2009 season review: USF vs. Wofford

South Florida looked to start the 2009 football season on the right foot, and that is exactly what the Bulls did. USF easily dispatched the visitors from Wofford College 40-7 in the first week of September behind the individual efforts of Moise Plancher and Matt Grothe.

It wasn't always as comfortable as the final score would suggest, however.

After Plancher put the Bulls in the lead via a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Wofford answered right back in kind. Eric Breitenstein crossed the goal line from two yards out to level terms at seven a piece.

But then South Florida roared to life scoring 33 unanswered points.

Plancher led all Bulls in rushing accumulating 78 yards on 12 carries good enough for 6.5 yards a touch. He would double his rushing touchdown total adding another score from nine yards out in the third quarter.

Grothe completed a high percentage of his passes completing 19 of 23 attempts for 155 and a touchdown pass. One incompletion did find its way into the arms of an opponent, Grothe's only interception of the game.

Grothe would add an additional 44 yards on the ground, second most on the team bringing his four-year total 10,441 yards, just 88 yards shy of Pat White's BIG EAST record.

The defense would get in on the act as well forcing a safety just before the half showing glimpses of what was to come throughout the season.

The Terriers, who featured primarily a ground based offense out of the "wingbone", only managed 177 yards on a staggering 50 carries.

The Bulls limited Wofford to a 3.5 yards per carry average, but did have difficulty keeping fullback Breitenstein corralled. Breitenstein carried the ball 13 times for 121 yards while the next leading rusher, Mitch Allen, only managed 54 yards on 17 carries.

Carlton Mitchell proved to be the most popular target in the passing game catching a team-high six passes for 37 yards. Dontavia Bogan and Lindsay Lamar each registered four pass receptions.

Theo and Jeffrey Wilson each found the end zone in the passing game for the Bulls. Jeffrey's touchdown reception came from 22-yards out via the arm of new playmaker B.J. Daniels.

Daniels, a freshman from Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln, completed both of his pass attempts for 30 yards and added 16 yards on the ground.

Wofford, who only lost to SEC East member South Carolina by 10 points the year before, provided an ample warm-up for the Bulls in the season opener at Raymond James Stadium before South Florida hit the road to take on the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky on September 12th.
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