Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - Matt Grothe threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Taurus Johnson in the only overtime and the 17th-ranked South Florida Bulls held off the UCF Knights, 31-24.

Grothe completed 23-of-40 passes for 346 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Bulls (2-0). Johnson caught six passes for 143 yards. Cedric Hill added four grabs for 62 yards and two scores, and Carlton Mitchell had three for 65. Moise Plancher ran for 50 yards and one score on nine carries.

Michael Greco completed 17-of-32 passes for 150 and two touchdowns for the Knights (1-1), who fell to 0-18 all-time against ranked opponents. Rocky Ross had eight receptions for 90 yards, including one score.

UCF was down 14 points late in the fourth quarter, but Greco threw touchdown passes of 13 yards to Corey Rabazinski and 31 yards to Ross within a span of 66 seconds to tie the game at 24 with 1:40 to go in regulation. The Bulls then embarked on a 12-play drive, advancing the ball to the UCF 25. The contest, though, went to overtime after Delbert Alvarado missed a 42-yard field goal in the closing seconds.

In the extra session, Grothe hooked up with Johnson for the go-ahead score. Two straight runs by UCF's Ronnie Weaver set up a 3rd-and-one from the USF 16. Weaver was then stopped for no gain and after a false start infraction forced the Knights into a 4th-and-five situation, Greco tried to run for the first down, but came up just short of the marker.

South Florida scored on its first possession of the game. A 27-yard run by Plancher on 2nd-and-two moved the ball to the UCF 23. Three plays later, Plancher rumbled 14 yards into the end zone for a 7-0 Bulls lead. The advantage was short-lived as Joe Burnett returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a score.

The Bulls then put together an epic 12-play, 82-yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes of the clock. Facing 3rd-and-10 from their own 26, Grothe threw a 16-yard pass to Johnson to move the chains. South Florida eventually marched to the UCF 3 before settling for a 20-yard Alvarado field goal.

A 38-yarder from Nick Cattoi tied the game at 10 with 2:49 to go in the first half.

South Florida added to its lead as Grothe threw a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes -- 18 and 27 yards -- to Hill.

South Florida had 25 first downs compared to UCF's 12...The Bulls outgained the Knights 504-226...UCF was whistled for 12 penalties (148 yards)...South Florida was 9-of-19 on third downs, while UCF finished 5-of-16.

GAME NOTES: The UCF Knights put their seven-game home winning streak on the line this weekend, as they collide with the 17th-ranked South Florida Bulls at Bright House Networks Stadium.

Coming off one of the best seasons in school history, the Knights opened their 2008 campaign on a high note, blanking Football Championship Subdivision member South Carolina State, 17-0. It was the first shutout since 2001 for the UCF, which stretched its home winning streak to seven games. The win also improved the team to 3-1 in season openers under head coach George O'Leary, who guided the Knights to the Conference USA title in 2007.

As for USF, it also hosted a FCS opponent in its opener, easily defeating Tennessee-Martin by a 56-7 score. The Bulls, who have now won three straight lid lifters, enter the season with lofty expectations after being ranked as high as No.2 last year.

USF and UCF have met three times previously on the gridiron, with the Bulls winning each encounter and by a combined 122-43 score.

The Bulls scored 28 points in the first quarter and never looked back in a lopsided win over UTM last weekend. The team had its way with UTM, racking up 520 total yards, including 300 via the run. Quarterback Matt Grothe engineered the offense by completing 6-of-8 passes for 96 yards and two scores. He added 19 rushing yards, but only played in the first half due to the large lead. Grothe is a big time talent and a dual threat that passed for 2,670 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for 872 yards and 10 more scores in 2007. Benjamin Williams paced the ground attack with 70 yards and a score on just six carries, while Jessie Hester hauled in three balls for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

It was an impressive effort by the offense, but head coach Jim Leavitt knows that his team will be facing much tougher opponents the rest of the way.

"I do recognize that we have got different teams ahead," said Leavitt. "I'm sure that Tennessee-Martin will be good in their league, but that's not what we are going to be facing. I am proud of our players. They did what they came out to do, what they needed to do, and I think we did a pretty good job."

Much like the offense, USF's defense was simply dominant, holding UTM to a mere six first downs and a minuscule 97 yards of total offense. The defense only came up with one turnover and sack, but the unit did limit UTM to just a 1-of-14 effort on third downs. Getting to the quarterback though, shouldn't be a problem for the Bulls this season, especially with the return of George Selvie. A big time passer rusher, Selvie had 14.5 sacks last season, although he was held in check with just three tackles in the opener. Tyrone McKenzie notched the team's lone sack last weekend and he also finished with five stops.

The Knights lost several key players on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, so it wasn't a huge surprise to see this unit struggle a bit in the opener. Still, facing a much lesser opponent UCF managed just 318 total yards in a 17-0 win over SCSU. The Knights did most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 228 yards, but coach O'Leary still wasn't impressed by the performance of his backs despite the high total.

"I wasn't pleased with the way that the running backs ran. I thought there were too many times that they running backs ran with their shoulders facing the wrong way. They need to learn to cut on the move, and not stop."

Ronnie Weaver paced the ground game with 84 yards on 23 carries and Michael Greco added 57 yards on 13 totes. Freshman Latavius Murray got into the mix as well, posting 43 yards and a pair of scores on 11 totes. The trio are trying to fill the void left by Kevin Smith, who departed early for the NFL after leading the nation with 2,567 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in 2007. Making his first career start, quarterback Michael Greco wasn't all that effective and he threw for just 90 yards on 9-of-16 tosses. Greco still has a lot to learn, but O'Leary wasn't all that thrilled with his opening performance.

"He has to make quicker decisions and have confidence in his throwing ability. He needs to throw the ball on time, and to the right spot. He needs to throw it to an area, and trust the receivers to be there."

Defensively, the Knights are loaded with returning starters and they showed their experience in completely shutting down SCSU this past weekend. The unit held SCSU to only 52 rushing yards and just 74 passing, while also recording a pair of turnovers. The defense didn't even spend 22 minutes on the field, as UCF allowed only five first downs. Jordan Richards guided the defense with seven stops, while Chance Henderson added six tackles. T.J. Harnden chipped in with three stops and also accounted for the team's lone sack. The Knights are stacked on defense and this unit is going to have to play above their heads in order to compensate for a young offense.

Bragging rights are on the line in the Sunshine State this weekend and that should have both teams ready for a battle. USF however, clearly has the better offense and that will make the biggest difference in this game. Expect the Bulls to move the ball and even dominate on defense en route to the victory.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: South Florida 34, UCF 7