South Florida beats NIU in International Bowl

The scene at midfield was a joyous one, a tidal wave of jubilation and raw emotion that even engulfed University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft for a brief moment until she safely escaped a swarm of dancing players.

The Bulls football team has provided other moments during the past 13 years like Saturday's at the Rogers Centre, but perhaps never one under such circumstances.

USF, playing in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season, sent the most successful senior class in school history out in style with a 27-3 thumping of Northern Illinois in the International Bowl. The temperature outside hovered in single digits, but the atmosphere inside the Rogers Centre was much warmer for Bulls players, coaches and a small throng of fans who cheered on USF in the spacious dome.

The victory party began in earnest when MVP Mike Ford, who rushed for a career-high 207 yards and a touchdown, teamed with defensive lineman Aaron Harris to dump a bucket of Gatorade onto Coach Jim Leavitt. Nearby was another culprit, receiver Carlton Mitchell, whom Leavitt playfully chased but couldn't catch.

Players danced. They tried to sing. Jason Pierre-Paul did one of his patented back flips. Offensive lineman Jeremiah Warren took snapshots of assistant coach Mike Simmonds, who held the 20-pound International Bowl trophy while surrounded by his family.

"If feels great, especially to be able to play such a good game on defense and to have it be your last one,'' said senior defensive back Nate Allen. "It's crazy to think how fast it has gone. I'm going to miss it.''

USF ended one of the most up-and-down seasons in school history with one of its better halves of the season, blowing open a 3-3 halftime tie by outscoring the Huskies 24-0 in the second half. The defense did its part by limiting Northern Illinois to 97 yards after halftime. And with Ford picking up most of the yards on the ground, redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels hit A.J. Love for a pair of touchdowns to send the Bulls on their way to consecutive bowl wins for the first time in school history.

USF, after a 5-0 start that included a memorable win at Florida State in Daniels' first career start, finished 8-5 in a season that started with the loss of senior quarterback Matt Grothe in the third game and ended with questions surrounding the future of Leavitt, the only coach in school history.

"This team is very talented, and I've said that from the beginning of this year,'' Leavitt said. "This is the best young group we've ever had since I've been here. They are so talented. We're going to shoot high, I promise you.''

Leavitt plans to be back next year as another round of speculation on a fringe Web site devoted to coaching rumors floated the idea that he was seeking a buyout immediately after Saturday's game.

USF is conducting an investigation into Leavitt's actions at halftime of the Nov. 21 game against Louisville, when he reportedly grabbed a player in a forceful manner. If he is cleared by that ongoing inquiry, there are plenty of reasons for Leavitt to be excited.

The Bulls have won eight or more games for four consecutive seasons, joining Florida as the only BCS programs in the Sunshine State to be able to say that. They also return nine starters on offense, including Daniels.

"He made a play I don't know if I've ever seen before,'' Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said of Daniels, who finished 14 of 22 for 217 yards and no interceptions despite being sacked five times.

Daniels' 46-yard touchdown pass to Love with 5:12 left in the third quarter - he made a nifty move on the play to buy enough time to throw - put USF up 13-3. He later hit Love for a 7-yard scoring pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Ford capped his breakout performance with a 24-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth.
Ford, Daniels and Love are all back next season, helping this year's seniors leave on a positive note and providing hope that more days like Saturday lie ahead.

"It's very exciting to see where we are now and where we could potentially be,'' Daniels said. "We have a lot of young talent and a lot of guys coming back. I really believe we can come back next year and improve.''