Game Week--USF

This week the Big East has its first in-conference game matching ranked teams for the year and will do so in prime time in front of a national television audience with a few people desperate for a WVU win. Of course it is also on a Friday so that takes a little wind out of the sails. That's right the first big game for WVU this season takes place opposite Painkiller Jane, Moonlight, the Ghost Whisperer, and Meerkat Manor (called one of the saddest Meerkat's ever). Fans of these shows with kids playing high school sports will be glad to know that many of the high school games in the state of West Virginia are being moved to Saturday to accommodate fans of Numb3rs WVU football. This game will mark the first game of the year that a member of this site did not attend. But fear not as I have dispatched my newly Florida residing parents (already unable to cope with temperatures below 70, much faster in the 40, and storing up on guns and coke for the winter) and longtime reader/commenter/drunken fool Wolf to the game to give us insight into the USF big game experience. Wolf has guaranteed pictures unless he either a) gets too drunk to take pictures; b) trades the camera for more alcohol c) falls down and breaks his camera (falling down is a common experience for him when drunk) or d) says "fuck it" and sleeps through the game never leaving his house. Really it's a crap shoot. Now on to the game.

USF is the ninth largest university in the United States with a total enrollment of almost 45,000. USF has been around since 1959 and maybe put the cart before the horse as there is not even close to enough campus housing as only about 5,600 of the students live in university residence halls. Even the football players try to commute from as far as possible. One positive outcome is highly successful campus bookstore selling only books on tape. The football program started in 1997 and has been in 1-A since 2001 with Jim Levitt as the only head coach in the school's history which also makes him the winningest coach in school history. The WVU game will mark the first sell-out in the history of the USF home games. Last year South Florida beat WVU in Morgantown behind a defense that allowed 310 total yards and forced 4 turnovers. In that game USF was able to shut down both Slaton and White (combined for 60 yards) with a strategy of playing man to man on the receivers, getting penetration from the ends (especially Julmiste who is not on the team this year), having the interior defensive line hold the line without over penetrating, and using linebackers and safeties to play assignment football and fill all of the gaps. On offense the Bulls were led by Matt Grothe's 279 passing yards and his 47 rushing yards.

This year the defense will probably try the same strategy as corners Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams are back and as seniors are both considered shut down corners with NFL potential. WVU must be able to get big plays through the passing game as once again USF will put those corners on islands and bring everyone else against the run. In order to pass effectively, however, WVU will need to block George Selvie. Selvie leads the nation with 8.5 sacks and has at least 1.5 sacks in every game this year. The defense as a whole ranks 7th in the country (13th run, 14th pass) and has 7 interceptions in three games. Offensively the Bulls have been sluggish thusfar with an offense ranked 70th in the country (58th rush, 65th pass). The leading rusher has been Freshman Mike Ford with 181 yards this season with 4 touchdowns. He splits time with Benjamin Williams who has 117 yards and the two are complemented by Grothe adding 88 yards. Grothe has also thrown for 652 yards with Taurus Jhohnson leading the team in both receptions and yards. Should the game come down to a kick the Bulls are screwed unless someone takes out Delbert Alvarado before Friday.

At least the night game keeps the team and fans out of the Hard Sun (and yes this is just a blatant excuse to post the following song from Eddie, but I don't care).