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USF's Mitchell runs 40 in unofficial 4.44, 4.42
USF receiver Carlton Mitchell had told the media he wanted to run a sub-.4.4 time in the 40-yard dash, but he can't be too disappointed with his showing Sunday: Unofficially from NFL.com, he ran a 4.44 and 4.42 in two runs through the key measurable for NFL draft prospects.
(UPDATE: NFL.com's official numbers have Mitchell with a 4.49, 10th-best among receivers.)
It's a strong time for a receiver who measured in at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He'll have a chance to show off his hands in the next hour as the receivers run through positional drills ...
-- Andrew Mason is reporting on Twitter that USF safety Nate Allen won't run the 40 this weekend due to a pulled quad muscle. The Green Bay Post-Gazette reports that Allen will run at USF's Pro Day on March 30 and has talked with the Packers, both in Indianapolis and at Senior Bowl.
-- NFL.com is listing Mitchell's broad jump as 10 feet, 2 inches, tied for sixth-best among receivers at the combine. Longest mark was 10-6. ... Read more
Grothe talks about rehab, CFL, Bill Murray
Caught up with former USF quarterback Matt Grothe during halftime of Saturday night's USF-Providence basketball game, which he watched from the second level with his dad and brother Chris. Grothe has been pleased by his progress in recovering from the knee injury that ended his season in September and is optimistic he can do everything at USF's Pro Day for NFL scouts on March 30.
Grothe, as much as anyone at USF, benefits from the school's decision to bump its Pro Day from March 5 to March 30, giving him more time to gain confidence in his health before the big workout.
"It gives me over three weeks to prepare that much more. It's definitely a good thing. I'll be over in Orlando for a couple more weeks now, with more time to get back to 100 percent," Grothe said. "My leg has shown a big improvement over the past month. This past week, I did everything, lateral-wise. I'm running full speed, with some pretty good times on the shorter shuttles." ... Read more
Combine notes: USF's Mitchell runs at 11 a.m.
Lots of links and notes from the NFL combine in Indianapolis, where USF receiver Carlton Mitchell is the first of six Bulls players in the 40-yard dash -- his group of receivers and quarterbacks are set to go at 11 a.m., with live streaming video at NFL.com.
Mitchell had a good showing on Saturday -- out of the 44 receivers in attendance, he tied for eighth with 16 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press.
The combine gives the national media a chance to learn about stories we've been writing about for years -- the L.A. Times' Sam Farmer writes about Mitchell's mother, Angela, working as Antonio Tarver's "cutwoman" in his corner. We wrote that story before Mitchell's first game back in 2007. ... Read more
Double your points? That's a first for Bulls
As all-time records go, it's a bit of a dubious honor -- for a basketball team to double its offensive output from one game to the next, it requires not only a great showing one night, but an impressively bad showing the previous game.
But after poring over linescores from 39 years of men's basketball at USF, we can confirm that never before have the Bulls scored twice as many points as their previous game, as they did in going from a 74-49 loss at Villanova to Saturday's 99-93 win against Providence. The Bulls have come within two points of doing so three times -- from 48 to 94 in 1976-77, from 53 to 104 in 1983-84 and from 47 to 92 in 1985-86.
The 50-point increase, however, isn't the biggest single-game improvement in Bulls history. That honor goes to the 1983-84 team, which saw a 51-point bump between its final two games, a 57-53 loss to Western Kentucky and a 104-86 win against Monmouth. ... Read more
No defense, no prob: Bulls beat Friars, 99-93
TAMPA -- It could have been a dagger when Providence guard Sharaud Curry hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds left against USF.
But senior point guard Chris Howard, beaten on the shot, looked upcourt, fired a pass at midcourt to a streaking Dominique Jones, who hit a go-ahead lay-up as he was fouled by Curry, who then got a technical foul for slamming the ball down in frustration. Jones hit all three free throws, and the Bulls held on for a wild 99-93 win against the Friars before a crowd of 5,061 in the Sun Dome.
"Shots are made like that, and everyone just stops," Howard explained after scoring 20 points himself. "The crowd, they're just stunned. So I was thinking, hurry up and get that ball. I knew Dominique was ready to go, that's him in transition, so I threw him the ball. He got fouled, finished the play. The rest is history."
The sequence that typified the night for USF: very little defense, but heady play and clutch free throws. ... Read more
Live blog: USF men's hoops vs. Providence
Minor delay getting wireless here at the Sun Dome, but we're blogging live from USF's men's basketball game against Providence. Check in for updates, notes and conversation about the Bulls ...
Speed's late 3 pushes Bulls past Louisville
Senior guard Allyson Speed -- who totaled just 21 points in USF's first 23 games this season -- had a career-high 24 points on Saturday, including a 3-pointer with four seconds left to give the Bulls a 63-60 win at Louisville.
USF (15-13, 6-9) had dropped five of six games coming in, but managed to win in the final women's regular-season game at historic Freedom Hall, against a team that made the national championship game last spring. Louisville (13-15, 5-10) has struggled with injuries, but it's still a solid win for the Bulls that should help them earn a position in the Women's NIT and extend their postseason streak to seven seasons.
Speed didn't score more than six points in the first two months of the season, then missed eight games with a knee injury feared to be season-ending. With three players indefinitely suspended the last five games, she's stepped up, scoring 20 points at Georgetown on Feb. 17, then Saturday's 24-point effort. She went 8-for-13 on 3-pointers, getting all of her points from beyond the arc. ... Read more
Illness forces USF softball to cancel two games
The illness making its way through USF's softball roster is bad enough that the Bulls have cancelled a doubleheader scheduled at Arizona State on Saturday.
A release from the Sun Devils said that the decision was made "fearing the safety of the USF team." Several key players were absent from USF's lineup in an eight-inning loss to the Sun Devils on Friday night. According to the release, the two teams will try to play "at least one game" Sunday, though Sunday's originally scheduled game had been moved to Saturday in anticipation of bad weather Sunday.
Notes: Late leads lost, NFL combine, Arena ball
Tough Friday night for USF athletics, as baseball and softball had big wins within their reach but couldn't hold on against tough opponents. Baseball saw ace Randy Fontanez hold his own against Ohio State's Alex Wimmers, a potential high first-round pick, but a 2-1 lead couldn't hold up and the Buckeyes won 4-2 on the first day of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge.
Softball, with key parts of its lineup sidelined with a virus, still had a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning at Arizona State, but the Wildcats rallied for an 8-7 win in extra innings. You know some of Ken Eriksen's pitching options aren't available when he leaves starter Brittany Bowles in for the entire game -- she nearly won despite giving up 15 hits in seven-plus innings. The Bulls (5-5) will play a doubleheader today to finish out the series. ... Read more
Bulls hope better defense can end skid
TAMPA -- Stan Heath knows that his star guard hasn't been shooting as well, that his post players need to get the ball more, that his team needs to limit its turnovers. But if the Bulls are going to bounce back from a slump that's seen them lose four of their last five games, the turnaround will start on defense.
"We have to be a good defensive team that gets rebounds, gets steals, gets deflections and gets in the open court," Heath said Friday in preparation for Saturday night's home game against Providence. "I don't really look at halfcourt offense. We have to do those things, but that's not why we won games. If you go look back at film, we were up and down the court. (Jarrid) Famous can run, (Augustus) Gilchrist can run, (Dominique) Jones is phenomenal in the open court. That's what we do. We've got to create that style on the court."
The Bulls (16-11, 6-9) haven't forced enough turnovers in their last four losses, averaging just 8.8, which limits how many transition baskets USF can get from speedy guards Mike Mercer and Anthony Crater. The Bulls have averaged six fast-break points in those losses, but Providence gives them a chance to get back to their ballhawking ways. ... Read more
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