceptions for the 8-1 Cougars, who visit the University of Central Florida for Saturday's Conference USA game at noon.

If Keenum wins the Heisman, it would happen on the 20th anniversary of Houston's other Heisman recipient, quarterback Andre Ware.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Bucs quarterback Vinny Testaverde, a Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Miami and the No. 1 overall pick in the 1987 NFL draft. Testaverde, who played for seven NFL teams, finished with 46,233 career passing yards (seventh all-time in the NFL) and 275 touchdown passes (eighth all-time).

Friday, Testaverde turns 46.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Wednesday's trivia question:

Quarterback Trent Dilfer, fullback Lorenzo Neal and running back Michael Pittman are the three former Fresno State players who started a regular-season game for the Bucs.

Technically, there is a fourth.

Current Bucs running back Derrick Ward began at Fresno State, but finished at Ottawa University, an NAIA school in Kansas, and that's the school listed in his official team biography.

Thursday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

Tampa Catholic last defeated Jesuit in football on Nov. 12, 1999. Can you name the TC quarterback who threw four touchdown passes in the 26-7 victory against the Tigers?

Check for the answer in Friday's Wake-Up Call.

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