Report: Bulls tweaking 2010 football schedule

It's a tiny amount of scheduling news, but it looks as if USF has tweaked its super-tough 2010 football schedule, with Stony Brook replacing Samford as the Bulls' I-AA home opener.

A story in the News-Advance of Lynchburg, Va., reported from the Big South preseason media gathering, reports that Stony Brook is coming to play USF in 2010. We've been chasing that nugget for a few weeks, but Stony Brook officials would only confirm that talks were ongoing, with the same from Samford, who wanted out of its contract. Once a deal is signed, I'd expect a formal announcement from USF.

It's a fun addition to the schedule, if only because Stony Brook is remarkably similar to USF. First, there's its relative youth as a school: The Long Island school was founded in 1957, a year after USF. Then there's the surprisingly large enrollment: about 22,000 students, or about half of USF. Stony Brook is joining the Big South, so they're the Northern version of USF as a school geographically removed from its conference rivals.

The Seawolves had been in the Northeast Conference, which allowed a maximum of 30 scholarships, and the Big South allows schools to have 55, so it's a big step forward, the kind USF made in joining Conference USA and then the Big East. Stony Brook has been playing football since 1984 -- about twice as long as the Bulls -- but didn't join the Northeast until 1999.

USF's 2010 schedule looks to be the Bulls' toughest ever, with games at Florida, Miami, West Virginia and Louisville.

-- Linkage: Today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a good read on former USF cornerback Mike Jenkins and how much his family means to him. I'm tempted to pick up HBO, just to watch the behind-the-scenes "Hard Knocks" show, which is following the Cowboys this fall. Could be the second year in a row a Bulls rookie makes the show, as return specialist Ean Randolph was on with the Chiefs last season.

-- One more new walk-on I've been meaning to mention: Defensive tackle Anthony Jones, who played for USF assistant Mike Simmonds at Jefferson High, is expected to join the Bulls from Foothill College in northern California. Jones signed with Colorado State in 2006 but wound up at Foothill, where he earned All-NorCal Conference first-team honors in helping Foothill to a 10-1 record last season. He finished second on his team last season with nine tackles for loss, six sacks and seven hurries, ending up with 35 total tackles. It's always tough for walk-ons with only two years of eligibility, but he has good size -- 6-foot-3, 305 pounds on last year's Foothill roster -- at a position that lacks depth. If he can play even a small role, it might allow a true freshman such as Danous Estenor or Jatavious Jackson to redshirt.

Comments

[Ari Hinkelberger]

Nice to know that we added Stoney Brook to the schedule.

(fart)

[Don Corleone]

Stoney Brook? Forgitaboutit! We should play that powerhouse from the Tri-Towns area, Monmouth.

[Jim]

Stony fart what? Question should be why Samford wanted out of their contract, please run that one down Greg?

[reality]

Greg, I just read that 4 star Jeremy Jacob is transferring from Georgia with 4 years of eligibility. He considered USF out of high school. With 2 scholarships to give, Stan Heath should be on the phone today!!

[G.A.]

Reality, looks like Jacob is going to Chipola College for a year. I'd think USf would be an option in 2009, for sure.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/24060099.html

[AGW]

That would be a great pickup. Plus, we already have Mike Mercer from UGA. I hope that can happen.

[Mike Lakeland]

Has USF ever played Stony Brook before?

[Herman Momart]

I've been to Stony Brook hundreds of times. I see zero comparisons to USF.

I think their starting QB is named Saul Hinkleberger.

stick to baseball and lacrosse stony brook.

[Ari Hinkelberger]

Saul Hinkelberger leading Stony Brook.

Don't they have a D-End named Adam Blumenthal??

[Mike Lakeland]

Stony Brook's PK/Punter is named Avner L'Chaim Rosenthalberg...

[MAL]

"Florida, Miami, West Virginia and Louisville"

It's like that old Sesame Street game: One of these things does not belong here.

[SMH]

Lets just hope we have our next gen QB. That is 1 year post MG. If we have a Ronnie Banks or PJ back there I will be very afraid. Hopefully BJ will be the man.

[Ari Hinkelberger]

Greg,
Brian Lamb, the capitan of the men's basketball team in 1998, just became the Chief Financial Officer of Fifth-Third bank at the age of 30.

Pretty good story right there. I remember when help us beat FSU in 1998 at the Sun Dome. I think it was one of my first USF basketball games. It was packed.

Lamb could shoot the rock.

CFO of a major regional bank at 30. Not bad.

http://coba.usf.edu/services/career/newsletter/alumassociationawards.pdf

[Paul Wall]

Hey Ari he's had that job for a while

[Ari Hinkelberger]

Oh - ok.

Still a good story.

[Dave W]

I'm sorry, GA, but the USF-Stony Brook link is pretty weak. Even academically, I think our med school is head and shoulders above anything they have. I could be wrong; I was pretty suprised at their enrollment.

[Ari Hinkelberger]

Stony Brook is the name of the school but it is actually the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Genshaft came from the State University of New York at Albany.

Then you got the State University of New York at Bingamton..

And you also have the Sate University of New York at Buffalo..

Plus the the State University of New York at Oswego.

And also you got the State University of New York at New Paltz

I think my friend Abraham Goldberg went to SUNY Bingamton

[Herman Momart]

Dave, Stony Brook is a bunch of think tanks. Im guessing their medical program is better than ours.

Brian Lamb used to drive the money Nissan 200sx back in the day. I bet he is pushing bigger and better things these days.