Brut-al: Ducks 'dominate' Bulls, 56-21

Here's the game story from Tuesday's paper. More to come later ...

EL PASO, Texas – That’s what they do to Bulls out here, isn’t it?

All season, USF had the consolation of knowing its three losses had been by a combined 15 points, with chances late to win each game.

That made Monday’s Sun Bowl all the more stunning, as those same Bulls were handed their sombreros, historically crushed in a 56-21 loss to Oregon.

"They dominated. Just physically dominated the line of scrimmage," offensive coordinator Greg Gregory said. "It was total physical domination on both sides. … We didn’t play worth a … We played very poor football. We got outcoached."

No. 23 USF (9-4) allowed Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart to pile up a bowl-record 253 rushing yards. The Bulls handed the Ducks the ball five times with second-half turnovers, and in doing so gave away their national ranking and any momentum and they’d recovered with three late wins.

"We didn’t compete," defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. "I could tell in warm-ups that our kids were not going to play with the intensity they needed to play with. (Oregon) lined up and whipped our front seven physically all day long. … I’ve never been beaten that bad in a bowl."

A crowd of 49,867 saw a bowl featuring two teams that had peaked at No. 2 during the season; only one team bore any resemblance Monday. It’s one thing to say 56 points is the most ever allowed in USF's 11 years. It’s another to say it’s the most ever scored in the nation’s second-oldest bowl, or the third most lopsided bowl loss ever by a Big East team.

While Stewart couldn’t be stopped, USF never had a running game. Backs Mike Ford and Ben Williams had 10 yards on nine carries in the first half, and USF had 35 rushing yards entering the fourth quarter. Oregon finished with 353.

"They controlled our offensive line," coach Jim Leavitt said. "We knew early we weren’t going to be able to run the ball. They controlled the line of scrimmage. Why, I don’t know. … It’s not the end of the world. It feels kind of yucky-like right now."

Oregon (9-4) looked much like the team that rose to No. 2 nationally before losing Heisman candidate Dennis Dixon, which led to three straight losses. Redshirt freshman Justin Roper, making his first career start, threw for four touchdowns to match a Sun Bowl record. Stewart easily easily broke the Sun Bowl rushing record set in 1977 when LSU’s Charles Alexander rushed for 197.

"If we weren’t going to be able to stop him, we weren’t going to have a chance," Leavitt said. "We couldn’t run the ball and they did run the ball, and when you get down to it, that was a big thing in this game."

USF had the game tied 11-11 late in the first half when Stewart broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown. Down 18-14 at halftime, the wheels fell off for USF, when Oregon scored 28 points in less than seven minutes, thanks to three Bulls turnovers.

"Second half, I can’t explain what happened," Leavitt said. "We didn’t play good enough defense and that’s all there is to it. … We just didn’t get it done. That combined with the turnovers … you’re not going to have any shot at all."

The loss was USF's most lopsided since a 42-3 drubbing at Arkansas in 2002. This time, the Bulls had been favored and widely picked to win, with a national CBS audience tuning in.

"It wasn’t fun," said quarterback Matt Grothe, who left the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter. "It’s definitely disappointing. We’ve got a lot of returners (next year) for what we had a chance to do this year."

Late in the first half, USF had momentum, tying the game 11-11 after a highlight-reel touchdown from Grothe, who eluded a sack and found Taurus Johnson for the score. Those two would combine for three turnovers in the third quarter, helping Oregon rattle off 31 straight points to put the game away.

"Neither side played real well. … I don’t have the answer, and that doesn’t happen to me very much," Leavitt said. "Out of 120 games, there might be three or four times we’ve come out and done that. It’s very unusual for our guys to not play as well like that."

Gregory TD ends 31-0 run for Ducks

The game is long since over here at the Sun Bowl, but backup quarterback Grant Gregory has thrown an 11-yard pass to A.J. Love, cutting Oregon's lead to 49-21 with 6:34 left to play.

Cutting into the lead is a good thing -- had Oregon's 35-point lead held up, it would have been the third-most-lopsided bowl loss in Big East history, trumped only by a 42-3 thrashing North Carolina handed Virginia Tech in the 1998 Gator Bowl and a 51-14 loss Syracuse took against Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl.

I'm headed down on the field and will update with the final score in an hour or so ...

Still scoring: FG gives Ducks 49-14 lead

A 30-yard field goal has extended Oregon's lead to 49-14, a margin that would be the Bulls' worst since a 42-3 loss to Arkansas in 2002 if it holds up.

Quarterback Matt Grothe has been knocked out of the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit, with backup Grant Gregory taking the field for the last two possessions. One more score for the Ducks and it'll be the worst loss in USF history; three more points and it'll match the most points allowed ever by USF.

The Sun Bowl is the second-oldest bowl around, going back 74 years, and USF has allowed Oregon to break the rushing record (by 67 yards, no less), tie the passing touchdown record (four) and come within four points of the all-time scoring record. And there's still 11 minutes to play. ...

Just plain Daffy: Oregon builds lead to 46-14

I'm running out of Duck-related puns. Another USF turnover has led to another Oregon touchdown -- Ducks quarterback Justin Roper threw for his fourth touchdown, an 8-yard toss to Jonathan Stewart to give the Ducks a 46-14 lead on USF. Three turnovers in a span of five offensive plays have led to 21 Oregon points.

Stewart has set the Sun Bowl rushing record with what is now 209 yards on 18 carries. The record in 74 years of Sun Bowls for points in a game is 50 points -- USF will be challenged to avoid that infamy. The last time the Bulls gave up this many points was 2001 in a 52-21 loss at Utah -- perhaps they should just avoid the Mountain Time Zone.

It's a Duck-walk: Oregon up 39-14

USF's offense has turned the ball over on its last two plays, with a Matt Grothe pass getting intercepted by Oregon's Walter Thurmond III and returned 25 yards for a touchdown, giving Oregon a 39-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Ducks have scored 21 points in a span of less than three minutes to break the game open. The 39 points already is the most scored against USF since the 2004 season.

Duck and cover: Oregon now up 32-14

Oregon quarterback Justin Roper is picking USF's defense apart, finding open receivers, the latest tight end Ed Dickson for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Ducks a 32-14 lead on USF midway through the third quarter.

Hey, that whole chart on bowl defenses a few days back? Don't worry about an update on that one ...

Bad gets worse: Johnson fumbles on reverse

USF's offense hasn't started the second half wrong, gaining 15 yards on its first drive, then doing the one thing the Bulls haven't done today: turning the ball over. Receiver Taurus Johnson, running a reverse, lost a fumble that was recovered by Oregon's Nick Reed. Yet another 15-yard penalty was the only thing keeping Oregon from getting the ball in Bulls territory, but another Justin Roper pass has the Ducks inside the USF 40.

Stewart, Roper help Ducks to 25-14 lead

Redshirt freshman Justin Roper has done everything asked of him today, again converting two big third downs, then throwing a nice 14-yard touchdown pass to Jaison Williams to give Oregon a 25-14 lead on USF early in the third quarter.

Roper threw a 12-yard pass to Williams on a third-and-8, then scrambled for 11 on another third-and-8. The big play on the drive? Jonathan Stewart's 41-yard rumble, which gives him 187 for the game and within 10 yards of the 30-year-old Sun Bowl rushing record. It's not looking good for the Bulls, though there's still a lot of football left to play ...

Has USF abandoned its running game?

Used to be, the opening drive of the second half was USF's "we're going to establish the run" drive. Not today.

Down 18-14 after halftime, the Bulls came out but had no conventional running plays, with four passes and a Matt Grothe keeper, getting one first down and punting. Again, USF had only 26 rushing yards in the first half, so we might not see a concerted running game unless the Bulls can get ahead with a lead to protect.

Halftime: Oregon 18, USF 14

Another impressive drive stalled in the red zone, with USF getting to the Oregon 10 but settling for a 35-yard Delbert Alvarado field goal as time expired, cutting Oregon's lead to 18-14 at halftime.

What a different Matt Grothe in the second quarter -- after going 3-for-8 for 42 yards in the first quarter, he went 10-for-17 for 126 in the second, with a touchdown pass. USF hasn't had much of a running game, so with Oregon piling up 276 yards, the Bulls are somewhat fortunate to only be down four at the half.

Consider the disparity in rushing -- Oregon has 202 rushing yards, while USF has 26. Bulls backs Mike Ford and Ben WIlliams have a combined 10 yards on nine carries, with Grothe mustering 22 yards. The difference in the game right now is Jonathan Stewart's 71-yard touchdown run -- the key for USF is eliminating those kinds of big plays in the second half. USF had the ball nearly twice as long as Oregon in the first half, with 19:16 in time of possession compared to 10:44 for the Ducks.

And yes, the two teams already have set a Sun Bowl record with 167 penalty yards, and matched another mark with 18 flags. Oregon's doing its part with 11 for 108 yards -- including five USF first downs -- while USF has a comparably tame seven flags for 59 yards.

Stewart goes for 71-yard TD, 18-11 lead

Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, getting a huge hole from the Ducks' mammoth offensive line, broke loose down the Oregon sideline for a 71-yard touchdown, doubling his rushing total for the day and giving Oregon momentum back with an 18-11 lead with 3:17 left in the half.

Stewart has 141 yards on 12 carries, putting him on pace for a monster day. The Sun Bowl rushing record, you ask? LSU's Charles Alexander went for 197 yards against Stanford in 1977. USF will be hard-pressed to keep Stewart from breaking that mark the way he's going. Then again, the rushing record for a USF opponent is 263 yards by Memphis' DeAngelo Williams in 2004. If that falls, it's a real long day for the Bulls ...

Dile injured, Huners in for Bulls

Starting left tackle Marc Dile is out with what looks to be an injury to his left ankle, and junior Matt Huners is in at left guard, with Ryan Schmidt sliding over to left tackle late in the second quarter.

Huners missed most of this season recovering from a torn ACL in the spring game, returning to play in the Cincinnati and Louisville games.

Grothe leads USF to touchdown, 11-11 tie

USF quarterback Matt Grothe is finding his rhythm, eluding a sack with a highlight-reel touchdown pass of 21 yards to Taurus Johnson. The Bulls went for two -- again, I don't like the call -- and Grothe lobbed a pass to tight end Cedric Hill to tie the Sun Bowl at 11-11 with 7:04 left in the first half.

Grothe went 6-for-8 for 54 yards on the drive, hitting four different receivers (five if you count Hill).

Watch out, Sun Bowl record books: In 73 years of these games, the all-time mark for combined penalties is 18; the two teams have already combined for 16 flags in this game.

USF defense holds Ducks to FG, 11-3 lead

USF's defense gave up two 13-yard runs by Jonathan Stewart and a 28-yard run by Andre Crenshaw, but buckled down in the red zone and held Oregon to a 39-yard field goal for an 11-3 lead with 12:08 left in the first half.

My question for you: If you're USF and you march down the field and score, do you go for two? I'm from the "get every point you can early" school, so I take the extra point and the 1-point deficit. These teams aren't done scoring ...

USF defense holds Ducks to FG, 11-3 lead

USF's defense gave up two 13-yard runs by Jonathan Stewart and a 28-yard run by Andre Crenshaw, but buckled down in the red zone and held Oregon to a 39-yard field goal for an 11-3 lead with 12:08 left in the first half.

Alvarado kick cuts Oregon lead to 8-3

A 29-yard field goal by USF's Delbert Alvarado has cut Oregon's lead to 8-3, just 11 seconds into the second quarter at the Sun Bowl.

USF hasn't had much luck moving the ball, gaining only 39 yards of offense in the opening quarter -- Oregon, by comparison, has 119. The Bulls have six first downs on offense, with Oregon penalties accounting for three of them.

The Bulls spoiled a red-zone opportunity when freshman running back Jamar Taylor dropped a screen pass from Matt Grothe on a third-and-8 play from the 12.

Oregon has gotten better production at quarterback, with Justin Roper going 7-for-10 for 69 yards (three of the completions are shovel passes), while Grothe is 3-for-9 for 42 yards.

Flags flying in opening quarter

USF and Oregon have combined for 12 penalties for 112 yards in the opening quarter, which ended with Oregon leading 8-0 but USF facing a third down from the Ducks' 12. USF had five flags for 44 yards, while Oregon has seven for 68 yards and three USF first downs. At one point, the two teams combined for penalties on four consecutive plays.

The flags aren't a surprise from USF, which ranked third in the NCAA with 8.6 per game this season, but Oregon has already drawn more than their average, which was 5.5 flags for 48 yards.

Tight end Okolie makes first career catch

Redshirt freshman walk-on tight end Quincy Okolie had made his first career catch, a 19-yard grab across the middle from Matt Grothe to set USF up on the Oregon 18-yard line. Okolie (oh-KOHL-ee), from West Palm Beach Central, had played sparingly in seven games before today's game.

Freshman Roper gives Ducks 8-0 lead on USF

Redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Roper, a question mark because of his lack of experience entering the game, has led Oregon to an early 8-0 lead, making two big third-down plays for the Ducks.

Roper converted a third-and-19 with a 29-yard pass to Derrick Jones to the USF 10, then on third and goal fired a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior Garren Strong.

The Ducks then surprised the Bulls by going for two after the touchdown, with Roper pitching the ball wide to kicker Matt Evensen, who apparently broke the plane of the end zone before fumbling after a tackle by the Bulls. Replays seemed to show he had fumbled before crossing the plane, but the play was not reviewed.

Midway through the opening period, Oregon leads 8-0.

Tackle Walker won't play in final game

USF senior tackle Walt Walker, who would have been the only senior on the Bulls' offensive line, is not dressed for today's game, sidelined by a knee injury that's limited him in practice for the past month.

As recently as Friday, Walker was optimistic he'd be able to play, but instead he'll watch his final college game from the sidelines. Tackle is a dangerously thin position for USF, with no true backup to starters Marc Dile and Jared Carnes. If one were to get injured, the Bulls would likely insert Nick Capogna at guard and slide a guard such as Ryan Schmidt to tackle.

Bulls force fumble, but can't convert

USF's defense forced an Oregon fumble on the Ducks' third play from scrimmage, but the Bulls weren't able to do anything offensively after a high snap resulted in a 13-yard loss on the opening play.

No big surprises in USF's starting lineups, with defensive end Woody George again getting the nod over Jarriett Buie. USF opened with two backs (Ben Williams and Mike Ford) and two tight ends (Cedric Hill and Ben Busbee) on offense, with senior Jared Carnes getting the nod at right tackle over Walt Walker, whose knee has limited in practice over the past month.

The Big Four: Seniors, Dile serve as captains

USF has bounced around with its game captains this year, but Jim Leavitt went with four of his most significant veteran leaders for the Sun Bowl honors, with senior cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams, senior linebacker Ben Moffitt and junior tackle Marc Dile getting the honors.

USF won the coin toss and, like everybody seems to, the Bulls have deferred to the second half. USF will defend the north end zone, meaning that they will punt with the wind to open the game.

Just to underscore how big a factor the wind might be today, Justin Teachey's kickoff (with the wind behind him) landed on the back line of the end zone for a touchback.

Live blog: Unaccompanied Miners

Greetings from the Sun Bowl, where it's an absolutely beautiful day -- barely a cloud in the sky, perfect weather for a bowl game. A huge part of the crowd here in El Paso won't be specifically affiliated with one team or the other -- the two schools sold about 8,000 of the 49,000 or so tickets sold for the game, so the large majority are locals, and the question is which team they'll be pulling for.

As a result, there's only so much green and yellow in the stands -- lots of UTEP jerseys, lots of Cowboys sweatshirts. If you see a USF jersey and it's not Matt Grothe's No. 8, chances are it's a player's immediate family. Twice, I did a double-take on a green No. 4 jersey, only to realize it was Brett Favre's No. 4 Packers jersey. It'll be fun to see which side the crowd takes up their support for ...

One who will be rooting for the Bulls? James Perry, an El Paso retiree and former rodeo clown who had a green "U" painted on his cheek and a Bulls sticker on his coat as he sat in the middle of the Oregon side. Why is he pulling for the Bulls? His great-great-grandfather was Madison Starke Perry, the fourth governor of the state of Florida and was in office when the state seceded from the Union. Freshman defensive tackle Corian Garrison hails from Starke, which is named for Perry.

If that weren't enough of a USF connection for him, he read that Jim Leavitt had been a graduate assistant at Iowa under coach Hayden Fry. Perry said he played football in high school under Fry in Odessa, Texas, and that clinched his Bulls allegiance.

Several fans in attendance have a far closer link to Leavitt -- if you notice a group of eight fans wearing green-tipped sombreros in the front row of the USF side of the stadium, they include his nephews and nieces, many of whom made the 10-hour drive from San Antonio. Leavitt's two brothers and his sister were born in Texas, and all told, he has about 20 family members in attendance, including his parents, Pierce and Lois, who lived in Texas from 1948-57 while Pierce was stationed there in the Air Force.

Get your Sun Bowl game-day links here ...

After a month of waiting, the Sun Bowl is here. I've got all kinds of links to coverage in today's Times, starting with a feature on offensive lineman Ryan Schmidt and why teammates call him "nasty" for a mean streak on the football field. Our daily notes look at how a win today could spill over to 2008, and you can check out our three key matchups and our scouting report on today's game. We also had a feature Saturday on receivers coach Mike Canales, who's enjoying his second stint with the Bulls.

Oh, and the Miami Herald put out its All-Florida team, always a great idea, even if the PDF links are a bit clunky. Three Bulls -- defensive end George Selvie, linebacker Ben Moffitt and cornerback Trae Williams -- made the first team. Odd not to see Mike Jenkins there (he's on the second team) though the team has an odd four-linebacker, three-defensive-back alignment, with Williams as the only corner. Safety Nate Allen and linebacker Tyrone McKenzie also made the second team, as did Schmidt and Matt Grothe on offense. Grothe's the second-team "athlete," taking a back seat to FAU's Rusty Smith, the No. 2 quarterback.

What do other people think? One Oregon paper is calling for a 35-13 USF victory. Its columnist sees a 27-17 USF win. Foxsports.com likes the Bulls by a 30-17 margin. The State in South Carolina has USF winning 35-21. Thoughts? Predictions? Offer them up here, and check back during the game for a live blog you can follow while you're watching the game on CBS. Jim Leavitt is letting his guard down a bit from his usual privacy, allowing CBS cameras into his locker room before the game to show his final pregame words for his players.

USF women put up 105 in win over Yale

USF's women's basketball team scored the fourth-highest point total in school history in a 105-71 win against Yale on Sunday, picking up their eighth win in a row in the process.

It's only the 10th 100-point game in the program's history. The scoring record is 124 points, set against Morris Brown during the 2001-02 season. The Bulls last topped 100 during the 2005-06 season when they scored 121 in beating Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.

Guards Shantia Grace and Jazmine Sepulveda reset their career highs with 30 and 26 points, respectively. Grace had scored 29 points in November against FIU, while Sepulveda's previous high had been 17 points against New Hampshire. Grace is the 19th player in USF women's basketball history to score 30 in a game. Center Jessica Lawson had another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bulls (10-2) go on the road for what would be a huge win Wednesday at Vanderbilt, their final nonconference game and last chance to get a quality win before opening Big East play. The Bulls have an RPI of 41 according to CollegeRPI.com but have yet to beat a team with an RPI higher than 91 (Florida A&M). Vanderbilt's RPI is 33.

Can I get your name again, Coach?

Lots and lots of interviews this week, and today marked the final access to USF coach Jim Leavitt and Oregon coach Mike Bellotti. Easily my favorite interview came today, as Leavitt talked to a handful of reporters after his news conference and a TV crew from Univision walked up. Here's the well-intended conversation, verbatim:

Reporter: I'm from Univision here in El Paso. Can I get your name and title for the record, please?

Leavitt: My name's Jim Leavitt. L-E-A-V-I-T-T. Head football coach, University of South Florida.

Reporter: And can you tell us a little about what it means for you to come to El Paso to play in the Sun Bowl?

Leavitt: It means everything. To be able to play in one of the most premier, tradition-rich bowl games in the history of NCAA football is an absolute honor for us. The people in El Paso, the people involved with the Sun Bowl have been extraordinary with the way they've embraced us. The hospitality has been second to none. I've been to a number of bowl games. I've never been anywhere that I've seen better hospitality.

Reporter: (paraphrased) What do you want to do tomorrow?

Leavitt: Win a football game. What I want to do tomorrow is I want to win. Other than that, I don't really have any other plans.

Reporter: Perfect. Your name again, once more?

Leavitt: Jim Leavitt. Head football coach, University of South Florida.

Reporter: Thank you very much. Welcome to El Paso.

Leavitt: OK. Thank you.

Notes: O-line size, hypnotism and more

EL PASO, Texas – Oregon and No. 21 USF go into Monday’s Sun Bowl ranking first and third nationally in tackles for loss, but the Bulls will have a challenge getting through the Ducks’ offensive line, which averages 315 pounds among five starters.

“They’re the biggest team we’ve played since I’ve been at South Florida. Their offensive line is huge,” defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said Saturday. “But they can’t hit what they can’t see, so we’ll be moving around a little.”

USF defensive end George Selvie led the nation with 31.5 tackles per loss, a half-tackle short of the NCAA record, but Oregon has its own pass-rushing phenom, junior Nick Reed, who ranked third in the nation with 22.5 tackles for loss and led the Pac-10 with 12 sacks.

GOOD SIGN: USF took an extra step to thank the El Paso area for its hospitality, buying three billboards on local interstates, saying “The Bulls are proud to be in El Paso” and “JOIN THE STAMPEDE”. USF went so far as to go bi-lingual with its message, which says “te deseo feliz navidad y prospero an~o nuevo” (we wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year).

The billboards cost about $10,000, but USF had one of the billboards donated and had Raymond James of Tampa help defray much of the costs. OAI Inc. of Tampa donated the vinyl used to produce all three billboards as well.

SNAP YOUR FINGERS: For the second year in a row, USF’s bowl festivities included having a hypnotist perform with several players at a dinner event, with comical results that were posted online at USF’s official site, gousfbulls.com.

USF coach Jim Leavitt, who said it has been “difficult” balancing the business of preparing for the bowl with the peripheral events that lead up to the game, didn’t sound very impressed.

“Anybody can be hypnotized. It’s just deep relaxation,” Leavitt said after Saturday’s practice. “Psychologically it’s not a big  … I understand that it’s real. I’ve been through it before. It depends on whether you want to protect yourself or not. If I wanted to be hypnotized, I would have been. I just didn’t want to.”

USF’s players enjoyed watching quarterback Matt Grothe dig through teammates’ hair looking for rocks and other silliness. Leavitt?

“I wanted to get back and watch film,” he said. “I was trying to finish up the meal and get back. I didn’t want it to be too long.”

ONE GUESS: Oregon hasn’t announced which redshirt freshman will start at quarterback, either Justin Roper or Chad Kempt, but Burnham believes it will be the 6-foot-6 Roper because he’s a better passer. He said USF won’t change its defense based on the quarterback, focusing instead on running back Jonathan Stewart. “We’ve got to stop one guy,” Burnham said.

TICKETS: USF sold about 4,300 of its allotment of 8,000 tickets for Monday's game, with the remainder donated to area charities and schools, as well as military personnel at Fort Bliss in El Paso. USF's figure was higher than Oregon's, and the game is still expected to draw a crowd of about 49,000, within 1,500 of a sellout.

Holmes gets 20 off bench in 39-point win

Here's Mike Camunas' story from USF's win against Winston-Salem State ...

TAMPA — Aaron Holmes could get used to this.

In USF's 87-48 win against Winston-Salem State on Saturday night in the Sun Dome, the St. Petersburg Catholic grad came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points. And after sitting out more than a year since transferring from Florida State, Holmes was all smiles after just his third collegiate game.

"Yeah, I could get used to playing and scoring this much," said Holmes, who scored 13 points in his second game last week against St. Francis. "I don't really focus on the minutes I have, because it's not a individual thing. Coach (Stan Heath) has confidence that I can shoot the ball and that's what I do to try to help my team win."

Holmes went 5-of-8 from 3-point range and 7-of-12 overall, but Heath added a little extra motivation on the floor.

"Coach got made at me for passing (a 3-point shot) up," Holmes said. "I was open at the top of the key and passed it to the wing. He looked at me and said, 'If you pass one up again, you're coming out.' That's all I needed to hear."

Heath was impressed with his redshirt freshman.

"(His performance) was very amazing," Heath said. "He can get on a roll and it's nice to see that you have a guy who can get 20 points in 19 minutes. I don't care who you're playing, that's pretty impressive."

The Bulls (9-4) have won nine of their last 10 games headed into Big East play Wednesday and never trailed Saturday. Center Kentrell Gransberry scored a game-high 21 points for the fourth time this season. The senior also pulled down 14 rebounds for the game's lone double-double. USF held the Rams (4-7) to 31 percent field goal shooting in the first, but weren't much better, shooting 35 percent.

"We came out a little tentative about hitting open shots," Heath said. "But the rebounding was very strong. In the second half I thought it all came together and once that happened, the game really opened up."

Amu Saaka opened up again, as well. In his just his second start of the season, the 6-foot-6 sophomore scored a career-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting with two 3-pointers.

The Bulls vastly improved in the second, shooting 61 percent in the field and scoring 25 points off turnovers. The 39-point victory was their largest since beating LIU-Brooklyn 92-52 in 2002.

But Holmes was the local hero, having a stellar game in front of about 30 friends and family that "came over the (Howard Frankland) bridge to watch me play."

"It was a good feeling to get back in here (into games)," Holmes said. "So it was a pretty exciting night for me. But now, this win is behind us because Rutgers is on Wednesday."

Bulls cruise to 87-48 win in basketball

Late in Saturday's USF win against St. Francis, I started to look up how many times USF had posted 30-point wins in the last few years. The Bulls, of course, let the Terriers go on a late 16-2 run and didn't win as impressively.

So tonight, as I'm getting ready to go out in El Paso, I see USF is up by 40 on Winston-Salem State -- big games from Kentrell Gransberry, the still-hot Amu Saaka and the fast-emerging Aaron Holmes -- and I figured I'd check again.

Thirty-point wins? Robert McCullum's teams had three in his four seasons. Seth Greenberg had seven in his seven seasons. Stan Heath now has two in his first season (and it's likely he'll finish this season with two). The 39-point margin is the most since a Greenberg team pummelled LIU-Brooklyn by 40 five years ago.

Five quick questions off the box score -- we'll have a story from Mike Camunas later:

-- How good can Saaka be in Big East play? He had 17 points in 22 minutes, resetting his career high for the second game in a row. This from a guy who barely played in the first 10 games.

-- How about USF's depth at point guard? Stan Heath likes to have two ballhandlers on the court at all times -- Chris Howard had just three assists tonight, while Dominique Jones had seven and Solomon Bozeman had eight -- those two combined for just three turnovers. Howard's going to be the guy, but it looks like he won't have to be the only guy.

-- How far has freshman Orane Chin fallen? Two games ago, he was a starter, and Saturday, he managed just 12 minutes in a 39-point win. Didn't so much as take a shot, managed one rebound and two turnovers. He needs to get his confidence -- and Heath's confidence in him -- back quickly.

-- Can you beat Holmes for scoring efficiency? The freshman has 35 points in his first 42 minutes as a Bull, after getting 20 points in 19 minutes off the bench Saturday. Sure, it's against Winston-Salem State, but he went 5-for-7 on 3-pointers, and that translates to more minutes in Big East games.

-- Can the Bulls be a strong rebounding team in the Big East? USF outrebounded Winston-Salem State 53-31 on Saturday -- Gransberry had 14 boards in 23 minutes and five other Bulls had at least four rebounds. Team record, incidentally, is 65 rebounds, against Long Island back in '95.

OK, more football coming later tonight. Talk hoops here for a while. Rutgers is Wednesday. ...

Analysis: USF toughest bowl defense?

Yes, USF is one of only two schools in the country shut out in a bowl game in the last three years, but the Bulls defense goes into Monday's Sun Bowl against Oregon with a chance to be college football's No. 1 scoring defense in bowls over the past three seasons.

Going into this bowl season, of the 42 schools to play in bowls in 2005 and 2006, only one gave up fewer combined points (LSU, with 17) than the 21 USF gave up against N.C. State (a 14-0 loss) and East Carolina (a 24-7 win). Bowls tend to be high-scoring affairs, as only 11 teams held their opponents to 40 points or less during that two-year span. By comparison, nine schools gave up 70 or more points in those bowls -- Arizona State, UCLA and Houston gave up more than 80.

So which team can claim the three-year scoring low? Thirty-five teams have been to three consecutive bowls, making them eligible for consideration. (Again, we'll offer up Arizona State, which has allowed 133 points in three years, though for fairness' sake, we'll mention that one of those three is a win).

There's a direct (and sensible) link between defense and bowl success -- of the 11 teams that gave up the fewest points in 2005-06, all 11 returned to bowls this season. Here are the those 11, as well as their bowl result/matchup to watch. If USF can hold Oregon to, say, 14 points on Monday and LSU gives up more than 18 to Ohio State -- then Wisconsin's probably the only team with a shot to beat the Bulls for the low number.

School     05-06 total   07 Bowl matchup   New total

1. LSU           17          vs. Ohio State        ??

2. USF           21          vs. Oregon             ??

3. Utah          23          W, 35-32, Utah      55

4. Wisconsin  24         vs. Tennessee         ??

5. S. Miss       26         L, 31-21, Cincy       57

6. Penn State  33        vs. Texas A&M        ??

7. TCU           31         W, 20-13, Houston  44   

8. Clemson     38         vs. Auburn              ??

8. Auburn       38         vs. Clemson            ??

8. Florida       38         vs. Michigan           ??

8. California   38         vs. Air Force          ??

McCarney says he hasn't talked to 'Canes

EL PASO, Texas -- Defensive line coach Dan McCarney disputed a report from Sportingnews.com that said he had interviewed for the defensive coordinator job at Miami.

"I haven't talked to Miami or (head coach) Randy Shannon. All my time, energy and focus has been on the Sun Bowl and helping USF get its 10th win this season," said McCarney, who interviewed for the head coaching job at Northern Illinois earlier this month but did not get the job.

USF coach Jim Leavitt lost four assistant coaches to other schools last season and said he understands the interest in the former Iowa State coach.

"If they were smart, they'd grab him, because he's pretty good," said Leavitt, who said he understood when he hired McCarney this spring that his tenure with the Bulls "might be short-lived."

STOP THE RUN: Two of USF's three losses have come in games in which the Bulls allowed an opposing back to run for more than 150 yards, so it's crucial that the Bulls contain Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart, who led the Pac-10 in rushing with 1,469 yards and will be a focal point of the Ducks offense.

"It's very difficult to stop Stewart. That's got to be one of the keys," coach Jim Leavitt said. "Rutgers' (Ray Rice) had a lot of yards on us and Connecticut (Andre Dixon) had a number of yards and we lost both those games. I don't think anybody wants a team to come in and run the ball at will on you. It's very hard to win a football game, no matter who you play, like that."

With Oregon's top three quarterbacks injured, the Ducks are all the more likely to lean on Stewart. USF has also stifled some of the nation's top running backs, rendering West Virginia's Steve Slaton and Central Florida's Kevin Smith as nonfactors in Bulls victories.

"What you notice about Stewart is he has size (5-11, 230). You can't arm-tackle him, and when he gets out in the open, he's gone," Leavitt said. "He changes direction, he gets to a high speed quickly. He has a tremendous burst, and that concerns you."

KICKIN' IT: USF kicker and punter Delbert Alvarado has a new rap song about the Bulls' bowl trip and fans can hear it on USF's official site, gousfbulls.com. Alvarado performed on stage with running back Mike Ford during a Sun Bowl talent show on Wednesday night.

"He's pretty talented. I was surprised at the talent show at how good he was. I was pretty impressed," Leavitt said.

NO SURPRISE: Longtime Washington coach Don James, who will be honored Monday as a Sun Bowl Legend, played at Miami and was an assistant coach at Florida State from 1956-65 and said he isn't surprised to see another football program rising in the state as USF has.

"They said when I was in school that every four seconds, a family was moving to Florida. We thought it might sink," said James, who retired after the 1992 season. "There's probably more great football players there now than there are maybe even in Ohio or Texas."

GETTING WARMER: While Leavitt said Thursday's practice was the coldest in USF's history, the weather is expected to warm up over the weekend, with Sun Bowl chairman John Folmer calling for a kickoff temperature of 62 degrees. The Bulls practiced Friday in 40-degree weather, but the winds weren't nearly as severe as Thursday.

STILL A MYSTERY: Oregon remains secretive about its quarterback situation -- the teams' starting lineups were introduced at a lunch banquet Friday, and Oregon introduced both its options, redshirt freshmen Justin Roper and Cody Kempt. Both played in Oregon's loss to Oregon State, with Roper taking over after Kempt suffered a concussion.

McCullum back in coaching at San Francisco

Former USF basketball coach Robert McCullum is back in the college game, accepting an offer to join Eddie Sutton's staff at the University of San Francisco for the remainder of this season.

San Francisco's sports information department confirmed Friday that McCullum, who coached at USF for four seasons before he was fired last spring, would be on the bench for Sutton's USF debut Friday night against Weber State. McCullum has worked as coach of Nigeria's national basketball team but otherwise had been out of coaching since leaving the Bulls.

Sutton, a 71-year-old coaching legend who has 798 career wins, is stepping in as an interim coach, replacing Jessie Evans, who stepped down this week to take a leave of absence. McCullum was a finalist for San Francisco's head coaching job in 1995 when he was an assistant at Florida.

Greetings from El Paso ...

I'm here in El Paso, where it's sunny, chilly and windy, though not necessarily in that order. USF and Oregon have the big press luncheon today, so we'll have lots of access to players and coaches on both sides. Today's Times has a feature on defensive tackle Richard Clebert, who has ridiculous numbers in the weight room and is hoping for a chance to impress scouts at the NFL combine after this season. Read today's notes from El Paso and you'll see that Jim Leavitt was wearing shorts at Thursday's practice, which he called USF's coldest ever.

-- Cornerback Ryan Gilliam, who started his college career with two seasons at Oregon, remains a big story here in El Paso, so I feel better about having two headlines on a non-starter in the weeks leading up to this game. Gilliam got another big writeup in the Oregonion, but the best link I can give you is to his dead-on Jim Leavitt impersonation from a talent show here on Tuesday night, a free video clip on USF's official site, gousfbulls.com. There are cool videos from the talent show, including walk-on Chaz Hine singing Mozart, running back Mike Ford playing the drums and rapping with kicker Delbert Alvarado, who has a new rap out about USF being in its third straight bowl.

-- Is Robert McCullum getting back into college basketball? An Associated Press story on the University of San Francisco hiring former Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton mentioned that the "other" USF is working to bring McCullum in as an assistant. Random shoutout to the Bulls from the Daily Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson -- that's Mike Gundy's "I'm a man! I'm 40!" muse -- who points out that San Francisco "isn't even the best-known USF," saying that the Bulls have that obscure honor. For Sioux Falls and St. Francis, a copy of our home game ...

-- One more basketball note: Curious to see that the perception of USF hasn't changed that much in the preseason. The Chicago Tribune looks at Big East basketball and lists the Bulls second-to-last out of 16 teams in introducing the teams, saying USF "appears to be making gradual improvement." Hard to believe the Big East opener at home against Rutgers is now Wednesday.

I'll be back with plenty more later in the day. Not sure if I've ever been in the Mountain Time Zone, which I've always felt was the Ringo of the four time zones in the mainland United States. Underappreciated, to be sure. Keep those comments coming. ...

Bulls, Ducks bridge record distance to El Paso

USF got a warm reception at the El Paso airport from a mariachi band and dancers as the Bulls arrived for Monday's Sun Bowl against Oregon, writes Bret Bloomquist, a writer for the El Paso Times who is helping the St. Petersburg Times with our coverage this week.

Bloomquist has an impressive note in there as well that makes good sense from a geographic standpoint: the Sun Bowl will set a national record for the longest distance within the contiguous 48 states between two teams meeting in a bowl: 2,494 miles from Eugene, Ore., to Tampa.

I'll be flying out to El Paso tonight and will have updates from there ...

Everybody on board for USF trip to El Paso

USF was due to arrive in El Paso on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for Monday's game against Oregon in the Sun Bowl, and it looks as if the Bulls won't have to worry about being short-handed like Florida State or other teams missing players due to suspensions.

Every player from this year's team is academically eligible, and no players have been suspended for violations of team rules, according to assistant athletic director Chris Freet.

I don't get into El Paso until Thursday night, so I might have time to check back before I fly out. Hope everyone had a safe holiday, and be ready for plenty of posts once I'm out in Texas. ...

Fishing math: Grothe > Mahi

One last link before I take a few days off the blog for Christmas: Sunday's Times has a feature on how much Matt Grothe loves to hunt and fish when he's not playing football. Special thanks to the Grothe family -- and Eric Setser's as well -- for supplying the great photos to go with the story.

Thanks to all you readers for checking back as often as you have this year. Hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday and I'll be back and blogging like mad from El Paso on Dec. 27. Might get a few posts on the 26th, just to shake off the rust. We'll do some fun year-in-review stuff while we're out there ...

Surprising Saaka helps Bulls to 86-66 win

TAMPA -- Amu Saaka had barely been a factor in USF's first 11 games, totaling 15 points in sparse minutes off the bench.

Given his first start of the season Saturday against St. Francis (N.Y.), the 6-foot-6 sophomore forward made the most of the opportunity, going 5-for-6 from the field for a career-high 13 points in an easy 86-66 Bulls win before a crowd of 2,955 at the Sun Dome.

"I feel great. It all boils down to playing and winning," said Saaka, who averaged 17 minutes a game last season but was getting 4.8 per game before Saturday. "You play better when you play aggressively. Coach (Stan Heath) says if you're open, take the shot. You love to play for a coach like that."

USF (8-4) could have won by more, leading by 34 points with 11 minutes to play, but St. Francis (3-9) got a late 16-2 run against the Bulls reserves. Heath was pleased with his team's shooting and especially with Saaka.

"I thought Amu Saaka was the key to the game today," said Heath, adding that he'll start Saaka again in USF's next game, Dec. 29 against Winston-Salem State. "It was good to see him play that way."

Saaka, who had zero turnovers in 23 minutes, got the nod after freshman Orane Chin had gone 0-for-13 in the previous two games. Saaka wasn't even the hottest shooter of the night -- point guard Chris Howard had 12 points in the first seven minutes and finished with 17 on 7-for-8 shooting. The Bulls hit a season-high 58.9 percent of their shots despite a late drought that saw them go four minutes without scoring.

"I was nervous in warmups because I was making every shot," said Howard, who had five assists and finished one point off his career high.

Hitting nine 3-pointers made it trivial that center Kentrell Gransberry, facing consistent double-teams inside, took only two shots and finished with a season-low six points. He did have 14 rebounds and a career-high five assists.

The lopsided score allowed USF to play its bench, and redshirt freshman Aaron Holmes, playing in his second game after becoming eligible this week, had 13 points in 17 minutes. He'd scored two in his debut in a loss at Wake Forest on Wednesday.

St. Francis hit its first five 3-point attempts but finished 6-for-13, led by 17 points from 5-foot-8 guard Jamaal Womack.

The Bulls now return home for Christmas and have off until Wednesday night, with Winston-Salem State as the final nonconference tuneup before Big East play begins at home Jan. 2 against Rutgers.

No live blog, but Saaka's starting

I don't have a laptop with me -- thanks to my pal Collin for letting me borrow his for this post -- so I won't have a live blog tonight, but I can report that rarely-seen forward Amu Saaka is getting a start tonight in place of freshman Orane Chin, who is 0-for-13 in the last two games.

I'll be back on after the game with a full story. ...

Jenkins reflects on final practice at USF

Here's Friday's practice report from correspondent Brendan Galella ...

TAMPA -- Senior cornerback Mike Jenkins looked around the Bulls' practice field and could only shake his head.

After spending nearly every day there for the past four seasons, the American Football Coaches Association All-American had trouble leaving

the field that has helped turn him into a highly touted NFL prospect.

"It's been kind of hard knowing that I'm leaving this program and this is the last time I'm practicing on this field," the 22-year-old Jenkins said. "I'm just looking at the guys right now and hope to go out with a big win."

No. 21 USF makes its national network TV debut on CBS facing Oregon at the Sun Bowl Dec. 31.

The senior class has helped the Bulls to their first bowl appearance, bowl win, national ranking. Coach Jim Leavitt hopes the class continues to make strides on New Year's Eve.

"We've never won 10 (games), never beaten a Pac-10 team and we've never finished (the season) nationally ranked," coach Jim Leavitt said. "Those are all real good goals and it could be the best season South Florida has ever had with a win."

For Jenkins, it will be an opportunity to showcase the talent that has him projected as the initial first-round selection in USF's history.

ESPN.com draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has him listed as the eighth best senior and the only player in the secondary in his top-10.

"I haven't really seen any of that, but I'm always updated by my friends," Jenkins said. "I try not to get into all of that because if I focus on what people are saying about me, I might try and do too much. But I think I've been doing pretty well so far."

The 6-foot, 190 pound Jenkins led USF in pass breakups (12) for the second consecutive year and intercepted three passes despite opponents' showing reluctance to throw to his side of the field.

Following the Sun Bowl, Jenkins will participate in the Under Armour Senior Bowl on Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala. While he may not be the biggest name entering the 2008 NFL Draft, Jenkins hopes to show he can fit the billing that has been placed upon him.

"I just have to play awesome in the Senior Bowl and run one heck of a 40 (yard dash) and let it go," Jenkins said. "I never thought I'd be where I am now. Like coach said, my stock just rose like yeast. So I feel good about that right now."

USF women on outside of NCAA bubble?

I'll preface anything here by politely pointing out that it's December, so any kind of projections for which teams make the NCAA Tournament are looking very, very far ahead.

Having said that, ESPN.com's Bracketology guru, Charlie Creme, is already starting to offer up drafts of how the NCAA's field of 64 women's teams might look. The bad news? The Bulls, despite a 9-2 start, aren't even in that conversation right now.

Creme's only giving the Big East six NCAA teams right now -- Connecticut and Rutgers are No. 1 seeds, followed by DePaul (4), West Virginia (5), Notre Dame (6) and Pittsburgh (10). He goes so far as to name the first four teams to miss the cut, the next four, and then another 10 teams in consideration. Four more Big East teams -- Louisville, Villanova, Syracuse and Marquette -- are mentioned in there, but not USF.

Why? First, the Bulls don't have anything close to a quality win yet. CollegeRPI.com has USF ranked 45th, which would be right on the NCAA bubble, but the Bulls have yet to beat a team ranked higher than 102nd (Florida A&M). Their only two losses are to Duke (11) and Illinois State (43), nothing shameful there at all.

My read of this is not that the Bulls are bad; they're simply unproven. Right now their Big East schedule would include 12 games against teams in the RPI top 100, and splitting those 12 and winning five of the six remaining games would give the Bulls an 11-7 record in Big East play and at least 20 wins. What'd be huge for the Bulls would be somehow getting a win at Vanderbilt on Jan. 2, or at least opening the Big East season with a home win against West Virginia. Either of those would give the Bulls a top-50 win, something to validate their record and get them votes in the national top 25s.

While I'm posting, I'll throw a link up to a story in Friday's Times about senior cornerback Ryan Gilliam, who has been mentored by Lee Roy Selmon and already has a job lined up in the financial world, where he's spent two days a week working even during football season.

And yes, I like the idea of a "Best of 2007" post before the end of the year. I'll have more time once I'm out in El Paso on Dec. 27. Keep up your nominations but try to be nice ...

Bulls lose strength coach Kazadi to Baylor

Kaz Kazadi, an assistant strength and conditioning coach at USF since April, has left to lead the strength program at Baylor as part of football coach Art Briles' new staff, the school announced Wednesday. Kazadi, once a standout linebacker at Tulsa, was a key part of Ronnie McKeefery's staff, which has seen high turnover in the past year.

After losing four assistant coaches last season, the Bulls have yet to lose a position coach from this year's staff. Defensive line coach Dan McCarney interviewed for the head coaching position at Northern Illinois, but that ultimately went to Southern Illinois coach Jerry Kill.

Wake Forest ends USF win streak, 74-61

USF's seven-game winning streak came to an end Wednesday night as the Bulls fell 74-61 at Wake Forest. The Bulls trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, cut the Wake Forest lead to 10 at the half and five early in the second half before the Demon Deacons took control.

Guards Jesus Verdejo and Dominique Jones led the Bulls with 14 points each, and Wake Forest kept center Kentrell Gransberry out of USF's offense until the final minutes. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Point guard Chris Howard had 10 points but also zero assists in 27 minutes. Wake Forest went 9-for-23 on 3-pointers, including four by guard Harvey Hale, one of five Demon Deacons who scored in double digits. USF went 3-for-19 beyond the arc.

The Bulls (7-4) return home for two comparably easy games against St. Francis (N.Y.) and Winston-Salem State before opening Big East play Jan. 2 in the Sun Dome against Rutgers.

And just as one seven-game winning streak ended, USF's women's basketball team has one of its own after a 74-55 win against Belmont in Cancun, Mexico. The seven straight wins matches the longest streak for USF under coach Jose Fernandez.

USF's usual scoring leaders were leading the way, with center Jessica Lawson getting 19 points and guard Shantia Grace scoring 18. Center Brittany Denson, playing in her second game as a Bull, had 16 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes. Freshman guard Gianna Messina, continuing her strong play, scoring 11 points.

The Bulls (9-2) have another extended break after returning home, next playing against Yale on Dec. 30 in the Sun Dome.

It's official: Linebacker Wilson signs

Linebacker Kion Wilson, a four-star recruit out of Pearl River Community College in Mississippi, said he officially signed with USF on Wednesday and will start school in January with plans to compete for the Bulls' middle linebacker job in 2008.

"I can come in early and start working in the spring, make my mistakes early and learn from them," said Wilson, who had a team-high 98 tackles in nine games at Pearl River this fall. "I played Sam (strongside) this season but I'm a natural middle, and that position is open."

Wilson, 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, originally was to play for Illinois out of Jacksonville's Raines High two years ago. He'll have two years of eligibility with the Bulls. USF returns both starting outside linebackers in rising seniors Tyrone McKenzie and Brouce Mompremier, but will need a new middle linebacker after the graduation of senior Ben Moffitt. Asked for his strengths, Wilson said "my aggressiveness, my ability to get to the ball and get off blocks quickly."

Wilson's teammate at Pearl River, defensive end Craig Marshall, won't join the Bulls until this summer. The only other scholarship player expected to join the Bulls in January is former Jefferson and Florida tight end Trent Pupello, who is transferring with two years of remaining eligibility.

Today's links: Lots of Bulls basketball

To advance tonight's men's basketball game at Wake Forest, we have a feature on USF guard Jesus Verdejo and how his first sport, boxing, has helped make him a better basketball player. This week's USF notebook leads off with tonight's debut for redshirt freshman Aaron Holmes, and you'd be surprised to see where George Selvie ranks in the Big East when it comes to sacks in conference play.

Freshman guard Dominique Jones practiced as normal with the Bulls on Tuesday night after turning his ankle Monday, so he should be fine for tonight's game. USF's women got a 68-58 win against Oregon in Cancun on Tuesday -- here's the story from USF's Mike Hogan -- and the Bulls saw the season debut of midyear transfer Brittany Denson, who played 18 minutes and got four points, five rebounds and two blocks.

We'll have an update later Wednesday after linebacker Kion Wilson of Pearl River Community College signs with USF. This is the start of the signing period for midyear junior college transfers; Wilson is a (corrected) four-star recruit (according to Scout.com) from Jacksonville who should be a key part of USF's recruiting class.

The big question for Bulls fans is what they think of next year's USF-UCF football game in Orlando, which got a whole lot bigger with Tuesday's news that standout running back Kevin Smith will be back for his senior year. Especially if he's able to break Barry Sanders' rushing record with a strong bowl game, Smith will have all kinds of attention on him early next season, and the Bulls' rush defense will take a hit in the middle with linebacker Ben Moffitt graduating, along with defensive tackles Richard Clebert and Allen Cray. A big part of the pecking order for the Big East in 2008 will come down to other talented underclassmen -- Rutgers' Ray Rice, West Virginia's Steve Slaton and Pat White -- and whether they're back for their senior years.

Feel the holiday spirit: Leavitt on Christmas

You guys adore Jim Leavitt for his unflinching commitment to all things USF football, so you can't be but so surprised when we ask him about his plans for Christmas and he says he really hasn't thought that far ahead. This is after he said it "concerns me a little bit," giving his players four days off for Christmas before resuming bowl preparations. Couldn't get assistant coach Jacob Marley to comment, but here's Leavitt's quotes Tuesday on Christmas. Try not to scorch yourself on the holiday warmth:

"I haven't looked that far ahead. That's probably wrong. That's really the truth, too. That's sad, isn't it. I really haven't. I'm really thinking -- you don't want to hear it -- thinking about practice. I really have not thought about what we're going to do Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. I did think about this: with the players leaving Friday, I thought it'd be a great time, because it's so quiet, Friday and Saturday, getting some work done in the office with film. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, would I come here and do some work? God, I hope not. I hope I don't.

The obligatory follow-up: Have you done any Christmas shopping?

"(Dec.) 24th. Every year. 24th. I get out there and dig in. That's a strong day for me, shopping.  A lot of nephews and nieces, and they all like the gift certificates from the mall. They know what they're going to get. I might do tickets to the game. It won't be anything real creative. I get real confused at the mall. So many things to look at and buy. To try to figure out what goes with what person, that's real tough. People that have the skill to do that are really special. You have to wrap things up, do the bow and the whole thing. A lot of stuff. It makes me nervous getting ready for it."

Of course, he's a little over the top with this, just trying to reinforce the whole "I'm incredibly focused" deal. I guess I'm not sure why, but to understand that, you'd really have to be really special.

Bulls working to improve on free throws

Great moment from the end of men's basketball practice Monday. After a two-hour workout, five players line up for free throws, and if the team doesn't go 8-for-10, they have to run another set of sprints down the court and back. I lost count how many times they failed to hit eight -- I'm thinking two, but might have been three -- but they're about to take off for another set of sprints, and Chris Howard stops and asks coach Stan Heath if the guys can go double-or-nothing on another 10 shots.

Heath agrees and lets Howard pick four teammates, and he picks Aaron Holmes, Mo Esseghir and free-throw studs Solomon Bozeman and Jesus Verdejo. Again, the Bulls are at 66.7 percent as a team, so 8-for-10 is a good showing right now. You get two misses between five guys, so it's a good end-of-game pressure simulation, because you're tired and there are ramifications. Howard (74.5 percent this season) nails them both, then Holmes (who makes his season debut Wednesday) hits both his. Esseghir, who's only 4-for-6 at the line all season, misses his first, then makes his second, so Solo and 'Zeus need only make 3-of-4. Bozeman, the team's best at 88.2 percent, swishes both, leaving Verdejo (83.3 percent), who clinches it when his first shot bounces around and in. He hit the second, making it 9-for-10 and a positive spin to what had been a frustrating end of practice.

Free throws have been a huge part of USF's seven-game win streak. Not so much hitting them, but just getting to the line -- in the last six wins, they've had at least 11 more free throw attempts than their opponents, including a 40-14 edge at the line against UAB. The difference in fouls was just 23-18, so the Bulls are doing a much better job of getting the ball inside and penetrating to draw fouls on shots and get to the line. The next step is hitting them more than two times out of three.

-- From football practice Monday night: Coaches are being careful to hold right tackle Walt Walker out of practice as his knee is sore. Senior Jared Carnes took all the reps at right tackle, and Walker didn't run with the team in post-practice conditioning runs, but coach Jim Leavitt said Walker would be fine and holding him out two weeks before the bowl game wasn't anything telling. ... And redshirting freshman defensive tackle David Fonua won't be practicing until spring with an injured left knee. ... And for you roster-number junkies, new defensive tackle Jason Fox is wearing jersey No. 16.

-- More football: Linebacker depth will become more important, what with Tyrone McKenzie and Brouce Mompremier being seniors next fall. Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said Monday that one young player who's impressed him in recent weeks is redshirt freshman Sabbath Joseph, who's the top backup to McKenzie at strongside right now. Looks like Mompremier will shift to Ben Moffitt's spot in the middle for 2008, with Donte Spires and midyear transfer Kion Wilson battling for the weakside job. Burnham said he likes what he's seen from true freshman Tyson Butler, the talented running back now working at cornerback.

-- Nationalchamps.net -- I had the odd privilege of freelancing a Vanderbilt season preview for them years back -- has its early-bird 2008 preseason football poll out, with USF ranked No. 19. West Virginia, ranked 11th, is their Big East favorite, and Connecticut (21st) is the only other league team ranked. George Selvie is their No. 2 defensive lineman, behind Ohio State's Vernon Gholston. Matt Grothe isn't among the top 15 quarterbacks in the country, but Florida Atlantic's Rusty Smith is. And somehow, Mike Jenkins will be the No. 8 cornerback in the nation, even though he's a senior this season. (I suppose Trae Williams should feel snubbed).

-- Lots of cool exclusive free stuff on USF's official site, gousfbulls.com, which has fun video of point guard Chris Howard getting a design shaved into the side of his head. Kicker Delbert Alvarado might be the only USF athlete who's more inventive with his hair than Howard. My head doesn't facilitate such artistic work. The site also has freshman guard Gianna Messina blogging from the women's basketball team's trip to Cancun, Mexico, for a two-game tournament this week. Fun stuff, from massages for the players to "a Michael Jackson impersonator, who was very good."

Big East baseball tourney back to Clearwater

The Big East is expected to announce this week that its baseball tournament will be held at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater for the next two years.

The eight-team, five-day tournament was held in Clearwater in 2006 but was played in Brooklyn, N.Y., this spring. Big East officials and local organizers were pleased with last year's attendance, though neither side would officially confirm the announcement.

"Everything went real successfully the first year we had the tournament here," said Doug Kemp, manager of special events at Bright House Networks Field, which is home to the Clearwater Threshers and the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies.

USF improved from eighth in the Big East in 2006 to fifth last season in their first year under coach Lelo Prado. The Bulls face the New York Yankees in a spring training exhibition at Tampa's Legends Field on Feb. 29.

DEPARTING: Freshman defensive tackle Kyle Dampier of Merritt Island, who redshirted this season, withdrew from USF after the end of the fall semester last week and is no longer on the Bulls' team, coach Jim Leavitt said.

Dampier could not be reached for comment. Leavitt declined to elaborate on his reason for leaving but said it was unrelated to football.

Defensive line continues to be a major area of focus in recruiting, as the Bulls only return two interior linemen -- sophomore Aaron Harris and freshman Terrell McClain -- with any significant playing experience.

One defensive end expected to join the Bulls in January, Pearl River Community College's Craig Marshall, will not be able to enroll at USF until after the spring semester. Marshall, a high school teammate of USF tight end Andrew Ketchel at Choctawhatchee, signed with USF in 2006 but did not meet the NCAA's initial eligibility requirements. He'll have three years of eligibility at USF starting in 2008 and is expected to contend for a starting position opposite George Selvie at defensive end.

BASKETBALL: If I thought the injury was a serious one, I'd have a headline on this, but freshman phenom Dominique Jones turned his left ankle midway through Monday's workouts and did not return. Jones had the ankle iced at courtside and was able to walk on it and put weight on the ankle, later working on a stationary bike. USF coach Stan Heath said he'd know better Tuesday but was optimistic Jones would be able to play in the Bulls' Wednesday game at Wake Forest.

More on all of this and more on Tuesday ...

Selvie nearly everyone's All-American

Yes, more All-American accolades for USF defensive end George Selvie, who has earned first-team honors from two more national outlets: ESPN.com and College Football News.

Selvie is the only Big East player named to ESPN's 25-man team, and one of three players from Florida schools, along with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Central Florida running back Kevin Smith.

Selvie is officially an NCAA consensus All-American, having been honored by four of the five national outlets recognized by the NCAA. Still not sure what The Sporting News was thinking in leaving him off of not only their All-America first team but their second team as well. TSN gave USC's Lawrence Jackson a second-team nod over Selvie, even though Jackson has five fewer sacks and 17.5 fewer tackles for loss.

We'll belatedly link to CFN's All-Big East honors, notable because they don't give Selvie the defensive MVP honors, opting instead for Pittsburgh linebacker Scott McKillop. CFN puts four Bulls on its all-conference first team: Selvie, linebacker Ben Moffitt and cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams. They also have a water-cooler list of the top 30 players regardless of position: Selvie is No. 3 (behind West Virginia's Pat White and McKillop); Jenkins is 10th, Grothe 11th, Moffitt 19th and Williams 27th.

CFN has position rankings, with Grothe as the league's No. 4 quarterback, Mike Ford as its No. 4 running back, Selvie the top defensive lineman, Moffitt the No. 3 linebacker and Jenkins and Williams second and fourth, respectively, among defensive backs. Cincy's Mike Mickens gets the nod over Jenkins as the league's top defensive back.

Post-graduate work: Gregory walks, then runs

USF coach Jim Leavitt had given junior quarterback Grant Gregory the day off Saturday with good reason: He was graduating after just three and a half years of college. But Gregory still managed to hurry over from the ceremonies for the final parts of Saturday's morning practice, impressing his coach along the way.

"That says a lot about Grant," said Leavitt, who also was proud to see junior receiver Marcus Edwards graduate Saturday after three and a half years at USF. Basketball players Kentrell Gransberry and Eddie Lovett were also among the graduates; we'll also congratulate Times correspondent Brendan Galella, who got his degree Saturday as well.

Lots of little things to catch up on, so I'll try to address a few here and will probably chime in again later today. I'm still trying to take some vacation, but have enough stories going this week where I'll wind up posting here at near-normal levels.

-- Former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, hired at Michigan, announced Monday that two of his Mountaineer assistants, including offensive coordinator Calvin Magee, a former USF assistant, have already agreed to join him in Ann Arbor. He hasn't mentioned former Bulls assistants Rod Smith and Greg Frey, though he indicated he might bring more of his old staff to Michigan, so it'll be interesting to see what they do. Smith has strong ties to West Virginia and could be retained by the new coach to ease the transition if the same offense is used; Frey only coached under Rodriguez for one season, so he could wind up at either school, or somewhere new.

-- Some of USF's biggest football recruits could be here in January, as was the case last year with running back Mike Ford and linebacker Tyrone McKenzie. Tuesday opens the official signing period for junior college players who can enroll in January, and USF is expected to sign two defensive standouts from Pearl River Community College, linebacker Kion Wilson and defensive end Craig Marshall. Marshall signed with USF in 2006 but didn't qualify; when I asked Jim Leavitt who might start opposite George Selvie at end if Jarriett Buie weren't able to graduate by next summer to earn another year of eligibility, he mentioned Marshall, which says as much about the returning ends as it does Marshall. Cornerback Charlton Sinclair will join the team in January as well, and the Bulls are hoping to add another recruit or two for the spring semester, with a few big names in the mix, like Jones County (Miss.) defensive end Jeremiah Price and Miami Northwestern linebacker Sean Spence, who had been a Miami commitment.

-- Obscure Merchandising Thought: I'm walking through Dillard's today, and there's a good amount of USF gear. There's a curious T-shirt, showing a sharp-toothed fish with the "U" USF logo and the words "FEEDING TIME." Other side says "TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN," with the USF fish eating a smaller UCF fish, which is eating an even smaller West Virginia fish. I don't get that. I'm not trying to bash UCF, but shouldn't West Virginia be the biggest fish a USF fish eats? From a correctness standpoint, I suppose you could show the USF fish eating a Pitt fish eating a West Virginia fish, but not sure that would sell well anywhere. The current hierarchy of fish makes no sense to me, and I require very little logic from T-shirts. Just wanted to share.

-- I'm like a week late with this, but wanted to share how silly coaches can be. Oregon State finished ahead of Oregon in the Pac-10 standings and beat the Ducks head-to-head, but the Sun Bowl picked Oregon because they didn't want the same team two years in a row. Oregon State can't have really wanted the same bowl experience two years in a row, and they get to play a BCS team in San Francisco, so there's really not much reason to feel that shorted. Check out this story from the El Paso Times, and you'll see OSU coach Mike Riley is peeved enough that he claims he didn't "even know who the matchup would be" if he'd made the Sun Bowl, which had picked the Bulls six days before they slighted his team. I can buy a lot of wild things, but I cannot believe Riley didn't know who he would have been playing.

-- I know I only have so many women's basketball recruiting fans here, but want to update something. You might have read that forward LaDesha Stoudemire -- that's Amare's sister -- had orally committed to USF. Not the case. She's considering USF, but said Friday that she hasn't made a decision yet and is still considering Illinois and Louisiana Tech. She played with USF's Brittany Denson in high school at Lake Wales, and the two remain friends and in regular contact. Stoudemire's at Odessa College but not playing this season because she can transfer in January and have three years of eligibility.

How will Michigan hire change Big East in '08?

gWith West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez accepting the Michigan job, how will his departure impact the dynamic of the Big East in 2008?

If Rodriguez had returned, along with stars Pat White and Steve Slaton, the Mountaineers would have likely been prohibitive favorites to win the Big East. Does his departure make White or Slaton more likely to leave for the NFL Draft? Could West Virginia lose key recruits in the transition between coaches?

Who can West Virginia bring in to replace Rodriguez? Will former USF assistants Rod Smith and Greg Frey follow him to Ann Arbor? What about former Bulls assistant Calvin Magee, who has been his offensive coordinator at West Virginia? Even if White and Slaton both left, they have talented if unproven backups in Jarrett Brown and Noel Devine.

Uncertainty at key positions for the Mountaineers and a coaching change could open up the perception of the Big East race entering next season -- with Louisville and Cincinnati losing their top-flight quarterbacks, is USF in position to get votes as a preseason pick to win the league? Talk here about how this could change the 2008 season for the Bulls.

Bulls outselling Ducks; Sun Bowl 'elated'

USF has sold more than 4,000 tickets for the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve in El Paso, Texas, which puts them ahead of Oregon and has bowl officials excited about ticket sales for their game.

John Folmer, president of the Sun Bowl selection committee, said the Sun Bowl was "elated" to see had already sold more than half its allotment of 8,000 tickets. He expects Oregon to sell between 3,500 and 4,000 tickets, and said overall that this year's b