BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW GAME #11: SOUTH FLOIDA

November 21, 2008


It seems like a long time ago that South Florida was 5-0 and making their move up college football's national polls. However, things have not gone well for the Bulls since they began Big East play, losing four of five games, droppig their record to 6-4. Last week's 49-16 loss at home to Rutgers might be the straw tat breaks the camel's back and USF implodes this year.

Their opponent for tonight, Connecticut, is solidly in the bowl picture, at 7-3, and coming off an easy win over Syracuse. The Huskies wil look to rely on star running back Donald Brown who has rushed for over 1,500 yards and has scored 16 touchedowns this season.

News for the Bulls has not been good throughout the last several weeks. With running back Mike Ford never getting his season going full speed because of inuries, much of the offensive responsibilities have fallen on QB Matt Grothe. Now, Grothe is banged up as well as the Bulls limp to the finish.

Still, college football odds currently have USF as the three-point favorite. However, it could be too late for the Bulls to re-start their season.

Prediction:

Connecticut 23
South Florida 17

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW GAME #10: USF

November 15, 2008


The Rutgers Scarlet Knight put their three game win streak on the line Saturday at high noon when they travel to South Florida for a Big East showdown. The Bulls, on the other hand, look to stop their slide as they have lost three of four and right their season.

Rutgers started slowly last week, falling behind Syracuse 14-0, but rallied and dominated the Orange the rest of the way to win going away, 35-17. After scoring just 79 points in their first six games against Division 1-A opponents, RU has racked up 89 points in their last two games (54 against Pitt, 35 against SU) and find themselves at 3-2 in the Big East and 4-5 overall.

Quarterback Mike Teel has been the catalyst of the turnaround, throwing for 637 yards and nine touchdowns in the two games and his improved efficiency has helped running back Kordell Young find more room. Young gained 143 yards last week against Syracuse.

The Bulls will be glad to be home after two road losses against Cincinnati and Louisville, but the season is slipping away and Matt Groethe really struggled against the Bearcats, completing just 13 of 31 and being intercepted three times.

Both teams have their sights set on the college bowls and need to finish strong. The current NCAA Football Odds have South Florida as an 8 1/2-point favorite, which seems awfully high with the way the Bulls have been struggling. Look for a tight contest that could come down to the foot of a kicker.

Prediction:

South Florida 27
Rutgers 24

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BIG EAST TOP TWO-GUARDS 2008-2009: 4) DOMINIQUE JONES

November 11, 2008


As a freshman, Dominique Jones showed he knew how to put the ball in the basket at a terrific rate. The 6-foot-4 freshman guard from lake Wales (FL) took the Big East by storm as he averaged 17 points on the season to lead the South Florida Bulls.

Jones was even better in the Big East, averaging 18.2 points a game and that included seven games of 20 points or more. His season-high of 31 game at Seton Hall and he also had back-to-back 30 point outings against UCF and Richmond in December.

A high-octane scorer definitely will help the college basketball odds of Stan Heath's ball club in 2008-2009. it is still a tough climb for the Bulls, but they have been adding pieces on the perimeter to give Jones some help this year. The mid-season additions of former Georgia guard Mike Mercer and freshman big man Augustus Gilchrist will greatly upgrade the Bulls talent level.

Jones shot an adequate 46% last season from the floor. He is not a great three-point shooter, but making 54 as he shot 35% definitely keeps the defense honest. What Jones is very good at doing is using his strong build to get to the foul line. As a freshman, he attempted 162 free throws in 31 games, getting to the line more than 10 times on six different occasions.

As a sophomore, the word will be out more on Jones as the player to stop on the Bulls. With the graduation of Kentrell Gransberry, Jones will not have a proven inside presence teams have to account for. Seeing how Jones is able to adapt this season will be very interesting.

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