Week 2 Top Stories
1. Army fans are already dreaming of next year after season-opening loss to Nebraska.
2. LSU invades USC's stadium and barely wins a tough battle.
3. Navy downs Kentucky 33-24 in their AAC opener.
4. Offenses go wild as Tennessee outscores Arkansas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 2 Champions Division Results
USF 38 - ALA 36 | STAN 40 - OU 34
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 3 Champions Division Schedule
#1 USF (1-0, 1-0) at #18 Oklahoma (0-1, 0-1)
#5 Alabama (1-1, 1-1) at #21 Oregon (1-0, 0-0)
#20 BYU (1-1, 0-1) at #2 Stanford (1-0, 1-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 3 Notable Games
#24 Nebraska (1-0, 0-0) at #4 Georgia Tech (1-0, 0-0)
#17 Georgia (0-1, 0-1) at South Carolina (2-0, 2-0)
USC (1-1, 1-1) at #7 Minnesota (1-0, 1-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Joshua Bowers (Wyoming): 20 of 32, 231 yards, 32 carries, 177 yards, 4 total touchdowns
LB Arnold Edwards (Miami of Ohio): 8 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, fumble recovery
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QB Andrew Jones (Stanford): 25 of 32, 329 yards, 14 carries, 105 yards, 5 total touchdowns
LB Tate Robbins (Michigan): 2 tackles, tackle for loss, forced fumble, interception
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#4 Ryan Murray [WR #1]: 6'0", 180lbs | Springdale, OH | 5-star | University of South Florida
#5 Maurice Darby [ATH #2]: 5'10", 191lbs | Van Wert, OH | 5-star | Ohio State University
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#97 Dante Avery [DE #9]: 6'2", 255lbs | Orlando, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#108 Cameron Stokes [ATH #31]: 6'3", 205lbs | Pensacola, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#121 Brian Jackson [G #36]: 6'3", 312lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#158 Nate Jacobs [ILB #6]: 6'5", 225lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
Week 3 Preview: at #18 Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 0-1, 0-1 Champions Division
Last Season Record: 8-5, 5-4 Champions Division
Head Coach: Mike Bloomgren (48-31 at Oklahoma, 7th year, 142-102)
Offensive Coordinator: Paul Daniels (Pro)
Defensive Coordinator: George Morris (3-4 D)
Returning Career Leaders
Passing: Arie Strong (272 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 165.8 rating)
Rushing: Ryan Vance (2402 yards, 6.4 ypc, 31 TD)
Receiving: Adam Whaley (51 receptions, 626 yards, 7 TD)
Defense: Christian Harrison (75 tackles, 17 TFL, 5.5 sacks)
Team Schedule
at #2 Stanford: L 40-34
Team Injuries
LT #63 Joe Baker, Junior | 6'4", 275lbs | 85 ovr, 81 pbk, 92 rbk, 89 str (out)
Ay coach, Alabama stifled the run last week. You think it's more of a weakness on your end, or strength on their end? What are you going to do to improve the run game moving forward?
Ay coach, Alabama stifled the run last week. You think it's more of a weakness on your end, or strength on their end? What are you going to do to improve the run game moving forward?
Thanks for the question, will be answered in the next Bullpen release.
South Florida Bulls survive a thrilling 31-27 game against Oklahoma Sooners
After a poor performance against Alabama in the opener, USF running back Jacob Wheeler was looking forward to a bounce back game against the Oklahoma Sooners. A year prior, he had rushed for 132 yards on just ten carries against the Sooners but through three quarters, the Sooners defense had done a good job of keeping the speedy tailback bottled up.
Until they didn't.
Wheeler's 75-yard touchdown run would prove to be the turning point and the game winning touchdown for USF as they escaped Norman with the 31-27 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon.
The touchdown gave USF their first lead of the game since early in the second quarter. USF's defense, which had struggled for much of the game on getting Oklahoma off the field, finally did so. The Sooners finished the game converting ten of thirteen third down attempts for an impressive 76 percent conversion rate.
USF had their first shot at running out the clock with four minutes remaining by converting a fourth and one but the Sooners defense was able to make a stop of their own, tacking Victor King short of the first down.
The Sooners picked up a first down on the ensuing drive but on the next play, Arie Strong threw his second interception of the day as safety Clarence Sullivan made an acrobatic play on the ball to intercept it inbounds with 2:40 remaining.
USF was able to run out the clock this time, picking up three first downs to burn the Sooners' timeouts.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[OU] A. Cronin, 24 Yd FG (3:12)
Quarter 2
[USF] J. Wheeler, 1 Yd run (5:39)
[OU] A. Whaley, 6 Yd pass from A. Strong (3:27)
[USF] C. Sanders, 27 Yd FG (1:48)
[OU] R. Edwards, 14 Yd run (1:18)
[USF] J. Thomas, 3 Yd run (0:11)
Quarter 3
[OU] R. Edwards, 9 Yd run (5:46)
[USF] M. Smith, 0 Yd pass from M. Cunningham (1:56)
Quarter 4
[OU] A. Cronin, 43 Yd FG (7:33)
[USF] J. Wheeler, 75 Yd run (7:23)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #1 South Florida Bulls
QB Mark Cunningham: 27 of 35, 310 yards, touchdown, sacked once
HB Jacob Wheeler: 14 carries, 150 yards, 2 touchdowns
HB Justin Thomas: 11 carries, 64 yards, touchdown
WR Carl Graham: 8 receptions, 60 yards
WR Eddie Shaw: 6 receptions, 87 yards
WR Scott Price: 5 receptions, 135 yards (left game with concussion at halftime)
S Clarence Sullivan: 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, interception
S Mike Mason: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
CB Akeem Smith: 3 tackles, interception
#18 Oklahoma Sooners
QB Arie Strong: 23 of 33, 270 yards, touchdown, 2 interceptions, sacked once
HB Ryan Edwards: 21 carries, 109 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR Damion Webster: 8 receptions, 128 yards
TE Matt Harris: 5 receptions, 57 yards
WR Steven Blair: 4 receptions, 32 yards
WR Adam Whaley: 3 receptions, 41 yards, touchdown
S Tom Meeks: 8 tackles
LB Andy Bennett: 7 tackles
LB Joe Jackson: 4 tackles, tackle for loss, sack
Week 3 Top Stories
1. Alabama notches a conference win against Oregon behind the arm of Ingram.
2. Sun Devils lose a barnburner to Boston College 42-37.
3. Virginia Tech opens their conference opener on a high note against Washington with 42-31 win.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 3 Champions Division Results
USF 31 - OU 27 | ALA 45 - ORE 31 | STAN 49 - BYU 42 OT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 4 Champions Division Schedule
#1 USF (2-0, 2-0) at #2 Stanford (2-0, 2-0)
#21 Oklahoma (0-2, 0-2) at #15 Michigan (1-0, 0-0)
#5 Alabama (2-1, 2-1) at #10 Texas (1-1, 0-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 4 Notable Games
Missouri (2-0, 0-0) at #9 Michigan State (1-0, 0-0)
#14 Georgia (1-1, 0-1) at #25 Florida State (1-2, 1-2)
#17 Wisconsin (2-1, 1-1) at Miami (1-0, 0-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Drew Adams (Boston College): 14 of 22, 156 yards, 20 carries, 179 yards, 6 total touchdowns
DE Taylor Herron (Louisiana - Lafayette): 9 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
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QB Suddin Baggett (Michigan State): 23 of 31, 402 yards, 20 carries, 75 yards, 5 total touchdowns
LB Terrell Martin (Alabama): 6 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, sack, interception
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#4 Ryan Murray [WR #1]: 6'0", 180lbs | Springdale, OH | 5-star | University of South Florida
#5 Maurice Darby [ATH #2]: 5'10", 191lbs | Van Wert, OH | 5-star | Ohio State University
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#97 Dante Avery [DE #9]: 6'2", 255lbs | Orlando, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#108 Cameron Stokes [ATH #31]: 6'3", 205lbs | Pensacola, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#121 Brian Jackson [G #36]: 6'3", 312lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#158 Nate Jacobs [ILB #6]: 6'5", 225lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
The Bullpen: Mark Cunningham firing on all cylinders in Peter Nicholson's offense
Jonathan Bright -- BullsNation.com Football Reporter
There might not be a more polarizing quarterback prospect heading into the 2042 college football season than Mark Cunningham. The junior quarterback for the Bulls has been part of two national championship winning teams, has the sixth most career passing yards among active players, eleventh in touchdowns and his seventy-one percent completion percentage is tied for best among all active quarterbacks. Yet the question remains, just how good is he?
Through two games in new OC Peter Nicholson's offense, the answer is pretty damn good. With virtually no rushing offense, Cunningham led the Bulls offense to a win against Alabama and threw for 310 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers in the win over Oklahoma.
The no turnovers is the major improvement from Cunningham whose yardage, touchdown rate and completion percentage aren't too far off from his numbers from last season but he threw seventeen interceptions last season and fumbled four times. Stanford's defense is far from a world beater but it will present a tougher challenge than Oklahoma's and on the road, provide a good litmus test to see if Cunningham's turnover issues are truly fixed.
‣ Mailbag from mvp: Alabama stifled the run last week. You think it's more of a weakness on USF's end, or strength on their end? What can USF do to improve the run game moving forward?
Like a lot of things in football (and life), it was likely a combination of both as Alabama's front seven was impressive. USF's running game vastly improved in the Oklahoma game both with some early success and then the big run from Jacob Wheeler to seal the win. Even if you take Wheeler's 75-yard run off the board, the Bulls still averaged 5.2 yards per carry albeit struggling a little bit with running the football in the middle portion of the game.
Prior to the final drive, the Bulls had ran the ball just 25 times so it's clear that the carries are going to be limited so the heavy workload that some predicted for Wheeler isn't going to be a reality. Both Wheeler and true freshman Justin Thomas are the type of backs that make their impact felt with splash plays so they might be the best suited options for this offense but overall, USF fans should tamper their expectations with this running game.
‣ Bulls continue to shake up the offensive line as Nick Ryan plays a full game at guard, Jake Thompson and Sam Jefferson rotate at right tackle
Sticking with the running game, an adjustment that the Bulls offense made for the Oklahoma game was starting Nick Ryan at left guard and Jake Thompson at right tackle instead of Cole Britton. Thompson surrendered a sack in the first half and was replaced by true freshman Sam Jefferson at right tackle.
USF OL coach Ryan Williams said the move was based on the rotation and not performance, sticking with his script from last week when Thompson replaced Ryan at left guard at halftime and Jefferson replaced Britton at right tackle. Ryan played the entire game this time around and while he continues to get overpowered at times in pass protection, he's far from a liability.
Britton not getting any run was certainly noticeable especially considering he played every snap last season at right tackle. While he might be their best run blocker of the four players, given the pass heavy nature of this offense, it makes sense that coach Williams is looking for the combination of his best five pass blockers.
Thompson, a junior, is probably the more versatile of the three so it'll be interesting to see if Ryan is entrenched at left guard or does the rotation continue.
‣ WR Scott Price out of the concussion protocol, expected to start against Stanford
USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. confirmed at Wednesday's media pool that sophomore receiver Scott Price is out of the concussion protocol and was a non-contact participant in Wednesday's practice.
Price missed the second half of the Oklahoma game after experiencing concussion like symptoms in the locker room at halftime. Price entered the protocol and was cleared on Tuesday according to Francois Sr.
Simply put, Price has been one of college football's best receiver for the past few games, dating back to the end of last season. Despite missing a quarter of the season thus far with that half missed, Price is second in the Champions Division in receiving yards and receptions. In the first game against Stanford last season, he had four catches for 95 yards and in the playoffs, he went for 171 yards on eleven catches.
Through two games, Stanford's secondary is allowing 242 yards per game through the air and have yet to see a receiver of Price's ilk.
Week 4 Preview: at #2 Stanford Cardinal
Record: 2-0, 2-0 Champions Division
Last Season Record: 11-2, 9-0 Champions Division Winner
Head Coach: David Shaw (274-134 at Stanford, 32nd year)
Offensive Coordinator: Terrell Potts (Multiple)
Defensive Coordinator: Jay Bateman (3-4 D)
Team Leaders
Passing: Andrew Jones (650 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT, 198.4 rating)
Rushing: Andrew Jones (235 yards, 6.7 ypc, 4 TD)
Receiving: Cedric Wilson (10 receptions, 200 yards, 2 TD)
Defense: Terrance Smith (15 tackles, 3 TFL, 1.0 sack)
Team Schedule
vs. #21 Oklahoma: W 40-34
vs. #23 BYU: W 49-42 OT
USF slams Stanford 31-7 in convincing win to remain atop rankings
A rush of excitement filled USF defensive coordinator Trai Martinez when he looked across the sideline and saw Stanford's offense coming back onto the field, opting to go for it on fourth and goal from their own goal line.
It was still early in game but the veteran defensive play caller knew that a stop would mean everything, especially since the Cardinal had already converted a fourth down earlier in the game to keep the drive alive.
"A lot of plays make up a game," Martinez said after the game, "But it's a handful that define it."
USF sophomore linebacker Damon Hill was able to break through the line of scrimmage and tackle Bryan Nash well short of the goal-line to make the stop and kickstart USF's 31-7 rout of No. 2 Stanford on Saturday to hand them their second victory of the season over a top-2 ranked opponent.
In the program's third clash in twelve months, USF had all of the answers for Stanford's offense, shutting them out until the final play of the game. Stanford had just 229 yards of total offense and was held to just 2.7 yards per carry on the ground.
Offensively, it was the Mark Cunningham show who was flawless outside of a bad decision before the end of the first half that resulted in an interception across the middle, his first of the season. Cunningham responded with a 62-yard touchdown pass to freshman Josh Butler and then ran the same play the next offensive series, this time to Scott Price who got behind the defense for the 34-yard score.
Cunningham threw for 311 yards, posting three consecutive 300-yard games along with three touchdowns.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[USF] C. Sanders, 40 Yd FG (4:33)
Quarter 2
[USF] C. Graham, 29 Yd pass from M. Cunningham (1:49)
Quarter 3
[USF] J. Butler, 62 Yd pass from M. Cunningham (1:29)
Quarter 4
[USF] S. Price, 34 Yd pass from M. Cunningham (7:25)
[USF] J. Thomas, 1 Yd run (1:51)
[STAN] L. Hunter, 7 Yd pass from A. Jones (0:03)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #1 South Florida Bulls
QB Mark Cunningham: 20 of 26, 311 yards, 3 touchdowns, interception, sacked twice
HB Jacob Wheeler: 13 carries, 58 yards, fumble (lost)
HB Justin Thomas: 6 carries, 19 yards
WR Scott Price: 5 receptions, 97 yards, touchdown
WR Eddie Shaw: 5 receptions, 66 yards
WR Carl Graham: 4 receptions, 53 yards
WR Joshua Butler: 2 receptions, 66 yards, touchdown
S Clarence Sullivan: 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss
LB Joel Espinosa: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack
CB Travis Jones: 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack
DE Marcellus Smith: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
LB Julian Harrell: 3 tackles, tackle for loss, sack
#2 Stanford Cardinal
QB Andrew Jones: 16 of 24, 132 yards, touchdown, sacked 7 times, 14 carries, 22 yards
HB Bryce Nash: 17 carries, 39 yards
TE Lance Hunter: 4 receptions, 20 yards, touchdown
WR Paul Carter: 4 receptions, 34 yards
CB Adam Arnold: 7 tackles
CB Tony Henry: 6 tackles, tackle for loss, interception
LB Derek Coley: 3 tackles, tackle for loss, sack
