GAME DAY IS HERE!

It is finally here, game day is here! In just a few hours, the Bulls will storm out of the tunnel to take on Notre Dame! The buzz and excitement has all led to this, kick-off (thanks to greenandgold56 for putting this funny image together).

We hope everyone enjoys the game. From watch parties to the lucky fans that are standing in the stadium, we hope everyone is safe, responsible, and truly enjoys this memorable game for the team and the program.

The Bull Rush team will be watching the game just like everyone else, hoping for the big plays and the eventual (fingers crossed) big win. We will have all the post game coverage once the score goes final. Make sure to stay tuned to the site during the day as well for the coverage of the volleyball team scores as well (can't forget them either!)

South Bend Road Trip Journal: Day 2

Second day on the road! We're glad to have finally had a chance to stop and eat a real meal. Well, we stopped at Shoney's just south of the Tennessee-Kentucky border, where I'd give the food about a C. But it was good just to have something to eat.

11:30 A.M., EST, Friday- We're back on the road, with a new passenger, who wasted no time scavenging through the back and drinking all our adult beverages. He's keeping himself busy by plucking the hairs off the back of the necks of the other passengers and talking about his wild nights in Nashville. I'm glad I got to ride shotgun for this part of the drive.

12:00 P.M. - Kentucky! One more state down, we slapped that sticker on the Kentucky state border and piled back in the car, ready to finally get there.

12:45 P.M. - Silence at last. The new guy finally had those adult beverages catch up to him and he's taking a little cat nap. We're going to enjoy this solace while we can.

1:30 P.M. - A couple of people are getting restless, asking about lunch. Unfortunately for them, we ate our fill at breakfast and were prepared to go the rest of the day without eating.

We just passed through the University of Louisville. Big, good looking campus, and the stadiums are all nice. Unfortunately, the Cardinal's football venue, Papa John's Stadium, got the same people thinking about lunch again. The next 20 miles were spent hearing requests to stop for pizza.

2:00 P.M. - Just entered Indiana, and pulled off for a much-needed break from driving and a seat shift. During the stop, of course we had to tag the "Welcome to Indiana" sign, and we think it's our best one. Back in the car, though. Next stop: South Bend!

2:45 P.M. - OK, one more stop. We got off at the Indiana University exit in Bloomington to grab some pizza just to hold us over for the rest of the day. I pray that no one needs to go to the bathroom between now and the time we get to South Bend

3:30 P.M. - 24 HOURS UNTIL KICKOFF!!!

7:00 P.M. - WE'RE HERE!!!!!!! Just planted our car in a KOA campground just a few miles east of the Notre Dame Campus. Put together the big tents and finally changed our clothes. Went onto the Notre Dame campus for a while afterward to see the scenery and catch the end of USF's final practice before opening day.

9:00 P.M. - Just got some firewood and replenished our adult beverages again, getting ready to settle in for two nights.

10:00 P.M. - Going to the Notre Dame campus to walk around and get acquainted with the area to prepare for our victory march tomorrow evening.

11:30 P.M. Finally settled at the campsite. Built a campfire and now it's time to party all night long until it's time to go to the stadium.

Now it's time to party into the late hours and go to sleep so we can wake up at 6:30 to get to the stadium to tailgate all morning and afternoon. Gameday tomorrow!

USF Volleyball Take on Two Today

We are all ready for football and trust me, that is the only thing on my mind today (and a victory of course) but let's also remember there are two volleyball matches today in the Rec center and the ladies could use your support.

After losing 3 sets to 1 last night vs. Eastern Kentucky, the Bulls will take on Maryland Eastern Shore this morning at 11AM (so you won't miss any football). UMES missed their first 4 games of the season when their opening tournament was rained out by Irene. They played last night for the first time this season, dropping the match 3 sets to 1 and dropping to 0-1. They were 20-12 last season, but just 0-4 away from home (6-8 on neutral sites). They have a very young team, led by Kaveinga Kea'Aetoa, Maline Vaitas, and Rebecca Prado, so it will be another tough game for the ladies.

After that match, the ladies will be taking on Bowling Green University. BGSU is 4-0 on the season after an 8-24 campaign last season so they are much better and playing at a top level right now. They do have a match at 2 PM against UMES (gotta love these tournaments and the number of games) so we won't have an updated record on them during that match, but they are a talented, young team that is playing at a high level. Watch for players such as Kaityln Skinner, Danielle Tonyan, Paige Penrod, and Laura Avila.

This game is at 7:30 so far the football game (and victory) head over to the Rec center to watch the ladies try to notch a few wins on the day.

USF Soccer Beats Georgia State

The USF men were able to keep the hot start to the 2011 season going with a 1 to 0 win over Georgia State tonight.

Sebastien Thuriere had a header at the 24th minute that proved to be the game deciding goal as the USF defense locked down Georgia State the entire night. Dom Dwyer had 3 shots on goal during the night and Leston Paul continued to move the offense and attack the goal, but the lone goal was just what they needed on the night. Chris Blais made 2 saves (defense was unreal) and recorded his second straight shut out win of the season.

The Bulls (2-0-0) will take on Robert Morris on Sunday night as they try to make it three in a row and continue this great start to the season.

USF Volleyball Drops Another Game

The USF ladies dropped the first game of the 2011 season at home tonight to Eastern Kentucky, losing 3 sets to 1 (22 to 25, 19 to 25, 25 to 17, and 26 to 28).

The Bulls looked off tonight as they continued to struggle. J'beria Davis had 8 kills, 7 digs, and 1 block. Kimika Rozier had 8 kills. Kayla Walton had 14 kills to lead the team in the 4 sets. Andrea Rodriguez Gomez had 11 kills and 2 blocks. Janice Rivera had 18 digs to lead the team.

The Bulls slip to 0-3 to start the season and will face two teams tomorrow, a talented Maryland Eastern Squad and Bowling Green who is off to a hot start. Let's hope they can rally tomorrow morning and notch the first win of the season.

USF Ladies Drop Match to Vanderbilt 1 to 0

Well it wasn't what the ladies wanted to do after a big win the week before as the Bulls dropped their game against Vanderbilt 1 to 0.

USF offense was kept in check all game by the tough Vandy defense. Taylor Patterson got 3 shots on the night, but just one on goal. Chelsea Klotz was limited to just one hit as the Commodores made her a non-factor in this game. Demi Stokes took 2 shots, one on goal, as she continues to play big minutes for the Bulls after being limited early in the season with a minor ankle injury.

Vanderbilt took the lead in the first half with a goal at the 36th minute by Emily Grant and that was it as both teams struggled to get anything done.

The ladies drop to 2-2 and will look to get back to the winning ways on Sunday afternoon as they take on Murray State.

USF Takes on Eastern Kentucky

After a rough start to the 2011 volleyball season, Claire Lessinger and the ladies return home for the first time this year as they host the 2011 USF Volleyball Invitational.

The Bulls showed a lot of fight vs. New Mexico and New Mexico State, but couldn't rally enough to get a win in the desert. Now as they return to their home court (upper gym in the rec center) they hope they can get it together and notch the first win of the season.

They will be facing off against Eastern Kentucky (1-4) for their first match. Eastern Kentucky will actually open the season up with a game at 11AM vs. Bowling Green and will face the Bulls later that evening (7:30).

Here are the players to watch on the Eastern Kentucky squad (note that these stats all come from the previous matches of EKU and do not include the statistics from the Bowling Green match. As much as we strive to bring you the latest statistics, with so much going on with athletics this weekend, statistics may not be available for us right as the match ends and we prepare for the ND game this weekend).

What Uniform Will the Bulls Wear Tomorrow?

It is strange to take a random guess at what uniform combination the Bulls will be wearing for their season opener tomorrow at Notre Dame.

Key Matchups for USF vs. Notre Dame

It is game day eve, yes, it is finally here. We can start to count the hours down until the ball finally gets kicked-off in South Bend and hopefully everyone is as pumped up for this as we are.

We have scouted the Notre Dame team all week, preparing you for the highly anticipated game, but a few questions still remain and continue to be the topic of conversations, how will certain players and positions stack up against Notre Dame?

Let's take a look at some of the key match ups that we will watching during the game and see how the Bulls line up with the Irish.

USF vs. ND Watch Party in Lakeland!

Hey Bull Rush fans, the game is hours away and if you are still looking for a spot to watch it and live in the Lakeland area, then head on down to The Gym Sports Bar & Grill in Downtown Lakeland for a great watch party. The Gym will have plenty of drink specials and even a special USF themed menu with several special items on it.

For more information on The Gym Sports Bar & Grill, check them out on Facebook The Gym's Facebook Page.

Click here for the menu specials! It should be a fun watch party, so make sure to stop in for great food, drinks, and of course a USF win!