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Bulls pounded by Pittsburgh 41-14

The Associated Press

Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin hauls in a pass past South Florida cornerback Jerome Murphy for a touchdown.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2009

Updated: 10/24/2009 06:13 pm

PITTSBURGH - The defense has disappeared.

For the University of South Florida Bulls, who are suddenly struggling to save their season, the problems have mounted.

But it starts with the defense.

And when it pulled another no-show on Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field, when the No. 20-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers sliced and diced their way to a 41-14 Big East Conference victory that was decided by halftime, the Bulls were left with more questions.

The biggest: Where does USF go from here?

Well, it must first look to Friday night's nationally televised game against West Virginia at Raymond James Stadium. But when considering the explosiveness of West Virginia's offense, that's not exactly a comforting thought.

"This shouldn't be happening,'' said USF senior defensive end George Selvie, shell-shocked after watching the Bulls give up 486 yards to the Panthers. "We didn't put any pressure on Pittsburgh. They had their way.''

The Bulls (5-2, 1-2 Big East), losers of two straight games, were undressed in the first half. Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0) scored on all five of its possessions, rolled up 297 yards and built a 31-7 advantage at the break.

The second half was merely a formality. Overall, Pittsburgh converted on 11 of its 16 third-down opportunities.

Only a 20-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Evan Landi to Dontavia Bogan with 10 seconds remaining prevented it from being USF's worst margin of defeat in a Big East game.

"Most of the time, you expect adversity to arrive in one or two places,'' USF linebacker Kion Wilson said. "Now it seems like adversity is everywhere. We've got to get this out of our heads. We've got to shake loose from this. We're going in the wrong direction.''

Just 10 days ago, the Bulls were unbeaten and preparing for a prime-time game against Cincinnati. At halftime there, it was hotly contested. The Bulls were within a touchdown.

Ever since?

It has been a defensive calamity.

In the final two quarters against Cincinnati and the first two quarters against Pittsburgh – the equivalent of a full game – the Bulls have given up 566 total yards and 48 points.

"Obviously, we're giving up way too many big plays,'' USF defensive coordinator Joe Tresey said. "We're letting guys get behind us. We just couldn't get off the field.''

Pittsburgh's offensive skill had something to do with that.

Panthers quarterback Bill Stull, who was 18 of 25 for 245 yards and two touchdowns, completed his first 11 passes. Freshman running back Dion Lewis, who came in as the nation's third-leading rusher, galloped for 111 yards and two more scores.

Overall, though, USF offered little resistance against anything Pittsburgh attempted. USF's strategy was establishing a running game – redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels and Landi combined for just 13 pass attempts – but that couldn't gain traction.

Daniels was lifted after his second interception as the fourth quarter began. The Bulls had gained just 159 yards to that point (and finished with a season-low 212).

"I point to the defense first,'' said USF coach Jim Leavitt, who hinted at some personnel changes on that unit. "You want to play great defense and we played very poor defense. If we don't play defense, we're not going to win.

"We got beat bad, there's no question about that. They just whipped us. … Now we'll see what our team is all about. If they (USF players) continue to play like this, we won't be successful. If they change, then we'll have a chance.''

Almost from the opening whistle, the Bulls didn't have much of a chance on Saturday. Granted, the competition has skyrocketed since USF's 5-0 start – it has endured back-to-back games with potentially the Big East's two best teams – but the lack of defensive competitiveness has been alarming.

"That's not us,'' said Wilson, who had a team-high 14 tackles.

The numbers don't lie, though. USF's defense had been ranked 10th nationally. That lofty mark was exposed by Cincinnati and now Pittsburgh.

"It's going to get better,'' Wilson said. "We're going to make it better. We've got no choice.''

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353.

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