Leavitt says USF Bulls not taking Northern Illinois lightly...

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Leavitt says USF Bulls not taking Northern Illinois lightly despite MAC's bowl woes



The Mid-American Conference's bowl losing streak is at 13 consecutive games, including three this season, but USF coach Jim Leavitt said his team won't take Northern Illinois lightly when the Bulls meet the Huskies today in the International Bowl.

"I look at Northern Illinois and I know how good they are," Leavitt said Friday. "You've got two very good football teams that are going to play (today). They took apart Purdue and they had Wisconsin beat."

If the Huskies knock off USF, it would be historic for their conference. In the past 30 years, MAC teams have just one bowl win in eight tries against a school from a BCS conference ? Bowling Green beat the Big Ten's Northwestern in the 2003 Motor City Bowl.

Since adopting its current lineup in 2005, the Big East is 7-0 in bowl games against non-BCS teams, including a 3-0 mark in Toronto.

NO SUSPENSIONS: Leavitt said he does not expect to have any players suspended from any part of today's game. USF had three players suspended from the first half of last year's bowl game in St. Petersburg for a violation of team rules.

"Everybody made curfew. Everything was right," said Leavitt, who let players stay out until 1 a.m. on New Year's Eve.

NEW BULLS FANS: USF sold only about 1,000 tickets out of the 10,000 allotted to the team by the bowl, but the Bulls have put some of the rest to good use. USF donated 920 tickets to the Toronto Children's Breakfast Club, with another 80 tickets given to the Crime Stoppers community program.

Northern Illinois also sold about 1,000 tickets, so today's attendance should be significantly down from last year's announced crowd of 40,184 to see Connecticut beat Buffalo.

 

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Huskies hope to reverse conference?s bowl woes



It?s beyond a trend now.

The Mid-American Conference has struggled for years in bowl games, going 0 for the last 14 bowl appearances. MAC teams have lost heartbreakers, like this year?s Humanitarian Bowl loss by Bowling Green to Idaho on a last-minute, two-point conversion. They?ve lost in blowouts, like Western Michigan getting drilled, 38-14, by Rice last year.

The last bowl game won by a MAC team was Central Michigan?s 31-14 win over Middle Tennessee State in the 2006 Motor City Bowl.

So today, Northern Illinois aims to stop the streak in the International Bowl at 11 a.m. against South Florida. It won?t be easy and history certainly isn?t on NIU?s side.

?I try not to think about everybody else. I try and worry about what we can control,? said NIU coach Jerry Kill. ?I didn?t get a chance to watch (most of the bowls) because I?ve been preparing. I know Bowling Green had one won and it slipped away. I certainly feel like we?re playing for our conference.?

MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher made the trip up to Toronto on New Year?s Eve and will be present at the bowl game.

?Our commissioner is here and that?s important,? Kill said. ?I?d like to represent us very well.?
In terms of preparation, Kill said on Friday that he felt like his team did a good job of getting ready for the game.

?I think it?s just been an incredible trip, being in a city with so much to offer, the kids have handled themselves well,? he said. ?We haven?t had anybody late for a curfew, everybody?s done what they?ve been asked to do.?

Famous connection, part I: NIU defensive tackle Brian Lawson?s second cousin on his mother?s side is none other than former Toronto Blue Jay and World Series hero Joe Carter.

Famous connection, part II: Former Toledo quarterback Chuck Ealey was the keynote speaker at a luncheon with the two teams on Friday. Ealey, who went 35-0 as the quarterback of Toledo from 1969-71, actually turned down an offer to play at Miami (Ohio) under legendary coach Bo Schembechler.

And who was a graduate assistant on Schembechler?s staff at that time? Former Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak.

Quotable: ?We?re going to open that dome up. I don?t know if anybody knew that. We?re going to open it up and let it snow in there. That would be better for us.? ? Kill?s tongue-in-cheek response to a question about the weather.

Dished out: Northern Illinois has confirmed that between donated tickets, player comps and tickets sold, it has distributed 1,500 tickets for Saturday?s International Bowl.

There was no designated allotment or requirement this year for NIU, so tickets are not a financial hit this year.

 

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5 keys to today's game




1. Rhymes with ran

NIU running back Chad Spann said this is the healthiest he's been in more than a month, and he has been practicing without the modified shoulder pad designed to give extra protection for his shoulder. The Huskies desperately need him to gain yards on the ground, chew up clock and keep South Florida's offense off the field.


2. End around

Panan Tense and Trevor Olson are faced with the unenviable task of trying to contain South Florida's monster defensive ends ? projected first-round draft pick Jason Pierre-Paul on one end and two-time All-American George Selvie on the other end. Not allowing them to dominate will at least give the Huskies a chance.


3. Contain, contain, contain

South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels is the key to the Bulls' offense. The team's leading passer and rusher knows how to make plays, keep plays alive and make teams that can't wrap him up pay. Jake Coffman and Brandon Bice have come up big for the Huskies, especially in the past six games, but they'll need to step up their production even more against Daniels.


4. Up in the air

The Northern Illinois passing game took major steps forward over the final month of the regular season. With teams loading up on the run to try and stop Spann, Chandler Harnish and company made opposing defenses rethink that strategy. Continued success through the air could open up holes for Spann.


5. A little pride

The Mid-American Conference has not won a bowl game since Central Michigan won the 2006 Motor City Bowl. That was before Butch Jones, who just left for Cincinnati, even took over as the Central Michigan coach. For the sake of the MAC, this one is important.