Doug Miles and Don Henderson talk with J.J. Kapp, the son of legendary Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Joe Kapp about his book “Joe Kapp, The Toughest Chicano”. This is the 50th anniversary of Super Bowl IV where Joe led the Minnesota Vikings against the Kansas City Chiefs. Book link https://www.joekappbook.com/about-the-toughest-chicano
Don Henderson and Doug Miles preview the big game in Miami, talk about Derek Jeter in the HOF, Astros and Red Sox cheating, Mets new manager, Australian Open and more.
(Tampa, FL) New head coach Jeff Scott welcomed the first members of his first recruiting class at USF Wednesday as eight student-athletes committed to join the South Florida football program during the first day of the NCAA Early Signing Period, which ends Friday.
“We are really excited about the young men that became Bulls today and will be a big part of the program we are building at USF,” Scott said. “We added a lot of speed, athleticism and explosiveness to our team today and we’ll look to add even more in the late signing period in February.
“I am working hard to complete my coaching staff and then we are going to hit the ground running in recruiting in January. We will look to complete a strong class in February and then hit the field for spring football. It’s an exciting time to be a Bull and we’re just getting started.”
On Wednesday, the first of three days in the early signing period, USF received commitments from eight student-athletes, including welcoming FBS transfer running back Darrian Felix (Oregon).
Six of the new Bulls hail from the state of Florida, while one is from South Carolina and one is from Hawaii.
The Bulls added three players on the offensive side of the ball on Wednesday, including two running backs and a wide receiver.
Felix (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) was rated the No. 8 all-purpose running back in Florida by 247Sports in the Class of 2017. He spent three seasons at Oregon, redshirting in 2018 after a season-ending injury, and totaled 379 yards and three touchdowns rushing for the Ducks. He racked up 1,808 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns in his senior season at Fort Myers High School. Fellow running back Brian Battie (Sarasota, Fla./Sarasota HS) ran for 4,542 yards and 62 touchdowns in his final three prep seasons, including 1,182 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. Wide receiver Omarion Dollison (Columbia, S.C./Gray Collegiate Academy) led his team to a 10-3 record and logged 86 receptions for 1,621 yards and 21 touchdowns, while running nine times for 118 yards in his senior campaign.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulls added five players, four in the secondary and one on the defensive line. Cornerbacks AJ Hamilton (Dunnellon, Fla./Dunnellon HS), Ben Knox (DeLand, Fla./DeLand HS) and Christopher Townsel (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach HS) joined safety Mac Harris (The Villages, Fla./The Villages Charter School) as the newest Bulls in the secondary while Sione Tuitupou (Kailua, Hawaii/Kalaheo HS/East LA College) joins the defensive line.
Hamilton led his team to a 9-2 record, posting 17 tackles and six pass breakups along with 276 rushing and 181 receiving yards and four total touchdowns as a senior. Harris led his team to an 8-3 record and posted 86 tackles, four interceptions and four forced fumbles as a senior. Knox led his team to a 7-3 record and totaled 25 tackles, seven passes defended, two forced fumbles and an interception as a senior. Townsel led his team to a 10-4 mark and the state semifinals, posting 45 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery as a senior.
Tuitupou spent the 2019 season at East Los Angeles College, where he posted 22 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and blocked two kicks in eight games. The Hawaii native first attended Garden City Community College after leaving Kalaheo High School in Honolulu.
(Tampa, FL) MOR-TV will be the exclusive local broadcast television provider for this Saturday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Houston Texans at 1PM. The Bucs will be going for their 5th straight win for just the second time in the last 17 years.
Leading into the NFL game coverage will be MOR-TV’s local pre-game show Countdown to Kickoff: Tampa Bay vs. Houston. Live from Raymond James Stadium, this one-hour special will be hosted by JP Peterson and Hall of Fame Buccaneer Derrick Brooks.
“We are excited to bring this match-up to our viewers at home” explains Pam Barber, President & GM of MOR-TV, MeTV Tampa Bay and Estrella TV Tampa Bay.
Countdown to Kickoff: Tampa Bay vs. Houston will begin airing LIVE at 11:30AM on MOR-TV and will be followed by the NFL game coverage for Tampa Bay vs. Houston. MOR-TV can be seen over the air at 32.1; and on cable on Spectrum 12/1012; Frontier Fios 12/512; DirecTV 32, Dish Network 32, and Comcast 12/437.
(Tampa, FL) USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly announced Monday his selection of Jeff Scott to lead USF football as the fifth head coach in program history.
Scott will be introduced to the university and Bay area community on Wednesday on the USF campus. Details on the introductory press conference will be forthcoming.
The co-offensive coordinator at Clemson since 2015 and a member of the football staff at his alma mater since 2008, Scott has been a key part of the rise of one of the most dominant football programs in the nation. He has helped lead the Tigers to their fifth straight College Football Playoff appearance in 2019, three CFP Championship game appearances (2015, 2016 & 2018 seasons) and national titles in the 2016 and 2018 seasons. Clemson scored 21 fourth-quarter points to defeat Alabama, 35-31, in the CFP National Championship game on Jan. 9, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to claim the program’s first national title in 35 years.
“Jeff is a very bright, enthusiastic and driven leader for our program and we are thrilled to welcome him to USF and back to Florida, where he was born and where he has recruited so well for Clemson for many years,” Kelly said. “He is a young and extremely gifted offensive mind, a developer of high-level talent and an elite national recruiter who brings the experience of having played an integral role from the beginning in helping to build one of the most successful programs in college football. We are thrilled that he and his wife, Sara, and their daughter, Savannah, are joining our Bulls family and will be part of the exciting future of USF football.”
In his fifth season serving as co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2019, Scott helped Clemson claim its fifth straight ACC title and improve to 13-0 on the year with a 62-17 ACC Championship game victory over Virginia in which the Tigers posted 619 yards of offense.
“I have great respect for the USF football program and what has been accomplished in a very short time and can’t wait to get to work building on that foundation to produce a championship program,” Scott said.
Born in Arcadia, Fla., Scott has been a key figure in recruiting the talented student-athletes that have led Clemson’s ascendance to the top of college football. He took over as Clemson’s recruiting coordinator in December of 2008 and served in that role until 2014, leading the Tigers to top 10 ranked classes in his first season of 2009 and also in 2011 and 2012. Continuing as an elite recruiter while taking on coordinator duties, he has been named a top 10 recruiter nationally by ESPN.com (2014), a top 25 national recruiter seven times by Rivals.com.
Since becoming co-offensive coordinator alongside Tony Elliott starting with the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Oklahoma, the Tigers have gone 69-4 (38-2 in the ACC) with just two regular season losses and posted the three winningest seasons in program history (2018 (15-0), 2015 (14-1), 2016 (14-1)). During that span, Clemson has averaged 40.3 points and 503 yards per game, gaining 6.6 yards per play while Tigers quarterbacks completed 66.3 percent of their passes.
Scott served as head coach at Blythewood (S.C.) High School (2005-06) and won a 3A state title in the first year the program fielded a varsity team. He entered the college ranks as wide receivers coach at Presbyterian College in 2007 before returning to Clemson as a graduate assistant in 2008.
Scott graduated cum laude from Clemson in 2003 with a degree in mathematics, having earned President’s List recognition with a 4.0 grade-point average in 2001 and 2002. He went on to earn a master’s degree in education instruction technology from American Intercontinental University (2005).
He was a three-year letterman at wide receiver at Clemson (2000-2002) and was named the Outstanding Senior Male Athlete and recipient of the Athletic Director’s Excellence Award. The Tigers reached three bowl games during his time as a player.
Scott and his wife, Sara, have a young daughter, Savannah.
Hall of Fame broadcaster Don Henderson and Doug Miles talk about the college football final 4, USF Bulls coaching possibilities, Tampa Bay Rays stadium issues, Pat Williams baseball dream in Orlando, NFL and more.
(Tampa, FL) USF’s home season came to a crashing end Saturday afternoon in Tampa losing in a 49-10 rout to Memphis. The loss eliminates the Bulls from any post season bowl consideration and puts Head Coach Charlie Strong’s future with the program on very thin ice. Since going 7-0 to start last season, the Bulls have gone 4-13 in their last 17 games.
After forcing a Memphis three-and-out, USF seized the initial lead on its six-play, 75-yard opening drive that was capped with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Dave Small. Kelley Joiner rushed four times for 66 yards on the drive and his 47-yard sprint downfield set the Bulls up at the Memphis 7-yard line.
Memphis tied things up with 5:01 to play in the opening quarter before Sails set up another go-ahead score for USF with a 40-yard interception return down to the Tigers’ 23. Four plays later, a 37-yard field goal by junior Coby Weiss gave the Bulls a 10-7 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.
Memphis got all the way down to the USF 20 on its next drive that ended with another takeaway by the Bulls. Evans returned his first career interception 52 yards into Memphis territory, securing USF’s sixth game of the season with at least two takeaways.
White bounced back with two touchdown passes during Memphis’ 21-point second quarter that started with Patrick Taylor’s second of three scoring runs in the game.
“You gotta give their team their credit” said Bulls Head Coach Charlie Strong. “We didn’t play well. When you go out there and we play a good team like Memphis, we knew that all three phases had to play together, just knowing who they are, what they’ve done and how they’ve played the whole season. You get out there and we take the ball the opening drive and we go score to go up 7-0. Then we were able to get two turnovers there on defense and made it a short field and only got three points out of it, and missed another field goal. Then, we just could never get any rhythm at all going on offense. Then, it just beats down your defense.”
USF wraps up its 2019 season with rival UCF in Orlando on Friday, Nov. 29. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN.
(Tampa, FL) The USF football team’s War on I-4 clash at UCF (7-3; 4-2 American) on Friday, Nov. 29 has been set for an 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.
The Bulls (4-6; 2-4 American) and Knights will be meeting for the 11th time with USF holding a 6-4 advantage in the series. The last game played at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando was hailed as one of the top games of the 2017 season, as the Knights prevailed in a 49-42 epic between two ranked teams decided in the final minutes. The Bulls are 3-2 in Orlando, including a 44-3 victory in 2015.
On Monday, the American Athletic Conference also announced home and away opponents for conference teams for the upcoming 2020 and 2021 seasons.
The 2020 season will be the first for The American with 11 football-playing institutions. The 2020 and 2021 schedules will include eight conference games – four home games and four road contests – for each team in each season. Each team will face the other 10 teams at least once in the two-year cycle.
“This scheduling model provides balance and competitive equity and will contribute to the exciting seasons to which we have become accustomed in the American Athletic Conference,” said American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco. “It is a fair model that was unanimously supported by our athletic directors.”
The American will not have a divisional format for its 2020 and 2021 football seasons. The conference will determine the procedures for determining the participants in the American Athletic Conference Football Championship at a later date.
USF’s home and away conference schedule for the 2020 and 2021 seasons are below. In a quirk of the new scheduling matrix involving 11 conference teams, the Bulls will face Tulsa in Raymond James Stadium in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021.
2020
Home: UCF, ECU, Navy, Tulsa
Away: Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, Temple (will not play SMU, Tulane)
2021
Home: Cincinnati, Houston, Temple, Tulsa
Away: UCF, ECU, SMU, Tulane (will not play Memphis, Navy)
(Tampa, FL) USF gave No. 17 Cincinnati all it could handle in a 20-17 loss that went to the final second Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
Following the Bulls’ missed chance at a go-ahead field goal from 33 yards out with 2:07 to play, Sam Crosa made a 37-yard kick as time expired to earn the Bearcats (9-1, 6-0) at least a share of The American’s East Division title.
Powered by a solid defensive effort, USF (4-6, 2-4) took a 10-0 lead into halftime and held a 17-10 advantage early in the fourth quarter. The Bulls’ bid for their first win over a ranked opponent since 2016 was hampered by four missed field goals from 50, 53, 43 and 33 yards out.
Cincinnati, which came to Tampa averaging 32.7 points, was shut out in the first half for just the second time this season and was outgained by the Bulls by a 438-278 margin. Sophomore linebacker Antonio Grier Jr. led USF’s valiant defensive effort with a career-high 10 tackles, including two of USF’s eight tackles for loss and one of the team’s four sacks as the Bulls forced eight punts and gained a takeaway for the 10th straight game.
Redshirt freshman Jordan McCloud completed 18 of 27 passes for a career-high 267 yards and a touchdown. McCloud’s 4-yard scoring pass to senior tight end Mitchell Wilcox helped spot USF a 17-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
USF got a team-high 78 rushing yards from Jordan Cronkrite. The senior from Miami moved up to eighth on the program’s career rushing list with 1,808 yards. Freshman Kelley Joiner Jr. set career highs with 72 rushing yards on 13 carries and totaled a team-best 121 all-purpose yards.
Cincinnati didn’t get a first down until late in the first quarter and that drive resulted in its fourth punt. USF took advantage of the opportunity with a 28-yard field goal by freshman Spencer Shrader Freshman Xavier Weaver had a 37-yard reception on the 13-play, 85-yard drive.
Cincinnati found the end zone on the second drive of the second half before the Bulls answered right back. McCloud’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Wilcox capped off a seven-play, 75-yard drive that extended the USF lead to 17-7 with 7:12 to play in the third quarter. Joiner exploded downfield on the first play of the sequence with a career long 49-yard reception.
The Bearcats tied things up in the first minute of the fourth quarter, which set up a dramatic finish in the 17th meeting between the programs.
With the Bulls backed up at their own 3 midway through the quarter, McCloud threw a quick pass to junior Eddie McDoom, who raced downfield through defenders on a career-long 41 reception. Three plays later, McCloud completed a 19-yard pass to sophomore Bryce Miller on third-and-4 down to the Cincinnati 31. USF got as close as the Bearcats’ 15 before missing the potential go-ahead field goal with 2:07 remaining.
Cincinnati then converted twice on third-and-long and drove 60 yards to set up Crosa’s game-winning field goal in the final seconds.
“This one hurts and it hurts because you saw a great team effort tonight”, said Bulls Head Coach Charlie Strong. “Just the way our guys came out and the energy they had and just the way they played from start to finish. We had our opportunities, and it’s tough because of the opportunities that we had. There’s no blame for anyone. It’s one of those losses that’s a team loss. We have two games left and we’ve got to get to a bowl game.”
USF wraps up a three-game homestand Saturday, Nov. 23 against No. 18 Memphis. Kickoff time for the Bulls’ Senior Day game is 4 p.m. on ESPNU.
