Anyone got any input as to why the Bulls went from 1 point favorites....to now a 2 1/2 dog? And how is everyone else playing this one or staying away?
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I leaned Rutgers.
S. Fla is not any good. They loaded up their wins on cupcakes. They beat W. Virginia, but it was all big plays, nothing consistent.
I played the UNDER though.Comment -
I agree Houlihans on you saying that South Florida has not beat hardly anyone. Now with a good chance of rain I would play the under in this game.Comment -
I am not positive, but I seem to remember BigDaddy saying this is exactly how the line would move. I should have jumped on early, but didn't. Got it at +1 but I think I remember him saying it would land on Rutgers -3. Either way, Rutgers is a solid play IMO.Comment -
I was leaning SF. They both played Cincinnati and SF did better offensively and defensively.Comment -
so yall like the UNDER and Rutgers -3?Comment -
South Florida playing fast pace that will kill the under.Comment -
did you guys forget about how they handed FSU their ass??Comment -
be careful guys, whatever u think of USF, they have 2 NFL defensive ends who are going to be up Tom Savages rectum."This is why my basketball intelligence is unmatched on this site. I'm sure there are better cappers but no one can tell you the strategies of most coaches before the game even starts "
Goat MilkComment -
Assuming the public doesn't load up on Rutgers, they seem like a strong play tomorrow night.
Ditto with the Bears.Comment -
Here's a bunch from the web on this game:
TAMPA - The University of South Florida will be without its top receiver and deep threat when the Bulls face Rutgers in an ESPN Thursday night game.
Carlton Mitchell, who suffered a high ankle sprain against West Virginia on Oct. 30, will not travel with the team to Piscataway, N.J.
A receiver to take over the playmaker role against the Scarlet Knights is standout freshman Sterling Griffin, who has shown flashes with catches of 73 and 41 yards. He is USF's fourth-leading receiver with Nine receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
Griffin said he expected to be a key contributor as a freshman.
USF's B.J. Daniels and Rutgers' Tom Savage are different as first-year starting quarterbacks.
"We run a spread offense, so our quarterback is going to run and throw," USF coach Jim Leavitt said Monday. "Their quarterback can run, but that's not what they want to do. They are going to hand the ball off and let him throw to some exceptional receivers. They are totally different quarterbacks and (run) very different offensive systems."
What is similar between the two can be summed up in two words: instant success.
Daniels turned his season debut into a fairytale by leading the Bulls to a victory at Florida State in September, winning his first career start only a few miles from his family home in Tallahassee. Meanwhile, Savage has won three of four games since becoming the Scarlet Knights' full-time starter a month ago, including a win at Connecticut, making Savage the first true freshman quarterback in school history to win a Big East road game.
While Daniels has thrown six interceptions - five more than Savage - he also has two more touchdowns passes (10 to 8). But the biggest advantage for USF in the battle of first-year quarterbacks is Daniels' running ability.
Daniels leads the Bulls with 519 rushing yards and is coming off his best statistical performance since replacing the injured Grothe, racking up 336 total yards (232 passing; 104 rushing) in the Bulls' 30-19 win over West Virginia 10 days ago.
USF’s philosophy has long been to use a running-back-by-committee approach, but Canales said Sunday that senior Mo Plancher is emerging as the Bulls’ go-to guy. Against the Mountaineers, Plancher had 86 yards on 18 carries, and he leads the running backs with 402 yards this season. Canales said he’s a well-rounded back.
“In terms of protection, in terms of being able to protect the quarterback, which is big this week, he’s able to step in there and is able to do what we need him to do,” he said.
USF senior linebacker Kion Wilson wasn’t around when USF lost 30-27 at Rutgers two years ago, a game the Bulls entered as the No. 2-ranked team in the nation.
“Since camp he has always mentioned the Rutgers game and how bad we lost and how we were embarrassed and how we have to come out and play. Hopefully we can get our offense to stay on the field the majority of the night.’’
Going into last week’s game against West Virginia, DE George Selvie was tired of hearing about USF’s midseason nosedives of the past two years.
“I don’t know about everybody else, but I took it personally,” he said. “I’ve been here so long with this football team, and to hear people talking about us that bad, I always take it personally. So we all had something to prove with that.”
Selvie used the negative talk as motivation in USF’s 30-19 win.
“We had a lot of people talking about, ‘They’re going to lose three in a row,’ ” Selvie said. “So it was just time to shut up all the people that were talking about us. This isn’t the same team as years before. We actually got through this and stopped the slump before it happened.”
Before USF and Rutgers had ever met on a football field, before the Bulls had even formally joined the Big East, sparks flew between the programs. In 2004, Rutgers saw fit to put up a billboard on I-4 in Tampa featuring the 27 Scarlet Knights recruited from Florida.
"Season's Greetings from Rutgers Football," it read.
Five years later, the Scarlet Knights don't have a single player who graduated from a bay area high school. But you'd be hard-pressed to find a Big East rival that gets under the skin of Bulls fans the way Rutgers can.
"That's easy to see," said ESPN analyst Craig James, part of the broadcast crew for tonight's USF-Rutgers game from New Jersey. "Sometimes, there's a program you just can't deal with. When you talk to USF's coaches, you get a sense of something. I wouldn't call it an animosity, but you get that, 'I want to beat their fannies.' "
Rutgers, of course, has beaten USF's fannies three years in a row, including two of its most painful losses during that span. Ask Bulls fans about Thursday nights and Rutgers, they'll wince and tell you about 2007, when USF was 6-0 and No. 2 in the nation.
Some aftermath to USF linebacker Kion Wilson's comments about Rutgers' offensive line and how they've given up the second-most sacks in the Big East this season. The Star-Ledger's Brendan Prunty bounced Wilson's comments off Rutgers center Ryan Blaszczyk, but he downplayed them as "just words." The Bigeastsportsblog.com's story shows that Wilson isn't regretting his comments at all.
Which Kion’s words kind of are. Let’s be honest here. Rutgers’ o-line, with its five returning starters - two of whom are fifth-year seniors and one of whom is a likely first-round draft pick - was definitely hyped: it was billed as one of the league’s best, if not the best. Rutgers is indeed second in the Big East in sacks allowed. The line hasn’t handled stunts and pressures as well as it has in the past and yes, any aggressive defensive player would want his defensive coordinator to make aggressive play-calls, right?
Rutgers has allowed 22 sacks in eight games -- four more than USF has allowed -- though the Knights have played the last six games without sophomore Caleb Ruch, who started 10 games last year at left guard. Ruch has been out with an ankle injury but could return this week. This figures to be a tough challenge for a Rutgers' O-line that's yielded 10 sacks in three Big East games, as South Florida features a pair of pass-rush specialists in George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul, as well as a strong linebacker corps. "You need to account for them all," Schiano said. "We are going to have to make sure we are smart in our protections, and we have to get rid of the football."
USF has totaled just three sacks in the last two games against Rutgers, while giving up 11 in those games.
Rutgers LT Anthony Davis vs. USF DE George Selvie: The eyes of more than a dozen NFL scouts in the press box will be on a matchup between a pair of potential first-round picks. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Davis dominated last year's battle with Selvie, holding South Florida's 6-4, 245-pound right end without a sack. But Selvie, a two-time All-American with 31 sacks to his credit the past three years, drew Davis' attention in the film room throughout the week. "He's a great player, a great pass rusher," Rutgers' left tackle said. "I'm looking forward to going against him."
USF junior defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is still in his first season of major college football but has already been projected as a potential first-round NFL Draft pick. He said Monday he hasn't thought much about his future in pro football and is trying to focus on his present challenges with the Bulls. Mel Kiper has him rated as the No. 13 player in the draft.
The Scarlet Knights are holding their opponents to 33.3 percent on third downs, good for best in the Big East and 20th in the nation.
“They’re a heavy-pressure team and that’s coach (Greg) Schiano’s deal,” Canales said. “He’s a pressure guy. He wants to bring more than you can block, and it will force you to leave guys in to protect. We’ll have to have answers.”
The Bulls are 13 of 42 on third downs in the last three games, all which were against ranked opponents. For Canales, it’s an area that he’s looking to improve, and he said it depends on how well USF can move the ball on first downs Thursday in Piscataway.
Rutgers is No. 1 nationally in turnover margin. The Knights have produced 25 turnovers while committing seven through eight games.
The defense — which has 11 interceptions by 10 different players — has scored five times off those turnovers. RU has 24 takeaways and has only given it up four times since the season-opening loss to Cincinnati, but they've committed five turnovers and only taken three in their two setbacks.
RU’s PK Te admitted his season has not been as productive as he had hoped — he’s 11-of-17 on field-goal tries, with three misses from 32 yards and in — head coach Greg Schiano said the North Carolina native has had a solid season after coming off winter back surgery. His longest fg of the season is a 41-yarder.
Rutgers' rushing attack ranks next-to-last in the Big East overall, and has been worse in conference play. In three Big East games, Rutgers has totaled 174 yards and Schiano hinted at making changes to jumpstart the rushing offense. "We aren't going to change a ton of things," said Schiano, whose team will face a South Florida unit that ranks sixth in the Big East with 130.6 rushing yards yielded per game.
6: Winning streak for Rutgers in November home games over the past four seasons,
The Scarlet Knights got the blueprint for beating South Florida last season, passing the ball at will and forcing six turnovers in a 49-16 rout in Tampa, Fla. Tom Savage will look to pick up from his last start, when he threw for 236 yards and three TDs in a win at UConn, and a defense that's recorded 42 takeaways over its last 15 games will strive to pad that total against a USF team that's committed 14 turnovers in eight games.
South Florida's B.J. Daniels thrived under the Thursday night lights in compiling 336 total yards against West Virginia. Tom Savage hasn't faced this spotlight before.
That Rutgers can become bowl-eligible for the fifth straight season with a win over South Florida on Thursday isn't lost on Schiano, either.
"I sure do," Schiano said. "I don't think they think too much of it. But when we do become bowl-eligible — if we do — then I think there'll be a sense of appreciation for it."
The Scarlet Knights, 6-2 overall and 1-2 in Big East play were officially eliminated from Big East title contention after both Cincinnati (9-0, 5-0) and Pittsburgh (8-1, 5-0) won on Saturday.
The Scarlet Knights ranks in the bottom half of the Big East in both return units and in kickoff coverage.
A tough call, but slight edge to USF with their DL and stumbling RU rush game.
GL
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It's raining here in Jersey and it looks like it'll be raining all day. So the UNDER looks like the play. Should be a good game but can Rutgers defense contain BJ Daniels?? I see him and Plancher rushing all over the Rutgers D. I'm leaning towards USF and taking the points.Comment -
they by no means crushed fsu. selvie and pierre paul were in the backfield all day. usf had 2 75+ yd touchdowns in that 17-7 win. i dont trust either offenses to sustain drives. hopefully they can contain daniels because he is super dangerous when extending the play. i'm leaning under but will be back with a play tomorrowComment -
usf's best receiver (Carlton Mitchell) is also out for this oneComment -
makes me like USF even more.. remember they had a true freshman walk into Oak Stadium with less then a week to prepare and mopped the floor with them..
USF games get crazy.. they sell out and its a NFL stadium.. So there is BEER!!! Kids turn into a shit show and makes for a good home atmosphere..
Its either South Florida or pass for me.. Honestly i love USF +3.. Rutgers isn't the team they were 2 years ago in the Big East.. Unless Tony Soprano has South Florida's kicker's Mom in some basement somewhere i think USF +3 is a solid wager.. I don't care who is out.. I will take a team stacked with Florida homegrown talent vs a no name Rutgers team anyday..Comment -
gonna make small play on rutgers hoping they can grind and weir down a fast but smaller s. fla d. TOTALLY AGREE W houlahanTX..this under looks great only thing that would even get this close would be the dreaded pick 6 and/or turnovers deep in own territory.. rut-2.5 small UND45 LARGE!!...GL EVERY1Comment -
take the over in the rutgers game over in the miami ohio game and northern illinios.Comment -
books are begging for S Florida money DO NOT give it to themComment -
lolComment -
Correct. This line started at Rutgers -3, thenmoved all the way to South Florida -1.5, and now back to Rutgers -2.5. It really makes no sense at all. With these small numbers, this certainly was not a "bait and switch" move by some sharpies or a cartell. There is not enough money on the ML to indicate any type of middle there. The only explination is that the books are doing so poorly this year (net profit wise) that they will move a line everytime anyone puts a samll amount of money (relatively speaking) down. We middled it. We really thought we would get more than Rutgers +1, but when it hit 1.5 and started to slide, we had no choice. My only guess is that things are going so bad for the books NFL wise that they simply can not afford a big hit college wise. I wish I had more, but I do not.Comment -
i am def eating crow after my comments..Comment
