Tag: USF Bulls

Big changes made to Florida’s depth chart ahead of Week 3 meeting with USF

The Gators will be down two key starters in Week 3 against the USF Bulls, according to the newest depth chart. Here’s who is replacing them.

Florida’s Week 3 depth chart confirmed what many fans had feared since the conclusion of the Kentucky game last weekend: starting linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and starting right tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] are out with lower body injuries and no public timetable for a return.

Billy Napier left things at “they won’t play this week” when asked about the severity of the injuries, but he did name their replacements on the weekly depth chart that is provided each Wednesday night before a game.

Redshirt freshman [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] is taking over for Tarquin on the right side of the line with [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] serving as his backup. Waites was previously starting left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraigae[/autotag]’s backup, but Josh Braun has moved into that role for now.

Braun is best served as a backup guard, but Napier decided that he’s the best option to come in at left tackle with Barber now in a starting role. The new addition to the offensive line rotation is freshman [autotag]Jalen Farmer[/autotag] at right guard. 

For Miller, Jeremiah [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] is his listed backup, and the expectation is to see true freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] get some more snaps as well.

As far as the other injured players go, the same five from last week are still listed with just one exception. Cornerback [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] has been upgraded from “Out” to “Questionable,” which is an encouraging sign for a player that missed all of last year following ACL surgery. Hill could be back in the next few weeks, which would give the Gators another weapon in the secondary to work with.

[mm-video type=video id=01gcanp8p75etm5jpf3g playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gcanp8p75etm5jpf3g/01gcanp8p75etm5jpf3g-b5b5608bf0c14ef31aa8056f71bc10a1.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=92004,92000,91979,91958,91929]

[listicle id=91678]

[listicle id=91619]

[listicle id=91707]

[listicle id=91716]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Florida LB Ventrell Miller out for Week 3 matchup with USF

After missing most of last season with a torn bicep, Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller is back on the injury report and will miss Saturday’s game against the USF Bulls.

For the second straight year, the Florida Gators are losing linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] to injury heading into Week 3 of the season.

In 2021, Miller tore his bicep in a Week 2 matchup with the USF Bulls. This season, he’ll miss the rematch because of a lower-body injury, according to Florida’s Week 3 depth chart.

While last year’s injury kept him out for the remainder of the season, it’s unclear just how bad things are for Miller this time around. Head coach Billy Napier left it at “he won’t play this week,” which leaves plenty to the imagination.

The team lost its identity when Miller went down a year ago, and it was a big decision to return for a sixth year to the program. Defensive tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] Sr. called him the “quarterback of the defense,” and said that losing him “makes it very difficult” for the team.

Miller is a loud, experienced presence that’s helped guide UF’s defense over the first two weeks of the year. He’s second on the team with 15 total tackles and came up big a few times against Utah.

Jeremiah [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] will step into the starting role, per the depth chart, but expect plenty of field time for true freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] as well. [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] is now the lead man in the position group.

[mm-video type=video id=01gcanp8p75etm5jpf3g playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gcanp8p75etm5jpf3g/01gcanp8p75etm5jpf3g-b5b5608bf0c14ef31aa8056f71bc10a1.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=92004,92000,91979,91958,91929]

[listicle id=91678]

[listicle id=91619]

[listicle id=91707]

[listicle id=91716]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

USF Bulls Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players

USF College Football Preview 2022: Team breakdown, season prediction, keys to the campaign, and what you need to know

USF Bulls Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the USF season with what you need to know and keys to the season.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

USF Bulls Preview
Head Coach: Jeff Scott, 3rd year at USF, 3-18
2021 Preview: Overall: 2-10, Conference: 1-7
Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
USF Top 10 Players | USF Schedule

USF Bulls Preview 2022

You’ll have to forgive USF if they’re feeling left out of the party.

The Big 12 is dropping the ball on this. It added Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF from the American Athletic Conference for next year – along with BYU – and it’s crazy not to bring aboard a big school in the Tampa market to expand the Florida footprint even more.

It’s easy to forget that expansion is about business and not necessarily about the short-sighted win-loss record, but of course USF would’ve been a bigger consideration for a move if it was rocking and rolling.

It’s not all that long ago when the program was strong, going bowling in 2018 and winning 21 games between 2016 and 2017. There’s no reason why it can’t get back to that level in a hurry.

Head coach Jeff Scott hasn’t been able to right the ship, but he’s been rebuilding. The coaching staff went through some changes, almost everyone is back, and despite a whole slew of transfer portal losses, the depth isn’t all that bad.

Now the wins have to come. The program is too good – and has too much to offer – to be this mediocre.

[listicle id=548130]

USF Bulls Preview 2022: Offense

The whole idea behind getting Jeff Scott as the head coach was to crank up the offense, but it hasn’t worked so far. The Bulls averaged just 351 yards and 23 points per game with everything being a tad strange.

The running game was a monster at times, the passing game was able to push it down the field a bit, and the pass protection wasn’t that bad, but there were too many times when things fizzled. On the plus side, there’s experience with ten starters back for new offensive coordinator Travis Trickett to work with.

The passing game has to get moving. Timmy McClain showed promise as a freshman, but he only threw five touchdown passes – the team threw six – with seven picks. He ran for four scores, but he wasn’t able to make the attack blow up.

On the way is Gerry Bohanon from Baylor – a big, veteran baller who ran for nine touchdowns and threw for 18 along with 2,200 for the Big 12 champ.

The wide receivers have to make more big plays. Xavier Weaver led the team with 41 catches and averaged a whopping 17.4 yards per catch, and he’s not alone with the top three targets back and helped by the addition of Ajou Ajou coming in from Clemson.

The offensive line wasn’t that bad. Of course it could be tighter in pass protection and at keeping defense out of the backfield, but this is a good-sized group that’s now loaded with depth – especially for the interior – thanks to the transfer portal. Left tackle Donovan Jenkins is a 6-5, 327-pound pro prospect, and 6-3, 309-pound senior Demetris Harris is coming off an All-AAC season.

The backs are in place with everyone of note back. Jaren Mangham was the team’s bright spot with 671 yards and 15 scores, Kelley Joiner was second on the team with 480 yards and showed some flash, and Brian Battle was an all-star kick returner averaging 32.5 yards per pop with three touchdowns.

USF Bulls Preview 2022: Defense

The offense has most of the returning talent, but the defense has veterans, too, with nine starters expected back for new defensive coordinator and longtime coach Bob Shoop.

The D has a ton of work to do after finishing 123rd in the nation allowing 476 yards and 35 points per game. The biggest problem was against the run, so …

The line gets some reworking. Nose tackle is the big hole – the size needs to be there – and that’s where the team literally went heavy in the transfer portal with five new guys coming in to work on the inside. Minnesota’s Rashad Chaney should be the best of the bunch.

Jason Vaughn will get the first look on one end after making 19 tackles, and it’ll be all about the rotation to find more than nine sacks from this D. Again, here’s where the transfer portal plays a role – Missouri’s Jatorian Hansford fits the potential as an edge rusher.

The 1-2 linebacking punch of Antonio Grier and Dwayne Boyles is as strong as any in the AAC. These two have been around for forever, Grier is coming of a team-high 92 tackles, and Boyles is a speedy veteran who can get all over the field and behind the line. The key will be to find a thumper in the middle to let the stars on the outside shine.

The secondary has to bust up more passes. The defense generated ten picks, but Daquan Evans is too good a corner to not do more. Overall this is one of the team’s most experienced areas with plenty of corners to play with. Safeties Vincent Davis and Mekhi LaPointe good tacklers who should combine for well over 150 stops.

Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
USF Top 10 Players | USF Schedule

USF Bulls: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

USF Bulls Top 10 Players: College Football Preview 2022

Who are the top 10 USF players going into the 2022 college football season?

USF Bulls Preview 2022: Who are the top 10 players going into the season?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

USF Bulls Preview 
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
USF Top 10 Players | USF Schedule 

Game Preview: Florida baseball returns to midweek action against USF

USF handed Florida a loss in last year’s Gainesville Regional. The Gators get their chance at revenge on Tuesday back at Condron Family Ballpark.

After getting the week off between the Tennessee and Kentucky series, Florida baseball is back to midweek action with a home game against the USF Bulls Tuesday.

The Bulls made history in Gainesville last time they were in town by beating Florida, 5-3, and winning the first regional championship in team history. That sets the table up for the Gators to get some sweet, sweet revenge at a time when [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] needs his club to play their best baseball.

Winning the first two games of the Kentucky series in such a dominant fashion (9-2, 9-1) is what’s expected of this team, but they need to keep it up down the stretch. Pitching is still an issue after [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag]. [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] got touched up early against the Wildcats on Sunday and [autotag]Karl Hartman[/autotag] had a short night against Stetson last time the Gators played midweek.

It remains unclear who will get the ball in Tuesday’s matchup, but starters should be announced at some point over the afternoon. With that in mind, Florida’s offense will need to be productive enough to overcome any pitching woes that could, and likely will, come up.

The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday night at Condron Family Ballpark.

Auburn softball wins four of five in St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational

Auburn softball is having a strong start to the season.

Auburn softball had a strong showing in the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational. The Tigers won four of their five games and are now 9-1.

Auburn faced off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Wisconsin Badgers, No. 11 Texas Longhorns, No. 3 UCLA Bruins, and USF Bulls from the loaded field.

The Tigers faced off against Texas Tech on Thursday to start the event and started things off with a bang.

Game 1: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Winning Pitcher: Shelby Lowe (4-0)

Losing Pitcher: Kendall Fritz (2-1)

Auburn fell behind 1-0 in the second inning before retaking the lead in the bottom of the inning after a two-run rally. Auburn never looked back from that point, scoring one run in the fourth and five in the fifth to win 7-1. Bri Ellis led the offense, hitting a three-run home run to secure the win. Shelby Lowe settled in after allowing the early run, pitching 5.0 innings and allowing just the one run on two hits, and striking out three batters.

Game 2: Wisconsin Badgers

Winning Pitcher: Shelby Lowe (5-0)

Losing Pitcher: Maddie Schwartz (3-1)

The Tigers wasted no time jumping on the Badgers, scoring four runs in the first inning and another one in the second inning to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Auburn added three more runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 9-3 win. Makayla Packer, Denver Bryant, and Carlee McCondichie all hit home runs to lead Auburn’s offense. Lowe had another strong start for Auburn, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over five innings. She also struck out eight batters.

Game 3: No. 11 Texas Longhorns

Winning Pitcher: Maddie Penta (3-0)

Losing Pitcher: Hailey Dolcini (2-1)

Auburn picked up their biggest win of the tournament against Texas, beating them 6-2. Auburn once again came out hot, hitting two home runs in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. That was all the support Maddie Penta needed as she shut down the Longhorns lineup. She allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in her complete-game performance. She struck out nine batters.

Game 4: No. 3 UCLA Bruins

Winning Pitcher: Holly Azevedo (2-0)

Losing Pitcher: Shelby Lowe (5-1)

Auburn suffered their first loss of the season against UCLA, falling to the Bruins 9-0. Neither team’s offense could get anything going until the fourth inning. UCLA had a three-run inning to chase Lowe from the game. Before exploding for six runs in the sixth inning to hand Auburn their first loss of the season. Auburn managed just two hits in the game. Lowe allowed three runs on four hits in 3.1 innings of work.

Game 5: USF Bulls

Winning Pitcher: Maddie Penta (4-0)

Losing Pitcher: Erin Poepping

Save: Shelby Lowe (1)

Auburn rebounded from their loss and made sure to end the weekend on a positive note, beating USF 5-1 for their fourth win of the event. Auburn’s offense came alive again, getting the leadoff batter on in each inning and scoring their five runs on seven hits and four walks. Sydney Cox had two of Auburn’s hits and Nelia Peralta hit a home run to lead the offense. Penta had another great outing, allowing one run and three hits in five innings while striking out five batters. Lowe struck out five batters in the final two innings to earn the save.

Auburn will return to action on Wednesday at Jacksonville State, first pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT.

Former Gators great Kerwin Bell reflects on his football career

Kerwin Bell has competed and coached at every level in football. He was hired as the new head coach at WCU after a year off from coaching.

Former Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell has made a lot of pitstops during his football career. He’s ventured from walk-on, to starter, professional football player, graduate assistant to a college head coach.

Bell was recently tabbed April 27 as the new football coach for Western Carolina University. He sat down with The Athletic’s G. Allan Taylor to reflect on his career in football so far.

He originally walked on to the Gators 1983 and became the eight-string quarterback. The next year he worked his way up to a backup where he eventually got thrust into a starting role after Dale Dorminey suffered an ACL injury. He led Florida to its first SEC Championship in 1984.

[exco_embed id=”e5869bc6-faf6-4b7a-8c06-b5610c96a8fe”]

Bell moved on to play several seasons as a professional quarterback in several leagues like the NFL, CFL and the World Football League. He then endured his own ACL injury in a pickup basketball where he developed an interest in coaching after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut him.

Steve Spurrier added Bell to his staff as a graduate assistant in 1990.

“Learning under him was the reason I wanted to become a coach,” Bell said, according to The Athletic. “I went through high school and went through college and never thought one time about being a coach. But seeing the precision of the routes and the spacing that Spurrier taught, that was almost perfection on the field. The way we coach it with quarterbacks and receivers now as far as spacing, timing and rhythm, a lot of that comes from Steve Spurrier.”

Bell worked his way up the ladder as a coach at the high school, FCS, NCAA Division II and FBS football level for one year at USF.

He has also almost joined the coaching staff of his alma mater twice. Former Florida head coach Will Muschamp considered Bell as a replacement for his former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. He was passed over for Brent Pease.

“I was real excited about having the opportunity because Will is a great coach with what he brings to the table defensively,” he said. “He wanted to interview and I think he was recruiting when he flew into Jacksonville to meet me. It was a long interview, probably three hours, and I felt very good about what was presented. We did some board work and talked philosophically about what I wanted to do as an OC, really getting into the playbook and seeing exactly what we do to attack people.”

Current Gators coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham discussed the possibility of hiring Bell as a senior analyst. The position never materialized.

After a year off from coaching, Bell returns to lead the Catamounts who haven’t earned a playoff berth in since 1983. They’ve also gone 7-25 the past three years. He shared what he thinks it’ll take to turn WCU into a winner.

“We’ll build this thing the right way, and I think everybody will be proud of what we do,” Bell said. “I know we can build a program that’s solid for the next few years. You’ve gotta build a championship program in your building first before you worry about winning championships on the field. I have no doubt we’re going to win championships. I know how to do it and we’ll do it again.”

[vertical-gallery id=42574]

College Football News Preview 2020: USF Bulls

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the USF Bulls season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the USF Bulls season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– USF Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 5-7 overall, 2-6 in AAC
Head Coach: Jeff Scott, 1st year
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 76
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 104
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 78

No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: USF Bulls Offense 3 Things To Know

– And here comes the USF offense. After finishing 112th in the nation and last in the AAC – it averaged just 331 yards and 21 points per game – the program now gets Dabo Swinney’s offensive coordinator to ramp things up.

Jeff Scott spent the last five years dealing with the Clemson wide receivers along with his job as the co-OC, and now the 39-year-old will combine forces with his own coordinator – Charlie Weis Jr. – to turn things around.

And they have the pieces to do it. At least, they have the experience to do it.

CFN in 60 Video: Texas Preview
USF at Texas, Sept. 5
[jwplayer 28Z02Zfz]

It all starts with finding a quarterback who can start pushing the ball down the field more for an attack that finished 116th in the nation. Last year’s offense wanted to throw more, but it just didn’t work.

Sophomore Jordan McCloud led the way with 1,429 yards and 12 scores with eight picks – and ran for 283 yards and four touchdowns – but in comes 6-3, 220-pound North Carolina transfer Cade Fortin to make a push.

Also entering the ring is Alcorn State transfer Noah Johnson – a dangerous dual-threat option – and freshmen Jordan Smith and Katravis Marsh will each get a shot.

– Leading receiver Mitchell Wilcox is gone after making 28 grabs from his tight end spot. Juniors Bryce Miller and Randall St. Felix are back after combining for just 43 catches for 493 yards and six touchdowns, and they were the team’s top two wide receivers.

Senior Jacob Mathis has the upside to be a deep threat tight end, and former Michigan star recruit Eddie McDoom has the potential to blow up as a deep threat after making 13 grabs. Everyone should get to fed a lot more passes under the new coaching staff.

– The offensive line that struggled so much in just about every way – the Bulls were 126th in the nation in sacks allowed and 114th in tackles for loss given up – gets back three starters and gets a little help from the recruiting class and transfer portal.

One thing this group  has is bulk – 6-5, 328-pound junior Donovan Jennings will handle one tackle job, and 6-3, 324-pound junior Demetris Harris will work at a guard spot. The starting five will likely end up averaging close to 320 pounds per man.

Leading rusher Jordan Cronkrite is gone, but the running backs should be interesting. South Carolina transfer Lavonte Valentine comes in to battle with Johnny Ford – a 5-5, 180-pounder who missed half of last year and never got going – and speedster Kelley Joiner.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: USF Bulls Defense 3 Things To Know

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Former Longhorn Charlie Strong fired from USF

Former head coach Charlie Strong has been fired from the same position at USF. A career 21-16 with the Bulls, they went 4-8 this season.

Former Texas head coach Charlie Strong has been fired from USF after his third season in charge. The Bulls lost to arch-rival UCF 34-7 on Friday night to drop them to a 4-8 record in 2019.

Strong was a career 21-16 at USF, but his last two seasons have been poor. After going 10-2 in his first season in 2016, the Bulls started the 2017 season a perfect 7-0, including wins over two Power 5 teams. They then went on to lose their final six games by an average of 18.8 points per game. 2019 was the final straw for Strong, going 2-6 in the American Conference.

Texas will open its 2020 football season with USF and will be going up against a brand new head coach. While a reunion with Charlie Strong would have been nice, it will not be happening anymore.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]