Captains

Ben Moffitt, Marcus Edwards, Jake Griffin and Carlton Williams were the captains for tonight's crucial matchup with West Virginia. The Bulls won the toss and selected to kickoff.

65,000 fans now in their seats and the atmosphere is something USF had yet to see, the student section is a sea of green.

-Brendan Galella

Tonights starting lineups

Two teams open their conference play in what may prove to be the pivotal game of the season for each team.

The No. 18 South Florida Bulls host No. 5 West Virginia in front of a sold out crowd at Raymond James Stadium. Along with the over 65,000 fans in attendance, millions across the country will be watching live on ESPN 2.

Players from both teams have just entered the playing field at 6:15 and the biggest news is quarterback Matt Grothe has decided to changes his hairstyle, opting for the ever popular mohawk.

For those of you without television but for some reason still have the internet, we'll be providing updates throughout the night on the blog.

Here's the starting lineups according to the Bulls pre-game media guide.

West Virginia

Offense

WR- #2 Darius Reynaud
WR- #9 Jock Sanders
LT- #62 Ryan Stanchek
LG- #79 Greg Isdaner
C- #68 Mike Dent
RG- #70 Eric Rodemoyer
RT- #73 Jake Figner
TE- #35 Owen Schmitt (he also plays fullback)
WR- #21 Dorrell Jalloh
WR- #83 Tito Gonzales
QB- # 5 Pat White
SB- #10 Steve Slaton

Defense

DT- #93 Scooter Berry
NT- #96 Keilen Dykes
DE- #92 Johnny Dingle
SLB-#53 Marc Magro
MLB-#47 Reed Williams
WLB-#44 Mortty Ivy
CB- #3 Larry Williams
SS- #41 Eric Wicks
FS- #21 Ryan Mundy
BS- #8 Quinton Andrews
CB- #6 Antonio Lewis

Specialists

PK #40 Pat McAfee
P- #40 Pat McAfee
KO-#40 Pat McAfee
LSN-#46 Adam Hughes
H- #48 Jeremy Kash
KR-#2 Darius Reynaud
KR-#19 Vaughn Rivers
PR-#6 Antonio Lewis

South Florida

WR- #18 Amarri Jackson
WR- #87 Jessie Hester Jr.
LT- #78 Marc Dile
LG- #65 Ryan Schmidt
C- #77 Jake Griffin (Sampson Genus is the back up)
RG- #61 Zach Hermann
RT- #75 Walter Walker
TE- #9 Cedric Hill
WR-#89 Taurus Johnson
WR- #11 Marcus Edwards
QB- #8 Matt Grothe
RB- #30 Benjamin Williams
RB- #20 Aston Samuels

Defense

LE-#90 Jarriett Buie
NT-#76 Richard Clebert
DT-#98 Aaron Harris
RE-#95 George Selvie
LB-#27 Tyrone McKenzie
LB-#59 Ben Moffitt
LB-#53 Brouce Mompremier
CB-#21 Trae Williams
FS-#5 Nate Allen
SS-#32 Carlton Williams
CB-#4 Mike Jenkins
NB-#3 Jerome Murphy

Specialists

K-#25 Delbert Alvarado
KO-#27 Justin Teachey
P-#27 Justin Teachey
LS-#67 Eric Setser
PR-#11 Marcus Edwards
KR-#89 Taurus Johnson
KR-#3 Jerome Murphy
H-#12 Anthony Severino

-Brendan Galella

Worst kicker in Tampa Bay

As a promotion put on by the USF Athletic Department and Allstate, a few media members were invited to Raymond James Stadium to particpate in a field goal kicking contest.

And I quickly established myself as the worst kicker out of the seven participants.

I went 0-4 in the only four legitimate field goal attempts of my life. I'm the first to admit that, but I can also proudly admit I didn't have the worst of the day

But I'm calling garbage on this whole contest because Mike Pepper of 1010 AM easily won the contest. Not surprising since he was a punter/kicker invited to several NFL training camps and was a kicker for the Tampa Bay Storm.

How was this a real competition?

The important part was the event raised $3,000 for the USF general scholarship fund.

Against West Virginia, one student will have a chance to win $1,000 if they hit a 25-yard field goal at halftime. Allstate will donate another $1,000 to USF if the attempt is good.

Whoever is selected can't do any worse than I did.

-Brendan Galella

Upper bowl tickets available for UCF game

USF football's Friday night match-up with No. 5 West Virginia isn't the only upcoming home game getting interest from the Tampa community.

The USF athletics ticket office has announced that only 500 lower bowl tickets remain for the Bulls’ Oct. 13 game against UCF.

To accommodate this increase in demand, the ticket office is now selling seats in the upper bowl of Raymond James Stadium.

"Our ticket office has not had a moment to breath the last few weeks," Senior Associate AD Bill McGillis said in a press release. "Really things have stayed steady as we approached and sold out West Virginia. People were purchasing UCF tickets along with their West Virginia seats and those that missed out this Friday, were scooping up the open tickets for UCF. We only expect the requests to increase as the date approaches."

In addition to single game seats, the ticket office is also offering three-game mini packages for $50 that includes tickets to the UCF game as well as the Bulls’ Nov. 3 match-up against No. 24 Cincinnati and the Nov. 17 game against Louisville.

Customers that take advantage of the $50 mini packages also have the option to keep those same seats for their 2008 season tickets.

To buy ticket to any of USF’s remaining home games, call 1-800-GoBulls or visit Ticket Master

- Eric Moeller

The Greenery to host kickoff party

With all the hype surrounding the West Virginia/South Florida game, the Beef Studs and Greenery Pub begin festivities tonight with the official Pre-Game Party.

Beginning at 10 p.m., fans will receive $5 domestic pitches and $1 bottles, along with 50 cent wing specials.

“We’re basically the USF bar, we’ve been here for 30 years and anyone who has attended USF has been to the Greenery,” owner Robert Vidal said. “We’ve been having a great season and we think this is a great way to kick the game off.”

The excitement of the team has reached beyond the campus area. Tampa mayor Pam Iorio has declared Friday “Green & Gold Day” to show support citywide.

The unprecedented amount of attention bestowed on the team has led to the Sun Trust Building downtown will be illuminated green and gold for the game.

A sold out Raymond James Stadium will have the USF logo at the 50-yard line along with Bulls painted in each end zone.

All of the events for the game will kickoff Thursday at the Greenery.

“There so much green and gold now. To see students camping out for tickets is really great.” Beef Stud historian Christina Page said. “There is a whole lot more support now we’re ranked. I’m excited, this party at the Greenery is a way to get everything started.”

-Brendan Galella

The top USF message board

TheBullsPen.com

Brad Meyers, founder of the popular USF message board TheBullspen.com talks about the excitement surrounding the program as it climbs in national ranking and prepares for the first sellout in school history.

This season, two players have won the Big East Defensive Player of the Week and a real chance of competing for a BCS bowl with a win Friday night.

The website has grown dramatically since its inception in 1999 and Meyers talks with the Oracle before the highest attended football game in USF history.

Oracle: How crazy has the last week been for you?

Brad Meyers: I haven’t seen anything like this, there hasn’t been a sense of euphoria like this before. Not Auburn, not Pittsburgh in ’01, not Louisville in ’05. That was all excitement after a win, this is probably the biggest surge in excitement that I’ve ever seen, except for the inaugural game in 1997.

Oracle: Did you ever think Raymond James would sell out this quickly?

Brad Meyers: If you would have asked me that three months ago, I would have bet against it. I’m very surprised that we sold out Raymond James Stadium. Pleasantly surprised, but I would have never guessed it.

Oracle: Do you have any sense that this excitement will carry over into the other sports on campus?

Brad Meyers: That’s a good question, I think this is the perfect opportunity for it to carry over into some of the major sports, like basketball, if we can be competitive in the Big East there will be some excitement there. Other sports like softball and so forth, I don’t know if it would. Football is just a huge draw in Florida and in other schools it always translates into the other sports further on down the totem poll. I’m hoping the extra 30,000 fans we have on Friday night that win or lose we retain a high percentage of them for the next game (at home against Central Florida on Oct. 13). I was never a football fan, I was a longtime basketball season ticket holder and when football started kicking around in 1995, they called me and asked if I wanted to support the program and I did. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Oracle: Can you talk about how the website has grown since you started in 1999?

Brad Meyers: The reason why I started it because there were what I call “first generation” message boards but they weren’t fan friendly. They were really more discussion groups. We celebrated when we had 600 members, that was a big deal. I had an interview with the (St. Petersburg) Times when we were playing Kentucky in 2000 and I remember looking at their board and seeing they had 1,000 members. I remember thinking if we can get that then we’ve arrived. We had 300 members sign up in September and have 3,200 members now. The page views were 10 times as much as they were two months ago. We’ve been trying to grow as fast as the program. With everyone wanting a piece of the Bulls, we have unprecedented traffic and unprecedented issues and we have to deal with that. It’s pretty crazy.

Oracle: How quickly is the turn around of information for fans on your website?

Brad Meyers: We provide an atmosphere where you can come in and be a go, go, go cheerleader type or be a hardcore football fan. We have guys who can talk about getting traditions started at the games or talk strategy. It’s become a great sounding board and they’ve come up with some good ones for West Virginia. The more we can get on the message board than the more we can have become USF fans.

-Brendan Galella

The latest on the new ticket policy

Here’s the latest information after meeting with Bill McGillis, USF’s Senior Associate Athletic Director Thursday afternoon.

For North Carolina:

Any student to visit the Sun Dome ticket office on Thursday or today will receive a wristband and be able to enter through Raymond James Stadium at any gate Saturday.

Any individual attending the game with a companion ticket will receive an actual ticket, not a wristband, and can enter through any gate with the ticket and sit in the student section in the lower bowl.

Companion tickets will be allowed to enter through any gate on Saturday.

All student seats are on a first come, first serve basis.

The 12,000 student seats isn’t meant to be a cap, it is the allotment for student seating as a group.

McGillis said every student attending the game against North Carolina will be accommodated. Additional seating will be made available with unsold tickets in the lower bowl and possibly opening the upper bowl.

A decision is expected to be made Friday regarding the opening of the upper portion of the stadium. When it is, there will be a notice on USF Oracle Online .

On the first day of the new ticket policy, 3,036 students received tickets. The Sun Dome ticket office will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

Lee Roy Selmon will be introducing the Bulls' offensive and defensive starters for ESPN's broadcast Saturday.

Students without a vehicle may attend the game for free on a Bull Runner shuttle. Buses for Saturday’s game against North Carolina will be picking students up at 10:30 am from the student parking lot on the corner of Willow and Maple Dr.

There will be nine buses and will be on a first come, first serve basis. The buses will be leaving Raymond James Stadium within a half hour after the game’s end.

Each game is going to have a difference color wristband. The athletics department was still deciding what color will be used next game. For Saturday, the band is green and McGillis was considering a neon yellow band for West Virginia on Friday Sept. 28.

free polls

For West Virginia:

McGillis said the number of fans expected is “approaching” 50,000 not including the 12,000 student tickets. The capacity crowd at Raymond James Stadium is 65,675.

The student section in the upper deck will range from sections 302-305 (near entrance A) and 341-344 (near entrance B). Nine sections of the upper deck have been sold out for Friday, but I’m uncertain of which sections.

Students can begin camping out for Mountaineers/Bulls tickets on Sunday at 5 p.m. in the Sun Dome parking lot. Cooking will be allowed. The basketball arena will be open for students to use restrooms and security will be patrolling the parking lot at night.

The ticket office will open at 6 a.m. on Monday morning and the plan is to have the line move quickly as six additional ID card scanners will be used to keep the line moving. The goal is to allow plenty of time for students to attend an 8 a.m. class on Monday.

Tickets will be available throughout the week and the Sun Dome office will remain open until 6 p.m. on Monday. For Tuesday-Thursday tickets will be available from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. and on Friday from 7 a.m.-noon.

Any questions? Want to share your new ticket experience? Sound of in the comments section and I'll answer or try and find an answer for you.


-Brendan Galella

Mike Jenkins Draft Stock

Senior cornerback Mike Jenkins was one of six featured players listed in the "Risers" category on CNNSI.com

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/09/11/risers/index.html

Do you think Jenkins will be a first round draft pick in 2008?

Men's soccer off to 5-0-0 start

The soccer team tied its best start to a season under coach George Kiefer on Saturday with a 6-1 win over American University improving their record to 5-0-0.

The Bulls fast start can be attributed to the team's speed as their attack has been potent while their defense tight and unforgiving. They've outscored their opponents 15-3 in five games.

Which player has been most valuable to the team thus far is debatable as the Bulls have four candidates putting together numbers worthy of such a title.

Junior forward Jordan Seabrook started his year off with a two goal and one assist performance against Central Florida. In the following four games he has failed to score, but has been the stat sheet with four more assists. His ability to pull away from defenders and create chances around the opposing goal make him one of the Bulls' biggest threats at the forward position.

Senior Simon Schoendorf is a good attacking mid fielder who makes his presence felt wherever he is. He had a hat trick in the Bulls' 6-1 victory against American improving his goal total to four on the season. He has three assists to go with his goals and is a good example of what coach Kiefer means when he says the team puts an emphasis on overall athleticism. He's quick, good on and away from the ball, and provides experience to a Bulls team that is currently playing a number of freshman every night.

Junior mid fielder Kevon Neaves has been on the stat sheet for goals or assists in each of the Bulls' first five games. Against in-state rival Central Florida he had two goals and an assist earning him a Big East honorable mention for the week. For the season he has improved his totals to three goals and four assists. His physical presence is almost as intimidating to opponents as his quick decision making and ball handling abilities. He's also splits the duty of handling set piece opportunities with Schoendorf.

Sophomore goal keeper Diego Restrepo has shown why he earned the starting job for coach Kiefer. He has allowed only three goals all season, and has three shutouts to his name. He earned himself a Big East honorable mention for his back to back shutouts in the team's trip to Storrs, Connecticut to play in the UConn/Adidas classic. He's been a commanding presence in goal thus far and has garnered confidence from both teammates and coaches.

-David Rice

USF organization getting national exposure

The USF Beef Studs -the student group known for painting their bodies green and gold at USF sporting events- are enjoying exposure on a national level.

Check www.SI.com and click on the On Campus tab to read a feature about the Beef Studs experience at the USF/Auburn game.

-Joe Rienzi

Stats through three

USF:

Passing yards- 109
Rushing yards- 102
Total yards- 211

Auburn:

Passing yards- 99
Rushing yards- 129
Total yards- 228

-Brendan Galella

Kicking woes

On third down, Matt Grothe was sacked for a 13-yard loss and Delbert Alvarado missed his second kick of the third quarter, keeping the score at 17-14 Auburn with 1:04 remaining.

Tyrone McKenzie just recovered another fumble from Mario Fannin, giving the Bulls yet another opportunity to either tie or take the lead.

But the drive took a step backwards with a false start, setting up a first-and-15 from the 23.

Grothe has been sacked again, taking USF out of field goal range, third-and-18 from the 31.

Mike Ford took a pass from Grothe back down to the 20, setting up a 37-yard attempt from Alvarado that was blocked. The Bulls special teams have lost three opportunities to either tie or take the lead.

After three, Auburn 17 USF 14

-Brendan Galella

Roberts robs Auburn

Nate Allen poked out the ball from running back Mario Fannin and junior Tyller Roberts recovered at Auburns 21, putting the Bulls in position to tie or regain the lead.

-Brendan Galella

Bulls fail to tie

Delbert Alvarado sent a potential game-tying 37-yard field goal wide right, keeping the Auburn lead at 17-14 with 6:59 remaining in the third quarter.

-Brendan Galella

Auburn collision

Defensive ends Quinton Groves and Antonio Coleman collided when attempting to sack Matt Grothe. Both players were able to leave the field under their own power, but their status for the rest of the game remains unknown.

-Brendan Galella

Bulls regain possession off turnover

Brandon Cox kept the ball on a fourth-and-inches situation, but when he collided with the Bulls' defensive line, the ball popped loose and Nate Allen jumped on it, giving USF its first possession of the second half.

Quentin Groves sack of Matt Grothe was negated due to a five-yard face mask penalty setting up a second-and-four for USF.

-Brendan Galella

First half stats

USF:

Passing yards-63
Rushing yards-106
Total yards-162

Auburn:
Passing yards-79
Rushing yards-107
Total yards-186



-Brendan Galella

Agressive play calling from Auburn

Brandon Cox found Robert Dunn to convert a fourth-and-four from the USF 31-yard line. Tyrone McKenzie's face mask penalty offset a holding penalty on the Tigers, allowing Auburn to continue a drive.

George Selvie jumped offsides, giving the Tigers a first-and-five at the USF 17.

After a few favorable calls to start the game, the Bulls have not received any more help from the officials.

Mario Fannin's 15-yard run set up a first-and-goal at the three yard line with just over a minute remaining in the first half.

Cox found Gabe McKenzie for a three-yard touchdown giving the Tigers their first lead of the game. 29 second left in the first half, Auburn 17 USF 14.

-Brendan Galella

USF offense stalling

The Bulls have been unable to get anything going since Mike Ford's touchdown in the first quarter. The offensive line has struggled giving Matt Grothe adequate time to throw the ball. The loss of center Nick Capogna has proved to be huge as the Bulls squre off against the No. 17 team in the nation.

Did you see the hit that Andrew Ketchel took on Auburn's punt return, 87,000 people started screaming "ohhh" as he was blindsided and the play was even shown again on the big screen at the south end zone.



-Brendan Galella

Nate Allen's second career interception

Brandon Cox over threw his intended receiver and free safety Nate Allen stepped in and picked off the attempt, his second of the season, stopping a crucial drive for Auburn.

-Brendan Galella

Crowd back in it

A 36-yard run by tailback Ben Tate has set up the Tigers at the USF 38. He broke numerous tackles on the play and has given new life to those in attendance at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

A potential interception was dropped by cornerback Ryan Gilliam, setting up a third- and-10 situation but Brandon Cox overthrew Robert Dunn and the Tigers failed to capitalize on the play.

Auburn quickly recovered, as Patrick Tatum sent the ball 36 yards and the Tigers were able to pin USF at its own one yard line.

With USF trapped near the end zone, the crowd has been at its loudest since the opening kickoff.

Three consecutive runs by Jamar Taylor only netted five total yards, and the momentum has definitely shifted back into the favor of Auburn.

Delbert Alvarado's punt was returned to USF's 43.

-Brendan Galella

New Trends

Look for more blitzing from the outside linebackers, Tyrone McKenzie has rushed Brandon Cox twice tonight, but one resulted in a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty.

Chris Robinson was used in this role last season, but his injured ankle has kept him off the field against Elon in the season opener and the sophomore has yet to lineup tonight at Auburn.

Against Elon, the Bulls spent a majority of their time lining up in the nickel defensive package, with Jerome Murphy replacing linebacker Brouce Mompremier. Through the early part of Saturday's game, USF has been sticking with its traditional 4-3 defensive alignment.

Aston Samuels was the third down back on the Bulls last drive

-Brendan Galella

Auburn strikes early in the second

Tailback Carl Stewart took a screen pass from Brandon Cox 29-yards setting up a first and goal at the USF two yard line.

Mario Fannin punched it in and the Tigers now trail 14-10 with 14:15 remaining in the second quarter.

-Brendan Galella

First quarter stats

USF:

Rushing- 94
Passing- 52
Total yards- 146

Auburn:

Rushing- 27
Passing- 33
Total yards-60


-Brendan Galella

Crowd no factor yet

Matt Grothe, on third down with the crowd roaring, found Taurus Johnson for a 23-yard gain. The one handed grab by Johnson may easily be the highlight of the year for USF so far.

Grothe rushed for 27-yards on the next play, setting up Mike Ford's fourth touchdown of the season.

1:56 remaining in the first the Bulls lead 14-3.

-Brendan Galella

Auburn offense gets going

Brandon Cox threw for Auburn's initial first down of the contest, and corner back Tyller Roberts, making his USF debut, was flagged for a 15-yard penalty after the play.

Auburn now has a first down on the USF 47.

A 49-yard field goal by Wes Byrum has sliced the lead down to four, USF leads 7-3 with 4:19 remaining in the first.

-Brendan Galella

Grumblings in the Crowd

Marcus Edwards returned the kick 29-yards and there was a questionable block in the back call, but again someone must be pulling for USF amongst the refs as no call has gone against the Bulls thus far.

-Brendan Galella

Almost Tied

Freshman Mario Fannin almost broke free on the ensuing kickoff, but Ryan Gilliam and Tyrone McKenzie were able to prevent him from the end zone, knocking Fannin out of bounds after a 37-yard return.

McKenzie almost recorded his first sack with the Bulls but forced in incompletion, through two drives, Auburn has yet to convert a first down or a play for more than five yards.

-Brendan Galella

Birthday Wishes

Quarterback Matt Grothe- who's celebrating his 21st birthday today- rushed for a 1-yard score giving USF a 7-0 lead.

The play was reviewed and was not reversed. The Bulls are 3-3 on calls tonight, let's see how long that lasts with 87,000 people disagreeing.

-Brendan Galella

Flags Favoring USF

On third down the Bulls were able to extend its drive when Amarri Jackson drew a pass interference call on corner back Jonathan Wilhite.

Quarterback Matt Grothe ran the option and pitched the ball to Mike Ford, who gained 20 yards on the carry. A flag was thrown but the referees determined there were no infractions on the play, setting up a first and goal at the 1-yard line.

-Brendan Galella

Special Teams Changes

Jerome Murphy returned the opening kick off for the Bulls from the 10 all the way to the USF 36.

After a 19-yard run by Ben Williams, the Bulls were forced to punt.

Kicker Delbert Alvarado attempted his first punt of the season and pinned the Tigers at their 1-yard line.

After forcing Auburn to punt, the Marcus Edwards returned the first punt of the night for USF.

-Brendan Galella

Here are your USF captains tonight

76-Richard Clebert-Sr.
95-George Selvie-So.
11-Marcus Edwards-Jr.
59-Ben Moffitt-Sr.


Auburn's captains

97-Josh Thompson-Sr.
20-Patrick Lee-Sr.
15-Prechae Rodriguez-Sr.

USF will receive

-Brendan Galella

Starting Lineups

No surprises here, but below is the starting lineup announced by Auburn's public address announcer:

Offense:

18-Amarri Jackson-WR
87-Jessie Hester Jr.-WR
78-Mark Dile-LT
65- Ryan Schmidt-LG
77-Jake Griffin-C
61-Zach Hermann-RG
75-Walt Walker-RT
9-Cedric Hill-TE
89-Taurus Johnson-WR
11-Marcus Edwards-WR
8-Matt Grothe-QB
30-Ben Williams-RB
20-Aston Samules-RB

Defense:

90-Jarriett Buie-LE
76-Richard Clebert-NT
98-Aaron Harris-DT
95-George Selvie-RE
27-Tyrone McKenzie-LB
59-Ben Moffitt-LB
53-Brouce Mompremier-LB
21-Trae Williams-CB
32-Carlton Williams-SS
5-Nate Allen-FS
4-Mike Jenkins-CB
3-Jerome Murphy-NB

Special Teams:

27-Justin Teachey-P
25-Delbert Alvarado-K
67-Eric Setser-LS
12-Anthony Severino-H
27-Justin Teachey-Kickoff
18-Amarri Jackson-KR

I don't think television can properly display the noise that 87,000 fans can make. Nearly every seat is full and there is a sea of orange broken up by one section of USF green and white in the north west corner of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Keep updating this website throughout the contest for updates.

-Brendan Galella

Live blog from Auburn

It's the second game of the season and we're reporting live from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama where the Bulls are set to take on the Tigers in less than 45 minutes.

The atmosphere in and around the stadium leading up to kickoff has been electric, with Tiger fans of all ages turning out in mass to support their school.

One defining characteristic of college football Saturday at Auburn is the tradional "Tiger Walk", in which Coach Tommy Tuberville and the entire Auburn football team walks down Roosevelt Ave. to the south end of Jordan-Hare Stadium. The tradition was started in 1989 when Auburn's arch-rival Alabama made the trip to Jordan-Hare for the first time. Despite the guard rails that line the path to protect the players, every fan lining the Tiger Walk path get the chance to high five their favorite players as they make their way to the stadium.

Stay tuned for more live updates from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

-Eric Moeller

Volleyball opens season in New York

The volleyball team suffered a loss to start its season but quickly bounced back to win the final two matches during a tournament in New York.

In the first match of the weekend, USF fell to Buffalo 3-2. Each team traded matches until Buffalo came out with a 5-1 lead and eventually took the fifth and deciding game.

“It was a disappointing loss to Buffalo but I think it was just a case of first match jitters,” coach Claire Lessinger said. “We had to go through our growing pains a little bit.”

The Bulls showed some were led by breakout performances from three players. Jarka Havlickova and Alli Arbogast both set a career high in block assists with five. Junior middle blocker Nakia Williams posted a career high in kills with ten along with her team leading eight block assists.

The Bulls got out to a quick and early lead in their second game of the day against Niagara winning 3-0. The Bulls scoring rate inflated from .113 against Buffalo to .304 against the Purple Eagles.

After a slow start against Buffalo, the Bulls offensive play improved as USF out-scored Niagara 90-58 throughout the match and netted 12 more kills that the Purple Eagles.

“It was good to see us bounce back and make some adjustments,” Lessinger said. “We played an exhausting game in Buffalo and really came out to play during game two with eyes wide open and a good focus.”

Williams hit .500 for the game and Marcel Gurgel led the Bulls for the second game in a row with 16 kills and 11 digs for the only double-double of the game.

On Sunday, the Bulls continued their high level of play by defeating Fordham 3-1 to end the tournament with another victory. USF split the first two matches but dominated the third match 30-13 and clinched the series win with a close game four.

USF continued its offensive dominance, hitting .467 to go along with four aces. Stephanie Augustavo led all players with 24 digs and Arbogast set a career high with six blocks.

Gurgel and Kristina Fabris both continued their outstanding play. Gurgel tallied a double-double in each game on the weekend. With her 26 kills on Sunday, she moved herself into eighth place in the USF record books with 1,053. Fabris posted two double-doubles with 49 kills and 36 digs to earn all-tournament honors.

“Kristina and Marcel really stepped up big for us and handled the high pressure situations throughout tournament,” Lessinger said. “I really think that they can be the backbone of this team and lead the other players to more victories.”

-Daniel Falco

Thoughts on USF season opener

The USF Bulls defeated the Elon Phoenix 28-13 in their season opener and - despite failing to ever put the game out of reach for their former Division I-AA opponent - saw a few reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Here's a few positives I think USF can take away from the game...

1. Mike Ford looks like the real deal. With only 7 touches the freshman totaled 84 yards and three touchdowns. The first highlight reel play of his collegiate career came on the first drive of the second half when Ford busted an off-tackle run outside and ran 21 yards down the sideline before diving at the pylon to put the Bulls ahead 14-3.

2. Grothe is still Grothe. The sophomore quarterback set a career high for passing attempts (39) and threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns against the Phoenix and - most importantly - committed zero turnovers.

3. George Selvie is a monster. The sophomore defensive end started the season with a breakout performance that included nine tackles, 4 sacks and a forced fumble, an impressive spread especially considering he had 5.5 sacks all of last season.


Check out The Oracle on news stands Tuesday for more in-depth coverage of the game.

-Eric Moeller

Breakout performances

There's still 4:30 left in the third quarter here at Raymond James, but a couple Bulls players have already had breakout performances against Elon.

I told you earlier about Mike Ford's impressive first half. It didn't take long for him to make an impact in the second half as well. On USF's first visit to the red zone after halftime, Ford busted an off-tackle run outside and sprinted 21 yards down the sideline before diving at the pylon to score his second touchdown of the game.

Sophomore George Selvie is having an outstanding game from the defensive end position. Selvie, who had 5.5 sacks last season, has already sacked Elon quarterback Scott Riddle three times tonight.

While I was writing this blog, receiver Amarri Jackson caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Matt Grothe to give the Bulls a 21-6 lead.

-Eric Moeller

Halftime from the the USF-Elon game

It's halftime here at Raymond James Stadium, with the Bulls leading 7-3 as they head into the locker room.

Here's some of the highlights from the first half for all you dedicated blog readers out there.

Highly touted running back Mike Ford has looked solid so far in his first game as a Bull. The freshman running back lined up twice alongside Benjamin Williams and Jamar Taylor in an interesting three back set, running 12 yards for a first down the on one play and catching a 1-yard touchdown pass from Matt Grothe on another. Ford's touchdown reception was the Bulls' only score of the half.

It appears that receiver Taurus Johnson has picked up right where he left off last season, when he won the USF's Playmaker of the Year award. In the first half of play, the junior had four catches for 45 yards and gained five yards rushing on a reverse play.

Late in the first half, Bulls' safety Nate Allen prevented an Elon scoring opportunity by intercepting a pass from Phoenix quarterback Scott Riddle on the USF 4-yard line.

Keep checking back for more live updates.

-Eric Moeller

Live blog from Bulls' season opener

Football season is finally here and we're reporting live from Raymond James Stadium with less than three minutes remaining before kickoff.

I have a few bits of pre-game news to pass on to you Oracle sports blog readers.

Linebacker Chris Robinson and offensive lineman Sampson Genus were seen on the sideline during pre-game warmups and will not be playing in tonight's game.

Running back Moise Plancher, who was wearing a protective boot during practice last week after suffering an ankle injury, will not play against Elon. However, the running back but was seen on the during warm-ups and was not wearing the protective boot.

The team captains for USF's season opener will be receiver Amarri Jackson, cornerback Trae Williams, center Nick Capogna and linebacker Ben Moffitt.

Stay tuned to the Oracle Sports Blog for more live updates from the USF season opener.

- Eric Moeller

Women's soccer rained out on Friday

The USF women's soccer team will have to wait until Sunday to begin its 2007 season.

The Bulls' game against Stetson was rained out on Friday, and rescheduled for a later date.

USF will open its regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. against Ole Miss. in Oxford, Mississippi.