2009 USF Bulls
2009 USF Bulls
The team also used this season to honor the memory of former player Keeley
Dorsey. Dorsey was running back for the Bulls in 2006 who passed away after a
team conditioning workout in January, 2007 and this would have been his senior
season. During each game a player wore the number 10 jersey, with no name
on the back, that Dorsey wore. Dorsey appeared in eight games and had a 52-
yard TD run against McNeese State.
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In part of a promotion for the Spring football game Jim Leavitt, known for doing sprints across the field before games, was clocked in the 40-yard dash. Students who tried out in a mock combine before the game could win a "Faster Than Coach Leavitt" t-shirt. After clocking in at 5.72, the head coach joked, "That was one of most exciting moments of my life. I was feeling it right after the second or third yard." On the students breaking his mark, Leavitt added, "If there are any students that can't beat that, they really need to decide what they want to do in life."
The season opener against Wofford was tied 7-7 late in the first half, before USF scored the final 33 points. Matt Grothe completed a team record 82.6 percent of his passes (19 of 23 for 155 yards with a TD and an INT) and surpassed Marquel Blackwell for the school's career total yardage leader. Mo Plancher ran for a pair of scores and freshman Lindsey Lamar rushed for his first career TD. B.J. Daniels (2 of 2 for 30 yards) threw his first career TD pass, while Theo Wilson and Jeffery Wilson caught their first career touchdown passes. Eric Breitenstein ran for 121 yards and the Terriers touchdown in the Bulls 40-7 victory. Speaking of the first half, Jim Leavitt remarked, "We looked like a young team that hadn't played a game."
Matt Grothe (13 of 22 for 208 yards with 2 TDs and an INT) became the Big East Conference's all-time career total yardage leader in a game at Western Kentucky. Mo Plancher rushed for 115 yards with two touchdowns, while Carlton Mitchell caught four passes for 130 yards. Hilltoppers QB Brandon Smith (13 of 26 for 84 yards with an INT) ran for 105 yards, however, the home team did not help themselves with thirteen penalties for 124 yards. After a 35-13 victory, Jim Leavitt commented, "This is a good win. I thought it was going to be a tough ball game."
Matt Grothe's assault on the record book would come to an end against Charleston
Southern. On a second quarter scramble, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in
his left knee would end Grothe's USF career. Grothe said, "Obviously, I am
disappointed because you never think this could happen to you. I am still going
to be very involved with my teammates and the coaches. I am going to do everything
I can to help the Bulls continue to win." Jim Leavitt commented, "Matt's a
franchise guy. We all know that. He's one of the great names out there. He's
a special, special guy."
Before the injury, Matt Grothe (11 of 14 for 149 yards) tossed two touchdown passes and the Bulls rolled against the CSU Buccaneers. B.J. Daniels (10 of 13 for 149 yards) came in and threw one TD pass and ran for 105 yards with two scores. Dontavia Bogan caught two TD pass in a 59-0 victory. Walk-on Eric Schwartz took over the place kicking duties from Delbert Alvarado. Due to an injury sustained by Maikon Bonani in a fall working at Busch Gardens, Alvarado had been handling both the punting and place kicking. After the game, Jim Leavitt said, "Right now, I am still thinking about Matt."
BJ Daniels would make his first start in his hometown of Tallahassee at Doak
Campbell Stadium. He would have a story book afternoon against eighteenth
ranked Florida State. Daniels finished with 341 yards of total offense and
hooked up with Ben Busbee and Sterling Griffin on touchdown passes. Cornerback
Ochuko Jenije intercepted him twice, but Daniels (8 of 21 for 215 yards)
carried the ball 23 times for 126 yards. The defense was the rest of the story
with five sacks of Christian Ponder (25 of 37 for 269 yards), two by junior
defensive end Craig Marshall. The Bulls forced four fumbles, held the
Seminoles to just 19 yards rushing and had a huge goal line stand in the second
quarter. Even with Eric Schwartz missing two field goals, USF posted what Jim
Leavitt called, "A very historical win."
After the 17-7 victory at FSU, BJ Daniels said of his debut, "It's not about me. It's about the Bulls stepping up and making a name for ourselves." George Selvie said of the defensive effort, "We came out and hit them in the mouth. It's not just the big three anymore." Jim Leavitt certainly felt it, stating, "I was in tears at the end of this game. When I looked up in that crowd and I saw how many people from South Florida were there, I about broke. The emotion was overwhelming. I just wanted to jump up into the middle of them. They deserved this." Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden admitted, "Boy, I tell you what, they are a whole lot better than I thought. I knew they were good, but they beat the heck out of us."
It was a sloppy start to the game at the Carrier Dome with the teams turning the ball over five times in the first four minutes. The Bulls would equal the team record with seven forced turnovers and intercepted Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus (25 of 46 for 269 yards) five times. The ten total turnovers also equaled a school record. Nate Allen had a pair of picks and Jason Pierre-Paul returned an interception 18 yards for a score. Not that it was all bad for the Orange, as Mike Williams caught 13 passes for 186 yards with 2 TDs and USF only lead 14-13 at the half. Three third quarter touchdowns would put it away for the Bulls. Mike Ford had two TD runs and twice BJ Daniels (12 of 20 for 208 yards) hooked up with Carlton Mitchell (139 yards receiving) on scoring passes. After a 34-20 victory, USF was ranked 23rd by the AP and 24th in the Coaches Poll. A bye week saw the Bulls go to 21st in both polls.
USF donned the white helmets for only the second time for a Thursday night game
against eighth ranked Cincinnati. B.J. Daniels hooked up with Jesse Hester on
a scoring pass and the Bulls lead 7-3 after the first. Bearcats QB Tony Pike
(12 of 25 for 140 yards) threw two short TD passes to Armon Binns and the
visitors were up 14-10 at the intermission. Pike would be knocked out of the
game with a wrist injury, however, backup QB Zach Collaros (4 of 7 for 72 yards
with an INT) did some real damage. Collaros ran 75 yards for a touchdown and
sneaked another in for a second score. He finished with 132 yards on 10
carries. Daniels (15 of 32 for 208 yards) did run for a TD, but was
intercepted twice, including one returned 83 yards to set up a Cincinnati TD.
The Bulls were penalized a dozen times for 113 yards, as the Bearcats became
the first team to defeat USF four straight years. After the 34-17 defeat, Jim
Leavitt commented, "I'm going to look at the film, tell them what they did
right and what they wrong and we'll move on. I don't have any other magical
formula I can use."
Things got worse when USF played at 20th ranked Pittsburgh. The Panthers
scored on all five first half possessions and lead 31-7 at the intermission.
Pitt QB Bill Stull (18 of 25 for 245 yards with an INT) threw 2 touchdown
passes, Dion Lewis rushed for 111 yards with 2 scores and Jonathan Baldwin had
144 receiving yards with a TD catch. The home team never punted, recorded four
sacks and out-gained the Bulls 486 to 212 in net yards. B.J. Daniels (4 of 8
for 54 yards) was intercepted twice, before Evan Landi (3 of 5 for 36 yards
with an INT) came on in a mop-up role. Seeing his first action at quarterback,
Landi tossed a TD pass with 10 seconds remaining in a 41-14 loss. In a game
where USF ran a team record low 46 plays, Jim Leavitt commented, "They just
whupped us. We'll see what our team is all about. If they continue to play
like this, we won't be successful this year."
When 20th ranked West Virginia came to town, it was the first time in program history that USF faced a ranked team for three third straight games. On the game's first possession, QB Jarrett Brown (19 of 32 for 232 with an INT) ran for the first of his two scores and the Mountaineers were up 7-0. The Bulls quickly answered with a 49 yard TD pass from B.J. Daniels to Carlton Mitchell (5 catches for 132 yards). Daniels (13 of 26 for 232 yards) would throw for three scores, rush for 104 yards and not turn the ball over. Eric Schwartz went 3 for 3 on field goals in the Bulls 30-19 Friday night victory. A week later, USF would be ranked 23rd by the AP and 24th in the coaches poll.
It was a Thursday night nightmare for the Bulls at Rutgers. The team could do
nothing right, as turnovers, a blocked punt and a muffed punt return helped the
Scarlet Knights to a blowout victory. Freshman quarterback Tom Savage (15 of
30 for 194 yards with an INT) tossed two touchdown passes, Joe Martinek rushed
for 128 yards with a score and Mohamed Sanu caught five passes for 105 with a
TD. B.J. Daniels (7 of 17 for 129 yards) was intercepted twice, lost a fumble
and was sacked seven times. USF managed just 159 total yards in the first
regular season shutout in school history. Jim Leavitt said after the 31-0
defeat, "Give Rutgers credit, they just beat the dog out of us."
B.J. Daniels had a huge afternoon against Louisville. He accounted for 445 of
USF's 518 total yards and became the first player in Big East history to pass
for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a game. Daniels (20 of 34 for 304
yards) threw a TD pass and rushed for 141 yards with two scores. The Bulls had
two 80-yard drives and lead 14-0 after the first quarter. A.J. Love caught
four passes for 121 yards in a 34-22 homecoming victory. Daniels said
afterwards, "It's big for our morale and our team confidence. It was really
important for us to get back on the winning track."
A sellout crowd welcomed 19th ranked Miami to Raymond James Stadium and the
Hurricanes wasted no time jumping on the Bulls. The 'Canes lead 14-0 after the
first quarter and 21-3 at the half. B.J. Daniels (6 of 16 for 77 yards with an
INT) tossed a third quarter TD pass to A.J. Love to pull USF to within 21-10,
however, that was as close as it got. Miami QB Jacory Harris (11 of 21 for 161
yards) threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more scores. The visitors
rushed for 240 yards with Damiem Berry leading the way with 114 yards on the
ground. After a 31-10 defeat, Jim Leavitt commented, "I'm the one who pushed
really hard to get Miami on the schedule. I'm really glad now, more than ever,
because it shows where we've got to go. It shows that we're not there yet,
certainly. We've got work to do."
The kickoff temperature was 34 degrees and it snowed throughout the game at Connecticut. Zach Frazer (20 of 30 for 225 yards) threw two touchdown passes, Andre Dixon ran for two scores and Marcus Easley caught 8 passes for 122 yards with a TD to pace the Huskies. USF trailed 20-7 in the third quarter before B.J. Daniels (11 of 16 for 160 yards) ran for his third score of the night to put the Bulls up 27-26 with 40 seconds remaining. UConn responded and Dave Teggart kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired and the Bulls fell 29-27. On a game were Carlton Mitchell broke the school's career receiving yards record, Jim Leavitt remarked, "We battled but came up short." On the weather, the head coach said, "It was tough for both teams."
USF’s fifth straight bowl game would take place against Northern Illinois at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Bulls first January game and first game outside the United States started slowly, as the International Bowl was tied 3-3 at the half. After just one first half carry, Mike Ford provided the spark. Ford finished with 207 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown run. While he was sacked five times, B.J. Daniels (14 of 22 for 217 yards) connected with A.J. Love on two scoring passes and the Bulls topped the Huskies 27-3. After back-to-back bowl victories, Jim Leavitt said of the game MVP, “Everybody knows Mike’s an awfully good running back. It was fun to see him run like that today.”
Head coach Jim Leavitt came out of the locker room after half time of the Louisville game with a bloody nose.  He had done it in the past and had been known to head-butt helmeted players as a way of motivating the team. This was not the first time the fiery coach had a bloodied face.
This was the same half time where Leavitt allegedly grabbed a player by the throat and slapped him in the face, an action that would lead to his termination. |
A couple of footnotes to the bowl game. Partly because the Big East Conference did not renew its deal, this ended up being the last International Bowl. It was also the last time Mike Ford would don the Bulls uniform. Ford had a history of off-field issues, which finally caught up with him, and he was released from the team.
Jason Pierre-Paul and Kion Wilson were named First Team All-Big East. The Bulls had a distinguished senior class including Matt Grothe, George Selvie, Nate Allen, Aaron Harris, Delbert Alvarado, Jerome Murphy, Kion Wilson, Chris Robinson, Moise Plancher, Ben Busbee and Jessie Hester, Jr. After just one year at USF, and leading the team in sacks (6.5), Jason Pierre-Paul declared early for the NFL Draft. Carlton Mitchell, who set the season (706) and career (1,648) receiving yards records, also tried the draft after his junior season.
On December 14, allegations surfaced that Jim Leavitt had grabbed walk-on running back Joel Miller by the throat and slapped him in the face during halftime of the Louisville game. This was the same halftime where Leavitt had head-butted a helmeted player and came out of the locker room with a bloody nose. Leavitt would deny the incident and a couple of days later Miller said the coach did not hit him and should not be punished. Two days after the report, USF named an investigatory panel to look into the incident.
On Friday January 8, the USF investigation concluded that Jim Leavitt had grabbed Joel Miller by the throat and slapped him twice in the face. Leavitt was terminated for what USF president Judy Genshaft called "serious violations of our standards of conduct." Apparently, this not only included the locker room incident, as the report contradicted Leavitt’s version of the events, but there were claims he interfered with the investigation. Athletic Director Doug Woolard said, "I truly wish there had been another outcome."
The following Monday, Jim Leavitt held a press conference. Leavitt stated, "The allegations are misreported, I've said that from day one. I want to coach this football team. These guys are special and I love my players. I want to battle for my players. Why shouldn’t I continue and be the head football coach at South Florida? And I’m going to fight for it you ‘all. Because I know what’s right and I’m not going to back down from this.”
With lawyers involved, even Joel Miller had hired a high-profile attorney who was demanding Leavitt apologize for the incident, a USF press release simply said, "We stand by the review and the findings of the review."
Almost exactly one year after his firing, an unlawful termination lawsuit filed against USF by Jim Leavitt was settled out of court. Leavitt would receive $2 million in back salary and an additional $750,000 to acknowledge his "contributions to building USF's nationally respected football program." Part of the agreement was that Leavitt could never work at the school again and that both sides would not talk about the agreement. Leavitt did say in a statement, "I'm grateful for the love and support of my family and all of the great people of Tampa Bay. I will always cherish my time at USF and what we built here together.”
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| 2009 USF Bulls Results |
| 2009 USF Bulls Statistics |
| 2009 Big East Standings |
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