USF Ladies Take on Cincinnati

The USF ladies, 5-3-3 (1-1-2) head on a big road trip as they take on Cincinnati tonight at 7PM. The Bearcats are 5-4-3 (1-2-1) on the season, but are only 1-3-1 at home, so USF has to come out firing since the home field has not been so kind to Cincinnati.

Reason for Concern After This Game

Coach, fans have seen the team go down the drain many years after a solid start to the season, don't let it happen.

As we try to turn the page on the disaster of a game last night, there are reasons USF fans are very worried about the loss. We can get by the numbers, bad defense, poor offense, but it is the history of the program that continues to show itself and haunt us all.

USF Defense Looked Awful Last Night

Last night was rough, just rough. The biggest issue we saw last night was the defense. While the offense couldn't get anything going with misreads, bad throws, and no protection for Daniels, the defense was a lot worse off.

USF Falls to Pitt 44 to 17

B.J. Daniels and the offense had a frustrating night but not as bad as the defense. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

What an ugly game for USF. Pitt came out and hit USF hard and fast with their offense. The high octane offense just wore out the defense, keeping them back. Pitt attacked and the USF defense that stayed back and waited for the Panthers to come to them, 10 yards later down the field. There was no pass rush, awful arm tackling that failed, and Pitt simply just out hustled and got USF out of position all night. The offense couldn't get anything going as receivers ran wrong routes, Daniels got pressured all night, and mental mistakes cost the team huge in this very bad loss.

Half-time Report: USF at Pitt

Interesting half for the Bulls at Pitt. The Bulls started the game well, getting a big fumble on the first Pitt drive. Ryne Giddins made the strip and Mike Juene got the recovery. USF ran down the field with Scott making huge runs and finding big lanes. USF got on the board with a 12-yard scramble by B.J. Daniels. Pitt came right back and Sunseri was able to get the rushing touchdown as USF could not tackle, failed to stop the gaps, and gave up big plays. Pitt then got down the field again, but mistakes allowed the Bulls to get just a field goal against them. That ended the first quarter for the Bulls (dodged a few bullets there).

Bold Prediction for USF vs. Pitt

Game day is here (yes, on a Thursday) as we keep a tradition going, it is time to make a bold prediction here for the game.

We have done a lot of individual predictions, guessing how many yards Daniels will throw for, how many yards Scott will get on the ground, and so on. But for the game tonight, we are predicting something a little bit bigger this time.

Bold prediction: USF wins the game on Thursday night. Before people start questioning my prediction, stop and think about it. USF is 0-6 all time on Thursday nights and never play well in Pittsburgh. We are all hoping Daniels continues to play well and the team comes out, but with Vegas only favoring us by a 2 or 3 points, there is something in the air.

I hope they are all wrong and hope the Bulls come out on top, that is why I am predicting a simple stat, win the night. We aren't worried about the total stats at the end of the game, just the win in the column after it is all over.

Key Match-ups for USF vs. Pitt

Here are some of the key match-ups to watch for during the game tonight. USF has been getting huge plays on both sides of the ball, but matching up against the skill players on the Pitt team will be a real challenge for the Bulls. Here are the big ones to watch for.

Weather Report for Tonight's Game

Weather report at Heinz Field for tonight's game USF vs Pitt.

Scouting Pitt: Offense

#16 USF's Big East opener comes against an offense that gave them second-half fits to officially eliminate the Bulls from contention of the Big East title (turns out we didn't want that title anyway). This year, Pitt is without their two best players from last season, losing Jonathan Baldwin and Dion Lewis to the draft. Additionally, OL Jason Pinkston, both Tight Ends Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson and secret weapon FB Henry Hynoski are also both gone, leaving Pitt with a touch less experience at every position. Running through the roster, we'll see just how much of a factor experience is.

Reason to Worry About Pitt Game

There is reason to worry about the game tonight, but there is good reason for it.

USF has the momentum heading into the Pitt game tonight, but from talking to fans and listening to their confidence level, there is a lot of apprehension as the Bulls take the field for this game.

Thursday nights have not been too kind to the Bulls over their history, 0-6 to be exact, and with an undefeated record, a national ranking and an opponent that is hungry for a win and a big statement game, there is good reason to be worried. USF has also not won in Pittsburgh in a long time, so something else to keep in mind.

Game Day: Pitt

It's game day!! It feels strange to say that on a Thursday, but the Big East has the Bulls scheduled for a prime time matchup against the Pitt Panthers at 8 PM on ESPN (tune in!)

USF is 4-0 and looking to continue their winning ways on the road. They faced the first road test of the season at ND so they will look to build off of that and the recent success at home as they try to notch Big East win number on against Pitt.

Pitt is coming off of a 15 to 12 loss at home to Notre Dame and is looking for a big upset win here. USF is not that favored in the game and playing on Thursday nights explains it all, 0-6 in their history playing during the school week.

USF has the momentum and on paper has the better team, but it will all come down to how prepared and how well they can execute a game plan on the road during a short week.

USF Lands Another 2012 DE Commit

From Highschoolsports.com - According to Highschoolsports.al.com USF has landed a new commitment today.

2-star defensive end prospect Eric Lee is the 11th commitment for the class of 2012 for Coach Holtz. Lee, out of Daphne, Alabama has committed to the Bulls, picking them over Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, among other offers.

Last season, Lee had 25 tackles, including 2 sacks and 5 pass break ups. Coaches have raved about him, stating he has gained solid weight and could be a real sleeper in this recruiting class.

Lee is the second defensive end for the 2012 recruit, joining 6-7 Daniel Perry in this recruiting class.

Landing Lee is another huge get for Holtz. With depth being a question at the end position, landing Lee and his potential is a big get for the future. Along with Perry, the Bulls could have two solid playmakers off the edge behind Forte and Giddins heading into the future. Welcome to the family Lee!

Possible Wounded Warrior Uniform?

We saw the Wounded Warrior helmets last week (USFnation.com had the original pictures of them) and now it would appear that the uniform itself has been released (just going by what we are seeing right now, thanks to Bullspen.com for catching it first, may not be the official uniform).

Footballfanactics.com has released the Wounded Warrior Project uniform for sale on their website (CLICK HERE for the full release). The uniforms are about $85 for this version.

Five Ways USF Can Win/Lose to Pitt

Game day is fast approaching and it is time to start looking at the ways USF could win or lose this game. Let's be honest, Thursday night games have not been friendly to the Bulls, going 0-6 in our history, something that continues to be a thorn in the side of the program. USF is 4-0 entering this game while Pitt, 2-2, is looking to make a statement in the game on ESPN. Let's see the ways USF can win this game and how they can lose the game.

Big East Week 5 Picks

In is already week 5 in the football schedule (time to slow down already) and the Big East schedule is underway starting on Thursday. Mike took the overall lead again with a 28-3 record. I did better last weekend and am now 26-5 on the season. Jim had a tough week and went 24-7 (sorry for the tough games). Let's see how well we can do this week.

Scouting Pitt Defense

Time to take a look at the Pitt defense. Patterson runs the 3-4 scheme, very similar to what USF saw against Notre Dame. Pitt has the size up front with their defense line and good size in the linebacking corps, so the offense line for the Bulls will have to be at their best, hit their gaps, and make sure to keep B.J. Daniels on his feet. The secondary has some holes in it, so the passing game could come to life in this game. Let's see who they bring to the field.

Scouting Pitt Special Teams

Time to scout the Pitt special teams. Last week the USF coverage team had a hard time stopping the UTEP Miners and will have to do a better job against a team that is playing at home in front of a national audience. USF has the skill and speed to do a solid job and here is who they will be facing.

No Fly Zone Showing Strength

The No Fly Zone continues to play well and as they prepare for the spread offense of Pitt and the tougher Big East teams, they continue to rise to the occasion and seem to be getting better. Despite a few nagging injuries, they are at full strength heading into the Thursday night game and will have to be at their best to stop the spread attack of Pitt.

Week 5 Big East Blogger Poll

USF jumped to #14 in the USA Today/Coaches' Poll, and to #16 in the AP poll for week 5. This week saw a few Top 25 teams fall, but not too much changed from last week. Here are Matt's and my ballots for Week 5.

Mike	Matt
1. LSU	1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma	2. LSU
3. Alabama	3. Alabama
4. Boise State	4. Stanford
5. Oklahoma State	5. Oklahoma State
6. Wisconsin	6. Boise State
7.Texas A&M	7. Wisconsin
8. Oregon	8. Nebraska
9. Stanford	9. Oregon
10. Nebraska	10. Virginia Tech
11. Virginia Tech	11. South Carolina
12. South Carolina	12. USF
13. Florida State	13. Florida
14. Arkansas	14. TAMU
15. South Florida	15. Clemson
16. West Virginia	16. Baylor
17. Michigan	17. Michigan
18. Notre Dame	18. Arkansas
19. Baylor	19. Texas
20. TCU	20. TCU
21. Ohio State	21. Georgia Tech
22. Michigan State	22. Illinois
23. Clemson	23. WVU
24. Texas	24. FSU
25. Florida	25. Michigan State

As you can see, Matt and I are still trying to stay on the ground by keeping USF in relatively the same position. We also didn't drop West Virginia too much; they lost the the new #1 team after all. With that said, here's the composite of six of the ballots from this week (Pitt Script didn't get his to me).

Rank	Team
1	LSU	146
2	Oklahoma	144
3	Alabama	142
4	Boise State	123
4	Stanford	123
6	Oklahoma State	122
7	Wisconsin	118
8	Nebraska	106
9	Oregon	99
10	South Carolina	91
11	Virginia Tech	88
12	South Florida	72
12	Texas A&M	72
14	Florida	69
15	Clemson	68
16	Baylor	63
17	Arkansas	48
18	Michigan	40
19	Texas	37
20	TCU	36
21	Georgia Tech	33
22	West Virginia	28
23	Florida State	27
24	Illinois	16
25	Michigan State	11

Received votes: Notre Dame 8, Ohio State 5, Arizona State 4

USF got bumped up into a tie for #12 with Texas A&M, and that's where we'll sit for a while as Big East play begins this week and then the Bulls lay dormant for over two weeks.

USF Football Updates

From Greg Auman - Coach Holtz had his weekly press conference as the team prepares for Pitt on the short week. The team will have a practice tonight under the lights of the new practice field at 10 PM. The Bulls usually use Monday as an off day, but are preparing due to the game so early in the week. Holtz stated that the coaches have been preparing since last week for Pitt, so they are ahead of schedule and will have the team ready for the big game on ESPN.

Who are the Pitt Coaches?

The Pitt Panthers are led by 1st year head coach Todd Graham. Graham comes to Pitt after spending the last few seasons at Tulsa making a name for himself with his "high octane offense." While at Tulsa, the Golden Hurricanes went 36-17, including 3-0 in their bowl games. In his final year last season, Tulsa had a huge upset win against then #24 Houston and even beat Notre Dame in South Bend, so winning over big teams is nothing new for him. Graham took Tulsa to their first bowl game in 2006, their first in over 45 years and was named Conference USA coach during that season.

USF Beats DePaul 1 to 0 Today

After being rained out yesterday (had the 2 to 0 lead too, bummer) the Bulls took on the Blue Demons this morning at 11AM while most students headed to class.

The Bulls and Blue Demons battled and forced the game into overtime despite Demi Stokes taking 5 shots and Chelsea Klotz taking 6 shots on the day, dictating the pace, but the Blue Demons held strong until the first overtime period. With just 6 minutes left in the overtime period, Klotz connected after Stokes helped set up the game winning shot from out of bounds.

This is a very nice (unusual) win for the ladies who improve to 5-3-3 (1-1-2) on the season. USF needed this win after playing so many games close and coming up just short in the win column, they finally get their first Big East win of the season.

The ladies will travel to Cincinnati on Friday night to take on the Bearcats at 7:30 PM in another big conference game for the ladies. Now, everyone get back to class!

Who is Pitt?

The Bulls go on the road to open up the Big East portion of their schedule as they take on the Pitt Panthers who are 2-2 on the season. Pitt is coming off of a tough loss at home against Notre Dame and dropped another game the week before to Iowa. Pitt is looking to impress the nation in front of a national audience on ESPN (8PM).

Results from Big East Week 4 Picks

Here are the results of our picks for week 4 in the Big East. Mike and Jim had pulled even with myself hanging back at 20-3 on the season. Now let's see who has pulled out ahead and who has dropped back in the standings (sorry Jim!)

Barrington and Defense Have Work to Do

Linebacker Sam Barrington and the defense have a lot of work to do.

On Saturday night, the USF defense was not as sharp as they would like to be. Overall, they did enough to get a huge win and came away with some big plays, but as coordinator Mark Snyder and junior linebacker Sam Barrington will tell you, they have work to do as they prepare on a short week for the game against Pitt.

USF Injury Updates

Quenton Washington is expected to play on Thursday night.

From Adam Adkins - Skip Holtz announced tonight that senior cornerback Quenton Washington (knee), safety Tyson Butler (hamstring), and offensive lineman Tony Kibler (knee) are all expected to play on Thursday night when USF takes on Pitt on the road.

Washington was shut down this week due to a nagging knee injury. George Baker played well in his absence. Kibler will help add solid depth and Butler helps give the starters like Young and Lejiste get a break as well.

Wide receiver Terrence Mitchell who was released from the hospital today, although stated he still has a lingering headache. It is very unlikely that he plays on Thursday night. Cornerback Ernie Tabuteau is still dealing with a back injury and could miss the game as well.

USF Soccer Beats WVU 2 to 1

Dom Dwyer continues to roll as USF gets a huge road win at WVU.

The USF men were able to start the 2011 Big East schedule off with a big win over #19 WVU and snap the Mountaineers 13-game winning streak at home. 

Dom Dwyer struck in the 15th minute to tie the game for USF.  Lucas Baldin then put the Bulls ahead in the 74th minute and the defense locked it down after that. 

It was a chippy game with USF committing 19 fouls and getting 3 yellow cards as both sides fought hard for their first Big East win on the season in a huge game for both sides.  Chris Blais made 3 huge stops to help the defense lock it down.  USF is now 5-2-1(1-0-0) on the season, a great start to the conference portion of the schedule. 

The Bulls will take on Providence on Saturday night at 7:30 PM as they try to go 2-0 in conference play in front of the home crowd. 

USF Volleyball Drops Game to Marquette

The lady Bulls after a big win at Syracuse left their momentum on the plane as they lose the match in 4 sets to Marquette to drop to 5-9 (1-1) on the season.

The Bulls had a big showing by J'beria Davis who had 17 kills and 10 digs on the afternoon. Valerie El Houssine had 8 kills, 2 digs, and 2 block assists as the Eagles were able to take her out of the match. Shelbie Dailey had 39 assists on the afternoon. Janice Rivera had 21 digs to lead the team.

While the match is a rough loss, coming away 1-1 after a long weekend is a positive to take away from the start of the Big East schedule. The Bulls looked very strong in their game against Syracuse and showed plenty of fight in the game today.

The Bulls will finally return home for a long home stand with Rutgers coming in on Saturday afternoon at 12 noon. Hopefully by returning home for the Bulls, they will be able to get it together and get a couple a few wins as they continue the Big East portion of the schedule.

USF vs. DePaul Game Called Due to Weather

The USF ladies, 4-3-3 (0-1-2), were up two to nothing over DePaul at Corbett stadium this afternoon before the rain and lightning forced both sides to call the game.

Chelsea Klotz and Noelle Pineiro got the Bulls up early in the game before the rain forced people to head for shelter with just 6 minutes left in the first half. Both teams tried to get back on the field, but with the entire area being pounded by bad storms, they decided to call the game.

The game has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning at 11 AM (middle of class, not best timing). The score will begin at 0-0, so the Bulls will have to erase both scores that got them up early (will have coverage once game goes final).

USF will go on the road later this week to take on Cincinnati on Friday night at 7PM as they continue the season.

Terrence Mitchell Released from Hospital

Terrence Mitchell was released from the hospital today. (Picture: www.gousfbulls.com)

From USF Athletics - WR/PR Terrence Mitchell has been released from the hospital today after being knocked out of the game last week.

The UTEP Miners faked a 4th down punt, rushing the ball up the side of the field. Mitchell, a former defensive back, came up from his return position and made the tackle on the ball carrier. Mitchell lowered his head on the tackle, hitting his helmet against the ball carrier and went down, out cold.

Mitchell was unconscious for a few moments after the hit before being taken off the field on a cart. He was down for a long time as players circled around him until the medical crews were able to get him off the field.

Mitchell was diagnosed with a concussion, not an sort of neck injury, to the relief of everyone. He was released earlier today after staying the night to be evaluated from the doctors.

We are all glad to see T-Rex out of the hospital and on his way to recovering. It is beyond unlikely he plays on Thursday night with such an injury and a short turn around before the team is back in action. Mitchell will rest and could be out for a few more games depending on how he recovers. We saw Landi on a punt return and could see him, Lamar, Marc, or others back to return punts in his absence.

USF Lands Big 2012 Commit

Coach Heath got some great news last night (could use some good news for this upcoming season though)

While the football team was getting to work last night, Stan Heath got a big time commitment for the class of 2012, a name he has recruited before, center Waverly Austin.

Austin, the 6-10 center out of Palm Beach State Community College, was one of the top JUCO players in the country. After visiting Memphis (had a solid visit) Austin had cut his final list down to North Carolina, Miami, Kansas and USF. Last night, he made it official, he is a Bull.

USF Moves Up in Polls

USF climbs the polls after their win over UTEP last night. (Picture: www.yahoo.com) 

After the 52 to 24 win over UTEP last night, USF continues to move up in the polls today.  The Bulls have moved to 14th in the AP poll and 16th in the coaches poll, their highest ranking since 2008 when the Bulls took on Louisville.  

Click here for the full rankings.  (Notice that Florida is at 12th place right now with FSU dropping to 23rd while WVU drops back to 22nd after their loss to LSU last night as well). 

The Bulls are probably pleased with the ranking, but are not focused on this at all.  They have a very short week to prepare for a big game at Pitt on Thursday night (8PM on ESPN).  The Bulls did their job going 4-0 through the non-conference portion, building depth, working through mistakes, and preparing for the real task at hand, Big East play.  We will know more about this team on Thursday night. 

USF Ladies in Action Today

The USF volleyball team, 5-8 (1-0) is hoping to build off their huge win over Syracuse on Friday night. The Bulls dropped the first two sets of the match, but were able to rally and win the next three to take the match and get the first win in Big East play (huge for Lessinger).

The Bulls travel to take on Marquette today (9-4) (1PM start for match) and they are hoping for another big win on the road in conference play. If Valerie El Houssine and J'beria Davis come out like they did last match, USF could get another huge win.

The ladies soccer team, 4-3-3 (0-1-2) will travel to take on DePaul (2-7-1)(0-2-1) today at 2PM. USF is coming off of a huge performance in front of a national audience where they tied the defending national champion Notre Dame squad. The Bulls are looking for their first big win of conference play and playing against a struggling Depaul team could be exactly with Klotz and company are looking for.

USF Takes on West Virginia

The 17th ranked USF men's soccer team, 4-2-1, heads on the road to open up Big East play as they take on WVU at 3:30 PM on Sunday afternoon.

WVU is 4-2-1 on the season as well, posting a 3-0 record at home, so the Bulls are facing a tough challenge as they begin conference play.

USF Handles UTEP 52 to 24

Daniels led the Bulls to another solid win. (Picture: www.yahoo.com)

The Bulls were not as sharp as Holtz would like before the team takes on Pitt in conference play next Thursday night, but overall, USF should be happy about this win despite losing Terrence Mitchell to a bad concussion that took him out of the game.

Weather Report for Tonight's Football Game

GAME DAY: UTEP

Game day is finally here USF fans. After a beat down last week, the competition gets a little bit tougher for USF as they take on UTEP at 7PM.

USF is looking to go 4-0 in this game as they prepare for a short week before heading to Pitt next week. This is another big game for the team as they keep working on getting better every week and continue to pursue the biggest goal on their minds.

The Bull Rush team will be in Lot 4 for this game, starting at 2PM today (will have some sort of sign put up too, so you might see us. Don't be a stranger, if you see us, come talk to us!) After the game, we will have all the post game coverage and analysis for you. GO BULLS!

USF vs. UTEP Bold Prediction

Time for another bold prediction for this game. We fell short last week with our prediction that USF would have two running backs over 100 yards, although Scott put on a show to make up for it.

This week we will go with another bold prediction that B.J. Daniels will throw for over 300 yards again.

Daniels has set new career highs the last two weeks, racking up 389 yards passing last week during the beat down of FAMU. While he doesn't have to throw the ball every down (with Scott and Murray, makes life a little bit easier) he still needs to execute the offense and get the ball down the field.

If Daniels continues to play at this level, he could continue to put up the big numbers we have been seeing and ultimately, the most important number, another win.

USF Rallies to Beat Syracuse

The USF Bulls rallied tonight to beat the Syracuse Orange. The Bulls lost the first two sets of the match, but came back strong and won the next three to improve to 5-8 on the season, 1-0 in Big East play.

The key players for USF came up huge for Coach Lessinger. J'beria Davis has 22 kills and 6 digs on the evening. Andrea Rodriguez Gomez has 13 kills and 5 digs. Janice Rivera had 21 digs as she continues to lead the way from the center of court. Freshman Valerie El Houssine had a huge night. She led the way with 30 kills, including 2 service aces and has 16 digs as she led the way to a monster win for the team.

This is a huge win for the Bulls, they needed this win for the team and the program. The Bulls had lost a few tough games and needed to come together and get off to a good start against a tough Big East opponent in the start of conference play and they got it.

The Bulls will now take on Marquette on Sunday at 1 PM as they try to get another huge road win in conference play.

Stan Heath Lands 2012 Commit

Smile Heath, you got some good news today.

From Adam Adkins (Twitter) - As the basketball season slowly approaches, Heath continues to work at recruiting and landed his first recruit of the 2012-2013 class, shooting guard Musa Adbul-Aleem.

Adul-Aleem is a 6-5 220-pound shooting guard from Georgia Perimeter Community College in Decatur, Georgia.

Adul-Aleem had taken an official visit to Memphis (liked what he say) before taking a full visit to USF and appears to be committed to the Bulls for the 2012 season.

Abul-Aleem rose on the recruiting charts after averaging 14.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was named Georgia Collegiate Athletic Freshman of the year. Head Coach David Dennis stated that Heath and staff had built a great relation with him and states USF is getting not only a great player but a great person as well.

He helps answer a missing piece for Heath at the shooting guard position after Hugh Robertson graduates after this season. He will have two years of eligibility starting next season.

He will be able to join Martino Brock in 2012 to help add more depth and shooting talent for the Bulls. Great commit and welcome to the team!

Adkins (TBO.com) broke he story first. Once more information becomes available about his commitment, the Bull Rush will have you covered.

Key Match-ups for USF vs. UTEP

Here are some of the key match ups to watch tomorrow night as the Bulls take on the Miners in a very important game before the start of the Big East schedule.

USF Volleyball Takes on Syracuse

USF volleyball  to take on Syracuse night in the first game of the their "Big East" schedule.

The Bulls are 4-8, coming off of a hard fought loss to NIU on Sunday where they dropped three sets out of the four (NIU is ranked 23rd in the country).

Claire Lessinger was proud of her team and believes they learned and became a stronger team after the road test and will need her squad to learn fast as they take on Syracuse.  They have had a solid week of practice and are ready to go to war.

Scouting UTEP: Offense

The #18 Bulls are looking to start 4-0 for the fourth time in the past five years, and it appears that the defense will have a relatively easy day against an offense that scored just 16 points on a very bad New Mexico State team last week. UTEP's other win this season was against FCS Stony Brook, who took the Miners into overtime before getting beaten, 31-24. Breaking down the offense, there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the quarterback position.

Five Reasons USF Can Win or Lose to UTEP

There are plenty of ways to win and lose a game.

This continues to be a fun series as we look at the top 5 reasons the Bulls can win and lose this game against UTEP. Face the facts, USF should win this game, they have the speed, momentum, playing at home, and everything else in between. But like all teams, we can lose just as easily. Here are the top reasons we can win or lose to the Miners on Saturday.

USF ties Notre Dame 1 to 1

In front of a packed stadium, the USF ladies tied the defending national champions Notre Dame 1 to 1.

On Fox Sports Channel (national audience) the Bulls were down early in the game as Notre Dame struck first in the 28th minute with a goal. USF had their chances, firing away all night. Chelsea Klotz had 6 shots, including 3 on goal, but nothing got through until the 86th minute. Valerie O'Brien got the Bulls on the board with a lone goal that sent the game into overtime. The Bulls and Irish battled through both overtimes and ended the contest with a tie.

USF is now 4-3-3 (0-1-2) on the season and will take on DePaul on Sunday at 1 PM in another big conference game as they try to pull even in the conference and get a much needed win after facing a tough opponent.

While the game ended in a tie, the Bulls, in front of the third largest crowd in USF women's soccer history, this is a big step for the team. Tying the defending champs and holding your own against a great ranked team is huge and if the Bulls are able to build some momentum from this game, they will have to look back at this outstanding effort.

USF Wounded Warrior Project

USF will be participating in Under Armour's Wounded Warrior project and two new images of what the Bulls might be wearing have come out. The full press release from Scout.com can be found HERE.

USF will wear the full uniforms on November 19th when they take on Miami in Tampa. Uniforms (have not been released quite yet) will incorporate values of the military services on the back to replace the name of the players along with using stars and stripes designs inside the numbering on the uniform.

After the game, the uniforms will be sold and all proceeds will go to Believe in Heroes. Other items such as hats and t-shirts will be sold as well.

We have seen the image of the helmet before and have known for some time about the Wounded Warrior project, but this is the first time we have seen the cleats they might be using (image released before for USC, but could be very similar to this design..

This is a really cool design for the USF helmet and a great honor to be part of as the Bulls, UA, and players salute and honor the veterans that protect us.

Tell us what you think about them!

(Note: Scout.com (USFnation.com) had first release of images). Full credit to USFnation.com writer Larry Weisbaum

USF Takes on Notre Dame

The ladies are playing a huge game tonight and need everyone to pack the stadium! (Picture: www.gousfbulls.com)

The USF Bulls, 4-3-2 (0-1-1) host Notre Dame tonight at 7 PM (game will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel in front of a national audience, big time).

Notre Dame is the defending national champion and will be a huge test for the Bulls who are coming off of a hard fought tie game with Pitt on Sunday night.

Notre Dame, 4-4-1 (1-2-1) is coming off of a big 4 to 1 win over Big East foe Cincinnati and will be looking for another big win on the road. After a solid start to the season, the Bulls have not been able to notch a win recently and are looking to make a huge statement with this opportunity in front of them.

Big East Week 4 Picks

Week 4 is already here. While the Big East fades away, our picks will not (at least for this season). Last week, Jim pulled even with Mike at 21-2 at calling their games while I came in third at 20-3 (still in the hunt). Now that the cupcakes games are nearly out of the way, the Big East games before a little bit harder to call, but we will give it the old college try. Here are our picks.

USF Injury Updates

Safety Tyson Butler strained his hamstring, doubtful for Saturday. (Picture: www.gousfbulls.com)

From Greg Auman - Safety Tyson Butler is the newest member to join the short list of aches and pains for the Bulls. Butler missed practice yesterday with a hamstring strain, making it possible he could miss the game on Saturday as a key reserve.

Holtz has a policy that players that do not practice on Wednesday and Thursday will not play on Saturday, so it would appear that Butler will sit and rest up this weekend.

Conference Realignment and Effects on Recruiting

The conference shuffle effects recruiting whether anyone admits it or not.

While all the conference realignment talks continue and the face of college football continues to change (hate it, hate it) a topic that seems to be lost in the shuffle is recruiting.

While recruiting is always present and coaches sell the school and academics to young high school players, the conference realignment has to play a part in the decision making of players.

USF is currently working on one of their best recruiting classes in recent memory. With several high profile players and players that will make an immediate impact, the Bulls seemed poised for success for years to come, but what affect will realignment have on recruits?

Scouting the UTEP Defense

Safety Trauvon Nixon will try to stop the USF passing game.

The USF offense set a school and Big East record last week against FAMU racking up 745 yards of total offense. This week the Bulls will take on the Miner defense that is giving up over 130 yards a game on the ground, but just 220 yards through the air, making it a challenge for Daniels.

The Miners are without their best defensive player sophomore Germard Reed who went out two weeks ago with a neck injury (thank goodness he is alright). With that said, they still have a solid defense that will try to shut down Daniels and crew. Running out of the 4-3 defense, the Bulls will face a more traditional defense so it should be a very interesting matchup. Here are the defensive starts for the Miners.

Youth Contributing Big for USF

Andre Davis and other freshman are contributing early this season.

Last week, the USF coaching staff got to mix in a lot of their reserve players to get them valuable snaps on the field against FAMU. One player that stood out in just their second game was freshman wide receiver Andre Davis.

Conference Rumor Round-up

The conference is still alive, at least for now.

The Internet is buzzing with all of the conference realignment talk and it seems a few new changes have emerged in just the past 48 hours.

The Pac-12 has stated they are not looking to expand at this point which means a deal to add Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech would appear to be dead at the moment. Now something could always happen, but if we take their word for it, it seems to be quiet for now.

Quenton Washington Out for UTEP

Quenton Washington won't play this week.

From Adam Adkins - After a rough game against FAMU, senior cornerback Quenton Washington has been shut down for the week and will miss the game against UTEP.

Defensive back coach Rick Smith stated that Washington had been struggling and was in jeopardy of losing his job at least for a few series and now he will miss the week and game.

Washington has been dealing with a knee injury since Vero Beach, nothing major, but something that has been nagging him and has probably been slowing him down quite a bit. By taking the week off and sitting out the game, he should near full strength for the Big East season opener next week at Pitt.

Junior George Baker has been playing well and will probably get the start against UTEP. Sophomore JaQuez Jenkins, who returned from missing the last week with a hamstring issue, will help add depth and could get plenty of playing time as well as a reserve or in nickel package.

Sterling Griffin Emerging

Sterling Griffin is having a great start to the 2011 season after missing the entire 2010 season.

Last year, the Bulls lost two of their top receivers to injury before the season began, A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin.

While both are back healthy and contributing this season, Griffin has raised his level of play this year and has become a primary target for B.J. Daniels early in the season. While he continues to throw the ball to a lot of different receivers, Griffin continues to lead the team and is poised for even bigger numbers.