USF 2010 Special Teams Highlights

The Bulls are only a few days away from the start of the season and it is time to get prepared and hyped for this huge game. Check out some of the highlights from the special teams unit from 2010. Like I said before, special teams (mostly Lindsey Lamar) will be a huge factor in the game against the Irish so see what this unit can bring in 2011.

USF 2010 Wide Receiver Highlights

Once again, we continue to get ready for the football season and we look back at some of the best moments from the 2010 season, getting everyone physced. This time, enjoy some of the best moments from the wide receivers during the 2010 season. Even with the injuries to key players like A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin and the erratic play of B.J. Daniels, the Bulls receivers still put on a show. Watch and enjoy.

USF 2011 Golf Schedules Released

Shena Yang and the USF golf team prepare for another season. (Picture:www.gousfbulls.com)

With all of the teams getting back to action to start the Fall semester, we can't forget about the golf teams. While they are not the biggest teams on campus, the golf teams deserve the same amount of respect and support from the USF fans. I personally enjoy golf and understand the challenges these players face on the course. Although I doubt they lose as many golf balls as I do during a round (seriously, who puts a lack in the middle of a fairway? Just not fair)

The USF ladies had a solid season last year and the men's team is hoping to follow suite this year.

With favorable courses early in the season and solid group of players returning for both programs, both teams should fare well this season and hopefully get into the Big East tournament and place well. Here are the full schedules for the season.

Women's 2011 schedule (from www.gousfbulls.com)

Sun, Sep 11 - Tue, Sep 13	Golfweek Challenge	at Pawley's Island, S.C.	All Day
Fri, Sep 30 - Sun, Oct 02	Nittany Lion Invitational	at State College, Pa.	All Day
Mon, Oct 10 - Tue, Oct 11	USF/Waterlefe Invitational	Bradenton, Fla.	All Day
Fri, Oct 28 - Sun, Oct 30	Lady Paladin Invitational	at Greenville, S.C.	All Day
Sun, Feb 12 - Tue, Feb 14	UCF Challenge	at Orlando, Fla.	All Day
Mon, Feb 27 - Tue, Feb 28	Cards Challenge	at Weston, Fla.	All Day
Fri, Mar 09 - Sun, Mar 11	JMU/Eagle Landing Invitational	at Orange Park, Fla.	TBA
Fri, Mar 16 - Sun, Mar 18	Lady Gator Invitational	at Gainesville, Fla.	All Day
Mon, Apr 09 - Tue, Apr 10	Knights and Pirates Invite	at Melbourne, Fla.	All Day
Sun, Apr 22 - Tue, Apr 24	BIG EAST Championships	Celebration, Fla.	All Day
Thu, May 10 - Sat, May 12	NCAA Regionals	at TBA	All Day
Tue, May 22 - Fri, May 25	NCAA Championships	at Nashville, Tenn.	All Day

Men's 2011 schedule (from www.gousfbulls.com)

Sun, Sep 11 - Tue, Sep 13	Golfweek Program Challenge	at Pawley's Island, S.C.	All Day
Sun, Oct 02 - Mon, Oct 03	Rees Jones Invitational	at Dafuskie Island, S.C.	All Day
Mon, Oct 17 - Tue, Oct 18	Invitational at the Ocean Course	at Kiawah Island, S.C.	All Day
Mon, Feb 13 - Tue, Feb 14	The Match Play	at Orlando, Fla.	All Day
Sun, Mar 04 - Tue, Mar 06	USF Invitational	Dade City, Fla.	All Day
Fri, Mar 09 - Sun, Mar 11	Seminole Intercollegiate	at Tallahassee, Fla.	All Day
Sun, Mar 18 - Tue, Mar 20	Callaway Match Play Championship	Bradenton, Fla.	All Day
Fri, Mar 23 - Sun, Mar 25	FAU Spring Break Championship	at Delray Beach, Fla.	All Day
Sat, Apr 07 - Sun, Apr 08	Gary Koch Intercollegiate	at Tampa, Fla.	All Day
Tue, Apr 17 - Thu, Apr 19	BIG EAST Championship	at Orlando, Fla.	All Day
Thu, May 17 - Mon, May 21	NCAA Regionals	at Sites TBA	All Day

USF has a solid schedule heading into 2011, for both programs. The ladies, led by Shena Yang and other stars will look to take the teams to higher results and look to place better in all of their tournaments. Add in their new facilities at the Claw getting them ready all year round, it could be a great season for both teams

Jenkins Seeing More Time at Cornerback?

Safety JaQuez Jenkins could see more time at cornerback early in the season due to injuries.

An interesting note from Greg Auman and Adam Adkins yesterday was the play of JaQuez Jenkins at cornerback.

A few days ago, we mentioned that Jenkins (6-2 195-pound sophomore) had been to cornerback (naturally a safety) to help in nickel coverage. Now it appears he is getting more time at corner is regular packages due to the injury concerns for George Baker (groin) and Spencer Boyd (knee). Jenkins was taking snaps with the second team defense and could easily find his way onto the field.

As GA pointed out, Jenkins did play some corner in high school so making the transition won't be too hard for him and his size will give him an advantage matching up with bigger wide receivers (Michael Floyd comes to mind).

Having both Baker and Boyd injured is reason to be alarmed. The Bulls are already thin at corner behind the starters, Webster and Washington. True freshman Kenneth Durden has played well and might get a lot more playing time than the coaches wanted and Ricardo Dixon, Tyson Butler, and Ernie Tabuteau, will all have to step up in reserve roles if Baker and Boyd are unable to recover quickly from injuries.

USF Kicking Situation Not Settled

It appears that the kicking job is still an open race.

From Greg Auman - With just a few days until the start of the season, the Bulls are beginning to make their final preparations for Notre Dame. One position that many had assumed was locked up was the kicking situation. Junior Maikon Bonani, coming off of a solid 2010 season, seemed to have the job wrapped up. But an inconsistent camp and competition from a walk-on has opened the door to more competition and some late decisions for the coaching staff. [keep reading]

USF Defensive Highlights From 2010

With the 2011 season only 9 days away, the anticipation around the university is growing with every second and we can't wait! However, no how much we beg, the clock won't move any faster towards the kickoff at Notre Dame. In the meantime however, here is a little video of the defensive highlights from 2010 season. If this video doesn't get you hyped or give you chills, something must be wrong with you. View and enjoy.

USF's X-Factor Versus the Irish?

Who could be an x-factor in the Bulls first game of the season vs. the Irish? (Picture: J. Patrick Price)

As USF prepares for one of the biggest games in program history (big for Holtz as well, no matter how much he tries to put it off) everyone continues to talk about the big names on the team. Such as B.J. Daniels and what he will do this season, the play of Ryne Giddins on the defense, and so on.

However, there is one name that could be a huge x-factor during the game and the way USF can utilize his abilities, could turn the game in our favor in just one play. [keep reading]

USF Opens Soccer Stadium and New Era of Bulls Sports

With the opening of the new USF soccer stadium last night in front of a sold out crowd and packed student section eager to greet the team as they entered the field, the Fall semester and a new era of USF athletics began.

Since I graduated in 2009, a lot has changed on campus. Athletics has exploded with all of the new stadiums they are putting up and it seems there is a new building on campus every other day (since when did the entrance get fountains!)

With a new baseball/softball complex, the fancy new soccer stadium, new practice fields for football, a new dining hall, the Muma center, and the renovations on the Sun Dome underway, USF is reshaping their athletics programs and the future is very, very bright.

Going to fan fest last week, even though a mini-hurricane hit during it, the fans stuck it out and waited in line for over an hour to meet Coach Holtz. Holtz, like other coaches on campus, has brought a new energy to athletics and it seems to be paying off early and it will only get better this season and into the future.

With the opening of the new soccer stadium last night, the Fall semester of sports and a big future for athletics begins (Picture: www.gousfbulls.com)

From the sold out crowds in the soccer stadium, to the energy and speculation for the football team and the other great programs, this is really a new era of sports for USF.

Now I don't want to get too far ahead of myself for this season and get on my soap box, but seeing the lines of people waiting in the rain for autorgraphs and the crowds of people waiting and cheering for the soccer team during an exhibition match, there is energy around the campus for athletics.

Like Bill McGillis tweeted yesterday about Holtz "USF is rolling."

Students need to get to every game this season, pack the soccer field, pack the Upper gym in the Rec center for volleyball and the few basketball games and when it comes to football, there should not be one person sitting during the game or quiet when the team sings the fight song at the end of each victory (so many of them are coming this year).

Fall 2011 is the just the beginning of something special for USF.

USF Offers 2013 Defensive End Prospect

Coach Kevin Patrick and the USF staff continue to scout and recruit even with the season approaching. (Image: K. Jeffries - USFnation.com)

Recruiting news starts earlier and earlier each season it seems and verbal offers are already being extended to 2013 prospects (do coaches actually get a real day off?)

2013 defensive end prospect Malik Brown received a verbal offer from defensive line coach Kevin Patrick just a few days ago as the school year begins.

Brown, 6-3 205-pounds, from West Palm Beach, Florida (Dwyer High School) visited over the Summer, getting a chance to see the new facilities on campus, and got a chance to meet with the coaches, snagging an offer as well (according to Brown).

At 6-3, Brown has a large, solid frame that could add at least 35-pounds easily that would make him a solid pass rusher that could handle a blitz. He still has a few years of high school to polish his abilities and will continue to see more offers.

The Bulls will need to add to the defensive end position in the next two seasons as Giddins and company become upper-classmen and could potentially leave for greener pastures. While USF is the first verbal offer he has received, it won't be the last. Expect programs like FAU and FIU to jump in quick (with Miami trouble looming) among other programs.

USF Opens New Stadium With Victory Over UTampa

Yes, it was just an exhibition game, but that didn't steal anything away from the excitement of seeing the first game in USF's brand new soccer stadium against the Bulls' crosstown rivals, the University of Tampa Spartans. The battle for the Rowdies Cup got delayed from its original 7:30 start due to rain, but the weather subsided shortly and the game kicked off at about 8:20. Both teams started off slowly, but USF scored a 37th minute goal by T.J. Roehn. The first half was also highlighted by a UT yellow card in the 31st minute and a USF yellow card in the 40th. After the half, South Florida scored in the 64th minute on a Dom Dwyer strike to open a 2-0 lead. UT's Domonic Cutrofello cut the lead.by scoring in the 69th minute, but that was the last we would hear from the Spartans. The game ended 2-1 and the speakers played the USF fight song, telling Bulls fans that USF sports season was finally back.

The stadium itself was outstanding. It was reminiscent of the new baseball stadium, but is built very well for soccer. The stands make any seat in the place a good one, and the sections are tiered for more comfortable seating. Tickets that are bought have actual chairs, while general admission tickets have their choice of the grass behind the goals or the silver bleachers to either side. All in all, the new soccer stadium gets an A from me.

The Men's team opens the regular season at Wake Forest on Saturday and play their first regular season home game against Georgia State on Friday. The ladies open their regular season on Friday against Indiana at 7:30 p.m.