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Scouting Memphis
| GoUSFBulls.com Daily News Wire |
December 21 |
Daily Links
? Greg Auman recaps USF 41-14 win over Memphis in the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. He writes,"The first day of bowl season wasn't when the Bulls wanted to finish their year. A half-full baseball stadium a half-hour from campus wasn't where USF wanted to finish what started as a promising season."
? Greg Auman writes that Bulls Defensive end George Selvie likes playing college football and intends to return for his senior year. He writes,"Short of an official decision, everything George Selvie is saying points to the All-America defensive end returning for his senior season.
Selvie said he will wait to hear back from the NFL's advisory board for underclassmen to see where he might be selected but added even if he were projected as a late first-round pick, he wants to come back for another season."
? Kerry Klecic of the USF Oracle writes,"Coach Jim Leavitt got the Gatorade shower, players were giving high-five to each other with smiles. And there was a party at midfield as the South Florida football team hoisted the magic Jack St. Petersburg Bowl trophy.
All of this after the South Florida offense threw a party of its own, as the Bulls finished the season with a 41-14 victory over the Memphis Tigers.
? Joe Rienzi, corresponding for the Times, that tight end Ben Busbee made the most of his oppurtunity last night. He writes,"Enter tight end Ben Busbee, who stepped in for senior Cedric Hill.
Busbee, a 6-foot-3 junior from Mobile, Ala., came into the game with five catches for 65 yards this season (and nine for 97 for his career). But he came up big for the Bulls in the first half of their 41-14 win over Memphis in the St. Petersburg Bowl."
? Brett McMurphy takes a look back at last nights decisive win. He writes,"...USF magicJacked up Memphis 41-14 inside Tropicana Field as the Bulls dominated their former C-USA rivals from the opening kickoff."
? Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune writes that Matt Grothe got back to basics with his impressive performance in the Bulls romp last night. He writes,"USF's junior quarterback basically beat them every way a team can be beaten, throwing for three touchdowns when he wasn't running all over the field. That's why he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the inaugural magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. A season that was so frustrating at times ended with a dose of feel-good for Grothe and his Bulls in front of a lively gathering at Tropicana Field."
? Gregg Becnel takes a look at what lies a head for Bulls Junior defensive end George Selvie. He writes," University of South Florida junior DE George Selvie said he hasn't made a decision if he'll enter the NFL draft or return for his senior season, but joked how USF could increase the chances he returns.
"We're requesting gold pants and black jerseys. If we got that, that would boost the chances of my return," Selvie joked.
USF's first two-time All-American, Selvie is projected as a first-round pick NFL if he leaves early. Selvie said he will "enjoy the holidays" and discuss his options with his family before making a decision."
? Alan Dell of the Herald Tribune writes,"If Leavitt got to see his quarterback's face and hear him speak after the game, he likely would have changed his mind.
The victory meant the world to the beleaguered Matt Grothe, who came into Tropicana Field mired in a slump with 11 interceptions and only three touchdown passes in his last five games, four of which the Bulls (8-5) lost. He ended the day as the game's Most Outstanding Player and looked as if the world was lifted off his shoulders."
| GoUSFBulls.com Daily News Wire |
December 20 |
Daily Links
? Greg Auman writes that St. Petersburg Bowl is homecoming for South Florida Bulls' Jerrell Young of Gibbs High School. Auman writes,"Jerrell Young's story is mostly about the future of USF football, but today's St. Petersburg Bowl against Memphis will remind him more about his past.
The redshirt freshman safety, who leads the Bulls with 11 special teams tackles, returns home today, much like USF coach Jim Leavitt, who also grew up in St. Petersburg.
The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Gibbs High graduate will have about 50 fans on hand excited to have a truly local presence in the city's first bowl game."
? Auman previews Men's basketballvs. Murray State and Women's basketball vs. Northern Arizona
? Auman's Blog
Brett McMurphy, who has covered USF since 1999, ranks the Bulls' top 10 defensive players based on their USF careers.
? McMurphy's Blog
| GoUSFBulls.com Daily News Wire |
December 19 |
Daily Links
? Greg Auman writes that the Bulls will need to stop Memphis runningback Curtis Steele. He writes,"After last year's Sun Bowl, USF doesn't need a reminder about the importance of containing an explosive running back.
Oregon's Jonathan Stewart rushed for 253 yards in the Ducks' 56-21 win, and the Bulls' defensive game plan in Saturday's St. Petersburg Bowl will start with containing Memphis running back Curtis Steele, the Conference USA newcomer of the year.
Auman also writes"The inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl, a new entry in an already bloated college football bowl lineup, has taken its share of ribbing in the national media."
Auman also recaps Janae Stokes record setting performance in the Bulls 126-62 win over Grambling.
? ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's takes a look at five things to watch in tomorrow game and previews the matchup in his Big East Blog
? Auman's Blog
? McMurphy's Blog
| GoUSFBulls.com Daily News Wire |
December 18 |
Daily Links
? Greg Auman about Bulls head coach
Jim Leavitt as he takes a look back in time at coach Leavitt's athletic career. Not only was the St. Pete native a standout on the gridiron, he also did things on the baseball diamond that are still being talked about today. Here are the first couple paragraphs, "In truth, for
Jim Leavitt to really come full circle, his USF football team would have to be playing Saturday at a different baseball stadium, about 4 miles west of Tropicana Field.
Forty years ago, there was no outfield fence at the Northwest Community Center, so the home runs of Leavitt's youth were simply balls hit far enough that he had time to make it back home.
"He was always hitting home runs," said Leavitt's brother, Rusty, two years older but often a teammate throughout their childhood years. "He would just hit the ball as far as it could go, and you'd go running after it."
Ask about Jim Leavitt, baseball player, and he sounds a lot like Jim Leavitt, college football coach. Words such as intense, committed, focused come up a lot.
? Auman's
Bowl Notebook? Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald
spotlights offensive tackle Marc Dile as the senior from Miami's Edison High School will play his final game this Saturday. Goodman writes,"South Florida fifth-year senior Marc Dile allowed only two sacks this season. That small number is double the amount of schools that offered the former Miami Edison lineman a scholarship out of high school.
Dile, the Bulls' starting right tackle, will play his final college football game Saturday against Memphis in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field. USF is 7-5. Memphis is 6-6.
Dile came to Tampa in 2003 with big dreams -- help set a foundation for an emerging football power in the Big East Conference and become the first person in his family to graduate from college. Dile accomplished both things.
He graduated last Saturday with a degree in criminology and social work. This Saturday, Dile will play in his fourth bowl game -- one for every season the Bulls have been a member of the Big East. Coach Jim Leavitt's teams are 1-2 in bowls.
? Auman Previews tonight's matchup as women's hoops takes on Grambling at the Sun Dome
? Auman's Blog
Brett McMurphy states that this Bulls team has much different look than the team Memphis faced in their 31-15 in Tampa in 2004. he writes," The last time the University of South Florida played Memphis, it was the Bulls' final game in Conference USA in 2004. Saturday's St. Petersburg Bowl will be the their first meeting since the Tigers' 31-15 victory in Tampa.
While the Bulls, along with Louisville and Cincinnati, bolted to the Big East, Memphis was left behind in C-USA."
? McMurphy's Blog
? The USF Oracle's Sports Blog
? ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's Big East Blog.
| GoUSFBulls.com Daily News Wire |
December 17 |
Daily Links
? David Fox reporting for
the Times recaps men's hoops 71-52 loss to Vanderbilt? Auman writes in his
bowl notebook,"USF's football team practiced Tuesday morning on campus before traveling to the Renaissance Vinoy Resort ? where it will stay this week leading up to Saturday's St. Petersburg Bowl."
? Auman's
Blog? Brett McMurphy's
Bowl Notebook. He writes,"USF's 14 games without a 100-yard back is its second-longest streak, behind the school record (33 consecutive games, 2000-2003). USF's record in that 33-game stretch without a 100-yard rusher was 24-9 (73 percent). Overall, USF is 30-8 (79 percent) when a rusher gets 100 yards and 56-44 (56 percent) without a 100-yard rusher."
? Allan Dell of the
Sarasota Herlad Tribune features Bulls sophomore running back Mike Ford and despite a tough season the Sarasota native is still optimistic that he'll make a big impact. Dell
writes,"Mike Ford is no stranger to adversity, which is the reason he has been able to keep his spirits up despite a football season filled with disappointment.
Patience and hope are what the former Sarasota High record-setting running back falls back on."
? Junior defensive end George Selvie was named to the third team AP All-America Team
? The USF Oracle's Sports Blog
? ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's Big East Blog.
| GoUSFBulls.com Daily News Wire |
December 16 |
Daily Links
? Check out Greg Auman's feature where he takes a look at the transformation of the Tropicana Field from the Home of the Rays to the site of the inaugural magicJack St. Petersburg. Auman
writes," Putting a 120-yard football field into Tropicana Field is a snug fit. A well-kicked extra point or short field goal through the uprights in rightfield could easily hit the D ring, if not the 64-foot-wide video board behind the stands in right."
Check out the
exclusive video featuring Auman and former Bulls standout Mike Pepper.? Auman talks with Bulls receiver Theo Wilson as Wilson makes his return to Tropicana Field. He
writes,"...On Saturday, Wilson gets to do it again, as USF plays Memphis in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl. The last football games played at the Trop were a high school tripleheader in August 2004, "The Battle of the Bay." Wilson, then a quarterback at Dunedin High, rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two in the opener, a 44-12 victory against St. Petersburg."
Auman's preview of Men's Hoops matchup in the
ACC/BIG EAST Showdown
? Brett McMurphy takes a look at the step's taken by
the Bulls to adapt to playing inside a dome.
? Auman's
Blog?
ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's
USF Season Review? McMurphy's
Blog?
The USF Oracle's Sports Blog
| GoUSFBulls.com Daily News Wire |
December 15 |
ESPN.com previews the St. Petersburg BowlClick Here
Daily Links
? Greg Auman recaps
the Bulls 70-55 loss to Niagara in Men's Basketball action. He writes,"Verdejo continues to be the only USF player capable of hitting a 3-pointer -- he hit two, but the rest of the team went 0-for-8, dropping to 20 percent this season. Guard Dominique Jones, the leading scorer coming in, was held to a season-low eight points on 3-of-10 shooting."
?The St. Petersburg Times' recap of the
women's basketball team's 90-44 win over North Florida.
? Jeff Goodman of Foxsports.com writes of the addition Agustus Gilchrist and Mike Mercer. He
writes,"Bulls coach
Stan Heath just may be the happiest guy in America this time of year. He will get two key additions for Sunday's contest against Niagara. Mercer, a talented junior guard who averaged 12.2 points in his two-year career at Georgia, and Gilchrist, a talented 6-foot-10 big man who came from Maryland, should both be fixtures in the starting lineup."
? Auman's
Blog?
ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's
Big East Blog.
? McMurphy's
Blog
