Friday, 3:30 a.m.

Was it an illusion? The new energy? The fast start? The imported roster?

After another defeat, there is room to doubt the new era of the South Florida Bulls.

The Bulls lost a 31-24 game to the University of Texas-San Antonio Thursday night. It dropped the Bulls to 4-2 after their 4-0 start.

The Roadrunners overcame a 17-10 deficit, largely by running the ball straight at the Bulls. UTSA ran the ball 42 times for 277 yards. Quarterback Owen McCown added 202 yard passing.

The Bulls were sharp early, driving for a touchdown on its first drive and later getting a 42-yard scoring pass from Michael Van Buren to Bryson Rodgers.

D.J Crowther had 83 yards rushing for the Bulls. Rodgers had 72 yards receiving.

The Bulls are home at Raymond James Stadium against Kent State on Oct. 17 at 7. p.m.

Friday, 3 a.m.

Perhaps there is something new about the Tampa Bay Lightning, after all.

The Bolts won their third staight game Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena, beating the Minnesota Wild 3-2.

In the game, new backup goaltender Dennis Hildeby won his debut in net for the Bolts. Hildeby stopped 34 of 36 shots and shut out the Wild in the third period.

Then there was new defenseman John Carlton. Who scored twice, his first two goals as a member of the Lightning.

Anthony Cirelli also scored for the Bolts.

The Lightning travels to New York to play he Islanders Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, 4 a.m.

There is something special about dancing at your rival's funeral.

The Tampa Bay Rays keep coming to Yankee Stadium to party. Already, they had celebrated clinching the AL East there. This was bigger.

The Rays completed a sweep of a strong Yankees' team Wednesday night, polishing of New York in a 4-3 victory. The Rays now advance to the AL Championship, where they play either Chicago or Cleveland.

The Yankees scored just five runs in the series.

Victor Mesa Jr. hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie for the big hit of the game.

The Yankees came back in the bottom of the sixth. Anthony Volpe hit what appeared to be a tying home run to left, but replays showed that Yankee fans had leaned over the fence and interfered with Mesa Jr.'s chance to make a catch.

Volpe was awarded an RBI double, but Griffin Jax struck out Spencer Jones to end the inning. The Yankees had only one more hitter reach second base the rest of the game.

"I felt like New York got it right from my vantage point," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "I haven't gone back and lookied at it. The only thing I saw was what was shown on the scoreboard, I didn't think the ball was going to get out, and then New York placed the runners where they were.

"I don't know if (Mesa Jr.) would hve caught it or not caught it, the guy would have scored or not."

The Rays' didn't have the stellar pitching they did in the first two games of the series. Part of the reason was that starter Nick Martinez was knocked out of the game after taking a line drive off of his back in the fourth inning.

The Rays took a 1-0 [ead in the third when Jonathan Aranda singled in a run. Ben Rice singled in the bottom of the third to tie things at one.

Ryan Vilade gave the Rays a 2-1 lead with a home run in the fourth. Again. the Yankees tied it when Jones doubled in Volpe.

That set up the winning inning for the Rays. With two outs, Junior Caminero singled to center. Mesa Jr. hit a 401-foot homer on the first pitch he saw.

In other words, the Rays won largely because of a player whose year begain with him being designated for assignment (Mesa Jr.) and a journeyman who has been with five teams (Vilade).

"We're a bunch of dogs," Vilade said. "We are going to go out there. We don't care who's on the other side."

The Rays used six pitchers in the game. Five of them held the Yankees without an earned run.