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2003 South Florida

7–⁠4 (5–⁠3 Conference USA), coached by Jim Leavitt.

Schedule and results

South Florida in 2003, game by game: lost at Alabama 17–40; won vs. Nicholls 27–17; won at Army 28–0; won vs. Louisville 31–28; lost vs. No. 18 TCU 10–13; won vs. Charleston Southern 55–7; lost at Southern Miss 6–27; won vs. Cincinnati 24–17; won at East Carolina 38–37; lost vs. UAB 19–22; won at Memphis 21–16+48−23Lost 17–40 at Alabama-23AlabamaWon 27–17 vs. Nicholls+10NichollsWon 28–0 at Army+28ArmyWon 31–28 vs. Louisville+3LouisvilleLost 10–13 vs. No. 18 TCU-3No. 18 TCUWon 55–7 vs. Charleston Southern+48Charleston Sout…Lost 6–27 at Southern Miss-21Southern MissWon 24–17 vs. Cincinnati+7CincinnatiWon 38–37 at East Carolina+1East CarolinaLost 19–22 vs. UAB-3UABWon 21–16 at Memphis+5Memphis
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30atAlabamaL 17–⁠4034%
Sep 6vsNichollsW 27–⁠1786%
Sep 27atArmyW 28–⁠083%
Oct 4vsLouisvilleW 31–⁠2855%
Oct 10vs18TCUL 10–⁠1350%
Oct 18vsCharleston SouthernW 55–⁠794%
Oct 25atSouthern MissL 6–⁠2755%
Oct 31vsCincinnatiW 24–⁠1763%
Nov 8atEast CarolinaW 38–⁠3775%
Nov 22vsUABL 19–⁠2275%
Nov 29atMemphisW 21–⁠1638%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Memphis 21–⁠16; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 11th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 28 on file).

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2003.

Led the nationMichael Waddell: kickoff return average (31.7)

Record
7–⁠4
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 3rd in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
276–⁠224
Coach
Jim Leavitt
Elo
1562 −18 this season
SP+ rating
-5.6 No. 78 of 117; offense No. 101, defense No. 48
SRS
−7.8 No. 86 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 78
Offensive coordinator
Mike Hobbie
Defensive coordinators
Rick Kravitz and Wally Burnham
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 37— allowed
Defense0.0own 33— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2003 class

Eric Thomas SDE★★★No. 682
Ronnie McCullough ILB★★★No. 682
Roland Clarke OG★★No. 1050
Walter Walker DT★★No. 1050
Ben Moffitt ILB★★No. 1050

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2003 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.767
Running backs32.00.767
Receivers12.00.767
Offensive line32.00.767
Defensive line102.10.770
Linebackers32.30.778
Defensive backs42.00.767
Whole class252.10.769

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2004

The 2004 draft
Rd 4J.R. Reed DBPhiladelphia Eagles

2003 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Southern Miss8–⁠09–⁠4
TCU7–⁠111–⁠225
Louisville5–⁠39–⁠4
Memphis5–⁠39–⁠4
South Florida5–⁠37–⁠4
Houston4–⁠47–⁠6
UAB4–⁠45–⁠7
Tulane3–⁠55–⁠7
Cincinnati2–⁠65–⁠7
East Carolina1–⁠71–⁠11
Army0–⁠80–⁠13

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.