Strength in Unity.

[Thugger Jackson]

White gets win in first career start behind second half comeback, opportunistic defense
October 12th, 2013 -- Rentschler Field (East Hartford, CT)
South Florida Bulls (1-4, 0-2 American) at Connecticut Huskies (3-2, 2-0 American)



---------------------------
USF - 0 / 14 / 10 / 14 // 38
UCONN - 14 / 13 / 7 / 0 // 34
---------------------------

Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
6:11 (UCONN) G. Davis, 13 Yd pass from C. Whitmer
1:33 (UCONN) L. McCombs, 3 Yd run

Quarter 2
7:47 (USF) M. Shaw, 4 Yd run
4:37 (UCONN) L. McCombs, 2 Yd run
3:58 (USF) D. Montgomery, 83 Yd pass from M. White
2:11 (UCONN) C. Christen, 24 Yd FG
0:52 (UCONN) C. Christen, 30 Yd fG

Quarter 3
5:32 (USF) M. Kloss, 25 Yd FG
3:20 (UCONN) J. Clax, 11 Yd pass from C. Whitmer
1:50 (USF) D. Montgomery, 23 Yd pass from M. White

Quarter 4
6:38 (USF) S. Price, 24 Yd pass from M. White
0:57 (USF) M. Pierre, 4 Yd run

South Florida Bulls (2-4, 1-2)
QB Mike White, Freshman: 17 of 26, 308 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 11 carries, 35 yards.
HB Marcus Shaw, Senior: 18 carries, 178 yards, touchdown.
WR D'vario Montgomery, Sophomore: 5 receptions, 134 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Andre Davis, Junior: 4 receptions, 71 yards.
TE Sean Price, Sophomore: 3 receptions, 35 yards, touchdown.
DE Aaron Lynch, RS Sophomore: 7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.
S Fidel Montgomery, Senior: 5 tackles, tackle for loss, 2 interceptions.

UConn Huskies (3-2, 2-1)
QB Chandler Whitmer, RS Junior: 20 of 34, 318 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.
HB Lyle McCombs, RS Junior: 23 carries, 108 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Deshon Foxx, Junior: 5 receptions, 120 yards.
TE Sean McQuillan, RS Sophomore: 4 receptions, 44 yards.
WR Geremy Davis, RS Junior: 3 receptions, 68 yards, touchdown.
LB Yawin Smallwood, RS Junior: 8 tackles.
S Andrew Adams, RS Sophomore: 7 tackles, interception.
CB Jhavon Williams, RS Freshman: 2 tackles, interception.

Next Game: Bye Week

[Thugger Jackson]

Week 7 Top Stories
1. Davis and Texas knock off Big 12 opponent Oklahoma 20-17.
2. The Broncos remain unbeaten as they knock off conference foe Utah State.
3. The Pac-12 spotlight is on the Stanford - UCLA game this weekend.
4. Michigan holds on to beat Penn State.
5. TCU plows over Kansas in a convincing conference victory.
6. Virginia moves to 2-5 after their drubbing of Wake Forest.
7. Pittsburgh outpaces Virginia Tech 37-31 in ACC action.
8. Cincinnati dominates Temple defensively, wins 38-0 in American play.

Week 8 Notable Games
Virginia Tech (4-2, 2-1) at #13 Louisville (4-1, 0-1)
#22 USC (5-1, 3-1) at #12 Notre Dame (5-1, 0-0)
#20 UCLA (4-1, 1-1) at #3 Stanford (5-0, 4-0)
#16 Georgia (4-2, 3-2) at #24 Vanderbilt (4-1, 1-1)
#1 Texas A&M (7-0, 3-0) at Auburn (5-2, 3-1)
#15 Florida State (4-1, 2-1) at #21 Clemson (3-2, 2-2)

NCAA Players of the Week
Zack Greenlee (QB, Fresno State) :: W vs. Idaho :: 21 of 37, 364 yards, 6 carries, 30 yards, 5 total touchdowns.
Lajaylin Smith (OLB, North Texas) :: L vs. Middle Tennessee State State :: 8 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions.

AAC Players of the Week
Trey Watts (HB, Tulsa) :: W vs. SMU :: 25 carries, 148 yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 receptions, 79 yards, touchdown.
Chris Parks (CB, SMU) :: L vs. Tulsa :: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack, forced fumble, 2 interceptions.

[Thugger Jackson]

Graham latest of USF targets to commit elsewhere, when will Francois and USF earn a public win on recruiting trail?
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

Four-star linebacker Drew Graham joined a now growing list of former USF targets to have commit elsewhere with the Miami product committing to UCF over the weekend. With no games on the schedule this weekend as the Bulls are on a bye, Graham is yet another recruiting loss for head coach Malcolm Francois and the Bulls.

From a more granular point of view, Graham's commitment was expected with most of the staff taking a hands off approach with Graham for the past few weeks. Nevertheless, USF was once in the race for a talented four-star linebacker that in a perfect world, they would pair with four-star defensive end Sheldon Corbett who is now considered a Troy lean due to his uncle being hired recently on the Troy basketball staff.

Things aren't as bleak as they appear for USF on the surface when you look at their recruiting. In two weeks, they'll have almost a dozen prospects on campus including three-star quarterback Grant Oliver who recently scheduled a visit later in the year with Wisconsin. USF is also in good standing with four-star running back Leon Ward, four-star receiver Tyrone Gibbons and pretty much went into Louisiana and are on the brink of getting a player that LSU wants in three-star linebacker Gary Prince.

Even with the Graham loss, USF is on pace to land a recruiting class with three-star LBs Jeffrey Reese, Alfred Jordan and the aforementioned Prince. The only problem? These aren't public wins and in recruiting, perception is reality. USF hasn't had a recruiting win since Francois was hired as the head coach with no new commits and only guys jumping ship.

The team had originally planned wanted for a star studded event late in the season against Memphis but then started scheduling recruits to visit next week. Why? In my opinion, it's to get some of their more locked in guys to be able to commit and/or shut down their recruitment in the case of Ward and Gibbons who are soft commits that are still planning on taking their official visits.

A quick parting shot. Gibbons has long been considered in good standing with USF and a near lock. However, he did schedule visits with Ole Miss and UCF for some time later this season after he visits USF. Simply put, that cannot happen. If Gibbons were to ever make it to the Ole Miss campus, there is a good chance the four-star wideout ends up playing in the SEC.

[Thugger Jackson]

Week 8 Top Stories
1. The previously undefeated Broncos falter against Nevada.
2. Oregon takes out conference opponent Washington State 30-18.
3. All is well in Stanford as Cardinal down Pac-12 rival UCLA
4. Auburn proves once again that games aren't played on paper.
5. The big Big 12 match-up this week is the battle between Texas and TCU.
6. On a weekend full of top 25 action, #15 Clemson matches up with #12 Georgia.
7. With a better than expected defense, Oregon State climbs to the #7 spot.

Week 9 Notable Games
#2 Stanford (6-0, 5-0) at #7 Oregon State (7-0, 4-0)
#24 TCU (5-2, 2-2) at #6 Texas (6-0, 3-0)
#12 Georgia (5-2, 4-2) at #15 Clemson (4-2, 3-2)
#19 Florida State (4-2, 2-2) at #8 N.C. State (7-0, 4-0)
#23 UCLA (4-2, 1-2) at #3 Oregon (8-0, 5-0)

NCAA Players of the Week
Bradley Marquez (WR, Texas Tech) :: W vs. West Virginia :: 5 receptions, 183 yards, 4 touchdowns.
Detrick Bonner (S, Virginia Tech) :: W vs. Louisville :: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack, 2 interceptions.

AAC Players of the Week
Shane Carden (QB, East Carolina) :: W vs. Navy :: 19 of 32, 364 yards, 3 total touchdowns.
Robert Seals (OLB, SMU) :: W vs. Memphis :: 14 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, interception.

[Thugger Jackson]

Bulls' commit Ward cancels official visits to Miami, Florida State and UCF after mystery visit
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

Behind closed doors, USF head coach Malcolm Francois has been campaigning for one of USF's verbal commits --- who were initially committed to Skip Holtz and not his staff -- to become an ambassador for the class. Instead, they kept taking visits to other schools and some even decommitted.

Francois finally has his ambassador and it took a bit of coyness and an overnight car trip as four-star running back Leon Ward re-committed to the Bulls and shut down his recruitment, cancelling any plans of a visit to Florida State, Miami and UCF.

Ward was initially expected to be on campus this weekend when the Bulls play East Carolina in a weekend that will feature QB Grant Oliver, WRs Tyrone Gibbons and Chris Walker, OTs David Mitchell and Terry Scales, LBs Alfred Jordan, DBs Antwan Shaw and Tavarious Bailey and TEs Thomas Moore and Mike Henry. With the visit coming up, Ward started to be in more direct contact with Francois and Francois made a surprise visit to Ward's game on Friday night. Francois then visited Ward at his home and right there on the spot, Ward and his family agreed for the four-star running back to go to Tampa and spend Saturday on campus.

"It was like 2 A.M. when we were on the road," said Ward on the Stampede Podcast hosted by X-Man and Caesar, "It was actually cool and stuff, I got to see coach [Francois] outside of a football setting and he's a cool dude."

Ward's visit on Saturday was different then his other typical visits to USF. This time, he was just an observer to the team's regular day as they lifted, practiced and got a chance to eat with the team. NCAA rules forced Ward to pay for his own meal as this wasn't an official visit. By the end of the day, Ward committed to the Bulls and shut down his recruitment.

Listed at six-feet and 186 pounds with legit 4.4 speed, Ward joins an interesting mix at running back. Leading back Marcus Shaw is a senior and Michael Pierre will be a red-shirt senior next season, leaving the starting slot wide open for the 2015 season. With a year of college strength and conditioning along with nutrition, Ward should be a contender to get some snaps in 2014 before becoming a legitimate feature back option as a sophomore.

[Thugger Jackson]

Defense struggles mightily as QB carousel continues in Tampa as Pirates tame Bulls
October 19th, 2013 -- Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
East Carolina Pirates (6-1, 4-0 American) at South Florida Bulls (2-4, 1-2 American)



---------------------------
ECU - 21 / 10 / 10 / 14 // 55
USF - 7 / 7 / 14 / 14 // 42
---------------------------

Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
6:36 (ECU) M. Dobson, 16 Yd pass from S. Carden
4:45 (ECU) M. Dobson, 16 Yd run
1:46 (USF) M. Pierre, 18 Yd run
1:20 (ECU) M. Dobson, 66 Yd run

Quarter 2
7:11 (ECU) W. Harvey, 44 Yd FG
0:59 (USF) S. Bench, 1 Yd run
0:01 (ECU) D. Johnson, 4 Yd pass from T. Tignor

Quarter 3
6:31 (USF) M. McFarland, 20 Yd pass from S. Bench
3:45 (USF) S. Price, 15 Yd pass from S. Bench
2:38 (ECU) W. Harvey, 29 Yd FG
0:39 (ECU) M. Dobson, 25 Yd run

Quarter 4
7:37 (ECU) L. Ray, 17 Yd pass from S. Carden
4:27 (USF) C. Dunkley, 2 Yd pass from B. Eveld
2:02 (ECU) D. Webster, 10 Yd pass from S. Carden
0:47 (USF) M. Shaw, 10 Yd pass from B. Eveld

South Florida Bulls (2-5, 1-3)
QB Bobby Eveld, Senior: 11 of 18, 162 yards, 2 touchdowns.
QB Steven Bench, Sophomore: 8 of 13, 110 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 11 carries, 39 yards, touchdown.
QB Mike White, Freshman: 1 of 9, 4 yards, 2 interceptions.
HB Marcus Shaw, Senior: 14 carries, 62 yards.
HB Michael Pierre, RS Junior: 4 carries, 75 yards, touchdown.
TE Sean Price, Sophomore: 5 receptions, 85 yards, touchdown.
WR Andre Davis, Junior: 3 receptions, 74 yards.
CB Chris Bivins, sophomore: 11 tackles.

East Carolina Pirates (7-1, 5-0)
QB Shane Carden, RS Junior: 31 of 42, 377 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.
P Trent Tignor, RS Senior: 3 of 4, 44 yards, touchdown.
HB Michael Dobson, RS Senior: 17 carries, 207 yards, 3 touchdowns.
WR Danny Webster, Junior: 8 receptions, 125 yards, touchdown.
WR Justin Hardy, RS Junior: 7 receptions, 92 yards.
S Damon Magazu, Senior: 11 tackles, interception.
S Chip Thompson, Senior: 8 tackles, interception.
CB Josh Hawkins, RS Sophomore: 3 tackles, 2 interceptions.
OLB Derrell Johnson, Senior: 2 tackles, interception.

Next Game: at Houston

[Thugger Jackson]

Francois fiery press conference leaves Bulls fans with more questions than answers
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

The typically jovial Malcolm Francois was not present at the USF Bulls press conference following the team's 55-42 loss to East Carolina. Instead, the man that stood in front of the podium in a sweat soaked polo was anything but jovial.

"It's an embarrassing performance," Francois said right off the gate with his press conference, not answering any question in particular.

Francois went on a five minute, expletive rant about his disgust with the team's performance, their character as well as the quarterback play.

"I don't know if we have 20 football players in there," said Francois, "We've got guys that are good athletes, decent athletes but I think they play football just to post some cool pictures and some dumb *** quotes and make a highlight tape of the same five plays over and over again. We're a soft team and that starts with me, I need to toughen this bunch up because this isn't a team I want to be apart of."

When asked why he was so dissapointed in this particular loss: "We didn't compete, we folded. I've been hearing these [expletive] talk about how bad they want it, how they wanted to come in here and defend their home stadium and they just laid down and got [expletive]. [East Carolina] is a good team, a real good team with a good coaching staff but fifty five points? That's ridiculous. We need to fix this, I need to fix this."

When asked why he pulled quarterback Mike White in the first quarter, he was rather blunt: "Wait for him to throw six picks? Like, at what point do you pull the guy if two interceptions in the first quarter isn't enough for you."

Francois continued talking about the quarterbacks, unprompted: "We don't have our [quarterback], yet. Frankly, I don't think he's in that room. They've all been bad, period. There's no need to sugar coat it, they've been bad quarterbacks, bad throwers of the football, just bad. I think somebody is going to need to step up and fix that because I can't make a quarterback appear out of nowhere, someone has to step up and come in and take the job."

Francois in the past has stayed away from naming a starter for the next game. This time, he was quick to call it just hours after the game: "It's Bobby [Eveld]. Maybe I was wrong to pull away from him so early in the season but I think he's our guys for at least the next quarter and who knows. If he throws six interceptions, he's going back on the bench and if he throws six touchdowns, I'll name my second born after him. We'll see."

[Deuce2223]

Wow ECU is playing some good football. It also doesn't help when you don't have a QB you trust in. I dealt with that all season with my move to WSU leaving a stud Freshman behind at SJSU

Hopefully I will land my #1 target and have my next QB for the next 4 years.


Really enjoying your layout/presentation and flow of info. Sad to see the Broncos fall to Nevada, but we have seen that happen.

Recruiting has been a little tough this year, seems like everyone is coming after your targets and of course a 2-5 record doesn't exactly scream come here and win..