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South Florida vs Pitt Betting Line and Analysis
10/22/09
The South Florida Bulls have come a very long way since the program’s
inception. They started this year a perfect 5-0 before running into the
bulldozer that is the Cincinnati Bearcats. Led by freshman QB B.J. Daniels, this
is a team to be on the lookout for.
They will travel to face the Pittsburgh Panthers this week. The Panthers are a
team that has started the year 6-1. Their lone loss came to North Carolina State
by a single point. They beat Rutgers in what was a closer than expected game
last week. Big East games mean the most for these teams, and you can expect both
to play their hearts out.
South Florida is a gritty team. They have a strong defense that was able to get
to and sack Heisman candidate Tony Pike last week. They kept the pressure on him
and made his life difficult for a short while.
Unfortunately, Pike going down didn’t help them. Sophomore QB Zac Collaras
entered the game and ran all over the Bulls. They had game planned for a drop
back passer like Pike, and got a scrambler in Collares. The offense had trouble.
The offensive line didn’t stand a chance last week, and QB B.J Daniels found
himself scrambling out of the pocket on nearly every drive. The freshman was
like Teflon, slipping sacks left and right. The experience made him a better
player, and he should be prepared for Pittsburgh.
B.J. Daniels has been mostly successful since replacing Matt Grothe at QB. He
led the team to a victory over Florida State by passing for 215 yards and 2 TDs.
He also picked up 126 yards, with a long run of 44 yards on the ground. When I
watched him last week I jokingly referred to him as “Michael Vick Jr”. He even
sports Vicks number and calls him his favorite player. He has a strong group of
WRs that includes Carlton Mitchell and Dontavia Bogan. The Bulls are also aided
by RB Moise Plancher who has picked up 276 yards and 4 TDs on the ground so far
this year. South Florida is more than ready to travel and take on the Panthers.
The Pittsburgh Panthers haven’t won 7 of their first 8 games since Dan Marino
was behind center. They are off to a hot start after contending for the Big East
title last year. They have their eye on the prize once again. The defense has
been strong and did very well against Rutgers. They gave up just 17 points and
came up with 2 TOs. They picked off Rutgers QB Tom Savage while he was
orchestrating a game winning drive. The offense hasn’t been too bad either.
Freshman RB Dion Lewis had 180 yards and 2 TDs for the Panthers against Rutgers.
His longest run was 58 yards. QB Bill Stull did a good job by not turning the
ball over while passing for 153 yards and a TD.
The Panthers have to avoid a slow start, something they couldn’t do in a 24-21
victory over Connecticut in their last home game. They allowed the Huskies to
score once in the second quarter, and twice in the third quarter, before
shutting them down late in the game. The offense didn’t get cranking until the
second half, putting up 11 points in the 4th quarter. They won the game on a
late FG. The Panthers allowed Louisville to get a similar early lead before
blowing them out late. They may find that it won’t be so easy to come from
behind against the South Florida Bulls.
It's difficult to get a handle on these teams based on who they have played.
That's especially true in the case of South Florida. They did beat Florida
State, but perhaps caught them in a down week, considering the up and down
season the Noles have had. Then lost by 17 to Cinci. Pitt on the other hand, not
dominating teams like we thought they might going into this season. They're
winning, but barely. With that in mind, we see no reason this game doesn't
follow suit. A close, even game decided in the 4th quarter. In which case, we'll
gladly take +6.5 with the Bulls.
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