BIG EAST Report: USF guns for FSU with Daniels at QB
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B.J. Daniels will get his first start at quarterback for USF against FSU. (Photo courtesy of USF)
By Tony Scarpelli, Lindyssports.com blogger
USF is off to a great start, winning its first three games of the season.
Admittedly those three wins came against less than challenging competition—Wofford, Western Kentucky and Charleston Southern, three teams that are a combined 1-8 this season and that lone win came when Wofford beat Charleston Southern.
Still, 3-0 is 3-0 and the Bulls have won five of their last six games dating back to last season. And now, USF is set to take on the biggest challenge in school history. Next up for the Bulls is Bobby Bowden’s Florida State Seminoles. This is huge not just because of Bowden’s place in college football history, but because it is one of the Big Three college football programs in the State of Florida—Florida and Miami, of course, being the other two.
For recruiting purposes, there would be nothing like handing it to the Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. For prestige purposes in the state, it would finally get the Bulls up on the same level as the Big Three.
So yes, this is big. But unfortunately, the Bulls won’t be bringing all their guns to the fight. Senior quarterback Matt Grothe will be on the sidelines watching after tearing the ACL in his left knee in last week’s win over Charleston Southern. It will be the first time Grothe won’t be starting under center after 41 consecutive starts. Instead, redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels will be running the show.
"I'm excited to see him play," said Grothe. “I know he's really excited for this game, growing up in Tallahassee. You could tell yesterday in practice, he was trying to do everything perfect. I just told him to calm down and play your game. He knows how to play football; everyone knows that. He's going to do some incredible things while he's here and win us championships. I'm excited for him and ready to see him out there this Saturday.”
When Grothe was injured in the first half last week, he stayed on the turf for several minutes.
“I think I got it all off on the field,” he said. “I laid there for a few minutes. I could have got up after 30 seconds, but I didn't want to get up, because I kind of knew what was coming next.
“My family and everybody are actually doing worse than I am,” he said. “My mom wonders how I'm taking it so well. I've got to look at it positively. I can't get down on it, there's nothing I can do to change it. Just a new chapter in my life. I'm done playing here. Hopefully it's time to move on to bigger and better things when it's all said and done.”
That Saturday will be tough for the Bulls to regroup with a new quarterback for the first time in four years, but Grothe believes they are up for it. He knows Daniels is ready.
“Well, B.J. played the whole second half last week,” Grothe said. “After the game he came up to me and said, ‘Boy do I have a respect for you. It's a lot different from practice out there and everything.’”
Daniels is 12-of-15 for 179 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed for three scores in limited time this season. As he attempts to keep the Bulls offense running smoothly (USF is sixth in the nation in scoring offense at 44.7 points per game), the defense will take on a big challenge facing quarterback Christian Ponder and the Seminoles offense. This season, the USF defense is ranked second nationally in scoring defense at 6.7 points per game. They are third nationally in pass defensive (84.3 ppg).
USF is trying to reach a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season.
Still, 3-0 is 3-0 and the Bulls have won five of their last six games dating back to last season. And now, USF is set to take on the biggest challenge in school history. Next up for the Bulls is Bobby Bowden’s Florida State Seminoles. This is huge not just because of Bowden’s place in college football history, but because it is one of the Big Three college football programs in the State of Florida—Florida and Miami, of course, being the other two.
For recruiting purposes, there would be nothing like handing it to the Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. For prestige purposes in the state, it would finally get the Bulls up on the same level as the Big Three.
So yes, this is big. But unfortunately, the Bulls won’t be bringing all their guns to the fight. Senior quarterback Matt Grothe will be on the sidelines watching after tearing the ACL in his left knee in last week’s win over Charleston Southern. It will be the first time Grothe won’t be starting under center after 41 consecutive starts. Instead, redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels will be running the show.
"I'm excited to see him play," said Grothe. “I know he's really excited for this game, growing up in Tallahassee. You could tell yesterday in practice, he was trying to do everything perfect. I just told him to calm down and play your game. He knows how to play football; everyone knows that. He's going to do some incredible things while he's here and win us championships. I'm excited for him and ready to see him out there this Saturday.”
When Grothe was injured in the first half last week, he stayed on the turf for several minutes.
“I think I got it all off on the field,” he said. “I laid there for a few minutes. I could have got up after 30 seconds, but I didn't want to get up, because I kind of knew what was coming next.
“My family and everybody are actually doing worse than I am,” he said. “My mom wonders how I'm taking it so well. I've got to look at it positively. I can't get down on it, there's nothing I can do to change it. Just a new chapter in my life. I'm done playing here. Hopefully it's time to move on to bigger and better things when it's all said and done.”
That Saturday will be tough for the Bulls to regroup with a new quarterback for the first time in four years, but Grothe believes they are up for it. He knows Daniels is ready.
“Well, B.J. played the whole second half last week,” Grothe said. “After the game he came up to me and said, ‘Boy do I have a respect for you. It's a lot different from practice out there and everything.’”
Daniels is 12-of-15 for 179 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed for three scores in limited time this season. As he attempts to keep the Bulls offense running smoothly (USF is sixth in the nation in scoring offense at 44.7 points per game), the defense will take on a big challenge facing quarterback Christian Ponder and the Seminoles offense. This season, the USF defense is ranked second nationally in scoring defense at 6.7 points per game. They are third nationally in pass defensive (84.3 ppg).
USF is trying to reach a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season.
BIG EAST Notes:
* Pittsburgh is 3-0 for the first time since the 2000 season. The Panthers have averaged 39.7 points per game, good for 16th nationally. Defensively, Pitt is second in the nation in sacks, averaging 5.0 per game.
* Pitt wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin had a career-high 111 receiving yards against Navy.
* USF’s 59-0 win over Charleston Southern was the ninth shutout in school history and its third largest margin of victory.
* Wide receiver Jock Sanders tied West Virginia’s single-game record with 12 receptions against Auburn. He is the first Mountaineer player since 1998 to have 12 catches in a game.
* Connecticut running backs Andre Dixon ran for 149 yards and Jordan Todman went for 103 in the win against Baylor. It was the second time in three games that both players surpassed 100 yards in the same game.
* QB Greg Paulus threw for a career-high 346 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a TD as Syracuse beat Northwestern on a last-play 41-yard field goal by Ryan Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein’s field goal at the gun marked the first time that the Orange got the winning points on a last-minute field goal since Jon Biskup hit a 24-yard try with four seconds left against East Carolina in 1989.
* Cincinnati QB Tony Pike leads the BIG EAST in passing yards (307.7 per game) and touchdown passes (eight). Pike has completed 70.8 percent of his passes.
* Pittsburgh is 3-0 for the first time since the 2000 season. The Panthers have averaged 39.7 points per game, good for 16th nationally. Defensively, Pitt is second in the nation in sacks, averaging 5.0 per game.
* Pitt wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin had a career-high 111 receiving yards against Navy.
* USF’s 59-0 win over Charleston Southern was the ninth shutout in school history and its third largest margin of victory.
* Wide receiver Jock Sanders tied West Virginia’s single-game record with 12 receptions against Auburn. He is the first Mountaineer player since 1998 to have 12 catches in a game.
* Connecticut running backs Andre Dixon ran for 149 yards and Jordan Todman went for 103 in the win against Baylor. It was the second time in three games that both players surpassed 100 yards in the same game.
* QB Greg Paulus threw for a career-high 346 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a TD as Syracuse beat Northwestern on a last-play 41-yard field goal by Ryan Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein’s field goal at the gun marked the first time that the Orange got the winning points on a last-minute field goal since Jon Biskup hit a 24-yard try with four seconds left against East Carolina in 1989.
* Cincinnati QB Tony Pike leads the BIG EAST in passing yards (307.7 per game) and touchdown passes (eight). Pike has completed 70.8 percent of his passes.
* Rutgers RB Joe Martinek ran for a career-high 121 yards on 23 carries against Florida International to register his first career 100-yard game.
BIG EAST Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 26
Fresno State at Cincinnati, Noon, BIG EAST Network Game of the Week
Rhode Island at Connecticut, Noon, ESPN360.com
USF at Florida State, Noon, Television:ESPNU
Pittsburgh at North Carolina State, 3:30 p.m., Television:ESPNU
Rutgers at Maryland, 3:30 p.m., Television: ESPN360.com
Maine at Syracuse, 7 p.m.
Louisville at Utah, 7:30 p.m.,CBS College Sports
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Mike Williams, Sr., WR, Syracuse
BIG EAST Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 26
Fresno State at Cincinnati, Noon, BIG EAST Network Game of the Week
Rhode Island at Connecticut, Noon, ESPN360.com
USF at Florida State, Noon, Television:ESPNU
Pittsburgh at North Carolina State, 3:30 p.m., Television:ESPNU
Rutgers at Maryland, 3:30 p.m., Television: ESPN360.com
Maine at Syracuse, 7 p.m.
Louisville at Utah, 7:30 p.m.,CBS College Sports
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Mike Williams, Sr., WR, Syracuse
Williams had 11 receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns — all career highs — in Syracuse’s 37-34 win against Northwestern. Williams’ 13-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter tied the game after he had a career-long 66-yard TD catch in the first quarter. He now has at least one touchdown reception in 11 of his last 12 games.
BIG EAST Player to Watch
BIG EAST Player to Watch
B. J. Daniels, Fr., QB, USF
Daniels will be in the spotlight this week as he takes over for injured starter Matt Grothe. It will be the first start at quarterback for the Bulls for anyone other than Grothe in the last 41 games. To put Daniels under even more pressure, the start will be against FSU in Daniels’ hometown of Tallahassee.
BIG EAST Quote of the week:
Daniels will be in the spotlight this week as he takes over for injured starter Matt Grothe. It will be the first start at quarterback for the Bulls for anyone other than Grothe in the last 41 games. To put Daniels under even more pressure, the start will be against FSU in Daniels’ hometown of Tallahassee.
BIG EAST Quote of the week:
USF quarterback Matt Grothe after tearing his ACL, ending his career: “I told the guys they can't call me Matt anymore, it's Coach Grothe now.”
