The Great Twitter Scare of 2011

It seemed like just your average Tuesday night. Sitting on the couch watching the Marlins game, thinking the day in USF Athletics was over. I'm sure many of my fellow twitter members felt the same as I did: another pretty normal, uneventful night in the world of USF sports. That was until about 10 p.m. when our beloved school newspaper, The Oracle, posted a tweet that would turn on the panic meter for the next 45 minutes:

See how the rest of the night unraveled after the jump

That's Enough, O'Leary

Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, and I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Many know George O'Leary notoriously as the coach who wrote false things on his resume for the head coaching job at Notre Dame by indicating that he was a three-year letter winner at New Hampshire when he in fact did not play at all, and had a Master's degree from a university that doesn't exist. Now, it wouldn't be fair to ostracize him forever for that one incidence, even if i did result in his immediate firing from the most prestigious program in the country, but now it appears O'Leary might just have a knack for bending the truth for his benefit. At a UCF alumni meeting, Old Georgie announced that the UCF-USF series was back on, saying that these two "nut job fan bases" will finally be reunited beginning in 2015. It was discovered soon after that there were in fact no solid plans to resume the rivalry. Athletics representatives from South Florida stated that there was nothing to indicate that the teams would be meeting in 2015 or ever.

Bulls in the Draft: Part 4

With the NFL draft coming tomorrow, this will be the final installment of 2011's Bulls in the Draft. That being the case, it's only appropriate that tonight we focus on the two players that have turned the most heads of NFL teams with their workouts: Jacquian Williams and Terrell McClain. McClain has been on several analysts' radars for a while, earning invitations to college all-star games and receiving accolades for his work on the field. Williams, on the other hand, didn't really start turning heads until after his playing days. His workouts and interviews were what made teams start looking at him. While we obviously hope to see all our players get picked, these two have the most realistic shot to get chosen in the draft.

An alum of Riverdale High School, Jacquian Williams isn't too far from home here at USF, but it hasn't always been that way. Out of High School, Williams took an opportunity to go to Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas where he saw great success. Over the two seasons he spent there, Williams racked up 132 tackles, 23 for loss, an interception, and a forced fumble on his way to receiving several honors, including Kansas Junior College and Community College Defensive Player of the Week. His last year at Fort Walton ended with Williams being voted a National Junior College All-American. After his graduation from Fort Walton, he came home to Tampa where he immediately saw the field, playing in all 13 games in his first season at USF. There weren't many stats to be admired after his junior season, but his leadership made it easy for his teammates to select him as a captain next season. His senior year, Williams started all 13 games at linebacker, picking up 71 tackles, three passes defensed, and an interception, including an outstanding performance at Miami.

Williams' performance on the field was admirable, but it was his performance at Pro Day that got people talking. His low 40 time was 4.53 seconds and his vertical jump was recorded at 36.5 inches. For a 6-3, 231 pound frame, those are excellent measurements to move that much mass. As a comparison, Akeem Ayers, one of the top linebacker prospects in the draft, ran his 6-3, 254 lb body in the 40 in 4.81 seconds, a significantly slower time. It would be wise of Williams to bulk up a bit before he steps onto a field, but I see a lot of success in his future.

Finally, we come to the main attraction: Terrell McClain. McClain won all-state honors at Pensacola High, and, again, didn't go too far from home to play his college ball. After receiving offers from Auburn, Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina among others, McClain decided to stay close to his hometown and attend South Florida. He played in a rotate-in role at DT for his first year, but soon afterward he became a regular member of the defensive squad. In his sophomore season, he started nine games and recorded 32 tackles, the highest in a single season of his career. He also forced a fumble and had three sacks, also tied for career highs. He played in every game the next two years, starting all but two his junior season. Over those two years, he recorded 4.5 sacks, 8 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble, also having his career day at Miami in 2010. He capped off his excellent senior season with invitations to the East-West Shrine Game, and his performance there earned him an invite to play in the Senior Bowl.

At 6'2", 297 lbs, McClain was the only Bulls to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine this year. He recorded 28 repetitions on the 225 lb bench press, which is impressive for anyone. I compare him most closely to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first draft pick last year, Gerald McCoy. McCoy measured in at 6'4", 295 lbs, and recorded 23 reps on the bench, five less than McClain. If McClain can get his technique down, I see him with plenty of potential to go as high as a mid-second round pick.

It appears that some of the NFL coaches and staff also see the potential in these players, as Jacquian Williams got a lot of attention from Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith during Pro Day in Tampa, and McClain has been spending a lot of time talking with the executives of several teams, most notably Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. I'm glad the draft is finally here, so all this speculation can end and we can actually find out where these guys will really end up. We offer our good wishes to all players waiting to get that phone call this weekend that changes the lives of their entire families.

My Day at the USF Softball Doubleheader

I got up at 9:55 this morning, rolled out of bed, and immediately put on my USF shirt and hat. I grabbed something to eat on my way out to the car, and drove to campus, excited to finally see a USF team in contention for a league title this late in the season. After finding out yesterday that Sara Nevins would be starting both games today, got to the park at around 10:30 hoping see a no-hitter. I guess I forgot that we were going to be facing the 23rd ranked softball team in the country, one whose only losses this season are to teams that have won national championships and are still national powers. Even with that considered, I was confident when I settled into my seat, ready for game one.

Game one started exactly as expected. Sara Nevins walked out to the circle and was dialed in from the beginning. She struck out the first three batters on 14 pitches to get the Bulls a quick trip back into the dugout. Gina Kafalas got hit by the Notre Dame pitcher Laura Winter's first pitch, and Janine Richardson drew a walk, but that was pretty much the highlight of USF's game. Unable to capitalize on the first inning baserunners, the ladies took the field again. Nevins was still in the zone, though, pitching perfectly through the first four innings of the game, only to be matched by Winter's outstanding performance. In the top of the fifth, though, things began to come apart. After a one-out single by Sadie Pitzenberger broke up the perfect game and stole second, Nevins struck out the next batter. It looked like the Bulls were going to be able to escape unharmed until Erin Marrone popped up what looked to be a routine fly ball. Gina Kafalas came in to chase the ball down, but Kelly McCarver was tracking it from left too. The two collided, and the ball fell to the ground allowing Pitzenberger to score. That was the only damage done by the Irish's offense, but it appeared to be all Winter needed. Since the first-inning walk to Richardson, Winter was perfect, retiring all remaining 19 batters in order. Like I said, when I woke up this morning, I hoped to see a no-hitter. I wasn't expecting Notre Dame to be the one pitching it.

Final score: Notre Dame 1, USF 0.

And don't worry, I kept track of the scoring again:

Here's my scoresheet for Notre Dame and for USF

I also kept track of pitch counts and pitcher stats, but I figured this was good enough.

Game two came around at 1:15, and Nevins was handed the ball for her second start of the day. After 107 pitches in game one, it was clear that Nevins wouldn't be around long. the first and second innings went very well for both pitchers, but the third was where things started getting bad. Alexa Maldonado had a leadoff single, and a walk put two on with one out. It appeared that things may not be too bad when Sadie Pitzenberger slapped a ground ball to short, but Janine Richardson misplayed it and it turned into an RBI. The fourth was even worse, when a leadoff single allowed Marrone to come aboard, which was followed by what would be Nevins' last batter. Brianna Jorgensborg bunted to advance the runner, but an errant throw by Nevins rolled all the way into the corner of right field, and Jorgensborg turned a sacrifice bunt into a bunt home run. After 57 pitches in the second game for a grand total of 164, Nevins' day was finally done. By this time, I was pretty much ready to go, seeing how the offense couldn't produce all day. But I had to be strong and finish watching so I could write about it here, so I stuck around. Capri Catalano was able to close out the inning without further damage. Offensively, the Bulls still hadn't found a hit. It wasn't until the bottom of the 6th with two on and one out that Janine Richardson finally recorded USF's first hit of the day, breaking a 13.1 inning hitless streak. The bases were loaded at this point, but Stephanie Medina flew out to left field, followed by an inning-ending groundout by Laura Fountain.

Final Score: Notre Dame 5, USF 0.

My scoresheets for Notre Dame and for USF

I'd like to say I took something positive away from this doubleheader, but there really wasn't anything that looked good all day. The only thing that was remotely encouraging was Nevins' perfect game going into the 5th, but we already knew she could do that. We can only wonder what would have been different if Lindsey Richardson had been healthy for the game, but nothing good can come out of the "what if" game. The offense was, no pun intended (maybe a little), offensive, not being able to record a hit in more than a game and a half. Obviously Notre Dame didn't get ranked #23 in the nation for just no reason, but if USF expects to compete with teams of this caliber they have to be able to manufacture hits and capitalize on baserunners. Defensively, the ladies looked confused at times, even though there were no pre-game position changes. Now, the Bulls have a few days off before going to Chicago to complete their season at DePaul, who still lead the conference. As it looks right now, they're going to have to sweep the Blue Demons and hope Notre Dame drops a bunch of games in these final weeks of the season if they have any expectations of a #1 seed in the Big East championship tournament in Clearwater. Despite the losses today, this softball team has given us a great season, and hopefully we get to see some more of them in the postseason.

Bulls in the Draft: Part 3

I'm particularly excited about this installment of Bulls in the Draft because it showcases two of my favorite players of my time watching USF football: Mistral Raymond and Dontavia Bogan. Raymond has endured quite the dramatic life, from personal tragedy to football star, and showing excellence in every aspect. Bogan's career has been defined by highlight reel catches and great leadership on the field. Once again, similar to last night's post, these two players play similar positions, on opposite sides of the ball.

At Central County High School in Thomasville, Georgia, Dontavia Bogan was a star Safety, being named his region's Defensive Player of the Year. He also received accolades for his work at receiver. As a freshman, Bogan immediately saw playing time, taking the field in 11 games, racking up 190 yards and a touchdown and leading all receivers i yards per catch (15.8). The next year, Bogan became a bit more of a regular on the field, seeing game time at receiver as well as on special teams. His breakout game was against Connecticut, where he averaged 67.5 yards per kickoff return, adding to his outstanding special teams season where he finished 17th nationally in yards per kick return (26.6). 2008 was also the year of his real transition to receiver, hauling in 26 passes for 354 yards, but only one touchdown. His numbers remained consistent throughout the 2009 season, when he had 22 catches for 205 yards. His return yards matched the previous year's total at 770, but with more attempts. At the time, those two seasons held the top two return averages in USF history before one of them was overtaken by Lindsey Lamar last season. In his senior year, Bogan spent more time perfecting his job on offense than in special teams, only returning four kicks, enough to push him to the top of the all-time list for career returns (69). He brought down 47 catches for 685 yards, and six for touchdowns, including a career day at West Virginia where he had 11 catches for 98 yards.

Bogan may see a transition back into his old role as a kick returner with an NFL team, as his 6' 192 pound frame is likely more built for agility than to be a target for quarterbacks, at least not with the frame he's got now. I compare his size to Santonio Holmes out of college, but the big difference is in their 40 times. Bogan recorded a 4.55 run in the 40, while Holmes had a significantly better 4.38. If Bogan expects to see early playing time, I expect that he'll need to either shave some time off his 40 or bulk up a bit. If he adds about 15-20 pounds, his combine stats would match Roddy White's almost perfectly. Bogan has the skill and the ability, so if he works on his tangibles he'll be a great pick for an NFL team.

Now it's my pleasure to write about my favorite player in my years of watching USF football: Mistral Raymond. Initially a free safety, Raymond hails from Palmetto High School. He went to play football in Iowa for Ellsworth Community College, before a close tragedy struck his family. Back at home in Palmetto, Raymond's childhood home was sprayed with gunshots and set on fire with Molotov cocktails. One of his sisters was hit, but the rest of his family escaped relatively unharmed. His mother passed away a few months later of lung-related illness, but it is unclear whether it was caused by the house fire. Raymond was on the first flight home to be with his family during this time, but he couldn't get away from his main passion: Playing football. Raymond found his way to the University of South Florida, where he got an opportunity to try out for a walk-on position for the team. At 6'2", 192 lbs, Raymond's lanky frame earned him the nickname "Skinny", courtesy of the USF coaching staff. He spent his first year on campus rotating in on special teams in nine games. "Skinny" started being more than just a name in the 2009 season, as he tallied 40 tackles and an interception in his 13 games on the season. In 2010, Raymond earned the honor of being voted by his teammates as a captain for the team on his way to having a career season, recording 56 total tackles, one interception, and seven passes defended.

Mistral Raymond ran the 40 at Pro Day in 4.56 seconds, not a bad time for someone looking to play Safety. His 32.5 inch vertical jump and 10'2" broad jumps are relatively comparable to safeties around the league. Former Miami FS Antrel Rolle is of similar size and his measurables are also comparable. The biggest setback for Raymond is his hands, which is obviously why he played defense instead of receiver. Raymond had two picks in his career at USF, but there were many more opportunities to ass to those stats. At Pro Day, the same was true, as a couple drill passes were dropped as well. The strongest part of Raymond's game is his character. Without a doubt, someone who has endured as much as this guy must have a heart of steel. No matter where Raymond winds up, I'll be rooting for him the whole way, and I know the USF community will be too.

Each of these players has been shown on a couple draft boards here and there, but it is ultimately going to be up to the scouts' notes to determine their futures. They each have qualities on the field that could use some work, but it's nothing that can't be improved with perseverance. Obviously, Raymond's story is enough to win the hearts of anyone in the real world, but NFL executives are going to be a bit tougher to win over. I do think that they each have great potential to succeed at the next level, and we in the USF family wishes them the best.

USF Softball Preparing for Judgment Week

With the five biggest games of the season just over the horizon for the Lady Bulls of the softball team, everything seems to be falling right into place for head coach Ken Ericksen. There are many emotions stirring in the clubhouse this week approaching a season-defining doubleheader tomorrow at home against Notre Dame, but the most prevalent is excitement. Coach Ericksen has seen success in the past in USF's Conference USA days, but this team has something special about it.

Mostly Successful Week for Bulls

Over the past week, there were several USF teams in action. Right here in Tampa, the softball team had a three-game conference series against Connecticut, which they wound up sweeping. The lovely ladies of USF Volleyball held their tenth annual find raising golf tournament across the street at River Hill Country Club on Friday, which was enjoyed thoroughly by the guys at Voodoo Five all day. Up in Indiana, the track team spend a couple days competing in the Polytan Invitational Tournament, where they wound up winning winning five events as well as improving on some personal bests. The baseball team didn't have quite as much success, however, as they bring home a 1-2 record from their three-day stay in Louisville. USF Golf had the Big East tournaments during the week, and while they competed beyond expectations, expectations were low to begin with.

The USF Softball team had yet another conference sweep, this time welcoming UConn to the new softball complex. As I wrote before, the Bulls had a great Friday, dominating a doubleheader and allowing only three runs all day. Sara Nevins got her eighth save, taking over the outright spot for most season saves in USF history. They completed the series sweep Saturday afternoon with an 8-0 run-rule victory and another Nevins gem. She has now not allowed a single run in her last 41.1 innings pitched.

While the doubleheader was going on, down the road at River Hill CC the girls of USF Volleyball were holding their annual fundraiser scramble tournament. With nearr 100 prizes for raffles and plenty of supporters on the course, the day was a complete success. I'd tell you how much they raised, but I figured I'd just let them do that:

It's always great to see a fundraiser go well for any of our teams, so congratulations to the volleyball team on a great job on the course once again.

Out of the state, half of USF's track team went to Bloomington to compete in the University of Indiana's Polytan Invitational while the other half was in Baton Rouge for the LSU Alumni Gold competition. In Indiana, USF's 'A' team took the gold in the 4x400, while individually Jared Thomas won the discus. At LSU, the first-place finishers included Denise von Eynatten (pole vault) and Marqueshia Stallworth (triple jump). In addition to the victories in competition, the athletes achieved 11 personal bests and posted 27 Big East qualifying times.

The success wasn't unlimited, though, as the baseball team took a trip up to Louisville, there they lost two of three, dropping their first conference series since losing to West Virginia in the conference opener. USF dropped a late lead in game one, before getting blown out in game two. Saturday, the Bulls answered with a 10-5 victory thanks in part to the help of a grand slam by Andrew Longley.

The golf teams were playing in the Big East tournament at Innisbrook, where hopes for a championship win were pretty low. USF golf has underachieved in recent memory, but actually competed surprisingly not-too-horribly. The men's team tied their best-ever Big East showing with a fourth place finish, highlighted by a fourth-place individual finish by Robby Carl. The lady golfers earned a third-place finish, only shooting a higher final day score than eventual champion Notre Dame.

Overall, the weekend was full of South Florida sports, and it's always a pleasure when the teams give us something good to write about. Be sure to go out to the softball stadium on Wednesday for the Big East leading USF Softball team's final home series of the season against Notre Dame, who is currently second in the conference, and a weekend baseball series against St. John's. It's sad to see the USF athletics season coming to a close, but the end does bring the end of the semester for students, and the upcoming of a new athletics season to come soon.

Ladies Comfortable at Home Once Again

Another day, another two wins on the diamond for the Lady Bulls of South Florida. I had the pleasure of spending the day at the park, and it was a glorious day to be out there. In fact, if the people sitting down the aisle from me didn't keep getting up to walk out every 5 minutes and coming back 5 minutes later, I would say it was a perfect day. The guys from Voodoo Five were taking advantage of the outstanding weather at the USF Volleyball annual golf scramble tournament over at The Claw (link to come). I hope someday I won't be a poor college kid and actually have money to support our girls in a golf tournament.

But I digress...

As the guys from V5 were probably slamming back the 5th or 6th of their beers in the tee boxes, I was doing my part to support the ladies of our USF Athletics. The Bulls hosted Connecticut (17-20, 5-5 Big East) this afternoon, and Lindsey Richardson got the start for game one. After a bit of a rough start for USF, UConn didn't take long to load the bases with two walks and an error. Richardson kept cool, though, and struck out two in the inning to escape with no damage. The offense was uncharacteristically unproductive early in the game, failing to even get a hit until the third inning. After that, though, USF got back to their good old selves again, scoring two in the third inning with RBI by Ashli Goff and Kourtney Salvarola. The Huskies came back immediately with leadoff back-to-back solo home runs, but that would be the last we would see of Connecticut's offense for the game. USF was really in control for the rest of the game, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth. They also scored four runs in the fifth on only two hits in the fifth, as three UConn pitchers walked three straight batters with the bases loaded. Final score: USF 9, Connecticut 2. A game note: pitcher Sara Nevins got her 8th save of the season, moving her into first place outright for most season saves in USF history.

See what I spent the game doing after the jump.

That's right, I made my own scoresheet. I did one for Connecticut too, but I figured just uploading one would suffice. I apologize for the less than beautiful handwriting, too. The announcer was talking fast and I had to write everyone down.

Anyway, the Bulls didn't have much time to celebrate that big game 1 win, as they got started on the next game 30 minutes later. Richardson got back on the field for game 2, and this time she seemed just about the same. Connecticut made a few changes to the lineup, but it proved to not make much of an improvement as the Huskies only scored one run in the fourth on a sac fly to tie the game at 1, which was charged to Richardson. Sara Nevins came in to relieve Richardson, and at that point, the game was over. Nevins closed the fourth and pitched the next three innings nearly perfectly while getting a bit of run support, courtesy of an RBI single by Ashli Goff. Final score of game 2: USF 2, Connecticut 1. Another game note: Lindsey Richardson only got charged with one earned run in both of her starts today, but did not record a victory (Brittany Bowles got the win in game 1, Nevins in game 2).

The doubleheader sweep improves USF to 11-1 in Big East play, and boosts them into an outright spot,however temporary, for second place in the conference. They get a chance to move into first place tomorrow, but need some help as current first-place team DePaul is in New Brunswick this weekend to play Rutgers. Although the day in softball is over, this doesn't mean my day has to end. As I write this, I'm listening to Ronan O'Shea broadcast the USF Baseball game at Louisville and watching the UCF-UF baseball game on Brighthouse. It's a tough life, but someone has to do it.

Bittersweet Weekend for USF Softball

Looking at the past weekend for the USF Softball team, some might think it looked like a pretty good three games. The girls probably think differently. After being scheduled for a doubleheader at Rutgers and a three-game weekend series with Seton Hall, the Bulls are riding home 2-1 on the weekend. Taking a series against a conference opponent sounds like a pretty good week, but that one loss to Seton Hall snaps the team's ten-game win streak and drops the Bulls to third in the Big East standings.

Just How Great is USF's Softball Team?

It's quite clear by now that the USF Softball team has been having an outstanding season. What may not be so clear, however, is what's pushing the Lady Bulls to such success. Currently, they sit at the top of the Big East standings, undefeated in conference play, remaining as one of only three teams in the Big-Six conferences to have that statistic. Coach Ken Ericksen has done an excellent job of grooming these ladies in the past years and it is now paying dividends for him and the USF community.