Florida Sports Wires

  Special to Florida Sports Wires TAMPA (www.jaxsportsnews.com) – Defensive end C.J. Hicks delivered a record-setting defensive performance to lead South Florida (6-2; 2-2 American) to a 30-10 victory over UAB (4-4; 2-2 American) Saturday at Raymond James Stadium.  The Bulls improved to17-5 at home over the last four seasons and remained in the hunt for a top American Conference finish with four regular season games remaining. USF clinched bowl eligibility for the fourth-straight season, tying the second-longest streak in program history, but still has its eye on a higher prize. Hicks was dominating in a strong defensive effort that saw the Bulls shut UAB out after their first two possessions and limit the Blazers to a season-low 17 rushing yards, just 10 first downs and 177 total yards. Hicks was part of a season-high six sacks and 11 tackles for loss for the Bulls as he tied a program-record with four sacks of his own. Two of those sacks forced fumbles that were returned fo...

  FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of South Florida softball team’s championship season came to an end in the Fayetteville Regional final against No. 10 Arkansas. The Bulls (44-17) fell to the Razorbacks (45-11) 10-2. South Florida finished the season with 40-plus wins for the 19th time under Head Coach Ken Eriksen. The Bulls made their 19th NCAA regional appearance after winning their 10th conference championship under Eriksen. It is the second consecutive season the Bulls have won 44 games.  Alexa Galligani belted her sixth home run, ending her career on a seven-game hitting streak. Alex Wilkes, Kacey Wilkes,and Jocelyn Wilkes became the first trio of sisters to play together in an NCAA regional game.  Brinli Bain recorded a one-out double in the bottom of the first inning for the Razorbacks. The next batter hit a line drive up the middle, and Garcia-Soto snagged it and dove to beat the runner back to second, completing the double play and ending the inning. Wilkes ...

TAMPA – University of South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins has named 2016 national coach of the year Chris Mack as the 13th head coach of the Bulls men’s basketball program. Mack, who led Xavier and Louisville to the NCAA Tournament, comes to South Florida after posting a pair of 20-win seasons at the College of Charleston. He brings a 323-153 (.679) career record to Tampa across 15 seasons as a head coach with stops at Xavier (2009-18), Louisville (2018-22), and College of Charleston (2024-26).  Mack has posted 12 20-win seasons and led teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances (posting an 11-9 record), including four Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight appearance with Xavier. He posted 259 victories in his first 11 seasons as a head coach, marking the 12th most amassed by a coach in that time frame. As a player, assistant coach, and head coach, Mack has been a part of 19 NCAA Tournament appearances. Teams Mack has led have achieved both a No. 1 Associated Press Poll ranking (Loui...

TAMPA – The University of South Florida men's basketball team announced today that head coach Bryan Hodgson has accepted the head men's basketball coaching position at Providence. In his lone season in Tampa, Hodgson delivered the most successful campaign in program history. South Florida tied the program record for wins, posting a 25-8 record, captured the American Conference regular season and tournament championships — earning two new banners for the Yuengling Center rafters — and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. "Coach said he would come and win championships, and he delivered on that promise by leading the most successful season in the history of our program," said CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins. "This year's team earned not one, but two championship banners for the Yuengling Center rafters, and we're forever grateful to our student-athletes, Coach Hodgson, his family, and his staff. We did everything within reason to try...

  TUSCALOOSA, ALA.  –  The South Florida football team gave No. 4-ranked Alabama all it wanted Saturday in Tuscaloosa, battling in a one-point game through three quarters before the Crimson Tide strung together points late in a 42-16 victory that was much closer than the final score. Before a crowd of 100,077 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the largest ever to witness a USF football game, on the night the field was dedicated to legendary Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, USF led Alabama in total yards, 210-209, and trailed by one, 14-13, with under 11 minutes to play in the game. But the Tide strung together 21 points in the final six minutes using big plays of 43, 56 and 29 yards to put the game away.   The Bulls were playing their fifth ever game against a top-five ranked opponent and their highest-ranked opponent in a road game since falling at No. 2 Oklahoma in 2002. USF fell 17-3 last year to No. 10-ranked Alabama in Raymond James Stadium in a game that was a one score co...

Photo by Mary Holt/USF Athetics GAINESVILLE (SportsTicker) – The USF football (1-2) team gave No. 18 Florida (2-1) all in wanted in a wild game the Gators held on to win, 31-28, before 88,496 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on a Saturday night. The third-largest crowd USF has ever played in front of nearly witnessed one of the biggest wins in program history as head coach Jeff Scott’s Bulls ran for 286 yards, totaled 402 yards of offense and kept Gator quarterback Anthony Richardson in check in a game that wasn’t decided until a missed 49-yard field goal attempt with 23 seconds to play. The Bulls outscored the Gators 15-7 in the second half, outgained the Gators 402-329 and held a 28-24 lead with 11:14 to play, but a couple miscues and a late Florida touchdown drive prevented the upset. Sophomore running back Brian Battie ran for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown and junior quarterback Gerry Bohanon added 102 and a touchdown on the ground as USF’s offensive line ...

TAMPA -- Season offensive records were shattered as USF put on a show in a 45-35 shootout loss to No. 25 Western Kentucky at the Miami Beach Bowl on Monday afternoon. The Bulls (8-5) exploded for 597 total yards in its impressive postseason return and nearly came back from a 17-point second-half deficit in front of a crowd of 21,712 filled with roaring Green and Gold at Marlins Park. “The future is bright for USF football. There are a lot of guys returning next year,” said head coach Willie Taggart, who signed a three-year extension after bringing the Bulls back to their winning ways with seven victories in their final nine games this season. Miami native Quinton Flowers put on a dazzling performance in his return home, throwing for a career-high 273 yards and a touchdown and rushing for two scores. The sophomore totaled 108 of USF’s 290 yards on the ground and set a new USF quarterback season record with 991 yards rushing, the sixth-best season mark overall, and 12 TD runs. So...

TAMPA  – USF will go for its fifth straight win in its series with Jacksonville Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Sun Dome. The two programs will meet for the 47th time, the third-most played series for the Bulls behind UAB (58) and Charlotte (53). USF leads the all-time series, 25-21, with a 13-7 advantage in Tampa, including last year’s 79-65 win on Nov. 29. USF (2-8) is looking to break a three-game losing skid and also is trying for win No. 600 in program history. The Bulls are 599-693 in 45 years of basketball. Jacksonville (4-6) is coming off an 81-74 loss at South Carolina State on Saturday and will be looking for its second road win of the season. Freshman Jahmal McMurray continues to lead the Bulls in scoring. The Topeka, Kan., native is averaging 12.3 points per game, which ranks 16th in the American Athletic Conference, the second-best among freshmen. He is coming off a game-high 13 points in USF’s latest game, a 65-46 loss to NC State. McMurray has scored in double-fig...

Willie Taggart TAMPA, Fla.  – The USF student section was a big part of the Bulls posting a 5-1 home record, equaling their best in 13 years, and Head Coach Willie Taggart wants to bring that energy to the Miami Beach Bowl. The third-year head coach of the Bulls will cover the ticket costs for 500 USF students to attend the Bulls’ first bowl game in five seasons on Monday, Dec. 21 at Marlins Park in Miami.  The first 500 USF students to purchase a bowl game ticket, including those already purchased, will have the $20 cost of that ticket reimbursed after attending the bowl game by Taggart.  “I just want to say thank you to all the USF students that made Ray Jay rock this season and I can’t wait to see them all in Miami and turn Marlins Park into Ray Jay South,” Taggart said. “The students are a huge part of our success and we want them to come down and get No. 9 with us.  The Bulls (8-4) will take on Taggart’s alma mater and No. 25-ranked Wes...

FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE In a celebration of the Bay Area and USF Hispanic community, USF’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will wear special uniforms for the doubleheader on Sunday at the Sun Dome. White uniforms with the words “Los Toros” written in green will be worn by the women’s team in their noon game against Chattanooga and by the men’s team in their 4 p.m. game against NC State. The theme for the doubleheader is Uniendo Los Toros, which in English reads, Uniting The Bulls, a play on USF’s theme Bulls Unite. It will be a celebration and recognition of community and campus members that have had a significant impact in the Hispanic community.  Among the recognitions will be the Status of Latinos Committee on campus and the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council in Tampa. USF is the only NCAA Division I school with a Hispanic-American leading both its men’s and women’s basketball program.  Orlando Antigua, born in the Dominican Republic, is one of only three Hispanic h...