Matt Grothe arrived at South Florida last fall as the second quarterback in his class and according to Rivals.com, the 93rd-ranked player in talent-rich Florida, ranked behind players accepting scholarships to I-AA Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M.
After redshirting last season, Grothe entered the spring as USF's third-string quarterback behind returning starter Pat Julmiste and sophomore Carlton Hill. But after Hill left the program and Julmiste suffered an injury in week one, Grothe stepped into the spotlight.
Grothe caught on right from the start, going 9-of-13 passing for 171 yards and two touchdowns, leading USF to a 41-10 win over McNeese State. Since that time, Grothe is the only player to have thrown a pass for the Bulls, save wide receiver Amari Jackson's one toss in week two.
Julmiste led USF in passing last season, completing only 49 percent of his passes, while throwing just six touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Grothe has instantly revived the Bulls' passing game, completing more than 60 percent of his throws for six touchdowns and three picks. That's not a typo-Grothe has thrown as many touchdowns in three games as Julmiste did all of last year.
Not only is Grothe playing well, but people are starting to take notice. He earned Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors last weekend for his 341-yard, three-touchdown performance at Central Florida. All that said, head coach Jim Leavitt isn't shocked by what he's seeing.
"I don't think what he's doing right now has surprised me that much really," Leavitt said. "When we were preparing for our bowl game last year we gave Matt a lot of work. We knew he had a chance to be pretty good."
Grothe is more than a pure passer, though. He leads the Bulls in all rushing categories, with 213 yards on 47 carries-an average of 71 yards per game. What makes his running ability so important is the Bulls don't have a clear-cut feature back, having lost the school's career rushing leader, Andre Hall, to graduation.
"If you got a quarterback that can run a little bit, it'll always hurt defenses," Leavitt said. "It can be a little bit more difficult on them. That can help the offense. Those are strengths he has, so we use them."
The most intriguing thing about Grothe, though, is his backup. Since leaving early in week one with an injury, Julmiste hasn't taken a snap, even with Leavitt telling reporters last week both quarterbacks would see time. Leavitt insists Julmiste will get back on the gridiron this year.
"Pat is healthy," Leavitt said. "Right now we're going with Matt because he's obviously doing some good things. Pat wants to play, as everybody could expect, and Pat's been pretty good. It's a long season, we just started this season."
But Leavitt obviously thinks highly of Grothe, comparing him to USF's all-time passing leader Marquel Blackwell. While Blackwell was at USF, the Bulls went 31-13. Not including this year's 3-0 record, Leavitt's squad is 17-16 since Blackwell graduated.
Brohm joins Bush on bench
Two weeks after fielding questions about the loss of a Heisman Trophy candidate, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino experienced déjà vu all over again.
Having lost running back Michael Bush for the season with a broken leg in week one, the Cardinals will play the next three to six weeks without another Heisman candidate, quarterback Brian Brohm.
Brohm dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand in the third quarter of a 31-17 win over Miami (Fla.) last week.
Petrino said Brohm threw his hands up in a third quarter huddle to signal he was hurt. After Brohm didn't call the play, Petrino was forced to take a timeout, thinking his quarterback didn't know the play. On the sideline, Brohm's injury was discovered after he couldn't throw the ball.
Luckily for the Cardinals, Petrino's squad has two byes in the next six weeks, hopefully allowing Brohm to recover. The injury may cause him to miss Louisville's Oct. 21 date with the Orange at the Carrier Dome, but Brohm expects to be back for the Cardinals' Nov. 2 showdown against No. 4 West Virginia.
Brohm will be replaced by former walk-on Hunter Cantwell until his recovery. Cantwell directed the Cardinals last season after Brohm suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear against Syracuse. The then-freshman threw for 216 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions against Virginia Tech in last season's Gator Bowl.
Petrino said he has complete confidence in his backup, believing after college he'll play on Sundays.
"[Virginia Tech] threw a lot of different looks at him in the Bowl game," Petrino said. "He did a nice job for three quarters, and eventually they got to him and he wore down a little bit. We really think he'll come in and execute our offense and we'll do just fine."
Game of the Week
No. 8 Louisville at Kansas State, Saturday, 12 p.m., FSN
The Cardinals come off a trashing of now-unranked Miami. However, doubts linger about how good the team will be without Bush and Brohm. The Cards will have to combat a Wildcat defense that has surrendered 10 points per game this season.
Around the Conference
After going 12-3 in the season's first two weeks, the Big East dropped three games this week, including UConn's loss to Wake Forest-the conference's second loss to the Demon Deacons this year. …Rutgers running back Ray Rice, who originally committed to Syracuse, ranks fourth in the nation in rushing. Head coach Greg Schiano said if Rice keeps it up, he's worthy of a Heisman look. …In the wake of the Reggie Bush scandal, coaches were asked about players committing NCAA violations this week. UConn's Randy Edsall said all coaches can do is tell players to be careful, but can't be held responsible for players' own bad decisions.
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