1997 USF Bulls
1997 USF Bulls
On September 6, the USF Bulls took to the field for the first time. Their
opponent were the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers, a Division II school. A Division
I-AA record crowd of 49,212 was in the Houlihan's Stadium stands on a
relatively cool evening. Freddie Solomon, dressed in a University of Tampa
shirt and hat, performed the first coin toss. 3:15 into the game, freshman
running back Rafael Williams finished off the opening drive with a 1 yard TD
run. The former Taylor County High School star scored the first touchdown in
USF history.
USF scored eleven TDs in the game. Kentucky Wesleyan saw their QBs sacked
seven times, lost three fumbles, had two passes intercepted and could only
generate six first downs on the evening. USF out gained KWU 548 to 74 in total
yards. The Bulls lead 14-0 after one quarter, 35-3 at the half, 63-3 after
three periods and the final score was 80-3. Chad Barnhardt finished the night
completing 14 of 28 passes for 255 yards with two TDs and no interceptions.
Senior place kicker Steve Riggs, who played at East Lake High School and had
transferred from Weber State, kicked eleven extra points and a field goal.
Junior wide receiver Clif Dell, who played at King High School, was the leading
receiver with 149 yards and a touchdown. The leading rusher was Clearwater
High School's Jermaine Clemons. The sophomore ran for 132 yards and three TDs,
and also caught a pass for another score. As time expired, Jim Leavitt got a
Gatorade shower from his players. USF was 1-0.
Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina was the site for South Florida's first road trip. The Citadel Bulldogs, an established Division I-AA school, ground it out and threw only six passes that night. On USF's first second half possession, Chad Barnhardt hit Marcus Rivers on a 12 yard TD pass to even the score at 7-7. The freshman wide receiver from Panama City Rutherford High School would suffer a season ending injury the following month. The Bulls were their own worst enemy with a blocked field goal, eight penalties for 97 yards and two touchdowns called back. With two minutes left, The Citadel kicked a field goal to take the lead. Chad Barnhardt (21 of 41 for 189 yards) suffered his first interception of the season on the ensuing possession. After the 10-7 defeat, Jim Leavitt said "I don't like to lose, it bothers me and that's all there is to it."
Drake University, a Division I-AA non-scholarship school from Iowa, was next up in Tampa. Chad Barnhardt had a big night, completing 24 of 42 passes for 299 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. A TD catch by Marcus Rivers, along with a touchdown run by Jermaine Clemons, gave the Bulls a 22-10 lead in the third quarter. The Bulldogs had two running backs go over 100 yards rushing, Charlie Schimberg (117 yards and a touchdown) and Jason Grove (108 yards and a TD), as they mounted a comeback. South Florida had two failed extra point attempts, and a long field goal fell short in the final minutes, as Drake posted a 23-22 come from behind victory. 33,827 fans had watched USF lose at home for the first time.
The next week, South Florida traveled to L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green to play Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers were ranked number three in Division I- AA and coached by Jack Harbaugh, father of NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh. A Steve Riggs field goal gave USF a 3-0 lead after one quarter, however, it was all down hill from there. WKU quarterback Willie Taggart, who went to Bradenton Manatee High School, scored on a 9 yard run early in the second quarter to put the Hilltoppers out front. Taggart only completed 2 of 7 passes, but he ran for a pair of touchdowns. 11,200 watched Western Kentucky roll 31-3.
Morehead State brought the number one ranked offense in Division I-AA to Tampa.
The Kentucky based Eagles were lead by Doug Turner, the top rated quarterback
in the division. The Bulls Rafael Williams had a big night on the ground, with
104 of his 179 rushing yards coming in the first half, including a first
quarter touchdown to tie the score at 7-7. Chad Barnhardt was 13 out of 20 for
170 yards with a TD pass to Darren Bishop. It was the first touchdown of the
season for the junior wide receiver from Lakewood High School, who had
transferred from Boston University. Steve Riggs kicked field goals of 22, 45,
43 and 27 yards in USF's 33-17 win. A crowd of 30,050 had witnessed the Bulls
first victory over a Division I-AA program. Jim Leavitt commented, "To hold
that team to 17, I'm really proud of the defense."
| Located in Elon, North Carolina, the Elon College Fightin' Christians had one of the more interesting nicknames in college athletics.
The private, liberal arts school was founded in 1889 by the Christian Church (now the United Church of Christ). Prior to When it became Elon University in 1999, the school changed its mascot to the Phoenix. The new nickname was inspired by a 1923 fire that destroyed almost the entire campus. |
South Florida's first homecoming game was against Southern Illinois before
34,432 fans. A fourth quarter touchdown run by Jermaine Clemons brought the
Bulls to within 13-10, but Salukis defensive back Sam Wilkerson picked off two
Chad Barnhardt passes to seal SIU's victory. Barnhardt was intercepted three
times, and sacked five times, as four turnovers lead to the Bulls 23-10 defeat.
After an open date, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers came to Tampa. The visitors took an early 3-0 lead, but Charlie Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD. The freshman from Miami Edison High School returned the kick 94 yards and USF took the lead for good. Jermaine Clemons ran for a second quarter touchdown and finished the night with 133 yards rushing. Strong safety Roy Manns intercepted two passes and returned the second pick 39 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown. The senior out of East Lake High School had intercepted four passes in the Bulls first eight games. 25,361 watched the Bulls post a 24-6 victory.
The season's only afternoon game took place against Cumberland University, a NAIA program, at the 2,000 seat Lindsey Donnell Stadium in Lebanon, Tennessee. The site was more like a high school stadium, which did not have any facilities, so the Bulls had to suit up at the hotel. Running back Rafael Williams had a big day in front of a crowd estimated at 1,700. Williams rushed for 107 yards with two touchdowns on the ground and was USF's leading receiver with 87 yards with a TD reception. Cumberland had zero yards passing in four attempts and lost three of seven fumbles. Linebacker Demetrius Woods, a sophomore from North Miami Beach High School, returned one of those fumbles 24 yards for a touchdown. Chad Barnhardt tossed three touchdown passes, and South Florida did not turn the ball over, in a 44-0 pasting of the Bulldogs. The Bulls posted the school's first road victory, first shutout and first back- to-back victories. Jim Leavitt commented, "I probably never would have dreamed that we'd be 4-5 right now."
Georgia Southern, ranked number eight in Division I-AA, was the next opponent
in Tampa. On the game's third play, Eagles quarterback Greg Hill ran 77 yards
for a touchdown and he finished the night with 133 yards rushing. Three times
the Bulls were within the 20 yard line and had to settle for field goals, as
Georgia Southern took a 10-9 halftime lead. In the fourth quarter, with USF
trailing 17-9, Chad Barnhardt hit Trevor Hypolite, a junior transfer from
Boston University who attended Rockledge High School, on a touchdown pass.
With the score now 17-15, the Bulls wanted to run the ball into the end zone on
the conversion to tie the game. Jermaine Clemons could not find any running
room, so he lobbed a pass back to Chad Barnhardt for the first two point
conversion in school history. Running back Roderick Russell, who had a total
174 yards rushing, broke the tie with a 1 yard touchdown run. Then, Barnhardt
(14 of 28 for 177 yards with a TD and an interception) ran for a touchdown with
1:45 left in the game. Instead of going for the tie, South Florida decided to
try the two point conversion for the victory. Barnhardt was sacked and the
score stood at GSU 24, USF 23. The Bulls tried the onside kick, but an illegal
formation penalty wiped out a successful recovery. A crowd of 30,470 watched
Georgia Southern run out the clock and escape with a one point victory. Jim
Leavitt talked about his decision to go for the win. "We had the momentum. We
got two the time before. I thought there was no question about the decision to
go that route."
27,919 came out for the final game on the inaugural schedule against Davidson College. Located in North Carolina, the Wildcats scored first in Tampa. Rafael Williams (118 yards on the ground) scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns to put the Bulls out front 7-3. Chad Barnhardt (14 of 22 for 211 yards) threw a TD pass to Charlie Jackson and Jermaine Clemons ran for a score to give USF a 28-3 halftime advantage. Lance Hoeltke (7 of 9 for 77 yards and 2 TDs) came into the game in the second half and threw his first touchdowns of the season. In the final quarter, third string quarterback Glen Gauntt, a freshman from Sarasota Booker High School, threw his first passes of the season. South Florida coasted to 48-3 victory.
USF won three of its last four games to finish the first season 5-6. Chad Barnhardt (186 of 326 for 2,362 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions) was steady at quarterback and kicker Steve Riggs (31 of 34 extra points and 15 of 23 field goals) lead the team in scoring with 76 points. Rafael Williams (729 yards and 7 TDs) and Jermaine Clemons (686 yards and 7 TDs) battled all season for the team's rushing title. On the receiving end, Trevor Hypolite (34 receptions for 390 yards) caught the most passes, while Clif Dell (31 receptions for 466 yards) had the most yardage. Roy Manns lead team with five interceptions and sophomore Tony Umholtz, a Missouri Valley transfer from Largo Osceola High School, handled the punting duties (48 punts and a 36.6 average). USF averaged 33,039 in attendance, which placed them second in Division I-AA to Jackson State. Jim Leavitt said of the first season, "This should be the worst team you ever see here at South Florida. We only have two seniors, everyone's back."
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the 1930's, the teams were known as the Christians due the proximity to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Duke Blue Devils. Legend has it that a sportswriter coined Fightin’ Christians covering a contest between Elon and the nearby Quaker school Guilford College.