West Virginia daily

"I don't think I did very well," the Lakeland Kathleen grad said. It was suggested he ought to approach TV interviews the way he does football: with complete confidence.

Not to worry. USF coach Jim Leavitt couldn't care less how Jones, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound senior defensive tackle/end, grades out on interviews. It's what he does on the field that counts.

And on the field, Jones does very well, although -- as is the case with most linemen, offensive or defensive -- his play tends to be overlooked.

If Leavitt has done one thing well at USF, it is driving home the team concept to his players, even those like running back Andre Hall, the closest thing the Bulls have to a superstar.

Virtually all Leavitt's players recite the same mantra: it is not about the individual, it is about the team, and that's not a bad attitude to have when you're trying to make your mark in big-time college football.

Florida State can say it, but the Seminoles better say it in a whisper because to get there, they have to beat Miami again, and that doesn't seem likely.

Some would say it's not likely for the Bulls, either, who have to win out against Cincinnati here Saturday, Connecticut on the road and then beat West Virginia back here to make it.

"We can't think about that," Jones said. "None of that happens if we lose. We've got to concentrate on what's in front of us, the next game. We have to take care of that."

While Jones is dedicated to football, the reason he's even part of this scenario is because he put his education ahead of football, at least last year.

Jones was scheduled to play his final season in 2004, but redshirted instead. Partially, it was to get bigger and stronger and improve his credentials for a possible shot at the NFL.

"That was part of it," Jones said, "but a bigger part was getting my degree. I wanted to finish college at the same time I finished football, so I concentrated on my classes."

There is, though, still unfinished business on the football field, where the Bulls' star would be shining much brighter if they hadn't stumbled against Pittsburgh, a loss that still sticks in their throats.

"Nobody likes to lose. What you want is a perfect season. But you can't think about that. We lost those games and that's in the past. There's nothing we can do about that now.

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