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It’s good to know that there is a USF Men’s sports team that is winning. Tonight the USF Men’s soccer team defeated the Louisville Cardinals 3-1. The Bull’s are ranked 9th in the nation. It was a good win on the road against the 15th ranked Cardinals. The conditions were less than ideal, with a brisk 50 degree temperature and sweeping rains. The Bulls nabbed 3 goals in the first half and defended the lead all throughout the second half. The Bulls were content to buckle down and play strong defense in the second period. They completely abandoned the offensive attack and kept the Cardinal attack at bay. It was a good win for the Bulls and they look very confident as the season comes to a close.

The USF campus is abuzz with homecoming festivities and events.  While the other students enjoy the atmosphere the football team has to focus on Cincinnati. After the recent loss to UConn, the Bulls desperately need a conference win. The offense was frustrating while the defense defense battled to keep the Bulls in the game. From a humble fan’s perspective, the Bull’s really need greater offensive production out of the impact players. B.J. Daniels cannot afford to have 3 turnover games and Darrel Scott needs to get back in rhythm and hold onto the football! The defense looks much improved and that can be expected with the all of the focus and preparation during the bye week. The team needs players on both sides of the ball to execute at a high level. During the game against Pitt our defense struggled. Two weeks later against UConn our offense was stifled. It’s midway through the season and the Bull’s have yet to secure a conference victory. This is extremely disappointing for a team and fan base that expected to charge through conference play and win the Big East. Rest assured that Bull Country has not forsaken the beloved Green and Gold. This is our chance against Cincinnati this upcoming homecoming weekend. The stage is set and the stadium will be rocking with faithful supporters. Go Bulls!

courtesy of gousfbulls.com

This was it. This was the weekend for the USF Bulls to begin vanquishing their conference opponents. So why are the Bulls sitting at the bottom of the conference standing at 0-2 after a disappointing loss to UConn. The answer is simply, costly mistakes. Quarterback, B.J. Daniels threw 2 interceptions in yesterday’s contest and also had a costly fumble. In addition, Darrel Scott coughed up the ball which UConn scooped up and returned for a touchdown. This would prove to be the decisive score. The Bulls failed to convert on a crucial 4th down late in the game which allowed UConn to clinch the game. There was also a missed field goal. It really seemed like the Bulls couldn’t make enough plays to really impact the game. We were stifled on drives that should have produced points and we made turnovers that we couldn’t afford to make.

The only silver lining in this black cloud of disappointment, is the outstanding play of the USF defense. The defense was extremely active and disruptive yesterday afternoon. The Bulls recorded a school record, 7 stacks. Although UConn’s running back rushed for 130 yards, he did so on a hefty 32 carries. The defense is what really held USF in the ball game. Their outstanding play gave us the opportunity to win the game even late in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, the Bulls just couldn’t get it done.

This week will be tough for Bull’s fans everywhere. Hopefully we can get back on track and see more offensive production against Cincinnati next weekend.

Big changes are coming to Big East conference. It has been reported that the Big East plans to invite Boise State, Air Force, Navy and UCF to join. Boise State, Air Force and Navy would be invited as football-only teams but UCF would be eligible to compete in all sports. In addition, the conference plans to double the exit fee to $10 million. The Big East hopes to expand to 12 teams.

The Big East’s automatic BCS bowl bid is very alluring for the teams invited. The Mountain West, Boise’s State’s current conference, and C-USA, UCF’s current conference, do not have an automatic bid. Consider, Boise State has had very successful seasons in recent years and by moving to a conference with an automatic bid it improves their chances at a shot in the national championship game tremendously.

However, there is some uncertainty regarding the stability of the Big East conference. The Big East raised the exit fee to ensure the conference’s relevancy and sustainability. Louisville and West Virginia could be possible targets for the Big 12. Pitt and Syracuse have already announced moving to the ACC although they are legally obligated to stay for 2 more years in the Big East. The activity surrounding the Big East will be very interesting to monitor as the season progresses.

Check out AP writer, Ralph D. Russo’s, article: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBC_BIG_EAST_EXPANSION?SITE=WWMTTV&SECTION=SPORTS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-14-15-52-59

College football is garnering all the attention lately but the USF Men’s basketball team hit the courts today for their first practice. Coach Heath commented on the value of these preseason practices. With the business of recruiting out of the way he wants his players to concentrate on improving. He wants his team to execute early on offense and defense. Team camaraderie and unity is very important during the preseason. Coach Heath really wants to bring the young guys along. With two freshman guards joining the squad, it will be key for the younger players to acclimate within the system. Junior forward, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, commented that familiarity is the key for the younger players. Everyone needs to be on the same page, learn the system and play as a unit on the court. With all the uncertainty surrounding the NBA season it’s good to know that the USF Bulls will be back in action on the hardwood, so at least there will be some great basketball to watch soon.

Defensive Coordinator, Mark Snyder,  recently sat down in an interview to discuss  the USF defense.  Coach Snyder commented on the timeliness of the bye week. He emphasizes that after the loss to Pitt the bye week allowed the team to concentrate on fundamentals and give the coaches time to self-evaluate.

In regards to UConn, Coach Snyder describes their squad as big and physical. He adds the quarterback works within the system and they are good at controlling the line of scrimmage. Coach Snyder expects his defense to execute quickly on the field this Saturday, something they didn’t do against Pitt. He plans to put people in the box to combat UConn’s rushing attack so he expects his secondary to really step up and cover UConn’s wide receivers. Snyder highlighted the play of young defensive lineman, Elkino Watson. He is impressed with Watson’s production thus far.

Look for the Bull’s defense be very focused against UConn. They’ve had 2 weeks to prepare and will be amped up to compete on game day. With the return of Quenton Washington, the secondary will have added talent and leadership. UConn has traditionally had a strong running attack but Coach Snyder is very aware of the Huskies offensive ability and will make sure the Bulls focus on stopping the run. The date of redemption for the Bulls defense is October 15th. Go Bulls!

Football gets much of the attention during the fall and winter seasons but the USF Men’s Soccer team is ranked 11th in the nation. The Bulls have posted an impressive 8-2 record thus far and stand at 3-1 in the Big East standings. USF is looking quite formidable as of late. They are 4-0-1 in the past five games and star striker Dom Dwyer was honored with Big East offensive player of the week.  The Bulls defeated DePaul tonight by a score of 2-0. They take on Syracuse this Saturday. USF will continue to garner national attention as the wins keep coming. With only five games left in the season the Bulls look to go deep into the Big East tournament. Support Bulls Soccer! Go Bulls!

Critical Areas

Coach Holtz held his weekly press conference today. He addressed several things that his team could improve upon. He pointed out that the Bulls were last in the league in rush defense. He says this is an area in which the Bull’s need to improve because UConn specializes in running the football. Special teams is also an area of concern. Coach Holtz believes that they need to get Lindsey Lamar going. He admits that losing Terrence Mitchell on punt returns has had an effect but that if Lamar can get on track, special teams production can increase. He added that there have been personnel changes on the kick-off return squad as well, but he stresses that special teams is progressing and headed in the right direction.

Back to Basics

The week of preparation has been similar to a training camp atmosphere, according to Coach Holtz. He says it was a physical week with lots of competition between players. He stresses that players are progressing.

Injuries

Sophomore receiver, Terrence Mitchell didn’t practice with the team. He is still out from a concussion injury. Coach Holtz says that Mitchell is making progress but is highly unlikely for this week. Derrick Hopkins, another receiver, turned his ankle last week. Defensive tackle, Demi Thompson is having back problems. Quenton Washington, cornerback, and AJ Love, wide receiver, have fully recovered from their injuries and will play this weekend..

Connecticut

Coach Holtz states that Connecticut is a strong football team. They are talented, physical and play an old school type of smash-mouth football. One of the main reasons the Huskies are so strong is their ability to control the ball. They run the ball effectively and move the chains. Their running back is second best in the league. On the other side of the ball they have a great rush defense. Kendall Reyes is the difference maker on UConn’s defense according to Coach Holtz. He says, the entire front seven is very big and very physical. In addition, the Huskies have great special teams. They have one of the best kickoff returners in the league, as well as one of best kickers in the country.  This will be a big challenge on the road for the Bulls.

*To view the entire press conference: http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=205314536

Current Standings

Conference play will continue to heat up in the upcoming weeks but the most relevant conference standings are the Big East. The Bulls currently stand at 0-1 in the standings and are joined in the bottom portion of the standings by Syracuse and Connecticut. Louisville and Cincinnati sit in the middle of the pack, but both have yet to play a conference game. How fitting that Louisville and Cincinnati square off this Saturday. Pitt is 1-1 in conference play after losing against Rutgers 34-10 last Saturday. West Virginia and Rutgers are the only unbeaten teams left in the Big East. West Virginia’s only conference win came against UConn last week with a final score of 43-16. Rutgers sits atop the standings at 2-0 with wins against Pitt and Syracuse.

Bull’s Future

Although the Bulls suffered a disappointing loss to Pitt, no one in Bulls Country is writing our team off. With Coach Holtz’s renewed commitment to fundamentally sound football, the Bull’s favor their chances against UConn this Saturday. The Bulls can easily improve to 1-1 against UConn if they play the way they did to begin the season. The Huskies only have two wins on the season and they’re defense looked extremely suspect against one of the better offenses in the Big East last week.

Beginning next week the Bull’s have a stretch of 4 conference games: UConn, Cincinnati, Rutgers and Syracuse. There is great chance that the Bull’s can go on a streak and enter into Week 11 with a 4-1 conference record. USF is ranked 15th in the country in points scored and in rushing yards. These stats are huge, considering that UConn’s defense has allowed around 350 yards of offense per game, Cincinnati has allowed 350 yards, Syracuse has allowed 400, and Rutgers has allowed around 300 yards. Keep in mind that the South Florida offense averages nearly 504 total yards. The Bulls have a great chance to claim a dominant stake in the Big East standings but games obviously aren’t won on paper. The road to the top of the standings begins this Saturday at 3:30pm.

*statistics provided by http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/mainpage.jsp

We’ve all had time to recuperate from the Bull’s upsetting loss to Pittsburgh last week. The USF players and coaching staff will have an extra week to correct mistakes and prepare for next week’s game against UConn. Coach Holtz has repeatedly told reporters that the recent practices were about getting back to the basics and playing fundamentally sound football. It was clear that the USF defense was completely incapable of stopping Pitt’s running attack, but hopefully with an extra week of preparation the coaching staff can ensure that the defense executes more effectively. UConn suffered a crushing loss to West Virgina today and accounted for a medial 275 yards of total offense. They only averaged 2.3 yards per carry and were held to only 82 yards on the ground. Next week will be the perfect opportunity for the Bull’s defense to go out and make a statement against a UConn offense that has been mediocre thus far in the season.