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.

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 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.

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.