Devine eyes USF reunion
TAMPA (AP) – The telephone conversations between childhood buddies have become more pointed, with West Virginia’s Noel Devine and South Florida’s Quenton Washington boasting about what will happen when they meet again on the football field.
“He has his trash talking, and I have my trash talking,” Devine said of his North Fort Myers High School teammate.
It’s all in fun, of course, though the teams they play for are not particularly fond of each other. The Big East rivals meet for only the fifth time Friday night and, as usual, stakes are high. No. 20 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) is trying to remain unbeaten in conference play, while South Florida (5-2, 1-2) is hoping to rebound from a pair of crushing losses.
“They have handled us pretty well in two of the last three outings,” West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said, recalling a Bulls’ upset in Morgantown in 2006 and another tough loss in Tampa two years ago.
West Virgina was ranked in the top 10 both times.
“I hope we can take our A-game,” said Stewart, whose team prevailed 13-7 at home last December, “because we’re going to need it.”
South Florida is trying to regain the edge it had in rolling to a 5-0 start, including road victories over Florida State and Syracuse that helped the Bulls climb into the Top 25 for the first time this season.
Coach Jim Leavitt has watched his team get outscored 75-31 the past two weeks in a pair of lopsided losses to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the teams West Virginia is chasing in the Big East standings. The Bulls’ defense, ranked among the nation’s best through five games, yielded 887 yards to the Bearcats and Panthers.
Leavitt doesn’t have much of an explanation. The Bulls also struggled after fast starts the past two years.
“We are who we are,” Leavitt said, noting his team has hurt itself with turnovers, penalties and other mistakes.
West Virginia is coming off a 28-24 win over Connecticut, which was playing its first game since the stabbing death of Huskies player Jasper Howard.
Devine played a big role in the victory, rushing for 178 yards and scoring the winning touchdown on a 56-yard run in the closing minutes. It was his fifth 100-yard performance of the season and moved him within 89 of topping 1,000 yards for the second straight year.
Devine is one of 24 players on West Virginia’s roster from the state of Florida. He and Washington attended North Fort Myers High School and have known each other since their youth football days.
“We’re both busy, but here and there I call him to see how he’s doing and check up on him,” Devine said.
Devine eyes USF reunion
TAMPA (AP) – The telephone conversations between childhood buddies have become more pointed, with West Virginia’s Noel Devine and South Florida’s Quenton Washington boasting about what will happen when they meet again on the football field.
“He has his trash talking, and I have my trash talking,” Devine said of his North Fort Myers High School teammate.
It’s all in fun, of course, though the teams they play for are not particularly fond of each other. The Big East rivals meet for only the fifth time Friday night and, as usual, stakes are high. No. 20 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) is trying to remain unbeaten in conference play, while South Florida (5-2, 1-2) is hoping to rebound from a pair of crushing losses.
“They have handled us pretty well in two of the last three outings,” West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said, recalling a Bulls’ upset in Morgantown in 2006 and another tough loss in Tampa two years ago.
West Virgina was ranked in the top 10 both times.
“I hope we can take our A-game,” said Stewart, whose team prevailed 13-7 at home last December, “because we’re going to need it.”
South Florida is trying to regain the edge it had in rolling to a 5-0 start, including road victories over Florida State and Syracuse that helped the Bulls climb into the Top 25 for the first time this season.
Coach Jim Leavitt has watched his team get outscored 75-31 the past two weeks in a pair of lopsided losses to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the teams West Virginia is chasing in the Big East standings. The Bulls’ defense, ranked among the nation’s best through five games, yielded 887 yards to the Bearcats and Panthers.
Leavitt doesn’t have much of an explanation. The Bulls also struggled after fast starts the past two years.
“We are who we are,” Leavitt said, noting his team has hurt itself with turnovers, penalties and other mistakes.
West Virginia is coming off a 28-24 win over Connecticut, which was playing its first game since the stabbing death of Huskies player Jasper Howard.
Devine played a big role in the victory, rushing for 178 yards and scoring the winning touchdown on a 56-yard run in the closing minutes. It was his fifth 100-yard performance of the season and moved him within 89 of topping 1,000 yards for the second straight year.
Devine is one of 24 players on West Virginia’s roster from the state of Florida. He and Washington attended North Fort Myers High School and have known each other since their youth football days.
“We’re both busy, but here and there I call him to see how he’s doing and check up on him,” Devine said.