West Virginia loses to South Florida

Matt Grothe upstaged West Virginia standouts Pat White and Steve Slaton, leading rapidly rising No. 18 South Florida to a 21-13 victory over the mistake-prone, fifth-ranked Mountaineers on Friday night at Tampa, Fla.

Grothe scrambled to avoid a sack before throwing a 55-yard touchdown pass to Carlton Mitchell, and Ben Moffitt returned one of his two interceptions 26 yards for a touchdown to lead the Bulls (4-0) in the Big East Conference opener.

West Virginia (4-1) averaged 357 rushing yards in its first four games but managed only 188 on the ground after surprisingly opening the game throwing on seven of its first 11 offensive plays.

The Mountaineers lost White late in the second quarter after he was hit in the right knee on a running play. He gained 36 yards in nine carries. Slaton was held to 54 yards rushing in 13 carries and fumbled twice.

Arizona Coach Mike Stoops spent several hours hospitalized Friday to receive treatment for kidney stones but was expected to be on the sidelines tonight for the Wildcats’ game against Washington State. Stoops received undisclosed treatment at University Medical Center in Tucson and was released just after noon.

Texas A&M; Coach Dennis Franchione said he has stopped selling inside information on the Aggies in a newsletter to boosters who paid $1,200 a year in subscription fees that helped finance the coach’s personal web site. . . . South Carolina safety Emanuel Cook had a felony gun charge dismissed at a preliminary hearing in Columbia, S.C. Cook was arrested last month and charged with unlawful possession of a pistol.