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South Florida welcomes Navy today for their rescheduled homecoming game. Bulls hope to heep on the winning track

Published

3 months ago

November 8, 2024

USF BEATS UAB – USF – USF ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT PHOTO

Today at noon, South Florida is set to celebrate its long-awaited homecoming, postponed earlier due to Hurricane Milton. The Bulls are gearing up to face Navy (6-2, 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference), with USF (4-4, 2-2 AAC) looking to extend their two-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Midshipmen arrive after experiencing their first ever loss to Rice.

Today’s match marks only the fifth time these two teams have competed on the football field and the second instance they have played in Tampa. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2, featuring the commentary duo of Roy Philpott and Sam Acho.

After a challenging beginning, the Bulls have managed to rally, now on a two-game winning streak with victories over UAB 35-25 and Florida Atlantic 44-21 last Friday night. Despite facing a tough schedule with losses to nationally-ranked teams like Alabama and Miami, as well as Tulane and Memphis in the AAC, their 4-4 record is respectable. As they enter the less demanding portion of their schedule, they aim to secure more than six wins and earn a spot in a postseason bowl game.

Coastal Carolina’s transfer junior, Bryce Archie, filled in admirably for the injured Byrum Brown (who has returned but did not start against FAU), delivering impressive performances. Archie has completed 71 out of 130 pass attempts, accumulating 739 yards with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. On the other hand, Brown has a record of 78 completions out of 132 passes for 836 yards and 2 touchdowns. Collectively, the USF quarterbacks’ 4 interceptions place them at 17th in the FBS rankings.

Graduate student Kelley Joiner spearheads the USF rushing offense with 453 yards and 7 touchdowns from 73 carries, and fellow graduate student, Florida transfer Nay’Quan Wright, contributes with 379 yards and 3 touchdowns on 74 carries. Leading USF in receiving, graduate student Sean Atkins has secured 42 receptions for 415 yards and a touchdown, while Purdue transfer and graduate student Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen has made 17 catches for 223 yards. Additionally, Atkins ranks 16th nationally in punt returns, averaging 11.5 yards per return.

The USF defense is spearheaded by graduate student outside linebacker Mac Harris, who has achieved 51 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, alongside graduate student linebacker and FAU transfer Jamie Pettway, with 43 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Junior cornerback and James Madison transfer Brent Austin ranks 10th nationally in passes defended, with an average of 1.3 per game (including pass deflections and interceptions).

The Bulls’ defense ranks 20th in the FBS for fourth down defense, with a .375 conversion rate by opponents, and 24th in red zone defense at .759. They are also 12th in the nation for tackles for loss, averaging 7.6 per game. USF stands 15th in net punting, with an average of 42.3 yards per punt. Their punt return defense is exceptional, allowing only 3.8 yards per return, which is 19th in the country. The USF punt return team is 25th nationally, with an average of 12.4 yards per return. Senior punter Andrew Stokes ranks 18th in the nation with an average of 44.9 yards per punt.

The Navy football team is exceeding expectations, having been selected 11th in the 14-team AAC preseason poll, and is now in 3rd place with a 4-1 record, including a victory over the preseason favorite, Memphis. The Midshipmen, facing three of the top four teams in the preseason poll (Memphis, Tulane, South Florida), have the opportunity to secure their own path to the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Victories over USF, Tulane, and ECU would guarantee Navy a spot in the championship, as they would hold the tiebreaker over Tulane.
This season, Navy has amassed 293 points in 8 games, which is 81 more than the total 212 points scored in the 12 games of the previous year. The Midshipmen have impressively scored a touchdown on the first play of a drive five times this fall, ranking third in the FBS. Averaging 251.4 rushing yards per game, Navy boasts the fifth-highest average in the FBS and the best for the program since 2019, when it set a school record with an average of 360.5 rushing yards per game. In the red zone, Navy has a success rate of 26-29 (.897) this year, with 24 touchdowns; notably, the team’s first 20 red zone visits all resulted in touchdowns before they opted for a field goal against Charlotte. Additionally, Navy is tied for fourth nationwide in red zone touchdown efficiency, with a rate of .830.

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NBA Europe? A Possibility In The Future

Published

2 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

Adam Silver

There are arenas available in Europe.

National Basketball Association owners were supposed to be considering expanding to 32 teams sometime in 2025 but almost a month has passed and it appears that NBA owners are more interested in euros or pounds than the glitz of Las Vegas and the corporate rich Seattle market. The league is also investigating whether Mexico City has the wherewithal to host an NBA franchise. “Mexico City is a market that we’ve been playing regular season games and not just preseason games for a long time. I think that’s potentially doable, “said the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “There are other issues involved, it’s not about to happen overnight, but I think that’s a real opportunity.” But European expansion is also on Silver’s mind. He has dusted off the old David Stern plan to expand into Europe. About two decades ago, the NBA Commissioner Stern was wondering whether an NBA European Division would work but there was an arena problem in Europe. There were enough NBA state-of-the-art facilities on the continent and the notion went dormant until recently. Silver made an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast and discussed how things might work in Europe but there are some obstacles.

“One of the things we’ve been discussing is whether, before adding NBA franchises in Europe, there’s an opportunity to create an independent league there. This could leverage the enormous interest in basketball in major European capitals like Paris, London, Berlin, and Madrid and other major cities that love basketball,” Silver continued, “One day, maybe it’ll be my successor, but I can definitely see a division of NBA teams in Europe, and I think it would be an incredible thing for the game.” The business of the NBA is selling the brand globally. The league is looking for new money making markets and Europe appears to be the next stop.

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FILE – In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, the NBA logo (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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Rays and free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim agree to 2-year deal worth $29 million, AP source says

Published

14 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (7) in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Aug. 17, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

The Tampa Bay Rays and free agent Ha-Seong Kim have agreed to a two-year contract valued at $29 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. ESPN first reported the agreement.

Kim, who played his first four seasons in the majors with the San Diego Padres and won a Gold Glove in 2023, will be paid $13 million this year. He also could earn $2 million in performance bonuses — $10,000 per plate appearance starting at 326 through 525.

Kim has a $16 million player option for 2026.

The 29-year-old infielder from South Korea tore the labrum in his right shoulder on Aug. 18 and needed season-ending surgery. He hit .233 with 11 homers and 22 stolen bases in the final season of a $28 million, four-year contract.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Tampa earns the No. 1 spot in the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason rankings.

Published

22 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

Tampa earns the No. 1 spot in the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s initial rankings. After earning the program’s highest final ranking in 2024 following a National Championship title, the team garners its highest-ever preseason ranking in any poll at No. 1 surpassing the previous mark at No. 4.

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Tampa is the No. 1 team in the USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Preseason Top 20, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced Tuesday.

When Tampa put the final touches on its 13-8 win over Adelphi in the 2024 NCAA championship game, the Spartans became the fourth straight first-time champion in Division II. And they were certainly deserving.

The defending national champs are the popular choice among Division II coaches as the preseason No. 1, with returning talent throughout the lineup. Peyton Howell and Sophi Wrisk return to lead the offense, with Lexi Waters and Delaney Stahrr back as the defensive anchors.

While it’s still to be seen how the changes for 2025 ‑ an expanded NCAA tournament field of 24 teams and automatic berths for conference champions ‑ will impact the parity, what is known is that Tampa begins the new season right where it left off last year, sitting at the top of the national rankings.

Led by midfielders Maggie Schipfer and Megan Bunker, No. 2 Regis has a strong group returning from last year’s final-four team. A sixth straight RMAC title and another deep NCAA run won’t be surprising in 2025.

No. 3 Florida Southern battled Tampa three times last year, with those games decided by a combined four goals. The margin between these two Sunshine State Conference foes is usually razor-thin, and that’s likely to be the case again this spring.

No. 4 Pace, which was undefeated until the NCAA regional final in 2024, must replace national player of the year Angelina Porcello in the midfield as well as first-team All-America defender Alexandra Quinn, but the Setters welcome back All-America goalie Sami Tanguay.

Rounding out the top five, West Chester has some key losses from last year’s regional final squad, most notably midfielder Hannah Stanislawczyk, the program’s all-time scoring leader. The return of midfielder Keri Barnett, who missed all of 2024 due to an injury, should help.

Preseason rankings are compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors with consultation from college coaches.

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