St. Petersburg, FL -- (Sports Network) - Matt Grothe threw three touchdowns, as the South Florida Bulls pummeled the Memphis Tigers, 41-14, in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field.

Grothe, who was named the game's most outstanding player, finished with 236 yards on 17-of-24 passing and added 83 yards on the ground for the Bulls (8-5), who had dropped five of their last seven games after opening a once-promising campaign with five consecutive wins coupled with a Top-10 ranking. Carlton Mitchell had 60 yards on four receptions and Dontavia Bogan added 51 yards and a score on three catches.

Memphis quarterback Arkelon Hall threw for a touchdown and ran for another score in a losing cause. Hall completed 15-of-31 passes for 154 yards for the Tigers (6-7), who had won three of their last four contests. Curtis Steele was limited to 48 yards rushing on 12 carries, while Duke Calhoun had 39 yards on a game-high six receptions, including a two-yard TD.

It didn't take the Bulls long to find the end zone. Bogan returned the game's opening kickoff 56 yards to the Memphis 43 and Taurus Johnson hauled in a 26- yard pass from Grothe three plays later to put South Florida on the board just 62 seconds into the contest.

After a series of punts, Ben Williams scored from three yards out to give the Bulls a 14-0 lead with 4:28 left in the first quarter, but Memphis quickly countered on a three-yard TD run by Hall with 2:09 remaining in the frame.

South Florida extended its lead in the second quarter on a Maikon Bonani 23- yard field goal and a 13-yard strike from Grothe to Ben Busbee.

In the waning seconds of the stanza, Hall capped a 15-play drive that originated from his own 21 with a two-yard TD pass to Calhoun, and Memphis trailed only 24-14 at halftime.

Following the break, Bonani kicked a 37-yard field goal and Bogan hauled in a 24-yard TD pass to give the Bulls a commanding 34-14 advantage with 1:50 remaining in the third quarter.

Moise Plancher added a two-yard score early in the fourth quarter for South Florida.

Game Notes

Calhoun now has a reception in 37 straight games...South Florida outgained Memphis 496-238, including 232-66 on the ground...The Bulls recorded 29 first downs, while the Tigers had only 15.