South Florida vs Cincinnati Recap

The biggest game of the Big East season initially involved one backup quarterback. Ironically, it was another backup signal caller who stole the show in Tampa.

When the South Florida Bulls hosted the Cincinnati Bearcats in a high-stakes conference clash at Raymond James Stadium, everyone knew that USF quarterback B.J. Daniels would need to keep pace with senior Cincinnati field general Tony Pike. Daniels couldn't afford to come up small on a grand stage, so as kickoff time approached, the pressure of the moment rested with the man who backed up Matt Grothe at the start of the 2009 campaign.

At the end of a sloppy and strange slugfest, however, a backup other than Daniels would own the headlines and the hosannahs, as coach Brian Kelly captained his club to a consequential conquest in the Sunshine State.

Daniels was inconsistent for South Florida, but the freshman from Tallahassee generally acquitted himself well on the national ESPN broadcast. Daniels was a veritable Fran Tarkenton in this contest, scrambling tirelessly and using the full 53-yard width of the gridiron to his advantage. If anything, Daniels's biggest shortcoming was his unwillingness to run vertically as opposed to horizontally. USF coach Jim Leavitt's quarterback consistently bought time in the pocket, but Daniels refused to dash for the sticks when running lanes emerged. Had Daniels done more running and less passing on broken plays, the Bulls would have converted more than 4-of-16 third downs.

Because South Florida's offense couldn't capture enough consistency, the Bulls weren't able to establish a commanding position and make the Bearcats sweat. This turn of interrelated events bore fruit for the visitors when a surprising plot twist surfaced in the second half.

Pike, Cincy's starting quarterback, had suffered a sprained left wrist late in the second quarter. Early in the third stanza, Pike aggravated the injury after being hit by USF defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul. With Pike's left arm dangling at an odd angle, Kelly had to tab Zach Collaros as his new signal caller. In a year when a number of teams ( Oklahoma, USC, Oregon) have struggled mightily with backup quarterbacks, the Bearcats didn't miss a beat. Collaros's 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter--on a 3rd and 11 snap--silenced the USF crowd, and a touch pass to tight end Ben Guidugli on a later drive led to another Cincinnati touchdown that prevented the Bulls from finding a firmer footing.

If there's anything South Florida will regret about this game, penalties and dropped interceptions would top the list. The Bulls committed 12 penalties, including a defensive pass-interference foul that paved the way for Cincy's final touchdown in the fourth quarter. USF's Jerome Murphy also dropped two interceptions--one of which would have been a pick-six--on a night when both teams committed multiple mistakes. USF has normally failed to attain peak precision and polish in its most significant Big East games over the past few years. Unfortunately, that trend returned on a night when Zach Collaros, not B.J. Daniels, provided the biggest backup boost from the quarterback position.

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By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer