SB Nation - Deonte Welch

Saturday Five Keys - USF vs. Ball State

Jamie DeVriend — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 13:00:37 -0000

I was holding out for some help from Over the Pylon, but unfortunately real life got in the way and we didn't have time to put together a proper Q&A for this afternoon's game between USF and Ball State. So let's try and figure out what the Bulls need to do to get back in the win column today:

1. Challenge Ball State's offense. Last week was the first real indicator that we might be getting what we feared out of a Chris Cosh defense. It gave up 424 yards to Rutgers, stayed on the field for over 38 minutes, recorded only one sack, and didn't take the ball away (Rutgers' only turnover was on a muffed punt). USF is one of only 11 teams in FBS that still haven't recorded an interception. Ball State's going to throw the ball, and you should be more talented than they are, even with some of the recent issues in the secondary. Play up on the receivers, get to Keith Wenning, make him throw bad passes, and turn them over. The Bulls can't afford to let the game come to them.

2. Cultivate some more receiving targets. With Chris Dunkley out of the game, the Cardinals seem likely to roll coverage over to Andre Davis and make B.J. Daniels throw it to someone else as much as possible. It's going to have to be someone -- either Terrence Mitchell, or Derrick Hopkins, Starting Receiver, or Deonte Welch, or the neglected tight ends, or...

3. Firm up the interior offensive line. The Bulls did some shuffling this week, but on the edges of the line rather than the middle. Mark Popek moved back out to left tackle, and he may start there on Saturday, with Damien Edwards taking his place at left guard. But USF had a lot of issues with Austin Reiter at center. Rutgers attacked the A-gap between Reiter and right guard Danous Estenor repeatedly. That caused Daniels to flee the pocket and blow up the progression of several plays.

4. Don't fumble away a punt. Pretty self-explanatory there. Hang on to the ball, T-Rex, or Skip's going to put Landi in to field punts and there won't be any more punt returns this season.

5. Try and get this game over with. Easier said than done, because this isn't likely to be the mismatch it was last year. (USF could have scored a lot more than 37 points in that game if they'd wanted to -- Daniels was pulled after three quarters, and they squandered a number of scoring opportunities.) And there's no question USF will wonder what they're doing there, and they'll be looking forward to FSU a little bit. The motivation gap will be noticeable, although maybe not as big as it could have been. Ball State might be in for a little bit of a letdown after a thrilling last-second win in Bloomington last Saturday. So while that makes things a little easier, if the Bulls can get out to a safe lead, the Cardinals' psychological edge won't matter anymore.

USF Wide Receiver Sterling Griffin Out For Season With Knee Injury

Jamie DeVriend — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 19:02:08 -0000

Sterling Griffin suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of Saturday's win over Nevada and did not return to the game. (The injury may have occurred on a deep pass where he was interfered with by a Nevada defender.) He was helped off the field at halftime, and spent the second half on crutches on the sideline. Today during his press conference, Skip Holtz revealed it is a serious injury that will keep Griffin out of action for the rest of the season.

You have to feel terrible for Griffin, who has now had three major injuries in the last three seasons. He dislocated his ankle in a summer workout in 2010 and had to redshirt, and he suffered a broken ankle against Cincinnati last year and missed four games. He is eligible for a medical redshirt, though, and could eventually receive a sixth year of eligibility for the 2014 season.

No one wants to see a major injury to a key player. But on the bright side, if you had to pick a position for one player to be knocked out of the lineup, you would have picked wide receiver. USF has plenty of weapons at that position, including Andre Davis, Chris Dunkley, and Terrence Mitchell, who all saw significant action on Saturday and seem to have a bit of a rapport with B.J. Daniels. They can also turn to seniors Derrick Hopkins and Victor Marc, sophomores Deonte Welch and Ruben Gonzalez, freshman D'vario Montgomery, and possibly tight end Evan Landi, who was split out wide a few times after Griffin's injury.

Warp Speed 2012 USF Football Preview - Quarterback, Running Back, and Wide Receiver

Jamie DeVriend — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:01:07 -0000

This year, instead of rolling out a USF football preview that would last for weeks, if not months on end, I decided to pack it all into one frantic five-day stretch. This way all the information we provide you with is as current as it can be. Plus I'm a procrastinator, and this suits my style better. And besides, the first day of classes got canceled, so why not dig in and read all this while you have some time?

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QUARTERBACK

Well, obviously a lot rides on senior starter B.J. Daniels (6'0", 217 lbs., Tallahassee Lincoln). He's the third USF quarterback in the last seven seasons to become a four-year starter, but unlike Pat Julmiste (who started a total of 24 games between 2003-06) and Matt Grothe (41 consecutive starts from 2006-09), Daniels has become a completely different player than the one who first took the field after Grothe's season-ending injury in 2009. Back then, Daniels' first instinct was to chuck it downfield. And his second instinct was to start running. Maybe he'll never become the big-time breakout star that a lot of people expected him to become after the attention-grabbing win against Florida State in his first start. But B.J. has evolved into a much more careful quarterback who still has the ability to carry the offense when they ask him to.

It was a painful process at times, especially in 2010 when he had an abysmal first half of the season and was more or less handcuffed in November. But he had his best game of that year against Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and then had a pretty good season in 2011 with nearly 2600 passing yards, 601 rushing yards, and a total of 19 touchdowns. He racked up a school-record 409 yards against Cincinnati and he only threw seven interceptions, but like many of his teammates, Daniels made mistakes at especially bad times. There was a fumble near the goal line against UConn on a botched option play, and an unforced fumble on what ended up being USF's last offensive play of the year, against West Virginia. There were also some times when the ball was taken out of his hands, like around the goal line, and... well, let's not talk again about the stream of excuses that came out after the Bulls blew the UConn game last year.

Daniels has had two injuries that forced him out of the lineup the last two years. In 2010, a lingering quad injury finally sent him to the sidelines against Miami. Then-true freshman, then walk-on backup Bobby Eveld (6'5", 215 lbs., Tampa Jesuit) came off the bench to lead a wildly unlikely touchdown drive to tie the game, and then won it in overtime. Last year, a hard hit by the Hurricanes' Brandon McGee injured Daniels' shoulder joint, causing him to miss the remainder of that game and the Louisville game the following week. Eveld started against the Cardinals and had a decent passing game, but the running game suffered because Bobby is a pocket passer (he's a converted baseball catcher) and not much of a threat to carry the ball.

This year, the backup quarterback is currently redshirt freshman Matt Floyd (6'1", 206 lbs., Milton), who has a stronger arm and is fast enough to keep USF's option running packages going. Eveld is the #3 quarterback, and may even be redshirted if Floyd ultimately ends up winning the backup job.

(Running backs and wide receivers after the jump. We'll cover the tight ends tomorrow.)

RUNNING BACK

After Darrell Scott's probably ill-advised early departure for the NFL, this position is left with one stalwart, one speedster, and several promising newcomers and almost-newcomers. The stalwart is fifth-year senior Demetris Murray (6'0", 215 lbs., Buford, GA), who doesn't have any truly elite skills but is a well-rounded back who can play in almost any situation. He's split time with Moise Plancher and Scott the last two years, and has over 1100 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns to his name. The majority of his playing time last season came when USF was running out of their zone read and veer option package, which he was a better fit for than the pile-moving Scott. Murray can excel as a traditional runner as well, and he's useful when the Bulls dial up some trickeration -- he threw a touchdown pass against Louisville.

We haven't seen much of Marcus Shaw (5'9", 189 lbs., Arcadia DeSoto) the last two years, some of which was his own doing. But he's one of the promising runners backing up Murray. He broke out in his very first game in 2010, running for a 63-yard touchdown against Stony Brook. Unfortunately his academics also broke down, and Skip Holtz took him out of the lineup for a few weeks to take care of them. Shaw hasn't been heard from a lot since then. He only had 20 carries last season, mostly in garbage time. He did get off a 79-yard kickoff return against UConn, USF's longest of the season. (Which promptly went to waste, but still.)

Speaking of kickoff returns, Lindsey Lamar (5'9", 180 lbs., Tampa Hillsborough) moves back to running back for his senior year after having been a wide receiver the last two seasons. His position really isn't that important, though. The goal with Lamar in the USF offense is to get in open space, hopefully with blockers in front of him, and turn him loose. Lindsey had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2010, but never seemed quite right last season. Whether it was some unknown injury, better scouting, or something we'll never find out about, Lamar lacked the speed and elusiveness that made him so dangerous as a kick returner the year before.

Other new Bulls who will look for carries include redshirt freshman Willie Davis (5'9", 205 lbs., Lithonia, GA Stephenson) and junior college transfer Michael Pierre (5'10", 206 lbs., Golden West College and Winter Garden Agape Christian). While Pierre should start the season in uniform, he may redshirt if it doesn't look like it will be worth burning a year of his eligibility.

WIDE RECEIVER

This is the deepest position on the roster. A number of talented options will be available to B.J. Daniels in the passing game, all of whom can be used in specific ways.

Sterling Griffin (6'0", 194 lbs., Opa Locka Monsignor Pace) clicked with B.J. Daniels almost immediately. Against Florida State in 2009, and playing as a true freshman, Griffin hauled in a 73-yard touchdown pass. However, that chemistry has been interrupted by two major injuries. He dislocated his ankle in an informal workout during the summer of 2010 and was ultimately redshirted. And last season, his right ankle broke when he landed awkwardly near the goal line against Cincinnati, costing him five games. It interrupted a season in which Griffin was on pace to break USF's single-season records for receptions and yardage -- he still ended up with 43 catches for 530 yards and three touchdowns, including a spectacular catch when he returned to the lineup against West Virginia.

On the other side of the formation will be sophomore Andre Davis (6'1", 207 lbs., Tampa Jefferson), who received much of the playing time after Griffin's injury. While not as explosive as some of the other receiving options, he's already proven to be a steady passing target who can keep the chains moving. Before seeing regular playing time on offense, Davis contributed on special teams, blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown against Florida A&M.

There are several options to line up in the slot when USF goes with three wide receivers. Terrence Mitchell (5'10", 164 lbs., Tampa Hillsborough) is the Bulls' primary punt returner, but the converted defensive back also made all seven of his receptions as a wide receiver last year against Ball State. His season ended after he suffered a concussion making a tackle against UTEP, and his absence on punt returns caused a lot of problems. Most notably for his replacement, senior Victor Marc (5'11", 220 lbs., Hallandale). Marc was actually second on the team with 33 receptions last year, but he had issues with ball security and had a string of crucial lost fumbles, both as a receiver and as a returner. Another potential slot receiver is speedy sophomore Chris Dunkley (6'0", 180 lbs., Pahokee), a former five-star recruit who transferred from Florida in May 2011 and sat out last season.

Other targets for Daniels include sophomores Deonte Welch (6'0", 202 lbs., Williston), and Ruben Gonzalez (6'3", 202 lbs., Tampa Robinson), who each saw some action as true freshmen last year. A possible X-factor is talented true freshman D'vario Montgomery (6'5", 204 lbs., Winter Park), who can give the Bulls' offense a big new target in the red zone and in the middle of the field.

2012 Program Preview - South Florida

3k — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:00:05 -0000

Inarguably the most disappointing Big East team in 2011, South Florida needs a big 2012 to restore faith in head coach Skip Holtz.

Prior to the season, many were pegging the Bulls as the likely conference champions. A narrow victory over then-ranked #16 Notre Dame started the season off on the proper footing. They handled business thereafter facing their Big East football schedule with a clean 4-0 record. Then it all went downhill.

Pittsburgh humiliated USF, sending them spiraling into a four-game losing streak. Three consecutive losses to end the season ensured that South Florida would miss out on a bowl game for the first time since they joined the BIg East in 2005. Sure, five of their seven losses were decided by six points or less. That doesn't reassure the program's detractors.

There are enough returning starters (B.J. Daniels is still the South Florida QB...) and enough depth to identify USF as a legitimate bounceback candidate. Then again, 2012 could be 2011 redux. Tread lightly with your predictions, folks.

After the jump, the prospects worth noting as well as some games and matchups to pencil into your calendar.

References

Voodoo Five (SBN South Florida community), SB Nation team page, official team site, Bill Connelly's preview for SBN, CBS Sports preview

Notable offensive prospects

Name	POS	Yr.	Early projected Rd (notes)
B.J. Daniels	QB	RS Sr.	UD
Mark Popek	OT	RS Sr.	UD
Evan Landi	TE	RS Sr.	UD
Sterling Griffin	WR	RS Jr.	7
Quinterrius Eatmon	OT	RS Soph.	5
Deonte Welch	WR	RS Soph.	UD

Notable defensive prospects

Name	POS	Yr.	Early projected Rd (notes)
Sam Barrington	LB	Sr.	6
Michael Lanaris	ILB	RS Sr.	6
Cory Grissom	DT	RS Sr.	7
Kayvon Webster	CB	Sr.	UD
Ryne Giddins	DE	RS Jr.	4
Devekeyan "DeDe" Lattimore	OLB	RS Jr.	5
Jon Lejiste	SS	RS Jr.	UD
Aaron Lynch	DE	Soph.	N/A (Transferred from Notre Dame; will sit out 2012 season)

Summary

There's plenty of talent on both sides. The offense was balanced last year, and though inconsistent, the defense had its moments. As I said above, it's a similar outlook for this year for the Bulls. They could take the conference, or things could bottom out again. With some key recruiting battles lying ahead (including the fight to hold on to Asiantii Woulard), this could well be a make or break year for Skip Holtz.

Key games

Rutgers (home) - Week 3 (Thu., Sep. 13 - 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

This was in my Rutgers preview as well for good reason - it opens Big East play for both teams with both conference champion contenders. This is a great way to open week 3.

Florida St. (home) - Week 5 (Sat., Sep. 29 - TBD)

Miami (away) - Week 12 (Sat., Nov. 17 - TBD)

These two ACC matchups will reverberate through the recruiting landscape. If Miami slides further down the totem pole, it could well open up opportunities for USF to continue to grow especially with a 2013 rematch coming next year.

Key matchups

OT Quinterrius Eatmon v. Florida St. DE Bjoern Werner, Week 5 - Sat., Sep. 29

This should be a great battle to watch in this game. Eatmon impressed in his RS freshman season last year, starting every game at RT. Werner presents a formidable challenge that will grind all the way to the final whistle.

LBs Sam Barrington, Michael Lanaris & DeDe Lattimore v. Connecticut RB Lyle McCombs, Week 10 - Sat., Nov. 3

McCombs proved to be a handful as a RS freshman in Storrs, topping 1,000 yards without a bowl game or conference championship to pad the stats. For USF to pick up a crucial late-season win, they'll need to limit the Huskies' running game. Barrington, Lanaris and Lattimore are talented, and experienced, enough to do so; the question is how much McCombs will improve in his second year.

Big East Football Confab: Which Senior Quarterback Shines In 2012?

29sonski — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:15:05 -0000

Each week Big East Coast Bias polls bloggers around the conference on a football topic. How do their views differ from yours? This week, we asked:

Three Big East quarterbacks are headed into their senior year: USF’s B.J. Daniels, Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib and Pitt’s Tino Sunseri. Among these veteran signal callers, who is most likely to the best 2012 season, and why?

Survey said …

Sean Keeley

Smart money is on B.J. Daniels, who should benefit from having the best offensive unit around him. He's been in control of the offense for a while now and all of the pieces are expected to come together. They better, for his and Skip Holtz's sake.

Nassib should perform well, though I wonder how much his stats will suffer with Doug Marrone's new-found reliance on quarterback mobility, which isn't Nassib's strong suit. He does have some great weapons at his disposal, it's a question of whether or not the offensive line can stay healthy enough to protect him. And I refuse to make predictions about anyone involved with the Pittsburgh Panthers football program. Every year they could go 10-2 or 2-10 and I have no idea what's going to happen.

Follow Sean (@NunesMagician) and the Syracuse Orange on Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician.

Jamie DeVriend

It's B.J. Daniels by default, right? Tino Sunseri is a complete mess, and I don't think either Pittsburgh or Syracuse are going to throw as much as USF will this season. Without many options at running back but a plethora of receivers to throw to, Daniels should have the best stats, if not the best results. Also he can and will run more often than Sunseri or Nassib.

Keep up with Jamie (@usfvoodoo5) and the South Florida Bulls at Voodoo Five.

Mengus22

Of the three, I believe Ryan Nassib is poised for the biggest year. I happen to be a big fan of Doug Marrone and the job he's done at Syracuse, even after last year's somewhat disappointing season. Marrone is a very good quarterback coach and Nassib is heading into his third season as the starter. He's going to be without his security blanket in tight end Nick Provo, but I think there will still be plenty of targets and his comfort in Marrone's system will allow Marrone to be creative with him and perhaps even take more chances down the field. I refuse to trust B.J. Daniels as a passer and Tino Sunseri is on his third different offense in three seasons. For that reason, I'll go with Nassib to have the best year of the three and even, perhaps, take Syracuse back to the postseason in 2012.

@Mengus22 is a Louisville Cardinals fan and manager of Big East Coast Bias.

@RUFANJERRY

B.J. Daniels is the most talented of the three. While he probably will never live up to the expectations set after a successful freshman season he still can improve. Daniels should go into 2012 looking to rely less on his natural ability and more on his experience. If he can effectively manage games and limit turnovers, South Florida is sure to improve on last season's 1-6 conference record.

Ryan Nassib has less of a ceiling than Daniels, and Syracuse still has to prove they are on an upswing. Tino Sunseri will be going through his third offense in as many years. His play at the end of last season and in particular the end of the backyard brawl left many questions regarding his ability to lead a top Big East team.

Jerry is a regular Rutgers fan blogger.

Matt Opper

The easy pick is B.J. Daniels, who is back again. But Tino Sunseri is my slection. I think he is going to become Bill Stull 2.0. A guy who was dreadful in all past appearances who puts together a great season why he finally has a chance to work in an offense that fits his skill set. Sunseri is obviously talented, but he has never had a coach offensively who knew what to do with him. That changes this year.

Matt (@downthedrive) reports on the Cincinnati Bearcats at Down the Drive.

Cardiac Hill

Put me in the camp that thinks Sunseri will improve in 2012, maybe even to the point where he even contends with the other two (just check out his 2010 numbers in a pro set offense, which he'll be returning to under Paul Chryst). But realistically, it's hard to take a leap of faith to put him at the level of Daniels and Nassib. Out of those two, I think it's really a coin flip. Nassib's improved each of his three years at Syracuse and to me, he's probably the slightly better quarterback. Daniels has never completed 60% of his passes, but the fact that he has most of his receivers back from last year including Sterling Griffin and Deonte Welch makes me lean towards him.

Track the Pittsburgh Panthers on Cardiac Hill (@PittPantherBlog).

John Lamb

As risky a pick as this may be, I have to go with B.J. Daniels as the veteran quarterback that will set himself apart from the rest of the Big East's signal callers in 2012. He has the ability to do damage with both his feet and his arm; it's just a matter of consistency. If you glance over his game logs then you'll see days where Daniels was absolutely masterful and days in which he was downright dreadful.

Still, he set career highs in completions, attempts and passing yards while cutting his interceptions in half (13 in 2010 vs. 7 in 2011) last year. I'm very high on USF this season so I guess I'm high on Daniels by default.

John (@owlsblog) has Temple covered at OwlsBlog.

29sonski

There are too many questions about Pitt and the new offense to choose Sunseri. Daniels seems the safe choice, expecting that the Bulls to go to the air consistently. I’ll take Nassib though. He is not flashy, but he is efficient. He’s already thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 44 touchdowns against just 18 INTs. His offensive scheme is well-balanced to allow him to keep the opposing defenses honest. I expect him to put up numbers consistently and be the league’s top-ranked quarterback.

@29sonski is a Connecticut Huskies fans a regular contributor at Big East Coast Bias.

Check out last week's confab: Which Head Coach Has The Most To Prove?, and the BECB Football section.

Poll

Which Big East senior quarterback is most likely to have the best 2012 season?

B.J. Daniels (South Florida)

24 votes

Ryan Nassib (Syracuse)

19 votes

Tino Sunseri (Pittsburgh)

13 votes

56 votes | Poll has closed

Are You Ready For Some Spring Football? Things To Watch For

Jamie DeVriend — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:01:10 -0000

Our position, in general, on spring football is pretty clear. We just want to get through it without anyone being seriously injured. Whatever you see in spring practice, especially during the scrimmages where there are all kinds of ground rules, is probably fool's gold. We might learn a few things from these next several weeks, but nothing earth-shattering. Don't expect us to come away with a high-level understanding of Chris Cosh's defense, or whether or not Todd Fitch has drawn up another 15 fade routes to fail at the goal line. You have to wait for the real games to start for all that.

(And we sure as hell aren't making any predictions about this season right now, because we're 100% done trying to buy into any preseason hype about this team.)

That being said, there are some things that are worth keeping an eye on:

1. The backup quarterback situation. Like I said last month when Asiantii Woulard verbally committed for 2013, a lot depends on whether or not Matt Floyd becomes the backup to B.J. Daniels. I thought he probably was the true backup at the end of last season, but when Daniels got hurt, Holtz decided it wasn't worth it to burn Floyd's redshirt for one or two games and a piddling bowl game. Floyd needs to be the #2 QB sooner or later if he wants to become the starter after Daniels is finished. But we'll see what happens in spring. It could be the difference between sticking with one QB in the 2013 recruiting class, or the staff hitting the road again over the summer to try and find another one.

2. Who's going to run the ball other than Demetris Murray? After Darrell Scott's possibly ill-advised early departure for the NFL Draft, you still have Murray, but then a lot of question marks. Bradley Battles and Marcus Shaw are still on the roster but haven't capitalized on the chances they've had up to now. Willie Davis is an unknown commodity after redshirting last season. Victor Marc is the most experienced option, but he made some crucial errors down the stretch last season. And there isn't much help coming in the fall -- only JUCO Michael Pierre arrives. We won't really know if the plan is to shift more of the running load to Daniels until the games start, but we can find out who else can line up next to him and be effective.

3. Who shakes out at wide receiver? There might be too many candidates to start. Do you want Sterling Griffin? Andre Davis? Chris Dunkley? (Oh, you forgot about him, didn't you. He'll be limited during spring, though.) Alex Mut? Deonte Welch? Ruben Gonzalez? A hopefully healthy Terrence Mitchell? A hopefully-rejuvenated Lindsey Lamar? So many options for Todd Fitch to potentially squander! Also, will a new wide receivers coach (Jerome Pathon) have a different opinion of his players than Phil McGeoghan did?

4. Who's going to step up in the secondary? Did the DBs look bad last year because Mark Snyder had them play so far off the ball? Or did Mark Snyder have them play so far off the ball because they weren't skilled enough to be more aggressive? It's hard to tell. And it might still be hard to tell this year because even though Chris Cosh talks a good game about being aggressive, his track record is not (although to be fair, the Big XII has about a million times more offensive firepower than the Big East). We'll have to trust the depth chart here to see if Chris Bivins, Fidel Montgomery, Patrice Pierre, or someone else makes a push. You probably won't learn much in the spring games because the rules usually neuter the defense.

5. Can anyone punt the ball well? We're not knocking his effort, but USF cannot go into another season with Justin Brockhaus-Kann hitting 28-yard moonshots. For a team that wants to play field position and keep things close to the vest, giving up 10-15 yards of field position every time there's an exchange of punts is asking for failure. If JBK is offering you more of the same in spring, there has to be a change, whether it's Chris Veron (who I can't believe didn't get a shot at some point last year), Marvin Kloss, Mattias Ciabatti, another pass at Maikon Bonani rugby kicking, a walk-on in the fall, or whoever.

A (Very) Early Look At USF Football's 2012 Roster And Beyond

Jamie DeVriend — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:01:41 -0000

Now that National Signing Day is history, let's take an extremely early look at how USF's roster is setting up for 2012 and identify some possible areas of need with the class of 2013. And right off the top, we'll find two critical positions that will need to be addressed next February.

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QUARTERBACK: This is a must-recruit position in the class of 2013. B.J. Daniels is a senior this coming season, and the only other quarterback who received a scholarship out of high school is Matt Floyd. I suspect Floyd might have really been the backup quarterback at the end of last season, but at that point it didn't make sense to burn his redshirt. So when Daniels got hurt against Miami, the coaches turned to Bobby Eveld. As long as Floyd becomes the backup this fall, the position isn't a major problem in 2012. But it will be unless another quarterback (or two) joins the team in next year's recruitiing class.

RUNNING BACK: Another position that is going to be a serious need in the 2013 class. Darrell Scott's ill-advised departure leaves the position as Demetris Murray and a lot of question marks. Will Marcus Shaw or Bradley Battles finally step up? Can Michael Pierre come in from junior college and make a difference? What about Willie Davis, who redshirted last year? Could Victor Marc or even Lindsey Lamar get more carries somehow? Fortunately there's a bumper crop of running backs in Florida in the class of 2013. USF needs to get one and maybe two of them if they can.

There are fullbacks on the roster, but they didn't get much use last season so screw it.

WIDE RECEIVER: Holy crap! Sterling Griffin, Deonte Welch, and Andre Davis were all big contributors last year. Ruben Gonzalez got on the field as a true freshman. Terrence Mitchell should be back and ready to chip in. Then you add in Chris Dunkley (transfer), D'Vario Montgomery, Alex Mut (who grayshirted with an injury last year), and LaMarlin Wiggins... this is the deepest position on the team. And they're all going to be back in 2013! I'd be surprised if USF brought in more than one receiver in next year's class. I would not be surprised if they didn't bring in any.

Let's go ahead and add Sean Price in here as well, even though he's a tight end. Probably the best player in the 2012 class. He's going to be a weapon any time the Bulls are under center or in the pistol, and I could see him being split out as a wide receiver from time to time.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Getting Kameron Davis on signing day was helpful for the long-term, while Lawrence Martin and Chandlor Mathews should be able to play in the short term and build some more depth. This is going to be a very green position next year - Mark Popek, Damien Edwards, and Danous Estenor are the only seniors - but with the influx of linemen that have been recruited in the last two seasons, it hopefully won't be a position of need in the 2013 class.

DEFENSIVE LINE: This was the deepest position on the defense last year and not much was lost from it. Tevin Mims should be ready to play at defensive end, and James Hamilton may be able to contribute at nose tackle. But for the most part, USF picked up long-term projects along the defensive line. Depending on how guys like Clavion Nelson progress, maybe the coaches look for another JUCO defensive end next year. Hopefully between Cory Grissom, Elkino Watson, Hamilton, and Todd Chandler, the Bulls have enough size and depth at defensive tackle to not get pushed around.

LINEBACKER: Only a last-minute flip of Tashon Whitehurst from Syracuse to USF kept the Bulls from signing a linebacker-free class. While Sam Barrington and DeDe Lattimore will continue to anchor the outside spots, middle linebacker remains a problem. Could one of those two move to the mike if another candidate like Mike Jeune or Reshard Cliett is good enough to play outside? The staff has to find a true middle linebacker in next year's class, and maybe an outside backer as well, to replace senior Barrington.

DEFENSIVE BACK: The weak link of last year's defense was going to get even weaker without Quenton Washington, but it got a lot of attention with this year's class. Chris Bivins may be good enough to play as a true freshman at cornerback, and Joshua Brown and Fidel Montgomery also come in from junior college to help add depth. Jarvis McCall could also get a shot early, while Jalen Spencer may be more of a project. The redshirts will be off a few of last year's recruits as well, like Kenneth Durden and C.J. Garye. USF needs to find a safety in next year's class with all of the prospective starters either juniors (Mark Joyce, JaQuez Jenkins) or seniors (Jon LeJiste)

SPECIAL TEAMS: I wonder if Holtz will invite some punters to walk on to spring practice after last year's punt-game catastrophe. If Justin Brockhaus-Kann was seriously the best option, then they need to do whatever they can to try and improve that. Whether it's Chris Veron or someone else, what happened last year cannot happen again.

Maikon Bonani is a senior in 2012, and maybe Holtz will invite a kicker or two to spring practice as well. I'd like to see Marvin Kloss get some game work if possible, to see if he'll be up to the challenge of placekicking. Kloss kicks off well, so he'll still have a spot on the team regardless of whether he can handle PATs and field goals.

Terrence Mitchell should be good to go as a punt returner again. And I don't know what happened to Lindsey Lamar last season as a kick returner, but if he's still not the same as he was in 2010, there should be no shortage of guys who could get a chance to take his place.

Syracuse vs. USF: A Whole Lotta Bull From Voodoo Five

Sean Keeley — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:46:23 -0000

The Syracuse Orange take on the South Florida Bulls this Friday night and, let's face it, you are woefully unprepared for it. That's why I've enlisted the help of Jamie DeVriend, one of the Bulls fans that do that voodoo so well over at Voodoo Five.

My questions and his answers are below. I did the same over at their site. If you're looking for menu ideas for your next trip to Beef O'Brady's, I think we cover it pretty well between the two of us.

South Florida starts the season 4-0. Dreams of Big East titles and BCS Bowls dance in your head. Fast-forward and USF is 4-4, 0-4 in the Big East and the Bulls seem to have self-destructed. Wa'happun?

I'm not even sure the coaches know after listening to Skip Holtz the last few days. He went to the dreaded "we're three plays away from being 7-1" line, which is probably my least favorite piece of coachspeak. The closest explanation I can come up with is that they've lost discipline. That applies both in the way they're playing (like when Ray Graham destroyed them to start the losing streak) and in taking dumb penalties. They had five personal fouls against Cincinnati, and then Mike Jeune committed one of the most brain-dead late hits ever against Rutgers that cost USF a crucial 15 yards when they were trying to protect their 17-10 lead. It may have led to Rutgers getting their chance to tie the game because USF had to punt on 4th and short instead of being in a spot where they could have gone for it without much downside.

Senior center and renaissance man Chaz Hine called a players-only meeting this week, which you rarely hear about on college teams, and the players are saying the right things about what happened. This game sounds like the litmus test for the rest of the season. Either they circle the wagons and come out firing on Friday, or the whole season goes to hell in a handbasket.

B.J. Daniels...friend or foe? Seems like it's something new each week.

I still think B.J. is better than he was last year, although sometimes the stats don't bear this out. On the one hand, he's broken his own school record for passing yards in a game three times this year (currently at 403, which he set against Cincinnati). But then the Bulls go on the road and the coaches refuse to turn him loose. More on that later... but we may see him start to shrivel up into a runner who throws the ball occasionally because without Sterling Griffin, he doesn't have a receiver who can constantly get open. The most talented receivers are probably Deonte Welch and Andre Davis, but they're both freshmen and don't have enough experience in the offense to know where to go in zone coverages or when the play breaks down.

USF lost to Syracuse for the first time ever last season (which sounds so weird). What are the Bulls going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again? Who is going to make it happen?

Last year the whole offense was terrible. Daniels missed two wide-open touchdown passes, but the offensive line was the real reason USF lost. They couldn't run the ball effectively, and they got clowned by Syracuse's blitzes. If USF is going to win the game, it's going to be on the offensive line to make it happen. They can't get what, 220 yards of total offense like they did last year and think they have a chance to win this game.

Still buying what Skip Holtz is selling?

I'm wavering a little bit, but we have to keep buying it because it's not like Holtz is going to get fired after two years. I do find myself getting more and more concerned every week with the play-not-to-lose mentality that's developed on both sides of the ball. That's not how college football works these days, especially on offense. I hate watching Daniels get shackled by the goal line, and I hate the coaches being so careful on the road. As someone once said, YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME. If the Bulls are going down, I'd like to go down swinging.

How are you guys taking this whole conference realignment thing? I always thought that a you'd be a nice target for a forward-thinking Big 12 but...doesn't look like it. Is it all doom and gloom over there? Excited about traveling to Boise?

Actually, if we're in a league with Boise, I don't care how many connecting flights I have to make (probably Dallas > San Francisco > Boise), I want to get out there once. After the novelty wears off... no. It will be horrible. I'm really disgusted with Doug Woolard (our athletic director), who's been here the entire time that USF has been in the Big East and hasn't done anything to validate their move up. Football is going in the tank, men's basketball gets crushed nearly every year, baseball can't even contend in a terrible baseball league... all of those are Woolard's hires. We have nothing that we're good at that people really care about.

And the lack of overt leadership really makes me mad. Look at what Louisville did when it came out that West Virginia was getting the 10th spot in the Big XII. Tom Jurich made a big commotion and even called in the Senate Minority Leader. It didn't work, but at least he did something and made it known that if the Big XII ever wants to get back to 12, they expect to be the first school to get a phone call. Doug Woolard hasn't said one damn thing on the record about conference realignment since September. He can't actually be HAPPY to stay in the Big East, can he?

USF basketball has been given 200-to-1 odds to win the National Title this season. Admit it, you're thinking about making a trip to Vegas...

Do they think Dominique Jones is still on the team? This is a 12-win team at best, and it only got that high because so many teams at the bottom of the league are losing players to eligibility, injuries, etc. Things might be turning around slowly now that there's a new practice facility, but Stan Heath might not be given enough time to see it through, either by Woolard or by someone else if it comes to that. I think climbing out of this hole is going to be a 2-3 coach process. Coaches will take a step or two up, and then look to cash it in for a better job. You have to make the right hire several times in a row to turn the program into an annual NCAA contender.

The winner of this game might just be locked in to the Beef O'Brady Bowl. If you guys qualify, what Beef O'Brady entree would you have to celebrate?

I wouldn't celebrate at all because going to a bowl against an also-ran C-USA team with hardly any extra practice time is pathetic and worthless. Imagine a 6-6 USF team against a 6-6 UCF team. The enthusiasm gap would be massive, because I just would not care at all, and of course UCF's entire goal in life is beating USF, which is so sad I can't even begin to explain what it says about them.

There's a Beef's down the street from my parents' house, so I've been more times than I care to admit. I almost never order anything other than wings (Ed. Note: I believe you mean the Award-Winning Wings), which aren't bad at all if they're fresh. So I guess some of those. They put too much sauce on them, though.