Bulls Fall Short in Upset Bid of West Virginia

By JC De La Torre

It was a hard fought battle, but South Florida just did not have enough to stay with the West Virginia Mountaineers in Men's Big East Basketball play, falling 62-59. USF's Dominque Jones scored 35 points to lead all scorers.

After trailing by 14 at halftime, South Florida put together a furious comeback rallying from down 10 with 9:27 left in the game thanks to a 12-3 run that cut the West Virgina lead to 1 point with 4:40 left. The Mountaineers lead would fluctuate from 1-4 points down the stretch but USF could not get the tying or leading basket and West Virginia was good at the line.

"I seriously thought about going home at halftime and taking my team, because we were pretty bad," coach Stan Heath told the St. Pete Times, "It didn't look like we had the energy level, and we weren't competing the way we needed to. But I thought we were a better team in the second half."

"I don't know what it is," Guard Jesus Verdejo said, "We just don't play hard for 40 minutes. We had guys who just didn't play hard for the first 15 or 20 minutes."

The Bulls fell to 6-11 overall, 1-4 in Big East play.

Weekend Round up - Tebow, The Lightning, Bruce Allen, and More!

By JC De La Torre

Hey folks, apologies for the late posts, the old warhorse that was my computer finally past away. So with excuses out of the way - let's touch on some topics that effected Tampa Bay sports over the weekend.

Tim Tebow Returning to Florida
Florida Phenom Quarterback Tim Tebow announced he will be returning for his senior season at Florida, to the glee of all Gator fans. During the Gators celebration of their latest national championship at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the crowd chanted "One More Year" and after thanking his teammates, God, and his family, "Superman" added, "Oh, by the way, one more thing, let's do it again. I'm coming back." At that moment, there was a collective, "Aww...crap..." everywhere in the southeast outside of Florida (and a few in Tallahassee, too). Tebow will have the unique opportunity to cement his legacy as one of the greatest Gators in school history while enhancing his resume for the Pros. We think it's the best move for Tebow and even if he doesn't succeed in the Pros, Tebow will be a legend that all Gator quarterbacks are measured against for many, many years.

Gators Basketball team opens SEC schedule with victory over Ole Miss
Billy Donovan's Florida basketball team held on for a 78-68 victory over Ole Miss to open up their SEC schedule. Donovan, however, was none too pleased with his team's performance. Florida was outrebounded 46-22.

"What really got exposed is the thing that I've always been worried about with our team, is, will be physically compete up front and create a level of confrontation in the paint," Donovan told the St. Petersburg Times, "I don't know the last time, since I've been here, we've been outrebounded by 24 rebounds."

Ole Miss rallied from a 21 point decifit to pull within 2:07 left in the game. Florida would hit their free throws down the stretch to provide the difference.

USF Upends DePaul for 1st Big East Victory
The USF Basketball team got 22 points from Dominique Jones and 18 from Jesus Verdejo to get their first Big East victory of the season, an 80-58 destruction of DePaul. The Bulls opened up the game with a 15-6 run and never looked back.


Bruce Allen Speaks to the Media
Buccaneers General Manager Bruce Allen spoke to the media on Friday on a myriad of issues facing the team. The gist of the conference was yes, the Glazers are as ticked off as the fans are at the end of the season and no, they aren't holding the wallet because of their Manchester United debt. Allen has the go ahead to sign any free agent he deems will improve the team. Allen is never one to get into specifics but it seems the team is tired of using retread quarterbacks for Jon Gruden's system and may seek out a young stud to go along with 2008 5th round draft pick Josh Johnson that the team can build around for the forseeable future. The team also believes Carnell "Cadillac" Williams will return to the Bucs, but aren't counting on him for at least the first half of 2009.

Bolts Blow Another Lead, But Pull Out Win in Anaheim
The Tampa Bay Lighning blew another 2 goal lead Saturday night but Ryan Malone's second of the game gave the Lightning a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Vaclav Prospal and Martin St. Louis also scored, while Kari Ramo made 29 saves in his first start of the season. Steven Stamkos did not play in this one. The Lighting put Stamkos on a conditioning program to build up his strength after a 16-game stretch with only one goal and two assists.

Bolts Owners Amend Financial Deal with Palace Sports
The principals of OK hockey, Palace Sports, and the NHL met in New York to amend the $70 million dollar financial agreement between the OK hockey and Palace Sports. While details of the changes were not released, all sides seemed pleased with the changes.

"The only thing I can say is they're in fine shape," Palace Sports CEO Tom Wilson told the St. Petersburg Times.

"It gives us a lot of room to maneuver and do what we want to do with the team," Lightning Principal Owner Oren Koules said.


NFL Final Four Set
Two of the four teams will make it to Tampa for the Super Bowl and no one had them pegged as likely candidates. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles each advanced to their respective conference championship games and play for the right to go to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals shocked the Carolina Panthers 33-13 in a game no one saw coming. The Panthers' Jake Delhomme threw five interceptions in the loss. Baltimore stunned top seeded Tennessee in a defensive battle 13-10.

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles continued their improbable run, beating the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants in a dominating defensive performance, 23-11, while Pittsburgh outslugged San Diego 35-24 to become the only home team to win during the Divisional playoffs. It marks the first time since going to a 16 game schedule that two teams that did not win at least 10 games played each other in a conference championship.

The Philadelphia Eagles will head to Arizona for a 3pm (ET) kickoff of the NFC Championship game, while Pittsburgh will host division rival Baltimore at 6:30 pm (ET) in the AFC Championship game.

Bulls Open Big East Play and Give #11 Syracuse a Scare

By JC De La Torre

The USF Bulls (5-8) opened up their Big East schedule after an extremely disappointing non-conference performance this season, fell behind double digits in the second half against #11 Syracuse (14-1) but showed some grit, rallying to within three points late in the game before succumbing to the Orange 59-54.

With 11:02 left in the first half and only a 1 point lead, the Orange ended the first half on a 22-7 run to give them a little breathing room going into halftime where the Orange led 35-19. The Bulls spent the majority of the second half trying to whittle down that Syracuse lead, going on little 4 and 5 point runs before Syracuse would answer with their own score. Dominique Jones dunk with 3:19 left in the game pulled USF within 3 points of Syracuse, 55-52. After the teams exchanged scores, Jonny Flynn's miss gave USF the ball with 1:03 left in the game, down by 3 points. USF ran down the shot clock to 33 seconds before Dominique Jones fired up a three pointer that missed, Eric Devendorf rebounded for Syracuse and was fouled by Chris Howard. Devendoft made both ends of the 1-and-1 to give the Orange a 59-54 lead, the Bulls would miss two shots in the closing seconds and that was the ball game, Syracuse escapes the Sun Dome with a tougher than expected victory.

Jones led the Bulls with 17 points and 5 rebounds, while Mobolaji Ajayi had 15 points, 12 boards, and a blocked shot. Andy Rautins led the Orange with 14 points while going 4 of 8 from three point land.

Despite the loss, it was an encouraging effort from the Bulls against one of the Big East powers. After getting pummelled by the likes of Wright State, Niagara and Oral Roberts during a four game losing streak where they didn't face a ranked opponent, it looked like the Bulls were in no shape to be competitive in one of college basketball's best conferences.

Bulls Blow Out Memphis in St. Pete Bowl

By JC De La Torre

I don't know if South Florida really wanted to be there...the fans sure didn't as a the paltry attendance of 25,205 would attest, but if they didn't, they at least decided to make the most of it by crushing their opponent, the Memphis Tigers, 41-14 in the inaugural (and possibly only) MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl.

USF used "special" uniforms with a white helmet sporting the USF logo and a different shade of green making them resemble the New York Jets, and they played like the Jets as well as they jumped on the Tigers quickly. Dontavia Bogan returned the opening kickoff 56 yds to the Memphis 43 yd line. Two plays later, Matt Grothe found Taurus Johnson for a 26 yd score to put the Bulls up 7-0 just 1:02 into the ball game. After an exchange of punts (two by Memphis), USF marched back down the field on a 6 play 58 yd drive, capped off by Benjamin Williams 3 yd score to make it 14-0.

The Tigers finally came to life late in the first quarter, driving 73 yd on six plays, with quarterback Arkelon Hall keeping it into the end zone from 3 yd out to cut the USF lead to 7. The Bulls answered, moving into the second quarter with a 63 yd, 14 play drive the culminated in a 23 yd field goal by Maikon Bonani to increase the South Florida lead to 17-7. After the Memphis drive stalled at their own 42, USF would add yet another score with Grothe connecting with reserve tight end Ben Busbee for a 13 yd score to give the Bulls a commanding 24-7 advantage with 4:15 left in the half. To the Tigers credit, they wouldn't quit as Arkelon Hall led Memphis back down the field and connected with Duke Calhoun on a 2 yd score with 0:04 left in the half. The Bulls led 24-14 at halftime.

That would be as close as it got as the USF defense dominated the second half, shutting out the Tigers, while Matt Grothe connected with Dontavia Bogan on 24 yd touchdown, Maikon Bonani added another field goal, and Moises Plancher plunged in from 2 yds out, giving the Bulls a 41-14 advantage that they would not relinquish.

South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe had one of his best games of the season throwing for 236 yds, 3 touchdowns and most importantly - no interceptions. He also added 83 yds rushing, leading all rushers for the game. The Bulls earned their first bowl victory outgaining the Memphis Tigers 496 to 238 making the plays they needed to make and getting superb play from their quarterback.

Tampa Bay Sports News Cavalcade

By JC De La Torre

The local fishwraps were actually worth reading today as they had several interesting stories about our various favorite teams.

Rays

The St. Petersburg Times is highlighting Rays Manager Joe Maddon's "Thankmas" initiative. It's a program Maddon began three years ago to raise awareness of the homeless situation in Tampa Bay. Maddon, along with a couple of dozen Rays employees, spend an afternoon cooking spaghetti, meatballs, sausage and pierogies in the Tropicana Field kitchen, then travel around the bay area for several days delivering meals at homeless shelters.

The Times also reported that Rocco Baldelli's medical condition was misinterpreted as mitochondrial disorder. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic have reviewed more sophisticated testing that indicates his condition is a channelopathy, which is a treatable condition that involves dysfunction of ion channels for such things as potassium, sodium, chloride and calcium according to medterms.com.

"It's definitely an encouraging development," Baldelli told the Times, "Knowing this is a treatable condition, I feel this is a very positive thing for me and my baseball career. With this less severe diagnosis, I hope to be on the field on a much more regular basis."

Lightning

The Lightning return to the ice tonight against the Colorado Avalanche after a four day layoff and some good may have come out of it. Other than getting some much needed practice time to continue the process of implementing Rick Tocchet's system, Tocchet and team captain Vincent Lecavalier got a chance to get on the same page.

"Tocc is talking to players. He's listening to players," Lecavalier said to the St. Petersburg Times, "He's telling us things and how to be better. It was a good conversation. It's not like we're out of control, but we can be more precise in what we do, It's not only the coaching staff that has to tell guys to be on time, when the bus is, and all the other stuff that surrounds the locker room. It has to be the players. Myself as team captain. I have to do that."

"You've got to be in a situation where you can't let your team be sloppy," Tocchet told the Tampa Tribune, "What I mean by sloppy is sloppy with your sticks on the ice, taking stupid penalties, little trivial things, late for the bus. It has to come from the room. The coach has to mandate it, but it has to come from the room."

Player accountability has been something the Lightning have sorely lacked since Dave Andreychuck's retirement. Let's hope that Lecavalier can grow into and assume that role.

Buccaneers

Head Coach Jon Gruden is confident Jeff Garcia will be available for Sunday's critical game against the San Diego Chargers. Garcia practiced on Wednesday and told the St. Petersburg Times, "I really just have to do my best to block it out, I really just have to take the approach that I'm going to be me and do whatever I have to do in order to be successful and not think about what I'm trying to overcome. And hopefully at that point on Sunday, it won't even be a question mark."

The Tampa Tribune reports that just in case, the Bucs are getting Brian Griese ready to go. The paper also reports that Chris Hovan and Jovan Haye returned to practice, which could be great news for the Bucs run defense that has given up 474 yds in the last two games. Derrick Brooks also appears to be improving with his rib injury. He's still a gametime decision but Gruden told the Trib, ""We did get good news (Wednesday), that doesn't mean Brooks is going to be out there running around (today). But there is at least a better chance that he can play. Knowing Derrick Brooks the way I do and you do, he'll find a way to get to the field. And chances are he'll play one of his best games."

USF Bulls

There's apparently plenty of tickets still available for the inaugural St. Pete Bowl that has the powerhouse matchup of USF vs. Memphis. Yeah, the Bowls are more important to college football...who needs a playoff when you can have USF vs. Memphis in the Magic Jack St. Pete Bowl?

Tampa Bay Storm

The Arena League owners have voted to suspend the league for the 2009 season and hopes to return for 2010, but the AFLPA (who knew they had one?) has rejected the board of directors' move to suspend the 2009 season by voting against it according to an arena league blog called Arenafan.com. Arenafan.com reports a "team representative for the AFLPA told ArenaFan that the Executive Board for the AFLPA has not requested a revote of the owners. The source went on to state that the players are under belief that the vote for the Orlando Predators was not made by the majority owner, and that a minority owner gave their vote to a different team. The vote for suspending the season passed the Board of Directors by just one vote."

West Virginia Freezes out USF in Season Finale

By JC De La Torre

West Virigina honored star Quarterback Pat White's last game in a Mountaineer uniform by wearing all white. God contributed by adding a little white to the scenery with a snow storm, and in the end, the Mountaineers froze out the USF Bulls 13-7 thanks to their defense and a pitiful redzone performance by the Bulls offense.

The Mountaineers opened the game with an 11 play 59 yd drive that was completed with a White to Tyler Urban 11 yd touchdown pass to give West Virginia the early lead. USF came right back down the field, driving all the way to Mountaineer 9 yd line on a 13 play, 64 yd drive. Unfortunately for the Bulls, running back Mike Ford fumbled the football at the 5 yd line, ending the South Florida threat.

After holding West Virginia, the Bulls opened the second quarter of the game with another solid drive, going 75 yds in 12 plays that included quarterback Matt Grothe hitting Wide Receiver Jessie Hester for 20 yds and reciever Dontavia Bogan for 33 yds. Grothe would finish off the drive himself, driving into the endzone Tim Tebow-style to tie the game at 7.

After an exchange of punts, South Florida got the ball back with 3:15 left in the half. Grothe drove the Bulls 61 yds in 9 plays all the way to the WVU 15 yd line but a terrible decision by Grothe cost the Bulls as he was intercepted in the end zone by Sidney Glover with 0:33 left. The 33 seconds would be enough for Pat White, who with the help of a pass interference penalty on the Bulls moved the Mountaineers into field goal range. Pat McAfee drilled a 45 yd field goal as time expired to give West Virginia a 10-7 halftime lead.

The 2nd half got off to a rocky start for the Bulls, after receiving the kickoff, on the second play from scrimmage Quarteback Matt Grothe was intercepted by Ellis Lankste at the West Virgina 41 yd line. The pick would lead to a 42 yd McAfee field goal to make it 13-7 West Virginia. The teams would end the 3rd quarter exchanging punts. As they moved into the 4th quarter, the Mountaineers would miss two golden opportunities to put the game away. First, they drove down the the USF 22 yd line but fumbled the ball away. Then with 5:36 left in the game, McAfee missed a 48 yd attempt giving the Bulls one last chance. Grothe passed USF all the way to the WVU 14 yd line. A two yard loss by running back Jamar Taylor and two incompletions by Grothe set up 4th and 12 on the 16 with 0:30 left in the game. Grothe's desperation pass intended for Taurus Johnson fell incomplete and that was the ball game.

The Bulls finish the 2008 regular season with a disappointing 7-5 record. They have accepted the invitation to play in the inaugural St. Pete Bowl at Tropicana Field on December 20th, definitely a far cry from where they expected to be after starting the season 5-0.

USF and West Virginia wrap up Disappointing Campaigns

By JC De La Torre

At the beginning of the season, many invisioned Saturdays showdown between the South Florida Bulls and the West Virigina Mountineers to not only be a battle that may decide the Big East title but a BCS bowl bid. Instead, each team wraps up underwhelming seasons where both come in with 7-4 records.

USF has had success versus the Mountaineers the last couple of years, led by Matt Grothe, the Bulls' leading passer and rusher, USF looks to upset the Mountaineers for the second straight time in Morgantown. West Virginia's Pat White and Noel Devine have put up big time numbers but it hasn't shown up in the win column.

The winner of this game will likely get a more prestigious bowl bid.

USF Bulls Basketball Update - Week of Nov. 26th

By JC De La Torre

There was a time back in the day when the start of the USF Basketball season would greeted with great fanfare. With the decline of the program and the rise of the football program, the Bulls basketball team has pretty much been second fiddle. It's understandable considering the Bulls performance since joining the powerhouse Big East.

Until the football season is over, we won't really be focusing too much on Bulls basketball. Truth be told, even when football season is over - we might not. Oh, we'll chronicle the bigger games of the Bulls schedule - but let's face it - covering a 30 point blowout to one of the Big East powers isn't exactly exciting reading (unless you're a fan of said Big East power). We all hope the Bulls will be competitive this year in the Big East and we do think they'll be better, but realistically an NIT bid may be the highest aspiration if you're a Bulls fan. Then again, who knows? Many said that the Rays could never compete in the AL East and they found their way - maybe South Florida will, too.

In any event, let's give you some thumbnails of the season thus far -

South Florida 60, Southern Methodist 46
Jesus Verdejo scored 18 points and Mobolaji Ajay nabbed 11 rebounds to lead the way for South Florida over the SMU Mustangs. The Bulls were strong defensively, limiting the Mustangs to only 28% shooting and out rebounding the Mustangs 43-39.

Virgina 77, South Florida 75
USF lost a heartbreaker on the road as Virginia's Slyven Landesberg scored with 13 seconds left and sank a free throw with six seconds to go to seal the game for the Cavaliers. Landesberg scored 21 pts in the game, while Jamil Tucker tossed in another fifteen points and seven rebounds for Virginia. The Bulls were solid defensively again, holding Virginia to only 40% shooting from the floor. The Bulls Dominique Jones drove the hoop and put USF up 74-73 will 1:11 left in the game, but their upset bid would fall short in a competitive game that saw 19 lead changes and 14 ties. Jesus Verdejo went over 500 points for his career as he poured in career high 22 points.

South Florida 59, High Point 46
The Bulls rebounded from the loss in Virgina with a victory over High Point, but South Florida had to rally from a half time deficit to do so. USF's Aris Williams triggered a 17-4 run by scoring 8 straigh points, while Chris Howard and Jesus Verdejo added 14 and 12. The Bulls got a quick glimpse of the future as Freshman Eladio Espinosa pulled down a career high ten boards.


Up Next for the Bulls -
Next week, the Bulls play host to Northeastern University before heading on the road to face old Conference USA rivals UAB and UCF.

Bulls Hold On Against UConn to Snap Skid

By JC De La Torre

The USF Bulls will be watching with the rest of the country when the better teams take the field on New Year's Day, but they moved a step closer to going bowling themselves with a big victory over the UConn Huskies 17-13 to improve to 7-4 on the season, snapping a four game skid and finally getting their second conference victory of the season during the school's first ever Sunday contest.

In the process, the Bulls contained the nation's leading rusher, Donald Brown, holding him to 96 yds on 28 carries, his lowest average of the season (3.4 yds per carry) and no scores.

Things started out well for USF as Dontavia Bogan took the opening kickoff 64 yds to the UConn 30 yd line. From there, QB Matt Grothe drove the Bulls down to the 3 yd line where Benjamin Williams cashed it in for a 3 yd score and a quick 7-0 lead. South Florida would extend its lead in the second quarter, capping an 11 play 73 yd drive with a 29 yd Maikon Bonani 29 field goal. The score was set up by a nice 32 yd Grothe to Mark Edwards pass to the UConn 13 yd line.

UConn would get on the board after stopping the Bulls on a 4th and 1 at their own 45 yard line (why the Bulls went for it in that situation remains a mystery), as the Huskies pounded Tyler Lorenzen and Donald Brown all the way to the USF 4 yd line before settling for a 21 yd Dave Teggart field goal with 0:28 left in the half. After two quarters of play, USF led 10-3.

UConn would tie the game on a brilliant 12 play 87 yd drive that came mostly on the ground. With a first and 10 at the South Florida 43, the Huskies QB Lorenzen showed he could throw the ball in addition to being a runner, rainbowing the ball 43 yds to Ellis Gaulden for the tying touchdown. USF would go three and out, as would UConn on their next drive. As the 3rd quarter expired, UConn punter Desi Cullen shanked his 4th down punt, having it travel only 24 yds and giving the Bulls a short field at the Connecticut 48.

Grothe would rush three consecutive plays for 17 yds, then hit Jessie Hester for another 6 to the UConn 25. Running back Jamar Taylor would take it from there, slicing 25 yds for the score, giving the Bulls a 17-10 advantage with 12:38 left in the game. UConn would answer with a 47 yd drive, but had to settle for a 35 yd Tegget field goal, cutting the Bulls advantage to 4 with 9:19 left.

After another South Florida 3-and-out, UConn began to march downfield getting all the way to the USF 39 yd line. UConn QB Tyler Lorenzen would attempt to run, gaining 8 yds before fumbling, allowing the Bulls to hold on to the lead with 5:38 left to play. UConn would get one more shot late, but failed to convert a 4th and 20, allowing South Florida to run out the clock.

The Bulls victory keeps their bowl hopes very much alive. Right now South Florida has been mentioned for the Texas Bowl and Meineke Car Care Bowl as potential post-season destinations, although a strong finish by the Bulls could garner them consideration for something a little more prominent.

Bulls New Years Day hopes Finished After Confounding Loss

By JC De La Torre

Earlier today I wrote that the USF Bulls were playing to get into a New Year's Day bowl game and avoid the minor bowl circuit. Well, with their latest dissapointing performance against a mediocre Rutgers team, the Bulls better start checking out the Tampa Bay Rays locker room at Tropicana Field - because they may be headed to the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl on December 21st as the last bowl eligible Big East participant. After the Bulls were thrashed at home by the Scarlet Knights 49-16, maybe St. Pete won't even want them.

South Florida fell to 6-4 on the year, losing for the 4th time in 5 games. Rutgers QB Mike Teel threw for 294 yds and 3 touchdowns, while QB Matt Grothe threw another 3 interceptions. After a scoreless first quarter, Mike Teel rumbled in from 3 yds out to give the Scarlett Knights a 7-0 lead. Grothe drove the Bulls 8 plays and 54 yds in 3:10 to set up Maikon Bonani's 22 yd field to cut the lead to 7-3. After the Bulls defense pitched a 3-and-out and the punt was fielded at the USF 43, Grothe would throw a pick to George Johnson who returned it 26 yds to the USF 23. Disaster would be averted, as Carlton Williams would pick off Teel to end the threat.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, it was just a delay of the inevitable, as Grothe threw another pick, this time Jason McCourty who returned it 30 yds for a touchdown and a 14-3 Rutgers lead. The Bulls would show some life, driving 67 yds in 8 plays, capping it with a 5 yd run by Benjamin Williams to cut the Rutgets advantage to 4. The Scarlet Knights wouldn't be denied. After a huge return by Jason McCourty, with 2:59 left in the first half, Teel passed Rutgers 41 yds in 6 plays, finishing with a 2 yd TD pass to Jack Corcoran with 0:26 left in the half to stake Rutgers to a 21-10 lead at the break.

Jason McCourty would return the opening kickoff of the 2nd half 64 yds, setting up Joe Martinek's 1 yd touchdown, ballooning the Rutgers lead to 28-10. Grothe and the Bulls would answer, driving 52 yds in 9 plays, finishing with a 10 yd touchdown pass to Taurus Johnson. Bonani would botch the extra point, as the Bulls trailed 28-16. South Florida would force a punt, but the Bulls offense would fumble it away on the ensuing possession, setting the Scarlet Knights up at midfield. Rutgers wouldn't waste the chance as they pounded Joe Martinek at the soft underbelly of the Bulls defense for four straight plays, then Teel play actioned and hit Shamar Graves for a 28 yd score - expanding the Rutgers advantage to 35-16.

USF's Delbert Alvardo would start the 4th quarter by pinning the Scarlet Knights back at their own 6 yd line with a beautiful 51 yd punt. Unfortunately for the Bulls, it was just a set up for the longest play against USF this season. Teel found their impressive Junior Wide Receiver Kenny Britt wide open, who then raced 93 yds for the score. 42-16.

Grothe would get picked off one last time, eventually leading to Martinek's second score of the game, giving the Knights their final margin.

South Florida falls to 6-4 (1-4 in the Big East) with Conneticut and West Virginia remaining on the schedule. If the Bulls fail to win either, you have to wonder if USF will even be Bowling this season. An amazing dissapointment for the fans who had such high expectations at the beginning of this season.

USF looks to improve Bowl Ranking against Rutgers

By JC De La Torre

Barring a historic collapse of the five teams ahead of them in the Big East, the South Florida Bulls (6-3, 1-3)will not be BCS bowling this year. No, the Bulls right now are in New Years Day mode, trying to improve their record and status with bowl folks so they can play on New Years and not in the St. Pete "So Bad We Have No Sponsor" or Pappa Johns Bowls that are shown on ESPN and only draftniks or college football fanatics watch.

How the Bulls got to this point is a sordid tale of lack of defense, playing down to their competition, overconfidence, and just poor play overall. Quarterback Matt Grothe was supposed to supplant Florida QB Tim Tebow as THE QB in the state - but has hardly been that. Battling injuries and poor decision making through out the year Grothe has thrown for 2070 yds, 14 touchdowns and 8 ints (5 which have come in the last two losses). Surely, not terrible numbers but hardly the Heisman trophy level some fans unrealistically thought they would see.

Its not just Grothe, though, as the Wide Receiving core has done their share with bad drops at crucial times and the defense has been unspectacular, getting off to slow starts in their three losses and forcing the Bulls to abandon their game plan to rally. Undiscplined penalties and turnovers have made the Bulls seem like the Tampa Bay Lightning of college football.

South Florida rolled into Big East play a strong 5-0, including a big win against then top ten ranked Kansas. They've gone on to drop three of their last four games, all three to unranked schools.

The Bulls host Rutgers (4-5, 3-2) today trying to snap a two game skid. A victory would take them to 8-3 and may move them up a few notches in the Big East standings.

JC De La Torre is an author of Science Fiction/Fantasy and other realms of Speculative Fiction - check out his latest works at JC Delatorre.com

The Bulls get Trick, no Treat in Cincy

By JC De La Torre

At the start of this season, many fans of the University of South Florida Bulls felt their team was ready to challenge for the Big East title and the BCS bowl that comes with it. Unfortunately, the season hasn't turned out that way as the 23rd ranked Bulls fell to the unranked Cincinatti Bearcats to fall to 6-3 on the season. The Bulls are now 2nd to last in the Big East with a disappointing 1-3 record.

Matt Grothe had by far his worst game as Bull, completing only 41% of his passes and tossing 3 picks. Cincinatti QB Tony Pike played with a broken arm, but had one of the best games of his career, going 20 for 28, for 281 yds and tossing two scores.

Cincinatti took the lead midway through the first on a 2 yd score by John Goebel. The score was set up by a Matt Grothe pick. South Florida answered a minute later, as a Grothe to Carlton Mitchell 33 yd pass and a 32 yd run by Moises Plancher set up the Bulls with a 1st and goal at the 1. Plancher would plunge in from there to tie it at 7.

Cincinatti came right back down the field, capping a 7 play 49 yd drive with a 32 yd Jake Rogers field goal. After a USF punt pinned the Bearcats at their own 9 yd line, Cincinatti went 91 yds on 12 plays in 4:12, finishing with a sparkling Pike to Marshawn Gilyard 26 yd score to give the Bearcats a 17-7 lead that they would take into the second half.

The second half would be no better for USF, as they managed only a field goal while Cincinatti's defense picked off Grothe 2 more times and Pike found Connor Barwin on a one yd score to put the game away.

USF Hosts Pitiful Syracuse Today

By JC De La Torre

USF, coming off that stinging upset loss to Pittsburgh, heads back to Raymond James today against the woeful Syracuse Orange in Big East action. The Orange have started out the season 1-5 and are ranked 105th in the nation in defense. Considering the Bulls have the highest scoring offense in the Big East and despite a 16 day layoff, aren't in a good mood coming off their first loss of 2008, I wouldn't expect the game to be very competitive today.

The Pitts for USF in Thursday Night loss

By JC De La Torre

Almost forgotten in the euphoria for Tampa Bay Rays baseball was that the USF Bulls had a Big East football game on Thursday night. Apparently, the Bulls forgot as well, as they sleepwalked through a disappointing 26-21 lost to Pitt.

Running back LaSean McCoy led the way for the Panthers, with 142 yds and two scores. It started off well enough for the Bulls with a blocked punt giving USF an early 7-0 advantage, but turnovers and the inability to slow down the Pitt running game would ultimately be their undoing.

This loss essentially eliminates any hopes USF had for having a shot a the National Championship. You have to go undefeated to have shot when you're in the Big East. One loss teams like Florida and USC can take a loss and still have a chance because they're in power conferences. While USF is in a BCS conference, the Big East is not regarded as one of the better conferences in the land and a loss is damning evidence that a team does not belong in championship consideration.

The good news for the Bulls is that they can still win the Big East and get to a BCS game. Just not THE BCS game.

USF Makes a Statement

By JC De La Torre

Despite missing three starters on defense and coming off a lackluster performance against Florida International, the Bulls destroyed NC State on the road in Raliegh, NC. 41-10.

Granted, NC State is not one of the power teams in the weak ACC, but the Bulls showed the nation that they do know how to put away an inferior opponent. The game was never close, as the Bulls offense marched on scoring drives of 76, 68, and 81 on their first three possessions. The defense, perhaps fired up by some disparing comments made by NC State coach Tom O'Brien, played one of their best games of the season and for the first time this year, shut out an opponent in the second half.

The Bulls move into the Top 10 with their 5-0 record and look like the power of the Big East with West Virginia, Louisville, and Pitt not living up to expectations.