USF tries to end Thursday night horrors tonight against Rutgers

USF has never won a Thursday night game since its program was launched in 1997.

The Thursday night winless streak began in 2007 against tonight's opponent Rutgers so it seems it would be only fitting if the Bulls could end it agianst the Scarlet Knights.

USF is 0-8 on Thursday nights.

That '07 loss was the most devistating. USF was undefeated and ranked second in the country when they went up to New Jersey that night and lost 30-27 in an ESPN nationally televised game.

So there would be a lot of reasons to celebreate a victory by the Bulls in tonight's Big East Confrence opener for both teams.

USF THURSDAY NIGHT LOSSES:

2007

Oct. 18h Rutgers 27-30

2008

Oct. 2^nd Pittsburgh 21-26

Oct 30^th Cincinnati 10-24
2009
Oct 15^th Cincinnati 17-34
Nov. 12^th Rutgers 0-31
2010
Oct. 14^th W. Va. 6-20
2011
Sept. 29^th Pittsburgh 17-44
Dec. 1^st W. Va. 27-30

 

 

USF releases 2012 football schedule

The University of South Florida’s 2012 football schedule will have a new wrinkle that makes you wonder if it might have been influenced by the presence of new Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Greg Schiano.

For the first time since 2007 USF will play a Big East Conference game in September and it will be at home against Rutgers, the team Schiano coached for 11 years before accepting the Bucs job.

In fact September will be a big month for the Bulls. Besides Rutgers they play Florida State on September 29th at Raymond James Stadium in their second meeting and first since USF beat Seminoles in Tallahassee 17-7 three years ago.

USF opens its season Saturday September 1st at home against FCS Tennessee-Chattanooga. The following week it travels west to Reno to face the University of Nevada. The Rutgers game is scheduled for September 15th though it could change slightly and on the 22nd USF will be on the road at Ball State.

The Bulls will be in Philadelphia on Oct 6th to face Big East Conference newcomer Temple. After a bye, USF has three straight conference games beginning at Louisville and then home against Syracuse and Connecticut.

Following another bye, the Bulls travel to Miami to take on the Hurricanes November 17th and then head to Cincinnati the next Friday game on ESPN on November 23d. They finish up their season at home December 1st against Pittsburgh in nationally televised game.

Complete 2012 Schedule
Sat., Sept. 1 UT-Chattanooga
Sat., Sept. 8 at Nevada
Sat., Sept. 15 Rutgers* (Date subject to change)
Sat., Sept. 22 at Ball St.
Sat., Sept. 29 Florida St. (ABC/ESPN or ESPN2)
Sat., Oct. 6 at Temple*
Sat., Oct. 13 BYE
Sat., Oct. 20 at Louisville*
Sat., Oct. 27 Syracuse*
Sat., Nov. 3 UConn*
Sat., Nov. 10 BYE
Sat., Nov. 17 at Miami
Fri., Nov. 23 at Cincinnati* (ESPN/ESPN2)
Sat., Dec. 1 Pittsburgh* (ABC/ESPN or ESPN2)

* - BIG EAST Conference games

Offers start piling up for DaQual Randall

They say football scholarship offers are often like snowballs. You get one and others start to come pretty quickly.

That could be the case for Palmetto High linebacker DaQual Randall.

Randall received his first offer last month when Louisville head coach Charlie Strong told Randall he wanted him the play for the Cardinals.

Since then Randall as received offers from six others, including BCS schools Rutgers and Iowa State. The others extending an offer were Western Kentucky, UCF, UAB, Ball State and Chattanooga.

Randall has also been getting a lot of interest from USF, Miami, Georgia Tech and Clemson. He went to a spring practice at USF and talked with Bulls defensive coordinator Mark Snyder, who said the senior could possibly fit in after he graduates in 2012.

The six-foot, 225 pound Randall had 86 unassisted tackles, four sacks and an interception last season. As a sophomore he had 122 tackles (83 unassisted) with nine tackles for losses and two sacks.

USF scheduling cautiously as Big East considers more expansion

Football expansion will be a hot topic when the Big East Conference hold’s its annual spring meetings this month in Ponte Vedra.

Big East teams are being encouraged to leave room open on future schedules if the league adds a 10^th team. TCU joins the conference in 2012 to become its ninth football team and the league wants to expand to 10.

Villanova, an FCS (I-AA) power has been talked about as the natural addition, but there doesn’t appear to be a lot of passion to add the Wildcats, particularly with the Big East already under fire for being part of the BCS.

To keep its options open, USF is scheduling future football games with the understanding that it may have to back out with buyout penalty.

One of the big motivators to add a so called “name” team is television money. The new Pac 10, which now has 12 teams, announced its launching its own television network and will make $3 billion over the next 12 years in a joint agreement with ESPN and Fox.

According to a Forbes Magazine report, West Virginia topped the Big East in football revenue in 2009 with $29.5 million. USF was fifth ($16.5 million) behind Pittsburgh ($22.5), Rutgers ($19.5), Syracuse ($19.1).

Quarterback situation at Florida still very unclear

Florida is apparently still up there in the running for quarterback Jacoby Brissett, which means the Gators situation at the most important position in football is far from settled.

The Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer High signal caller has narrowed his list down to four and Florida is reportedly among the finalists with Miami, Wisconsin and Washington.

With the Gators appearing to be happy with early enrollee Jeff Driskel it would seem the last place Brissett would want to come would be Gainesville. But he has met with Gators new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis more than a few times sparking speculation that the quarterback situation is wide open.

Of course as an early enrollee,Driskel would have a significant advantage over Brissett, particularly if returning senior John Brantley can’t hold onto the job, assuming it’s his to lose in the first place.

This is the last weekend before signing day and it has been reported new Miami head coach Al Golden is going full blast to corral Brissett, though the 6-5, 225 pounder is not revealing anything.

Miami has senior Jacory Harris returning along with sophomore Stephen Morris, who started the last four games. Florida has the beleaguered Brantley and even if he was able to gain the starting job next season it would be his last.

While Brantley and Driskel put up great numbers in high school none had a better interception-ratio than Brissett, who threw 32 touchdowns passes with only one interception.

A standout basketball player, Brissett could be wooed to Miami because he has been told he could play both sports for the Hurricanes.

Another name you hear about in conversation about the Florida quarterback situation is Rutgers’ Tom Savage.

Remember Savage? He earned All-American honors in 2009 as a freshman and lost his starting job last season. He asked for his release, but Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano only granted it conditionally.

It has been reported that Savage wants to talk with Florida and Miami and Schiano won’t allow that. He has filed an appeal with Rutgers that would allow him to talk with those two schools.