2008 Woodie Awards
The Daily OrangeBULLDOZED: Syracuse has no answer for Grothe in 45-13 loss at South Florida
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 10/18/08, 3:39 PM EST Section: Sports
TAMPA, Fla. - Greg Robinson didn't try to pinpoint or explain why Matt Grothe was so dominant against Syracuse. Frankly, he didn't have to.
"Grothe's Grothe, man," said Robinson, Syracuse's head coach. "He's a good football player."
Talk about an understatement.
South Florida's junior quarterback tore through the Orange's beleaguered defense in No. 19 South Florida's 45-13 victory in front of 51,384 fans here at Raymond James Stadium Saturday. The Bulls' quarterback scored four touchdowns - three through the air, one on the ground - and finished the game 19-of-26 for 248 yards. He also led USF with 72 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Syracuse's defense, coming off its strongest outing of the season against West Virginia, struggled throughout the game and had no answer for Grothe, who was stellar from the opening drive until he exited with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. South Florida (6-1, 1-1 Big East) spread the field and let its best player find open receivers downfield or tuck it under and scramble.
Even when the Orange (1-6, 0-3 Big East) managed to hold containment and maintain coverage, Grothe found a way to make a play with his legs or draw the defense forward before lobbing it over the linebackers' heads.
"He's tricky because when he gets out of the pocket, he can throw, too, which is tough to defend," SU linebacker Jake Flaherty said. "So you're coming up sometimes out of your coverage, and then he can hit stuff behind you, so you have to be aware of that, too."
The offensive onslaught started right away. On South Florida's first drive after a Syracuse punt, Grothe drove his team down the field, gaining 62 yards on seven plays before Ben Williams plowed into the endzone from a yard out.
In the first half alone, Grothe went 9-of-11 for 147 yards and a touchdown strike.
Syracuse had its opportunities, though, playing right with South Florida for much of the first half. In fact, SU had out-gained the Bulls, 221-212, in the game's first 30 minutes. Tailback Curtis Brinkley had already rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown and SU trailed by just eight points.
"Grothe's Grothe, man," said Robinson, Syracuse's head coach. "He's a good football player."
Talk about an understatement.
South Florida's junior quarterback tore through the Orange's beleaguered defense in No. 19 South Florida's 45-13 victory in front of 51,384 fans here at Raymond James Stadium Saturday. The Bulls' quarterback scored four touchdowns - three through the air, one on the ground - and finished the game 19-of-26 for 248 yards. He also led USF with 72 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Syracuse's defense, coming off its strongest outing of the season against West Virginia, struggled throughout the game and had no answer for Grothe, who was stellar from the opening drive until he exited with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. South Florida (6-1, 1-1 Big East) spread the field and let its best player find open receivers downfield or tuck it under and scramble.
Even when the Orange (1-6, 0-3 Big East) managed to hold containment and maintain coverage, Grothe found a way to make a play with his legs or draw the defense forward before lobbing it over the linebackers' heads.
"He's tricky because when he gets out of the pocket, he can throw, too, which is tough to defend," SU linebacker Jake Flaherty said. "So you're coming up sometimes out of your coverage, and then he can hit stuff behind you, so you have to be aware of that, too."
The offensive onslaught started right away. On South Florida's first drive after a Syracuse punt, Grothe drove his team down the field, gaining 62 yards on seven plays before Ben Williams plowed into the endzone from a yard out.
In the first half alone, Grothe went 9-of-11 for 147 yards and a touchdown strike.
Syracuse had its opportunities, though, playing right with South Florida for much of the first half. In fact, SU had out-gained the Bulls, 221-212, in the game's first 30 minutes. Tailback Curtis Brinkley had already rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown and SU trailed by just eight points.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
wow
posted 10/18/08 @ 5:22 PM EST
We suck...
michael
posted 10/20/08 @ 12:07 AM EST
syracuse has an answer.. the answer is FIRE GREG IMMEDIATELY!! AND IMMEDIATELY START CONSIDERING FIRING THAT JOKE WHO HIRED HIM THAT CLAAAAAIMS TO BE A DOCTOR!
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