I darnk the cool aid yestrday thinking FSU sort of back and S Fla to struggle with frosh QB...... losing wager.
I believe this kid at S Fla better than Grothe and am sure knowledgable followers of Bulls' program would acknowledge that. The kid is a player who can run and throw and is poised.
Hop on Bulls before line gets out of hand
I believe this kid at S Fla better than Grothe and am sure knowledgable followers of Bulls' program would acknowledge that. The kid is a player who can run and throw and is poised.
Hop on Bulls before line gets out of hand
National notes: Bulls charging way onto Florida scene
<TABLE class=storyHeader style="BACKGROUND: url(http://images.cbssports.com/images/authors-318x86/257.jpg) no-repeat left top; HEIGHT: 91px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=storyInfo style="PADDING-LEFT: 95px" vAlign=top>Sep. 30, 2009
By Dennis Dodd
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
We've heard the claims before out of Tampa/St. Pete/South Florida-but-really-Mid-West Coast Florida.
The Bulls have arrived.
The teenage program (13 years old) made another September splash Saturday by winning at Florida State.
Yawn.
"You're right," South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said. "October has always been a bad month for us."
It's actually more than October. Including this month, South Florida is 13-0 in the last three Septembers, only 8-9 the remainder of the season. For every big win over Louisville (2005) and West Virginia (2007), there has been a crippling midseason losing streak (three games each in 2007 and 2008).
Still, Leavitt -- a guy who usually wouldn't admit to media that the sun is up -- has not been able to contain himself since the 17-7 shocker over the Seminoles.
"It changes history," Leavitt said. "... For us trying to build this program, it's always been about Florida, Florida State and Miami. To be able to beat one of them at that moment means to me we can at least be in the discussion in this state."
Leavitt's goal all along has been to start the discussion. The only coach South Florida has ever known has been with the program before it had footballs and operated out of trailers. The Big Three have looked down their noses so long at the newcomer that they're going cross-eyed. To win at Florida State a week after quarterback Matt Grothe had his career ended with an ACL injury is a jaw-dropper, even if it is just for now.
Going forward, what does South Florida do with the victory? It can say there is now a Big Four in the state, but it's going to take conference titles and national attention to make that label stick. When Leavitt was gushing, he certainly had to be thinking about the recruiting doors the win is going to open.
"This," former Tallahassee Lincoln High coach David Wilson told the Tampa Tribune, "will have lasting shockwaves through the state of Florida."
"First and foremost, that's a national win," said West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, who recruits extensively in Florida. "That's not just a Florida win. It not only helps [you] with Florida recruiting, it helps you on a national level.
"[You] can go into a home in Alabama now or into a Mississippi junior college or go out to Texas and say, 'This is who we've beaten, this is who we played.'"
South Florida might have already been creeping up on the Big Three when it landed quarterback B.J. Daniels. The dual-threat redshirt freshman from Tallahassee no less, walked into Doak Campbell and punked the 'Noles with two touchdown passes.
Daniels was so ingrained as a Seminole that he lived on campus for the first seven years of his life. (His dad was an FSU housing director.) His hero was Charlie Ward. Daniels then shocked the world in front of the 1999 national championship team, back in town for a 10-year reunion.
FSU had recruited Daniels lightly, mostly because its quarterback pipeline was stocked. Daniels chose South Florida after hearing Leavitt speak at the funeral service of his friend and former Bulls player Keeley Dorsey. In January 2007, Dorsey died of a genetic heart disorder while lifting weights. Daniels had beaten out Dorsey as quarterback at Tallahassee Lincoln High School and, strangely, the two became friends.
Dorsey would have been a senior this season, sharing in Saturday's glory.
This is a strange case where the big boys can't or won't avoid a rising power. Miami begins a five-year series when it comes to Tampa in November. FSU ends the current series by coming to South Florida in 2012. The Bulls have never
"I want to target Miami because that was the only team that would come to Tampa," Leavitt said. "My dream when I became football coach at South Florida was one day to be in the discussion for [being] one of the four teams. That's one of the most powerful things you can do."
And keep doing. The calendar flips to October on Thursday.
How the Big Three became the Big Three
These three games are generally recognized as the jumping-off point for Miami, Florida State and Florida becoming national powers:
Florida: Nov. 3, 1990. Two weeks after losing 45-3 at Tennessee, Steve Spurrier's Florida first team rolled over fourth-ranked Auburn 48-7 in Gainesville. That NCAA-penalized team finished 9-2 and did not play in a bowl. The win over Auburn was Florida's only one over a ranked team that first season. There would be many more wins over Tennessee and ranked opponents in the future.
Florida State: Oct. 4, 1980. FSU shocked the world, winning 18-14 at Nebraska. A week later, the 'Noles beat No. 3 Pittsburgh 36-22 in Tallahassee. Those were Bobby Bowden's first two wins over top 10 teams. A year later FSU embarked on "Octoberfest," a five-game roadie that ended 3-2 after consecutive games at Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and LSU.
Miami: Jan. 1, 1984. One night, one play. You wonder what would have happened in the Orange Bowl if Tom Osborne had merely kicked the extra point, which most likely would have assured a national championship. We'll never know. That night, Miami's daring, brash style was on display for the entire country. Five national championships followed.
For the rest of the national notes read Dennis Dodd's blog Dodds and Ends.
<TABLE class=storyHeader style="BACKGROUND: url(http://images.cbssports.com/images/authors-318x86/257.jpg) no-repeat left top; HEIGHT: 91px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=storyInfo style="PADDING-LEFT: 95px" vAlign=top>Sep. 30, 2009
By Dennis Dodd
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
We've heard the claims before out of Tampa/St. Pete/South Florida-but-really-Mid-West Coast Florida.
The Bulls have arrived.
The teenage program (13 years old) made another September splash Saturday by winning at Florida State.
Yawn.
"You're right," South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said. "October has always been a bad month for us."
It's actually more than October. Including this month, South Florida is 13-0 in the last three Septembers, only 8-9 the remainder of the season. For every big win over Louisville (2005) and West Virginia (2007), there has been a crippling midseason losing streak (three games each in 2007 and 2008).
Still, Leavitt -- a guy who usually wouldn't admit to media that the sun is up -- has not been able to contain himself since the 17-7 shocker over the Seminoles.
"It changes history," Leavitt said. "... For us trying to build this program, it's always been about Florida, Florida State and Miami. To be able to beat one of them at that moment means to me we can at least be in the discussion in this state."
Leavitt's goal all along has been to start the discussion. The only coach South Florida has ever known has been with the program before it had footballs and operated out of trailers. The Big Three have looked down their noses so long at the newcomer that they're going cross-eyed. To win at Florida State a week after quarterback Matt Grothe had his career ended with an ACL injury is a jaw-dropper, even if it is just for now.
Going forward, what does South Florida do with the victory? It can say there is now a Big Four in the state, but it's going to take conference titles and national attention to make that label stick. When Leavitt was gushing, he certainly had to be thinking about the recruiting doors the win is going to open.
"This," former Tallahassee Lincoln High coach David Wilson told the Tampa Tribune, "will have lasting shockwaves through the state of Florida."
"First and foremost, that's a national win," said West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, who recruits extensively in Florida. "That's not just a Florida win. It not only helps [you] with Florida recruiting, it helps you on a national level.
"[You] can go into a home in Alabama now or into a Mississippi junior college or go out to Texas and say, 'This is who we've beaten, this is who we played.'"
South Florida might have already been creeping up on the Big Three when it landed quarterback B.J. Daniels. The dual-threat redshirt freshman from Tallahassee no less, walked into Doak Campbell and punked the 'Noles with two touchdown passes.
Daniels was so ingrained as a Seminole that he lived on campus for the first seven years of his life. (His dad was an FSU housing director.) His hero was Charlie Ward. Daniels then shocked the world in front of the 1999 national championship team, back in town for a 10-year reunion.
FSU had recruited Daniels lightly, mostly because its quarterback pipeline was stocked. Daniels chose South Florida after hearing Leavitt speak at the funeral service of his friend and former Bulls player Keeley Dorsey. In January 2007, Dorsey died of a genetic heart disorder while lifting weights. Daniels had beaten out Dorsey as quarterback at Tallahassee Lincoln High School and, strangely, the two became friends.
Dorsey would have been a senior this season, sharing in Saturday's glory.
This is a strange case where the big boys can't or won't avoid a rising power. Miami begins a five-year series when it comes to Tampa in November. FSU ends the current series by coming to South Florida in 2012. The Bulls have never
"I want to target Miami because that was the only team that would come to Tampa," Leavitt said. "My dream when I became football coach at South Florida was one day to be in the discussion for [being] one of the four teams. That's one of the most powerful things you can do."
And keep doing. The calendar flips to October on Thursday.
How the Big Three became the Big Three
These three games are generally recognized as the jumping-off point for Miami, Florida State and Florida becoming national powers:
Florida: Nov. 3, 1990. Two weeks after losing 45-3 at Tennessee, Steve Spurrier's Florida first team rolled over fourth-ranked Auburn 48-7 in Gainesville. That NCAA-penalized team finished 9-2 and did not play in a bowl. The win over Auburn was Florida's only one over a ranked team that first season. There would be many more wins over Tennessee and ranked opponents in the future.
Florida State: Oct. 4, 1980. FSU shocked the world, winning 18-14 at Nebraska. A week later, the 'Noles beat No. 3 Pittsburgh 36-22 in Tallahassee. Those were Bobby Bowden's first two wins over top 10 teams. A year later FSU embarked on "Octoberfest," a five-game roadie that ended 3-2 after consecutive games at Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and LSU.
Miami: Jan. 1, 1984. One night, one play. You wonder what would have happened in the Orange Bowl if Tom Osborne had merely kicked the extra point, which most likely would have assured a national championship. We'll never know. That night, Miami's daring, brash style was on display for the entire country. Five national championships followed.
For the rest of the national notes read Dennis Dodd's blog Dodds and Ends.
