Here's correspondent Joe Rienzi's report from Thursday's practice ...

TAMPA — Junior quarterback Matt Grothe took the practice field Thursday, though USF coach Jim Leavitt said he was very limited.

“Matt ran a little bit today, but I didn’t want him to do too much,” Leavitt said. “He’ll go tomorrow quite a bit. Because (the game is) Sunday night and not Saturday, I just want to wait another day.”

Grothe twisted his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 49-16 loss to Rutgers. Leavitt said backup quarterback Grant Gregory has taken nearly all of the first-team reps in practice this week.

“Grant’s really running the offense right now,” he said. “Matt’s repped a lot this year, so Grant’s the one that needs all the reps.”

Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said redshirt freshman cornerback Quenton Washington, who missed Saturday’s game with a back injury, has shown progress during the week. He added Washington would be a starter if he is healthy enough to play Sunday night against Connecticut.