Associated Press
The college football notebook …
TAMPA, Fla. ó LeSean McCoy ran for two touchdowns and Bill Stull threw for another as Pittsburgh upset No. 10 South Florida 26-21 on Thursday night.
The Panthers (4-1, 2-0 Big East) have beaten the last three nationally ranked teams they have faced, including No. 23 Cincinnati and No. 2 West Virginia in 2007. They have won two of the last three games with South Florida (5-1, 0-1) in Tampa.
Stull finished 16-for-27 for 228 yards.
Quarterback Matt Grothe accounted for most of South Florida’s offense, but the Bulls didn’t score any points on offense in the first half. Grothe was 11-of-20 for 129 yards and rushed 11 times for 25 yards, including a 1-yard keeper for a TD in the third.
Grothe threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jessie Hester in the fourth quarter to give the Bulls a 22-20 lead. But Pittsburgh came right back to take the lead, covering 60 yards on three plays in a quick drive that ended with a 3-yard run by McCoy. The 2-point attempt failed.
McCoy, a sophomore, rushed 28 times for a game-high 142 yards, his second straight game over 100. Mike Ford ran 14 times for 73 yards for the Bulls.
South Florida struggled in the first half with the offense was held to just 77 yards. Grothe was 5-of-12 with an interception.
FLORIDAGAINESVILLE, Fla. ó Florida receiver Percy Harvin has watched Saturday’s 31-30 loss to Mississippi half a dozen times already.
Nothing changes. Not the fumbles. Not the defensive breakdowns. Not the outcome. Not even the Gators’ chances of winning the SEC.
“We all got together and said, ‘Hey, let’s go. We’re still on the right track,”‘ Harvin said. “We’re right where we want to be as far as winning our division and getting the SEC championship.”
The 12th-ranked Gators (3-1, 1-1 SEC) spent the week regrouping from the stunning and humbling home loss to a three-touchdown underdog.
“We got hit in the mouth,” Florida coach Urban Meyer said. “This will tell you a lot about what kind of season we’re going to have. It won’t be the first time and it won’t be the last time this year we’ll face adversity right square in the face.”
SOUTH CAROLINA
COLUMBIA, S.C. ó It’ll be at least another week until the people’s choice at South Carolina, freshman Stephen Garcia, starts his first game at quarterback.
Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier named sophomore Chris Smelley to open against Mississippi on Saturday. And unlike he did a week ago, Spurrier did not guarantee that Garcia would see any action at all.
When specifically asked if Garcia would take several snaps, Spurrier answered, “Like I said, Chris Smelley will start the game and we’ll see how it goes to try and win the game.”
VIRGINIA TECH
BLACKSBURG, Va. ó Ike Whitaker, a quarterback turned wide receiver whose time at Virginia Tech has been highlighted more by news from off the field than from on, has been suspended by coach Frank Beamer for the second time for a violation of team policy.
GAME CALLED OFF
HAMILTON, N.Y. ó Georgetown’s scheduled football game Saturday at Colgate has been called off because of an outbreak of norovirus at Georgetown.