Detractors don't bother USF's Leavitt

Jim Leavitt seemed surprised.

Complaints? About his football team?

"To be honest with you, I don't hear it," he said.

Well, the head coach has to be the only one, then, who hasn't heard the backlash from the 31-0 beating the University of South Florida took last week at Rutgers. All you had to do was check the usual locations - message boards, call-in shows, or the guy sitting next to you at work. USF had barely trudged from the field in New Jersey before the first "Leavitt must go" e-mail showed up in my inbox.

"That's just people talking. All I think about is practice today. I get too confused if I don't," he said.

Here's something that isn't confusing: The loss to Rutgers dropped USF to 16-17 overall in their four-plus years in the Big East. The Bulls are 4-8 in conference play over the last two seasons, but the frustration goes deeper than just the record. The inconsistency drives people crazy.

For every signature win like the Bulls had this year against Florida State and West Virginia, both ranked at the time, there follows a pratfall on the big stage.

They were blown out in the second half by Cincinnati, which was playing with its backup quarterback much of that time after starter Tony Pike got hurt.

They were routed at Pittsburgh. And the Rutgers result was simply inexplicable for a team that had worked back into the national rankings.

That game sent USF fans reaching for the nearest computer keyboard in search of a place to vent. Or, in some cases, to the nearest telephone. One caustic wit left several suggestions on the voice mail of offensive coordinator Mike Canales. We'll leave you to guess the specifics.

"It wasn't very nice," Canales said. "But it also drives you."

For those who wonder, Leavitt is under contract through 2014. He makes $1.6 million per year and increases annually. Basically, he gets 75 percent of that money if he is replaced before the contract expires - not that anyone has to worry about that. Grumbles aside, he might have the most secure job in the nation.

Even if there was a movement to raise enough money to buy him out - which there isn't, and there shouldn't be - Leavitt is golden with the USF administration.

"You want to know the truth? I've gotten a ton of support, calls and notes like that," he said. "Maybe it's just because my secretary throws away the e-mails. I haven't heard any of it, but I don't live in that world."

It's fair to say the perception of the program is far different outside of Fowler Avenue. That charming story about spending the formative years of the program working out of trailers only has so much mileage. Right now, USF football is housed in a state-of-the-art athletic center and people have begun to demand more.

They tend to notice that the loss to Rutgers was USF's third in its last four games, and the Bulls have been outscored 106-31 in those losses. It's the third straight year the Bulls have collapsed in midseason after a strong start, too.

"I want to win every game. Nothing more is going to bother me than me," Leavitt said.

Leavitt talked about replacing injured Matt Grothe at quarterback with freshman B.J. Daniels, and how that skewed the curve a bit. He talked about redshirting most of his talented freshman class this season, which will build depth. He expects to bring in a strong recruiting class again next year.

"It all depends how you look at it. Is the cup half full or half empty?" he said.

Oh, it's half and half.

College fans can be the most irrational beings on the planet, but most of the time they are harmless. Should USF beat Louisville this Saturday in the homecoming game, then follow that with wins against Miami and UConn, all will be forgiven. The Bulls might actually get back in the rankings and we'll all be talking about how Leavitt kept a firm hand on the wheel after the Rutgers debacle.

Games like that make you want to throw a shoe through the hi-def and the inconsistency of this team can drive a person to drink - either from a half-full or half-empty cup. But if you do, just remember these parting words from Leavitt.

"Will I be here forever?" he said. "No, I won't be here forever - but as close to it as I can get. I'm going to try."