Strength in Unity.

[Soapy]

As four-star QB Sykes commits to Miami, Bulls close in on QBs McKenzie, Greer
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

Former USF target QB Nathan Sykes out of nearby Clearwater, Florida committed to the University of Miami on Sunday. Within hours of the four-star QB's announcement, USF received three new commitments from three-star defensive end Bryan Walker, three star punter Brian Bradshaw and three star kicker Matt Perkins.

All three visited USF two weeks ago and their commitments were expected. The new additions moved USF's recruiting class from 24th to 19th, giving them the third best recruiting class in the state behind Miami and Florida State and the best recruiting class in the American Athletic Conference.

While a top 25 recruiting class before seemed temporary, it might become a reality for head coach Malcolm Francois and his staff. Four-star CB Brett Johnson will be on campus this week along with three-star offensive tackle Isaac Gutierrez and JUCO offensive guard Zac Thomas. Throw in four-star tight end Buck Burns who many expect to shut down his recruitment soon and you have a good case for not just a top 25 class but a top 15 one.

Another player that will be on campus this week is four-star quarterback Steven McKenzie out of Trenton, New Jersey. USF started recruiting McKenzie after the staff felt like Sykes was a done-deal to Miami and wanted to pair McKenzie with three-star quarterback Mario Greer. Greer is expected to be on campus towards the end of the season, possibly for the UCF game as he is also being recruited by UCF. USF is the heavy favorite to land both.

The team has already matched their win total from last season and are certainly on pace to have a better recruiting class. After an offseason marred by controversy, Francois appears to be the right man for the job.

[Soapy]

Piland puts together prolific performance as Cougars take down Bulls
October 11th, 2014 -- Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
Houston Cougars (3-2, 1-1) at South Florida Bulls (5-1, 3-0)



---------------------------
HOU - 14 / 3 / 7 / 18 // 42
USF - 7 / 14 / 0 / 7 // 28
---------------------------

Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
5:41 (HOU) D. Spencer, 13 Yd pass from D. Piland
2:43 (HOU) D. Piland, 5 Yd run
1:18 (USF) T. Saffold, 37 Yd pass from S. Bench

Quarter 2
4:45 (USF) A. Davis, 7 Yd pass from S. Bench
0:51 (USF) T. Saffold, 7 Yd pass from S. Bench
0:00 (HOU) T. Cummings, 19 Yd FG

Quarter 3
4:11 (HOU) K. Farrow, 16 Yd run

Quarter 4
7:00 (HOU) M. Ambles, 2 Yd pass from D. Piland
4:40 (USF) M. Pierre, 3 Yd run
2:35 (HOU) T. Cummings, 22 Yd FG
0:19 (HOU) K. Farrow, 41 Yd run (2pt)

South Florida Bulls (5-2, 3-1)
QB Steven Bench, Junior: 19 of 27, 255 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 11 carries, 40 yards, fumble.
HB Leon Ward, Freshman: 5 carries, 33 yards.
HB Michael Pierre, RS Senior: 5 carries, 8 yards.
TE Sean Price, Junior: 5 receptions, 84 yards.
WR D'vario Montgomery, Junior: 5 receptions, 62 yards.
S Jalen Spencer, Rs Sophomore: 9 tackles, tackle for loss.
OLB Reshard Cliett, Rs Senior: 3 tackles, interception.

Houston Cougars (4-2, 2-1)
QB David Piland, Rs Senior: 45 of 51, 453 yards, 2 touchdowns, interception.
HB Kenneth Farrow, Rs Junior: 9 carries, 89 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Daniel Spencer, Senior: 10 receptions, 131 yards, touchdown.
WR Markeith Ambles, Rs Senior: 9 receptions, 98 yards, touchdown.
WR Deontay Greenberry, Junior: 8 receptions, 99 yards.
WR Mark Roberts, Senior: 8 receptions, 73 yards.
LB Derrick Matthews, Senior: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception.
S Trevon Stewart, Junior: Tackle, interception.

Next Game: vs. Connecticut Huskies (5-1, 3-0)

[Soapy]

Week 7 Top Stories
1. Green is disgusted with Michigan's performance against unranked Rutgers.
2. Thomas' play leads Oregon to a 35-17 win over Utah.
3. Ohio State notches a conference win against Iowa behind the arm of Miller.
4. Cardinals notch another W, this time against ACC foe Clemson.
5. Yellow Jackets triumph over #9 Virginia Tech 17-16 in their Battle of the Techs.

Week 8 Notable Games
#10 Utah (5-1, 2-1) at #24 Oregon State (4-2, 2-1)
#12 Washington (4-1, 1-1) at #15 Arizona (4-1, 1-1)
#7 Maryland (5-0, 2-0) at #14 Michigan (4-2, 2-1)
#25 Stanford (2-3, 2-3) at #23 Notre Dame (3-3, 0-0)

Week 8 American Athletic Schedule
Connecticut (5-1, 3-0) at USF (5-2, 3-1)
East Carolina (5-2, 2-2) at Cincinnati (3-3, 1-2)
Navy (3-2, 2-2) at Tulane (0-6, 0-3)
SMU (0-6, 0-3) at Tulsa (2-4, 0-4)

American Athletic Conference Standings
1. UCF (5-1, 4-0)
2. Connecticut (5-1, 3-0)
3. USF (5-2, 3-1)
4. Temple (3-3, 2-1)
5. East Carolina (5-2, 2-2)
6. Cincinnati (3-3, 1-2)
-------------------
1. Houston (4-2, 2-1)
2. Navy (3-2, 2-2)
3. Memphis (3-3, 2-2)
4. Tulsa (2-4, 0-4)
5. SMU (0-6, 0-3)
6. Tulane (0-6, 0-3)

NCAA Players of the Week
Dhameer Bradley (WR, Connecticut) :: W vs. Navy :: 22 receptions, 359 yards, 5 touchdowns.
Sean Bacon (OLB, San Jose State) :: W vs. Wyoming :: 15 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, forced fumbles.
AAC Players of the Week
Dhameer Bradley (WR, Connecticut) :: W vs. Navy :: 22 receptions, 359 yards, 5 touchdowns.
Derrick Matthews (LB, Houston) :: W vs. USF :: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception.

[Soapy]

Bulls bounce back from Houston loss with trio of four star commitments
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

Even with a loss to conference foe Houston, USF head coach Malcolm Francois isn't going to let anything get in the way of what is turning out to be a loaded recruiting class.

In a series of coordinated social media posts, four-star QB Steven McKenzie, four-star CB Brett Johnson and four-star TE Buck Burns all announced their commitments to USF, shutting down the recruiting process. JUCO offensive guard Zac Thomas also announced his intentions to sign with USF. The commitments brought USF's 2015 class total to 13 commits and are currently ranked 6th in the country behind only Alabama, Texas A&M, Stanford, Miami and LSU.

From a talent standpoint, McKenzie might be the most intriguing one due to his position. USF was very high on last year's QB of the class Grant Oliver but Oliver struggled in camp and appears to be at least two seasons away from being a legitimate starter. Steven Bench is slated to return next season as a starter but after that, the stage is set for Oliver and McKenzie to fight it out for the starting job. Athletically, McKenzie has the nod over Oliver but he isn't a mobile quarterback either while Oliver has the edge in terms of arm talent.

Burns provides the most immediate impact possibility as the team utilizes a lot of two TE sets and with Mike McFarland graduating and Sean Price being a candidate to leave for the draft early, Burns joins a crowded tight end room but he might be the most talented of the bunch.

This leaves very few players left on USF's board, the top one being three-star OTs Darren Charles and Isaac Gutierrez as well as the UCF commits, wide receivers Jeff Bell and Lamont Dickson. USF has also recently offered Hollywood, FL edge-player Charles Nichols.

[Soapy]

Bulls able to slow down Huskies fifth ranked offense, hold them to seven first half points in 38-28 win
October 18th, 2014 -- Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
Connecticut Huskies (5-1, 3-0) at South Florida Bulls (5-2, 3-1)



---------------------------
UCONN - 7 / 0 / 7 / 14 // 28
USF - 7 / 10 / 7 / 14 // 38
---------------------------

Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
6:19 (UCONN) L. McCombs, 5 Yd run
4:59 (USF) S. Price, 29 Yd pass from S. Bench

Quarter 2
7:20 (USF) M. Kloss, 40 Yd FG
2:42 (USF) M. Pierre, 0 Yd run

Quarter 3
6:29 (UCONN) M. DeLorenzo, 7 Yd run
3:01 (HOU) S. Price, 15 Yd pass from S. Bench

Quarter 4
6:13 (USF) R. Miller, 4 Yd run
4:36 (UCONN) J. Green, 5 Yd pass from C. Whitmer
2:01 (USF) M. Pierre, 5 Yd run
1:18 (UCONN) S. Phillips, 43 Yd pass from C. Whitmer

South Florida Bulls (6-2, 4-1)
QB Steven Bench, Junior: 19 of 28, 260 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.
HB Michael Pierre, RS Senior: 14 carries, 68 yards, 2 touchdowns.
HB Leon Ward, Freshman: 8 carries, 50 yards.
HB Richard Miller, Freshman: 6 carries, 44 yards, touchdown.
WR D'vario Montgomery, Junior: 6 receptions, 59 yards.
TE Sean Price, Junior: 5 receptions, 88 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Andre Davis, Senior: 4 receptions, 64 yards.
OLB Zack Bullock, Rs Junior: 5 tackles, tackle for loss.
CB Lamar Robins, Sophomore: 3 tackles, interception.

Connecticut Huskies (5-2, 3-1)
QB Chandler Whitmer, Rs Senior: 23 of 33, 271 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.
HB Lyle McCombs, Rs Senior: 15 carries, 149 yards, touchdown.
WR Shakim Phillips, Rs Senior: 5 receptions, 113 yards, touchdown.
S Obi Melifonwu, Rs Sophomore: 12 tackles.
CB Byron Jones, Rs Senior: 5 tackles, interception.
S Wilbert Lee, Rs Junior: 3 tackles, sack, interception.

Next Game: at East Carolina Pirates (5-3, 2-3)

[Soapy]

Week 8 Top Stories
1. Alabama stays unbeaten with a 31-17 win vs. conference rival Arkansas.
2. Baker and Arizona knock-off Pac-12 opponent Washington 20-10.
3. Maryland refuses to let the Big House crowd get to them.

Week 9 Notable Games
#4 Louisville (7-0, 4-0) at #15 Florida State (5-2, 3-1)
#24 LSU (5-2, 2-1) at #8 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-1)
#20 USC (4-3, 2-3) at #19 Arizona State (4-2, 1-2)
#21 Michigan (4-3, 2-2) at #11 Nebraska (4-2, 2-1)

Week 9 American Athletic Conference Schedule
USF (6-2, 4-1) at East Carolina (5-3, 2-3)
Temple (3-3, 2-1) at Houston (4-2, 2-1)
Tulsa (2-5, 0-5) at Navy (4-2, 3-2)
Cincinnati (4-3, 2-2) at Connecticut (5-2, 3-1)
Tulane (0-7, 0-4) at SMU (1-6, 1-3)

American Athletic Conference Standings
1. UCF (6-1, 4-0)
2. USF (6-2, 4-1)
3. Connecticut (5-2, 3-1)
4. Temple (3-3, 2-1)
5. Cincinnati (4-3, 2-2)
6. East Carolina (5-3, 2-3)
-------------------
1. Houston (4-2, 2-1)
2. Navy (4-2, 3-2)
3. Memphis (3-4, 2-2)
4. SMU (1-6, 1-3)
5. Tulsa (2-5, 0-5)
6. Tulane (0-7, 0-4)

NCAA Players of the Week
Marcus Mariota (QB, Oregon) :: W vs. UCLA :: 19 of 30, 353 yards, 29 carries, 120 yards, 5 total touchdowns.
Ray Stovall (LB, UL-Monroe) :: W vs. South Alabama :: 8 tackles, tackle for loss, 2 forced fumble, interception.

AAC Players of the Week
Reuben Carson (HB, Navy) :: W vs. Tulane :: 47 carries, 213 yards, 3 touchdowns.
Josh Tate (LB, Navy) :: W vs. Tulane :: 3 tackles, tackle for loss, interception.

[Soapy]

Close but no cigar; can USF improve on already impressive recruiting hall?
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

Despite sliding down in the recruiting rankings due to other teams rising up, USF was able to land another commitment in the form of three-star in state quarterback Mario Greer.

Greer is the second quarterback in the class behind four-star Steven McKenzie and the third quarterback the Bulls have landed in the past three months. Similar to McKenzie and Grant Oliver, Greer is a pocket passing quarterback with very limited mobility. While head coach Malcolm Francois continues to use his quarterbacks as runners on the current 2014 team, that doesn't seem to be the plan in the future.

Greer is the 14th member of what the people inside Tampa view as '17 to 18' man class, giving USF three to four more open spots. Offensive tackle Darren Charles is looking like a Florida State get while the two UCF commits at receivers Jeff Bell and Lamont Dickson appear to be steadfast in their commitment to the Golden Knights. USF has been unable to make much progress with linebacker Charles Nichols due to a late push by Maryland leaving USF without a receiver or linebacker in this class. This is important to note because the Bulls have three receivers graduating this spring and in the team's new 3-4 scheme, there is a need for depth at outside linebacker as well.

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of options for the Bulls right now as there just aren't a ton of available outside linebackers right now. Their best bet would be to convert a pass rusher such as Sandy Springs, GA defensive end Matt Hayford or another three-star Georgia defensive end in Evan Rucker.

The more concerning position is receiver as unlike for the outside linebacker position, this incoming recruit won't just be providing depth, they might need to contribute. The two names to watch are Nathan Harris out of Miami, Florida and Brent Sowell out of St. Marys, Georgia. Two three-star recruits that have been lightly recruited by the major programs but bring something to the table. Harris is a six-foot-three receiver with legit 4.44 speed.

With such a loaded class that has exceeded any sort of realistic expectations, it's tough to criticize the coaching staff but simply put, the team needs to find at least one receiver and an option at outside linebacker or this could become a sore spot and eventual weakness on the team down the line.

[Captain Canada]

Really mapping up an excellent recruiting class, you always were good at that. Keep it going!

[Soapy]

Really mapping up an excellent recruiting class, you always were good at that. Keep it going!

thanks broski, glad to have you aboard.

The recruiting rules are making it a big tougher, especially only being able to target certain number of players at a time and being unable to remove them until they commit elsewhere. Half the players on my board i know are probably going elsewhere and i need them to commit so i can go after other players.

There's also this STUD juco player that i could get and i already spent my two juco spots on average OL

[Soapy]

USF gets revenge against East Carolina for last year's debacle as Bulls take down Pirates 35-25
October 18th, 2014 -- Dowdy Ficklen Stadium (Greenville, North Carolina)
South Florida Bulls (6-2, 4-1) at East Carolina Pirates (5-3, 2-3)



---------------------------
USF - 7 / 14 / 7 / 7 // 35
ECU - 3 / 14 / 0 / 8 // 25
---------------------------

Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
3:52 (ECU) W. Harvey, 49 Yd FG
1:25 (USF) R. Miller, 1 Yd run

Quarter 2
7:49 (ECU) D. Webster, 10 Yd pass from S. Carden
5:27 (USF) T. Saffold, 29 Yd run
4:55 (ECU) D. Webster, 60 Yd pass from S. Carden
0:!7 (USF) S. Bench, 2 Yd run

Quarter 3
4:24 (USF) A. Davis, 7 Yd pass from S. Bench

Quarter 4
2:03 (USF) R. Miller, 8 Yd run
0:47 (ECU) D. Dowdell, 6 Yd pass from S. Carden (2pt)

South Florida Bulls (7-2, 5-1)
QB Steven Bench, Junior: 23 of 24, 226 yards, touchdown, 7 carries, 17 yards, touchdown.
HB Michael Pierre, RS Senior: 14 carries, 77 yards.
HB Richard Miller, Freshman: 9 carries, 28 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR D'vario Montgomery, Junior: 6 receptions, 81 yards.
WR Andre Davis, Senior: 5 receptions, 37 yards, touchdown.
LB Zack Bullock, Rs Junior: 9 tackles.
CB Kenneth Durden, Rs Junior: 4 tackles, interception.
OLB Aaron Lynch, Rs Junior: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack.

East Carolina Pirates (5-4, 2-4)
QB Shane Carden, Rs Senior: 22 of 34, 303 yards, 3 touchdowns, interception.
HB John Barnes-Smith, Senior: 12 carries, 48 yards.
WR Danny Webster, Senior: 10 receptions, 158 yards, 2 touchdowns.
LB Zeek Bigger, Rs Junior: 8 tackles, tackle for loss.

Next Game: Two Bye Weeks