USF Shutout in Bowl Game
(January 3, 2006)

In just the football program's 100th game, the University of South Florida went to its first bowl game. The team got a taste of the atmosphere surrounding a bowl game, however, the offense could not put any points on the board on game day. In the first shutout in school history, the Bulls lost to North Carolina State 14-0 in the 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl.

USF got to enjoy the perks of playing in the college postseason. Like other bowls, Charlotte put out the welcome mat with parties and dinners. The players rode in stock cars at Lowes Motor Speedway and the head coaches took part in a tire changing competition. It should be noted that Jim Leavitt lost that contest to Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato, but it should also be noted that Amato got there early to practice. The Bulls, including the approximately 5,300 fans that made the trip from Tampa, enjoyed the bowl experience.

The game itself was another matter, as the defenses totally dominated at Bank of America Stadium and the game saw fourteen punts. Terrence Royal sacked NC State quarterback Marcus Stone (9 of 19 for 127 yards with a TD) three times and forced a fumble. Linebacker Stephen Tulloch garnered MVP honors with 15 tackles and three of the six Wolfpack sacks.

The Bulls missed a first quarter field goal, then game's only scoring took place in the second quarter. Stone hit receiver Brian Clark on a 9 yard pass and Andre Brown ran for a score from 1 yard out. In the third quarter, the Wolfpack had a first and goal at the USF 1 yard line and USF stopped them on four straight plays. Statistically the game was close. USF had 15 first downs compared to 14 for NCSU, and the Wolfpack had a 300 to 295 advantage in total yards.

The USF quarterbacks had a rough outing. Pat Julmiste (8 of 25 for 91 yards) was intercepted in the end zone and Carlton Hill (1 of 2 for 37 yards) fumbled the ball away on consecutive plays in the third quarter. Andre Hall was the Bulls only bright spot on offense with 118 rushing yards.

After suffering the first shutout loss in school history 14-0, Leavitt said "We came here to win a football game and we didn't play good enough. That's the bottom line." The head coach was also looking ahead to next year. "We're not that far away. We have 70 freshmen and sophomores. We've got a chance to build this program."