It's intended as a compliment, and if there's anyone a college quarterback would want to be compared to, it'd probably be Tim Tebow, who has a Heisman Trophy and two national championships in his three seasons.

But USF quarterback Matt Grothe, with his dual threat to run and pass, has been drawing such comparisons for years, and he's proud enough that he doesn't like to be a poor man's anything.

So there will be some unintended motivation from the Panama City News-Herald, whose preview of the Sept. 26 USF-FSU game makes a matter-of-fact comparison.

The poor-man's Tim Tebow is one of five returning starters on
offense for USF. Grothe is a threat through the air and on the ground,
as evidenced by his 591 yards rushing and nearly 3,000 yards passing to
go along with 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Tebow, of course, has helped Florida beat FSU by a combined score of 90-27 in the past two seasons, and Grothe's reputation as his own quarterback would get a considerable boost if he can lead USF into Tallahassee and come out with a victory.

-- The USF Pinellas County Alumni Chapter is hosting its fourth annual Preseason Tailgate Celebration on July 26 at Capogna's Dugout in Clearwater. USF coach Jim Leavitt is committed to attend, and last year's event drew more than 400 fans. For more information, visit usfalumni.net/pinellas.