MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Is South Florida down? Sure.

Are the Bulls out? That much is still up for debate.

Thirteen days ago, South Florida ran onto its home field, ranked 21st in Division I-A, carrying a 5-0 record and riding about as high as any team in the Big East Conference not named Cincinnati.

South Florida's opponent that night was then-No. 8 Cincinnati, which authoritatively rubbed the Bulls' face into the turf to the tune of 34-17.

Then came the one-sided matchup Saturday with Pitt in which the Panthers slammed South Florida, 41-14.

And there you have it: In less than two weeks, South Florida has gone from a team with real hopes of playing in a national championship game to a team fighting to ensure a spot in a bowl.

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, whose Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0 Big East) travel to Tampa to play South Florida Friday night, isn't one of the subscribers to the theory that South Florida is down for the count.

"They have gotten beat by the so-called two best teams in the league, Cincinnati and Pitt," Stewart said. "One is what, fifth, or whatever the polls say, and the other is 16th or 17th? ... South Florida is not out of the hunt, believe me, South Florida is not out of the hunt. And our players better understand that mentality before they get on that plane."

When West Virginia touches down in Tampa, it will run headlong into a South Florida team that has had a penchant for standing in its own way in its two losses.

In the Cincinnati game, the Bulls were penalized 12 times for 113 yards; in the Pitt game, nine flags totaling 71 yards were thrown against South Florida. Those numbers aren't going to win a lot of football games, particularly when playing against two ranked teams. And West Virginia is another one, coming in at No. 20.

On top of that, South Florida has been hurt by long plays, giving up a 75-yard rushing score against Cincinnati and a 40-yard touchdown pass against Pitt.

"An explosive play to us is a run over 15 yards or a pass over 20 yards," South Florida defensive coordinator Joe Tresey said. "Penalties have also been an issue. We address penalties, and the team needs to get more disciplined. Those are the two biggest things that have hurt us the past two weeks."

How does all this get rectified for the Bulls?

Quarterback B.J. Daniels thinks he has the remedy, and it starts with accountability and a short memory.

"Well, what we can't do is point the finger," he said. "We watched film on West Virginia because if we sit back and dwell on these two losses, then it is not going to help us the rest of the season."

Even as the penalties and the opposition's ability to hit the big play seem glaring, Daniels chose to look at those transgressions as something the Bulls can fix because of their overall athleticism, which, from the top of the roster to the bottom, matches any team in the conference.

"Everything is there," Daniels said. "We have the talent and we have the ability. We are a great team and we just need to do what we are supposed to do to win. We haven't been doing those things the past two weeks."

The man in charge at West Virginia knows exactly what can happen if a sharp South Florida team shows up. "I hope we can take our A-game down there," Stewart said. "Because we are going to need it."

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