South Florida Bulls @ Pittsburgh Panthers Football Recap

Pittsburgh 44, South Florida 17

Of all the disappointing performances from week five of the 2011 college football season, the South Florida Bulls’ national-television face-plant has to rank in the top ten. A team that had begun to create the internal aura of a true Big East title contender, a team that was going to step out of the shadows in the coming months, has now been relegated to the darkness of college football’s back alleys once again. There’s no surer or faster ticket to the underclass than to get ripped with everyone else in the sport watching. That’s what happened to USF on a night that hijacked a whole season… or at least, that’s what reality feels like at the present moment.

The South Florida football team spent the first four weeks of the season building up its national profile and slowly climbing in the polls. It spent one Thursday night in Pittsburgh giving away all that it had built up by losing to Pittsburgh, 44-17. The Bulls, clear favorites on the road, were dominated up front by what had been a struggling, stuttering Pittsburgh offensive line. The Panthers opened up hole after hole for tailback Ray Graham, and the Pittsburgh superstar did the rest. Graham undressed USF defenders all night long with a mixture of speed and agility. He carried the ball 26 times for 226 yards and two touchdowns while also catching passes out of the backfield and then faking out USF defenders in open space. After struggling to protect Tino Sunseri through the first four games, the Panthers kept him upright and Sunseri was efficient, completing 22 of 33 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. Todd Graham’s “High Octane” offense was finally on display as the Panthers ran 49 plays in the first half and 91 plays in the game.

The South Florida offense had been steamrolling opponents. The Bulls were efficient against Notre Dame, and then put up 500 or more yards against the next three opponents. Against Pitt, the Bulls were inconsistent on the ground, and for the first time all year, BJ Daniels was rushed and erratic throwing the ball. Daniels completed just 18 of 36 passes, and did not throw a touchdown. The loss dropped the Bulls to 6-0 all time on Thursday night games, but more importantly, it almost certainly eliminates them from Big East contention, almost before it begins. For Pittsburgh, the win gives it a chance to compete for the Big East title despite back to back disappointing losses in prior weeks against Iowa and Notre Dame.

> Find a great selection of South Florida Bulls merchandise and more online along with Big East football gear from Big East Fans partner sites.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer