Bulls Accept Sun Bowl Bid
(November 28, 2007)
Bulls Accept Sun Bowl Bid
(November 28, 2007)
The University of South Florida accepted an invitation to play in the 2007 Brut Sun Bowl yesterday afternoon. For a football program that has had a meteoric rise, this was another huge step.
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| Date: Monday December 31, 2007 |
| Kickoff: 2:15 (Eastern) |
| Site: El Paso, Texas |
| Stadium: Sun Bowl Stadium (50,246) |
| USF Opponent: 3rd Place Pac-10 Team |
| First Sun Bowl: January 1, 1935 |
The news of the selection, it came down to USF and Cincinnati, came out Monday night. "We voted tonight to take South Florida," selection committee chairman John Folmer said. "We think, in all probability, the BCS will release them tomorrow and we will officially extend the invitation. They deserve to be here. USF had an exciting season and they handed West Virginia its only loss this season."
At Tuesday's official announcement, Bernie Olivas, executive director of the Sun Bowl Association, stated, "USF brings an exciting brand of football that should make for an entertaining 74th edition of the Brut Sun Bowl. Our national television audience on CBS and our local fan base should be in for a treat. We are extremely excited to extend El Paso hospitality to our first Big East Conference university."
USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard said of the bid, "We are certainly honored to represent the Big East in one of the more prestigious college football bowls. This is a terrific reward for coach Leavitt, his staff and our football players, who have represented USF and the Tampa Bay area in great fashion this season. Our football program has caught the imagination of college football fans across America this year, and what a fitting opportunity to play on CBS on New Year's Eve against a Pac-10 opponent."
Head coach Jim Leavitt said at the announcement, "For them to invite the University of South Florida is an absolute honor. Our guys battled their tails to put themselves in a position to receive this invitation. This game is going to be big for the University of South Florida and for our program. We are going to go out there and we are going to enjoy ourselves and we are going to enjoy the process getting there, but when we kick the ball off our guys are going to be ready to play. I'm excited. I don't know who we are going to play. We'll play a Pac-10 team. They are all good teams and it will be an awfully good opponent and we embrace it. I'm overwhelmed by the invitation. I told our guys if we beat Pittsburgh, we've got a shot, and those things don't always happen but they did. To go in there and be the second ranked BCS Big East team in the country right now, we want to be the first and we will be eventually, but to be second is about as close as you can, we are going to go in with a lot of energy."
Some of the players also commented on going to the Sun Bowl. Quarterback Matt Grothe said, "I'm really looking forward to going to El Paso to play against a Pac-10 team. It will be a good experience and good challenge for us." Place kicker Delbert Alvarado remarked, "I'm looking forward to going to the bowl game and having a week there to enjoy the atmosphere. I don't know exactly what they have lined up for us to do but its going to be exciting." Defensive end George Selvie said, "I'm looking for a great experience. We're probably going to play a great team so we're just looking to have fun and looking to make history down there." Running back Mike Ford added, "Our job is going to be to get there and concentrate one day at a time, play our game, hopefully win and enjoy life while we're there."
It has been quite the season for USF. There were wins at Auburn and against West Virginia, who is poised to play in the BCS National Championship Game. Halfway through the season the Bulls were 6-0 and amazingly ranked second in the nation. Three straight loses saw the team drop out of the top 25, then three straight wins closed the season and returned the Bulls to a number 25 ranking in the AP poll. Now after playing in the 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl and 2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl, the school makes its third consecutive bowl appearance.
Jim Leavitt also talked about the season and the future. "When we played and we won in all those games and it sold out the stadium that was a moment in time that we'll never forget. Because we know that all we are going to do is move forward and the things that are ahead are going to be that much greater, I promise you."
