The college football season is drawing to a close and the USF Bulls have put a holiday bow around their record-setting season, winning 11 games in a season for the first time in program history. The talk will steadily progress with regards to recruiting, and the controversy that surrounds those observations. Before long, there will be new players on a new team to speculate upon, guided by a new coaching staff.
Looking Back
As coaching staffs go, it tends to be the head coach that gets all of the glory. In terms of the USF win of the Birmingham Bowl, the interim head coach fits that bill. T.J. Weist looks like a football genius in hindsight, delivering what could be the best coached game of the season. The Bulls have been a team looking for a lottery ticket, utilizing a big-play-or-bust philosophy. In rare form, they actually picked apart the respectable South Carolina defense throughout most of the game. And, it showed on defense, where USF’s defense held the Gamecocks to just 24 points through three quarters of the game. The Bulls’ offense still scored on most of their drives, but they did so in a manner that allowed the defense to rest. Sports Talk Florida’s Allison Leslie writes about how Weist and Quinton Flowers are overlooked and underrated.
The #23 USF women’s basketball team took care of Stetson, 74-60, on Friday night. Maria Jespersen scored 26 and Kitijia Laksa scored 20 in the win. The ladies are now 7-0 at the Sun Dome and will host Tulsa on the 7th.
Tamara Henshaw got a double-double in the aforementioned win, earning her AAC Freshman of the Week Honors. She finished the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
While the football team was basking in the afterglow of their bowl win, the men’s basketball team was continuing their slog through what has become a disappointing season. The Bulls lost to Houston, 70-56, in their second straight loss since conference play began, losing the opener to ECU.
Looking Forward
Flowers’ five touchdown performance in the Birmingham Bowl is sure to get him much deserved national attention. It is possible, however, that even the locals and fans are not appreciating just what he has done for his team. The Tampa Bay Times’, Joey Knight, writes about how Flowers is approaching “immortality.”
Bentlee Sanders, a cornerback recruit who chose USF over Toledo, still plans to attend USF after speaking with incoming head coach, Charlie Strong. He intends to take an official visit with both schools, however, so he has a backup in case things change with Strong. 247 Sports ranks him the 142nd cornerback recruit in the country and awards him three stars.