Run of the Bulls ‣ USF Football News
Andrew Lake -- 247 Sports Staff Writer
‣ Boise State game to be broadcasted on The Bulls Network
When the USF Bulls and Boise State Broncos face off in a few weeks, it won't be on FOX or ESPN or CBS or NBC. It'll be available exclusively on The Bulls Network (TBN), the digital media network that is owned by the school's athletic program.
The game will be streamed on both Apple TV and Hulu Live, which are currently the only streaming services which offer The Bulls Network. Next year's game against San Jose will also be streamed on TBN as well as the 2026 matchup against Florida Atlantic.
‣ Son of Bulls head coach Francois receives Crystal Balls to Ole Miss
Three-star cornerback Pierre Francois has received several 247 Sports Crystal Balls to Ole Miss from various recruiting insiders, both covering Ole Miss and Maryland.
If the name sounds familiar, it should. Francois is the younger brother of Bulls receiver Malcolm Francois Jr. and the son of head coach Malcolm Francois Sr.
A five-foot-nine cornerback, Francois doesn't fit the build of most of USF's corners on their roster. The team has typically gone after corners six-feet and up and Francois is a generous 5'9". The 27th ranked cornerback according to 247Sports, Francois does have an offer from USF and it remains to be seen if that relationship continues to splinter.
Maryland, who also recruited Francois Jr., is also in the running for his services.
The elder Francois son hasn't had a ton of success at USF, at least not on defense. Francois Jr. struggled to get on the field at safety, causing a positional switch to receiver where he is now, once again, a backup.
USF did also offer 2026 prospect J.J. Francois who is the youngest of the three brothers. J.J. is a junior quarterback at Carrollwood High School although he projects to be a skill position player at the next level. Albeit the youngest, he is the biggest of the trio and is currently at listed at six-foot-two and 219 pounds on the team's HUDL roster.
Last edited by Soapy on 24 Mar 2021, 10:42, edited 1 time in total.
Bulls Open 2024 Season with OT Thriller Win vs. Alabama
It wasn't even twelve months ago that Philip Griffin had the ball on the goal-line and failed to get the ball across to beat the USF Bulls. He'd get his revenge later on during bowl season. Riley Hall will need to wait for his opportunity once more.
Hall's pass into the endzone fell incomplete in overtime as Malcolm Francois' gamble paid off in the Bulls 43-41 win over #1 Alabama on Saturday night.
After scoring on the first drive of overtime, Francois chose to go for two instead of kicking the field goal and James Pittman was able to score on back to back plays using his legs. It was a bit of redemption for the quarterback whose fourth quarter interception helped set up Alabama's game tying field goal with 47 seconds left.
The win extended USF's home-game winning streak to 30. Since the 2000s, only Boise State, USC and Oklahoma have reached that mark.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[ALA] N. Griffin, 1 Yd run (8:06)
[ALA] K. Sherman, 27 Yd FG (3:35)
Quarter 2
[USF] J. Bass, 26 Yd pass from J. Pittman (6:15)
[ALA] K. Sherman, 45 Yd FG (4:08)
[ALA] N. Griffin, 1 Yd run (2:56)
[USF] D. Downs, 45 Yd pass from J. Pittman (1:32)
[ALA] K. Sherman, 47 Yd FG (0:49)
[USF] J. Bass, 39 Yd pass from J. Pittman (0:28)
Quarter 3
[ALA] K. Sherman, 52 Yd FG (7:30)
[ALA] K. Sherman, 41 Yd FG (3:04)
[USF] S. Townsend, 22 Yd pass from J. Pittman (2pt failed) (1:08)
Quarter 4
[ALA] K. Sherman, 52 Yd FG (9:56)
[USF] J. Barbour, 78 Yd pass from J. Pittman (2pt) (4:25)
[ALA] K. Sherman, 22 Yd FG (0:47)
Overtime
[USF] J. Pittman, 11 Yd run (2pt)
[ALA] C. Parham, 10 Yd pass from R. Hall (2pt failed)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #15 South Florida Bulls
QB James Pittman: 29 of 44, 442 yards, 5 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 16 carries, 47 yards, touchdown.
HB John Dixon: 14 carries, 79 yards.
WR Joel Bass: 6 receptions, 106 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Ryan Wagner: 6 receptions, 51 yards.
TE Vincent Everett: 5 receptions, 40 yards.
WR Darius Downs: 4 receptions, 82 yards, touchdown.
WR Jason Barbour: 2 receptions, 96 yards, touchdown.
S Ray Thompson: 16 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
LB Travis Hughes: 10 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, sack, interception.
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide
QB Riley Hall: 37 of 53, 415 yards, touchdown, interception.
HB Neil Griffin: 23 carries, 147 yards, 2 touchdowns, 8 receptions, 58 yards.
TE Cedric Parham: 8 receptions, 60 yards, touchdown.
S John Freeman: 14 tackles, interception.
CB Jason Cunningham: 9 tackles, interception.
S Terrell McCall: 7 tackles, tackle for loss, sack, 2 interceptions.
Week 2 Top Stories
1. USF opens its season on a positive note with win vs. Alabama.
2. USC is upset by UL-Monroe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 3 Notable Games
#10 USF (1-0, 0-0) at #22 Louisville (0-1, 0-0)
#23 Florida (0-1, 0-1) at #7 Alabama (1-1, 0-0)
#15 Colorado (2-0, 1-0) at #11 Nebraska (1-0, 0-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB James Bass (Coastal Carolina): 12 of 24, 181 yards, 37 carries, 291 yards, 5 total touchdowns.
S Terrell McCall (Alabama): 7 tackles, sack, forced fumble, 2 interceptions.
----------
QB Clifton McFarland (Texas): 18 of 21, 335 yards, 11 carries, 67 yards, 6 total touchdowns.
LB Travis Hughes (USF): 10 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, sack, interception.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#2 Jacob Jackson [ATH #2]: 6'1", 228lbs | Lima, OH | University of Southern California
#22 Sam Carrington [ILB #1]: 6'0", 223lbs | San Ramon, CA | Clemson University
Last edited by Soapy on 30 Mar 2021, 13:48, edited 1 time in total.
Bulls Survive a Thrilling 34-31 Game Against Louisville
The South Florida Bulls certainly have a flair for the dramatics and their opponents have an allergy to scoring from the one-yard line.
In back to back weeks, USF made goal-line stands, this time in regulation against Louisville to hold off the Cardinals and complete the 34-31 comeback victory on Saturday.
After scoring 22 unanswered points following a quarterback switch to Mike McFarland from the struggling James Pittman, USF found themselves up 34-23 with 3:39 left in the game.
The game appeared won but Louisville refused to go down, scoring with 1:45 left in the game and converting on the two-point conversion. They failed to recover the onside kick but a three-and-out by the Bulls offense gave Louisville one more chance.
The Cardinals appeared to be at least heading into overtime as they cross the 40-yard line with more than fifteen seconds left in the game. On the ensuing play, backup quarterback Robert Brock completed a pass to the USF two-yard line before a facemask penalty on the tackle placed the ball on the one-yard line.
With no timeouts left, Louisville was just one-yard from the upset victory, only for Brock to be sacked and for time to run out.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[USF] K. Justice, 39 Yd FG (7:16)
[UL] J. Quinn, 21 Yd FG (4:48)
[USF] K. Justice, 23 Yd FG (0:53)
Quarter 2
[UL] K. Rucker, 35 Yd run (9:53)
[UL] J. Quinn, 29 Yd FG (1:36)
[USF] K. Justice, 36 Yd FG (0:22)
Quarter 3
[UL] R. Brock, 0 Yd run (7:20)
[USF] K. Justice, 31 Yd FG (6:02)
[UL] J. Quinn, 33 Yd FG (3:07)
Quarter 4
[USF] S. Peterson, 5 Yd pass from M. McFarland (2pt) (9:13)
[USF] D. Fuller, 82 Yd run (7:47)
[USF] V. Everett, 4 Yd pass from M. McFarland (3:39)
[UL] T. Poole, 5 Yd pass from R. Brock (2pt) (1:45)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #10 South Florida Bulls
QB James Pittman: 15 of 25, 201 yards, 2 interceptions.
QB Mike McFarland: 13 of 15, 115 yards, 2 touchdowns.
HB David Fuller: 8 carries, 108 yards, touchdown.
HB Gerald Mitchell: 8 carries, 37 yards.
WR Joel Bass: 6 receptions, 64 yards.
WR Malcolm Francois Jr: 4 receptions, 71 yards.
WR Ryan Wagner: 2 receptions, 47 yards.
WR Darius Downs: 2 receptions, 40 yards.
LB Travis Hughes: 13 tackles, 4 tackles for loss.
LB Dallas Gross: 13 tackles, tackle for loss.
CB Sid Robinson: 8 tackles, tackle for loss, interception.
#22 Louisville Cardinals
QB Robert Brock: 24 of 28, 240 yards, touchdown, interception.
QB William Lewis: 5 of 7, 25 yards, 7 carries, 46 yards.
HB Kareem Rucker: 29 carries, 166 yards, touchdown.
WR Frank Valentine: 7 receptions, 77 yards.
TE Pat Robinson: 7 receptions, 36 yards.
S Jonathan Carter: 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack.
CB Jeremy Wilcox: 9 tackles, 2 interceptions.
DE Derrick Clark: 4 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks.
DE Adam Bernard: 3 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.
Week 3 Top Stories
1. #1 Clemson were not only upset by Michigan but taken to the woodshed in 45-14 loss.
2. #3 Georgia falls victim to an unlikely South Carolina team.
3. Alabama opens conference play with a win over Florida.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 4 Notable Games
#14 Wisconsin (2-0, 0-0) at #19 Syracuse (1-1, 0-0)
#13 Stanford (2-0, 1-0) at #2 UCLA (2-0, 1-0)
#4 Notre Dame (2-1, 0-0) at #6 North Carolina (2-0, 0-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Tyrone Washington (Vanderbilt): 27 of 40, 349 yards, 20 carries, 45 yards, 6 total touchdowns.
CB Kingsley Briggs (Ohio State): 3 tackles, 3 interceptions.
----------
WR Roderick Ostrander (Texas): 11 receptions, 169 yards, 3 touchdowns.
LB Mike Smith (Texas Tech): 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack, forced fumble
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#2 Jacob Jackson [ATH #2]: 6'1", 228lbs | Lima, OH | University of Southern California
#22 Sam Carrington [ILB #1]: 6'0", 223lbs | San Ramon, CA | Clemson University
Run of the Bulls ‣ USF Football News
Andrew Lake -- 247 Sports Staff Writer
‣ Junior HB Mitchell taking 'leave of absence' from team
USF head coach Malcolm Francois announced to the media on Wednesday that junior running back Gerald Mitchell is taking a leave of absence from the team. It is unclear if the former five-star running backs is still enrolled in classes.
Mitchell twice left the game last week with apparent injuries and upon the team's return from Louisville, he posted some disturbing videos of himself on social media that were quickly taken down. In the video, Mitchell appears to be emotional and crying while talking about his injury history.
"My (expletive) shoulder is messed up, all my (expletive) fingers is jacked up, I can't even get up in the morning too fast, my brain is....it ain't the same."
Mitchell has since deactivated his social media.
As a freshman, Mitchell rushed for 526 yards and six touchdowns. Injuries limited his play last season but still averaged 75.5 yards per game. He was slated to be the team's top back this season before an injury in warm-ups kept him out of the Alabama game before rushing for 46 yards last week.
‣ Francois downplays benching of Pittman
According to head coach Malcolm Francois, there is no QB controversy brewing in Tampa.
After James Pittman threw six interceptions in seven quarters, the redshirt senior was benched in favor of Mike McFarland. In just one quarter of action, McFarland threw two touchdowns, completed 87 percent of his passes and threw for 115 yards. That's pretty good.
Francois remained adamant, however, that it was a situational decision.
"James (Pittman) is our guy," said Francois, "The situation called for Mike (McFarland) to help us out, he's got a bit of stronger arm and in the elements with the rain and how the corners were playing our routes, I went with him. If you have a 6'6" receiver and you have two corners and one is 6'2" and the other is 5'9", you might want to play the 6'2" guy. It doesn't mean you don't trust the other guy, it was just a better matchup for that specific day against that specific team."
Pittman is expected to start this week against Oklahoma.
‣ Bass' breakout season slowed down with hip injury
USF's leading receiver Joel Bass will not be on the field this week as he deals with an hip pointer injury.
The junior receiver leads the team with 12 receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He's already surpassed his TD total from last season and needs just four catches to match his receptions.
While USF will certainly miss Bass as he is expected to miss a few weeks with this injury, there are plenty of talented receivers on the roster. Five-star freshmen Darius Downs and Jason Barbour have flashed while Malcolm Francois Jr. is already up to 103 yards on the season. Ryan Wagner, an overlooked four-star from the last class, also has eight catches on the year.
Bulls in prime position to land nation's top player in California's Jacobs
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
The last time the USF Bulls signed the number one recruit in the country, said player would go on to rewrite the record books. It's only fitting that following William Stone's exodus to the NFL, the Bulls are once more in the running to land the nation's crown jewel.
Five-star athlete Jay Jacobs out of Norwalk, CA recently did an interview where he listed USF and Washington as the two schools recruiting him the hardest, in line with the top ten he released at the beginning of the summer which included USF, Washington, UNLV, Utah, USC, UCLA, California, Stanford, UCLA and Oregon.
In the interview, Jacobs had a lot of good things to say about the Bulls offense and revealed that they prefer him at receiver while some other schools have primarily recruited him at cornerback.
A big domino might be the decision of four-star quarterback Jed White. White, a long time Miami commit, is the lone quarterback that the Bulls have heavily pursued in this cycle. If they can get him to flip from Miami, it'll make landing the likes of Jacobs and five-star ATH/RB George Ostrander a lot easier.
