Neither USF offensive coordinator Todd Fitch nor defensive coordinator Mark Snyder have ever coached a game at Notre Dame, but defensive backs coach Rick Smith has, going all the way back to 1977, when he was a young assistant at Georgia Tech.

"We were up 14-0 at the half," Smith recalled of the trip to South Bend under coach Pepper Rodgers. "One of our coaches grabbed a tight end he had recruited that went to Notre Dame, shook him and said we were going to kick their you-know-what. It wound up 60-something to 14."

It was actually 69-14, with Joe Montana himself routing Georgia Tech, which did lead 7-6 in the second quarter before Notre Dame opened the floodgates. The Fighting Irish's five touchdowns matched the most in school history back then, equaling a record set in 1944. ... Read more

TAMPA -- USF defensive backs coach Rick Smith saw a toughness in starter cornerback Quenton Washington in Saturday's overtime win at Miami that fit right in with the junior's best game of the season.

A collision left Washington with three of his lower front teeth bent backwards into his mouth, but Washington didn't let that end his day, getting outfitted with a mouthpiece to keep the teeth in place and returning to the field. His deflection of a pass to Miami's Leonard Hankerson in the end zone forced Miami to settle for a field goal, keeping the Bulls within a touchdown late in the game.

"I'm shocked," Smith said of Washington's play. "I don't know if he can play any better than he's played the last two weeks. He has really played well. He's really showed some toughness, which is something he and I went round and round about in the spring.  Some days, he didn't feel like it. I'm shocked the way he's come around." ... Read more

CINCINNATI -- USF offensive coordinator Todd Fitch was smiling Friday night, of course because the Bulls had pulled off a 38-30 upset of Cincinnati, but as much because his offense had crisply executed a game plan designed to confront so many of the problems in USF’s two previous losses.

“The key was two things: We didn’t turn it over … and I thought (quarterback) B.J. (Daniels) had great command of the game, made pretty good decisions. We made some plays … That’s what we’ve been missing. It was good to see those guys step up and make those plays.”

USF (4-3) was outgained by Cincinnati 590-378, but the Bulls were able to prevail in part due to more efficient play in the red zone. USF only settled for a field goal once in four trips inside the 20, while the Bulls stiffened against Cincinnati (3-4), allowing just two touchdowns out of six red-zone trips.

“A lot of guys stepping up, and a lot of hard work that showed up today,” USF coach Skip Holtz said. “This didn’t happen overnight. I’m really proud of the resolve they’d had, the focus they’ve had, the competitive nature they’ve had. A lot of things have been disappointing, but you wouldn’t know it from them.” ... Read more

We'll start off with a link to a story in Wednesday's Times about defensive end Ryne Giddins, who chose the Bulls over the Gators last year and got the ball rolling on a huge recruiting class for USF. Plus this week's USF notebook, which includes a note on USF safety Jerrell Young going to Gainesville for an official visit in 2005 -- he might have been a Gator if they hadn't wanted him to be a running back.

Now for more Skip Holtz video -- he went a full 15 minutes just in recapping Stony Brook and previewing Florida today, giving a position-by-position breakdown including our first chance to see which players joined the "victor's club" by grading out as a "winner." More on that later, but here's his thoughts about Florida -- as unimpressive as the Gators were against Miami (Ohio), he can rattle off a bunch of stats that seem pretty impressive. ... Read more