South Florida vs Pittsburgh Recap

Those who follow the South Florida Bulls might think that a team's second-half swoon is in progress. Those who follow the Pittsburgh Panthers would disagree.

Yes, South Florida has historically struggled once the calendar turns to late October and the chill of autumn deepens, but if USF fans are honest, they'll realize that their beloved Bulls did not lose to the same old Pittsburgh team on a gray Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field. The powerhouse that pulverized the toughs from Tampa is not the unit Pennsylvanians are used to seeing on a collegiate gridiron. This is a new and nasty incarnation that the Big East hasn't seen before.

Coach Dave Wannstedt has heard all the shouts, murmurs and whispers; he's heard the doubts, the boos, and the groans that have accompanied previous seasons of inconsistency and the agony of failing to fulfill a considerable amount of potential. Pittsburgh football, under the guidance of Wannstedt, an alumnus and a former member of the football team in the 1970s, hadn't ever claimed a 10-win regular season or a Big East title. "What if?" seemed to be the question most frequently uttered in the Steel City, whose pro team knew how to win championships, but whose collegiate cousin couldn't. Even as this 2009 season unfolded, a series of shaky performances often obscured the fact that the Panthers were 6-1 and 3-0 in the Big East heading into this showdown with South Florida. Pitt might have been prevailing, but only by the slightest of margins. A sloppy and sometimes silly 24-17 win over a mediocre Rutgers roster on Oct. 16 suggested that more heartache and heartbreak lay ahead for Wannstedt.

After this performance against the beaten-up and badly bruised Bulls, perhaps the narrative will change in Western Pennsylvania.

This game did not witness meltdowns by South Florida, or lousy mistakes on the part of Coach Jim Leavitt's lineup. On Saturday, Pittsburgh's full potency popped USF from start to finish, as the full measure of the Panthers' pigskin prowess spilled out in full flower on a football field. The Bulls could only stand and watch as they were overwhelmed in this awesome assault.

Pitt quarterback Bill Stull completed each of his first 11 passes, a dazzling display that gave the home team a lead after 16 minutes of action. Stull's passing proficiency only set up the Bulls' defensive front for the thrusts of running back Dion Lewis, who scorched South Florida with a number of explosive running plays. Pitt clicked on all cylinders for most of the day, winding down only when the game was already out of reach for the visitors from the Sunshine State.

On the other side of the ball, the story was little different. South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels completed only one pass in a fruitless first quarter, and though the speedy signal caller was sometimes able to outrun the Panthers' defense, he certainly couldn't do so for a whole afternoon. Pitt's pursuit and pressure eventually wore down Daniels and the rest of the Bulls' offense, slowly but steadily claiming complete ownership of this contest. Wannstedt watched with pleasure as his team delivered a two-fisted trouncing of an appreciably talented foe; there was little that Jim Leavitt could do about it.

This is the Pittsburgh Panther team that can win the Big East and storm straight through Cincinnati and West Virginia on the road to a BCS bowl. If Pittsburgh can bottle up this lightning and unleash it again in November, the Steel City might be celebrating a football champion outside the NFL.

> Find a great selection of USF hats & apparel and more online along with Big East football jerseys from Big East Fans partner sites.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer