South Florida Bulls vs Syracuse Orange Preview

A year ago--heck, even a full month ago--the idea of South Florida feeling threatened on a trip to upstate New York didn't seem plausible at all. Now, though, in a world without Matt Grothe, past comforts have turned into present-day uncertainties.

Yes, Jim Leavitt's lineup lit up Tallahassee and soared to an unexpected conquest of Florida State on Sept. 26. Yes, USF's defensive front is so spectacular that opposing offenses should find tough sledding on a weekly basis against George Selvie and Co. Yet, as the Bulls prepare for new coach Doug Marrone's Syracuse Orange on Saturday in the Carrier Dome, the old calculus involving Syracuse football no longer applies. While South Florida has been crippled by the loss of Grothe, its star quarterback, the Orange have squeezed a lot more out of the talent they own, thanks to the arrival of Marrone, an SU alum and a former NFL assistant.

Syracuse almost toppled a decent Minnesota team in week one, taking the Gophers to overtime before falling in the extra stanza. In week three, the Orange continued their tour of the Big Ten by knocking off a Northwestern squad that, in some precincts, was viewed as a team that could have pulled off a 10-win campaign. With the departure of swing-and-a-miss coach Greg Robinson, who plainly struck out in his attempt to revive SU football, the Orange have rebounded under their new man, and can't be viewed as the patsy they once were. Standing at 2-2, and being just one stop (against Minnesota) from a 3-1 mark, this assemblage of Orange athletes has to be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the equation, USF can't rely on Grothe to carry them through tricky road games such as this one. While it's entirely true that the new main man under center, B.J. Daniels, hit thunderbolts of 77 and 73 yards in the week four triumph over Bobby Bowden's Seminoles, it's just as true that the new leader of the USF offense completed just 8-of-22 passes and threw two picks. Hitting two 70-yard pass plays in the same game isn't going to be duplicated very often, if at all. If Daniels can't substantially increase his completion percentage while weeding out turnovers, a similar stat line is likely to get the Bulls a loss under the big top.

This game represents a tremendous test of a team's focus and fortitude. The Bulls have the talent to run with the big dogs, but can they maintain composure against a lower-tier program in a game that won't generate the buzz of the Florida State throwdown? A successful navigation of this game will indicate that the Bulls might be able to compete for the Big East flag, even without Grothe; a loss, and... well... South Florida fans have seen that movie before. They don't want it to repeat this weekend in the Big East's one domed football stadium.

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By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer