The University of South Florida's two-game slump - including dropped passes, missed tackles and physical mistakes - has been compounded by a sobering statistic.
Twenty-one penalties.
"That's too many," USF coach Jim Leavitt said. "That's way too many. Penalties will kill you."
The Bulls (5-2, 1-2 Big East Conference) can't afford such undisciplined play in tonight's meeting with the 20th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0) at Raymond James Stadium.
Then again, USF football has become intimately familiar with the penalty flag since joining the Big East. In each of the past four seasons, the Bulls ranked in the top six (from a pool of at least 117 programs) of the most-penalized teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
This season, the Bulls are the nation's 10th most-penalized team with 59 infractions overall.
"Obviously, it starts in practice and we have to correct it," USF wide receiver Carlton Mitchell said. "There's a number of reasons why it's happening, but it has to be corrected."
Lack of concentration?
Overaggressiveness?
All of the above?
"It's definitely a lack of focus (when) you jump offsides because you're keying the (snap of) the football, especially if you're on the football, which we did twice," USF defensive coordinator Joe Tresey said. "That's a mind-boggling thing as a coach.
"This isn't rocket science. Plays come to people who do what they're coached to do. You will make plays if you're in the right gap and do the right technique. But it's when you guess, when you try to do somebody else's job, that's when you get issues. And we've had some of those the last couple of weeks, obviously."
Whether it's a simple offside, a personal foul or a pass interference infraction, the Bulls have constantly killed drives or extended the opportunities of opponents such as Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
When USF was locked in a tight game against Cincinnati, the Bearcats got a shot at an important touchdown when cornerback Jerome Murphy committed pass interference in the end zone.
When yards were difficult to come by at Pittsburgh, when the game was still within reach, Jamar Taylor's 19-yard run into Panthers territory was negated by a chop-block call on offensive lineman Jake Sims.
"If it's not one thing, it's another," USF cornerback Quenton Washington said. "In most cases, we're doing things we're not coached to do. Some of the personal fouls have been ridiculous, just unnecessary on our part. And that shows up on the scoreboard."
"People pay attention to when somebody gets beat deep or gives up a long run," USF defensive end David Bedford said. "But if you have a penalty that keeps a drive going, that comes back to hurt you. Those are important yards. They add up. You're just beating yourself when that happens."
Leavitt said the proliferation of penalties has been addressed in practice.
"There's no excuse for this and they really show up when you play against really good football teams," Leavitt said. "You can get away with a number of penalties when you're playing somebody that's not that good. But when you start playing teams like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and now West Virginia, those things show up.
"We've lost against two real good teams. The bottom line for me is playing good football. If a team beats you, they beat you, but I want to play good football. You've got to give yourself a chance, give yourself a shot out there."
Twenty-one penalties.
"That's too many," USF coach Jim Leavitt said. "That's way too many. Penalties will kill you."
The Bulls (5-2, 1-2 Big East Conference) can't afford such undisciplined play in tonight's meeting with the 20th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0) at Raymond James Stadium.
Then again, USF football has become intimately familiar with the penalty flag since joining the Big East. In each of the past four seasons, the Bulls ranked in the top six (from a pool of at least 117 programs) of the most-penalized teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
This season, the Bulls are the nation's 10th most-penalized team with 59 infractions overall.
"Obviously, it starts in practice and we have to correct it," USF wide receiver Carlton Mitchell said. "There's a number of reasons why it's happening, but it has to be corrected."
Lack of concentration?
Overaggressiveness?
All of the above?
"It's definitely a lack of focus (when) you jump offsides because you're keying the (snap of) the football, especially if you're on the football, which we did twice," USF defensive coordinator Joe Tresey said. "That's a mind-boggling thing as a coach.
"This isn't rocket science. Plays come to people who do what they're coached to do. You will make plays if you're in the right gap and do the right technique. But it's when you guess, when you try to do somebody else's job, that's when you get issues. And we've had some of those the last couple of weeks, obviously."
Whether it's a simple offside, a personal foul or a pass interference infraction, the Bulls have constantly killed drives or extended the opportunities of opponents such as Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
When USF was locked in a tight game against Cincinnati, the Bearcats got a shot at an important touchdown when cornerback Jerome Murphy committed pass interference in the end zone.
When yards were difficult to come by at Pittsburgh, when the game was still within reach, Jamar Taylor's 19-yard run into Panthers territory was negated by a chop-block call on offensive lineman Jake Sims.
"If it's not one thing, it's another," USF cornerback Quenton Washington said. "In most cases, we're doing things we're not coached to do. Some of the personal fouls have been ridiculous, just unnecessary on our part. And that shows up on the scoreboard."
"People pay attention to when somebody gets beat deep or gives up a long run," USF defensive end David Bedford said. "But if you have a penalty that keeps a drive going, that comes back to hurt you. Those are important yards. They add up. You're just beating yourself when that happens."
Leavitt said the proliferation of penalties has been addressed in practice.
"There's no excuse for this and they really show up when you play against really good football teams," Leavitt said. "You can get away with a number of penalties when you're playing somebody that's not that good. But when you start playing teams like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and now West Virginia, those things show up.
"We've lost against two real good teams. The bottom line for me is playing good football. If a team beats you, they beat you, but I want to play good football. You've got to give yourself a chance, give yourself a shot out there."
