2000 USF Bulls

Jacksonville State made the trip from Alabama to open the season at Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls started slow, leading 3-0 after the first quarter and 16-0 at the half. Then, Marquel Blackwell connected with DeAndrew Rubin on two third quarter touchdown passes and that was all she wrote. Blackwell (13 of 22) passed for 166 yards and ran for a career high 84 yards. USF did not have any trouble running the ball and Rafael Williams finished with 114 yards, including a 21 scoring run. With field goals from 25, 43, 43 and 41 yards, along with four successful conversion attempts and a total of 16 points, Bill Gramatica appeared recovered from last season's injury. Charlie Jackson (4 receptions for 46 yards) passed Clif Dell as the all time leading receiver at USF and the Bulls out gained the Gamecocks 513 to 151 in total offense. Jim Leavitt said of the 40-0 victory, in which the home team was flagged 14 times for 135 yards, "It was the first game and we made too many mistakes. We have a chance to be pretty good, but I think it's still too early to tell."

The Bulls first game against a Southeastern Conference opponent took place in Lexington, Kentucky. The largest crowd South Florida had played before, 63,821, came out that afternoon. Marquel Blackwell (12 of 24 for 81 yards) was sacked four times and intercepted on USF's first offensive play, as Kentucky took a 27-3 lead. Wildcats quarterback Jared Lorenzen had 30 completions in 57 attempts for 382 yards, which set records for a USF opponent. Twice Lorenzen hooked up with Derek Abney on scoring passing and Quentin McCord, who had six receptions for 120 yards, also grabbed a TD pass. Chad Scott carried the ball 14 times for 106 yards against the Bulls. Kentucky generated 527 total yards, compared to 215 for South Florida, and it was the first time the Bulls were out gained by more than 200 yards. UK ran 88 plays and had 28 first downs, both records against USF. Rafael Williams ran 28 yards for a touchdown to close out the scoring in a 27-9 defeat. In game where they were forced to punt nine times, head coach Jim Leavitt admitted "We're not good enough yet, obviously. We have a ways to go." Kentucky coach Hal Mumme was gracious. "They are going to impress some people. They are going to surprise some people in Conference USA."

James Madison was ranked tenth in one Division I-AA poll, and thirteenth in another, when they came to RJS. Bill Gramatica opened the scoring with a USF record 51 yard field goal. On the Dukes next three possessions, special teams would make the difference for the Bulls. A punt block lead to a Otis Dixon touchdown run and the next punt was returned by DeAndrew Rubin 81 yards for the first punt return for a touchdown in USF history. A fumbled snap on the next punt attempt was recovered in the end zone for a USF touchdown and the Bulls took a 26-0 lead at the half. Rafael Williams had 122 yards rushing, but the Bulls were penalized eleven times for 123 yards in a 26-7 victory.

On the opening drive in Waco, Marquel Blackwell fumbled the ball away at the Baylor 8 yard line. A Blackwell to Scott McCready touchdown pass did give South Florida a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. Since USF fumbled the ball away twice in the opening period, the lead easily could have been larger. Blackwell had a record setting night against the Bulls first Big 12 Conference opponent. He set school records for completions (22) and attempts (42). He rushed for 132 yards, the most by a USF quarterback, and his 236 passing yards gave him a school record 368 total yards of offense. Blackwell also had another key fumble in the fourth quarter at the Baylor 29 yard line. Mistakes killed the Bulls. They lost four fumbles and were flagged thirteen times for 99 yards. The stars in a 28-13 victory for the Bears were quarterback Guy Tomcheck (20 of 28 for 223 yards with 3 TDs) and receiver Reggie Newhouse (7 catches for 136 yards and a TD). Blackwell talked about his record setting night. "It doesn't matter about statistics. Only thing that matters is wins. We didn't win, so it doesn't matter."

The number one ranked I-AA team in the country, Troy State, was next at Raymond James Stadium. Marquel Blackwell hooked up with Scott McCready on a touchdown pass and the Bulls took a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. Early in the second period, Trojans running back Demontary Carter rambled for a 46 yard TD. Carter finished the night with 114 yards on the ground and Troy State took a 10-7 advantage into the locker room. A Blackwell fumble deep in TSU territory thwarted the Bulls, however, the USF quarterback would make up for it by posting his second record setting performance in as many weeks. Blackwell (17 of 34 with an interception) passed for a career high 273 yards, rushed for 113 yards and broke the school record for total yards (386) he set the previous week. USF almost doubled Troy State in total yardage (436 to 221), recorded three sacks and a third quarter touchdown run by Otis Dixon put the Bulls up for good. Jim Leavitt said of the 20-10 victory, "Obviously, it was a great win. I really didn't know what to tell our players because I'm kind of beside myself. I told them this is your national championship."

Next up was the seventeenth ranked team in the county. This time it was not Division I-AA, but South Florida's first ranked Division I-A opponent. The game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg was also USF's first against a member of Conference USA. Southern Mississippi lead just 3-0 after the first quarter, then handed the Bulls the worst defeat in school history. Golden Eagles quarterback Jeff Kelly (18 of 29 for 171 yards) threw for two touchdowns and ran for three scores, while the defense completely stymied the Bulls. USF did not get a first down until 6:15 of the third quarter, converted just 2 of 15 third downs and finished with a school record low seven first downs. Other USF record lows were the 18 yards rushing, 0.7 yards per carry and 24:47 in time of possession. The home team also blocked two punts and recovered an onsides kick. Six sacks of Marquel Blackwell (10 of 23 for 94 yards with an interception) saw him finish with a negative 28 yards rushing. Blackwell did hook up with Chris Iskra on a 19 yard pass for the Bulls only score. It was the first touchdown reception for the freshman receiver from Clearwater Central Catholic High School. Despite the 41-7 final score, the South Florida defense played well and recorded four sacks. Jim Leavitt talked of the trouncing. "We obviously ran into an awfully good football team. After six games, we're 3-3 and you can say we're a very, very strong I-AA team and probably a very, very weak I-A team right now. We're going to close this gap pretty quick."

In a 44-6 rout of Liberty at RJS, Marquel Blackwell (14 of 20 for 255 yards) threw touchdown passes to four different receivers and Rafael Williams became the first South Florida running back to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards. The Bulls lead 21-0 and the Flames returned the kickoff for a score, which set up the most interesting play of the evening. Liberty attempted a two point conversion, but USF linebacker Anthony Williams intercepted the pass. The junior from Pahokee High School returned it 94 yards, so the Bulls got the two points. While Liberty was penalized ten times, USF was flagged thirteen times for 118 yards. Jim Leavitt was not pleased with the mistakes. "I was disappointed we didn't play with much discipline, but to play that bad and win 44-6 says something." Linebacker Kawika Mitchell admitted, "We seemed a little flat." The sophomore linebacker from Winter Springs added, "Maybe we were looking forward to beating a I-A team and overlooked them."

On a windy Saturday afternoon in Storrs, Connecticut, South Florida was a homecoming opponent for the first time. While the University of Connecticut, and USF, considered the Huskies Division I-A, they technically were in same situation as the Bulls. UConn was in a transition to I-A and would join the Big East Conference down the road. Evan Benson rushed for 119 yards with a touchdown and the Huskies led 13-7 after three quarters. In USF history, thirteen times they had trailed going into fourth quarter and had never pulled out a victory. An Otis Dixon touchdown run gave the Bulls the lead and a Marquel Blackwell (19 of 28 for 165 yards) to Scott McCready TD pass sealed a 21-13 victory. Neither team scored going into the 25 mph wind, so Jim Leavitt discussed the importance winning the coin toss. "I went back and forth on whether to take the wind or not. I knew it was going to be a huge decision, so we deferred. I sat there and thought 'well we've got to have that wind in the fourth quarter, we've just got to, it's too strong.'"

Undefeated Western Kentucky was the Bulls homecoming opponent and the only team to appear on the schedule for each of South Florida's first four seasons. The Bulls had trouble running the ball, however, Marquel Blackwell made up for it. Blackwell (27 of 39) threw for a school record 360 yards with a pair of touchdowns and also rushed for 60 yards. His 420 yards of total offense broke his own school record. For the first time USF had two receivers with 100 yard games. Scott McCready caught five passes for 107 yards with a TD and Charlie Jackson had five receptions for 101 yards. Hilltoppers quarterback Jason Johnson (8 of 13 for 133 yards) ran for 124 yards and broke loose on a 29 yard scoring run. Bill Gramatica kicked three field goals in the Bulls 30-24 triumph. WKU was number six in the polls, so this was USF's third victory over a Division I-AA ranked opponent. Senior linebacker Jason Butler, who went to Bartow High School, commented "We're going to Division I-A. That ranking stuff doesn't matter anymore."

A Saturday afternoon game in Murfreesboro, Tennessee was next on the schedule. Middle Tennessee State was in its second year of Division I-A football and headed toward the Sun Belt Conference the next season. MTSU quarterback Wes Counts (14 of 23 for 226 yards) threw for four touchdowns with Dwone Hicks and Rondell Newsom each catching a pair of scoring passes. Hicks also ran for two touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards. For South Florida, Rafael Williams caught a school record nine passes and Marquel Blackwell (23 of 39 for 184 yards with an interception) ran for a fourth quarter touchdown. Each team recorded three sacks and the Bulls were penalized fourteen times for 145 yards. The day belonged to the Blue Raiders, as they scored on four of their first five possessions and racked up 420 yards of total offense. When it was over, USF suffered its worst margin of defeat in a 45-9 loss. Blackwell said of the game, "We came out flat and they jumped on us." Jim Leavitt took the blame. "The biggest thing is it starts with me. Somewhere in the week I just didn't get our team ready."

The season closed with Tennessee based Austin Peay State University in town for South Florida's first afternoon home game. The Bulls lead 21-0 after the first quarter, 38-0 at the half and cruised to the largest shutout victory in school history 59-0. Rafael Williams ran for two touchdowns and Marquel Blackwell (7 of 10 for 142 yards) threw a TD pass to Scott McCready. Bill Gramatica booted a 63 yard field goal, which tied the Division I-AA record and was the second longest in NCAA history without a tee. His brother Martin holds the record with a 65 yarder at Kansas State in 1998. The Bulls did not punt the ball and began pulling the starters in second quarter. In the second half, freshman saw some playing time. Kenny Robinson returned an interception 64 yards for a score, running back Vince Brewer ran for 105 yards with a TD and QB Ken Patullo (5 of 6 for 89 yards) tossed his first career touchdown pass. The Bulls rolled up 540 yards of total offense, 298 on the ground, and held APSU to 117 total yards. Center Joey Sipp, a product of Hillsborough High School, said "We just kept telling ourselves we wanted to finish like we started."

South Florida posted a 7-4 record and went undefeated at home (6-0) for the first time, but also had worst road record in school history (1-4). Scott McCready lead the team in receiving with 517 yards on a school record 37 receptions. Marquel Blackwell threw thirteen touchdown passes and his four interceptions were a record low for a USF starting quarterback. For the third time in four years, Rafael Williams lead the team in rushing (704 yards). Defensive back Anthony Henry tied the team record with five interceptions. South Florida drew an average crowd of 26,414 to Raymond James Stadium.

South Florida said good-bye to 25 seniors, 22 of which played all four seasons and fourteen who were there for USF's first practice in 1996. Center Joey Sipp was the only player to start the first 44 USF games. Long snapper Ryan Benjamin, who went to River Ridge High School, and defensive end Shawn Hay also played in every game. Others orignal Bulls included Otis Dixon, Anthony Henry, Charlie Jackson, Roy Manns and Rafael Williams. Jim Leavitt was proud of their accomplishments. "I don't know if there is a group of seniors around that could have done what these guys did."

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