Jacob Wheeler debuts in No. 1 jersey in first full participation scrimmage since the spring
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
USF junior running back Jacob Wheeler will be the next player to wear the No. 1 jersey as announced by the football team's social media page on Sunday. The jersey is traditionally given to the team’s best player and leader.
The announcement was made via a social media clip that showcased Wheeler wearing the number during the team's second fall scrimmage. Wheeler did not play in the team's first fall camp scrimmage according to reports and in the spring game, Wheeler was limited, carrying the ball just four times in the first half before sitting out the second half. The junior running back isn't nursing an injury according to head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. but rather part of the team's load management program for him and other veterans.
"You need to know when to rest guy and when to turn them loose," Francois Sr. told the media after Saturday's night full contact scrimmage where he described Wheeler as a 'full participant'.
Official stats weren't shared after the game but from the clips that were released, Wheeler had at least two long runs including one where he appeared to score. Some other notes from USF's fall camp:
Sophomore WR Scott Price giving USF's all-world secondary a run for their money
USF's secondary features two preseason first team All-American corners, a preseason first team All-Champions division safety and a preseason second team All-Champions division nickel corner. They've all had their run ins with sophomore receiver Scott Price and are heaping praise upon the former five-star prospect.
"He can kind of do anything," was preseason All-American CB Travis Jones' appraisal of the receiver, "You have to mix it up with him, show him different looks. For some guys, you can get into a rhythm with them, know how to get them off their game. You play off him, he eats up space and gets up in you. You try to play press, he'll try to bully you. Off coverage, press coverage, zone, man to man, inside leverage, outside leverage, he's going to give you that work if you ain't coming with it."
A preseason All-American in his own right, Price projects to be one of the nation's best receivers this season.
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Nick Ryan, Sam Jefferson continue to get first team looks
It didn't take long for USF's two summer arrivals along the offensive line to crack the rotation with the first team as freshmen Nick Ryan and Sam Jefferson have both been taking first team snaps at left guard and right tackle respectively.
Jefferson is competing with incumbent starter Cole Britton at right tackle while five-star Ryan is competing with another former five-star in junior Jake Thompson. Thompson has backed up Kyle Jones at center for the past few seasons.
The rest of USF's offensive line appears to be solidified with Steve Bailey at left tackle, Jones at center and Ray Anderson at right guard; all returning starters from last season with Bailey moving from left guard to left tackle.
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Brothers Brandon and Marcellus Smith continue to be a problem for the offense
USF offensive line coach Ryan Williams joked with reporters after the game that nose tackle Brandon Smith and edge rusher Marcellus Smith shouldn't be allowed to be on the field together as they are ruining the practices with their disruptive nature, a tip of the cap towards the brothers.
Brandon has been a staple of USF's defense at nose tackle since his freshman season while Marcellus has been a versatile chest piece within USF's base 3-4 defense, capable of playing multiple positions within the base and sub package formations.
The media is only allowed to watch a small portion of some of the practices but there have been at least a few instances where Brandon is completely blowing up a play from the interior of the offensive line or Marcellus is so quick off the edge that the play is immediately called dead. While those controlled settings are ideal for athletes the caliber of Brandon and Marcellus and aren't indicative of 'real football', it does provide insight into the kind of game wrecking ability of the Smith brothers.
USER/CPU
QB ACC 5/5
PASS BLOCK 30/45 50
CATCHING 0/40 50
RB ABILITY 40/70
RUN BLOCKING 5/50
COVERAGE 50/100
INT 35/35
RUSH DEF 30/100
TKL 30/100
FG POW 45/45
FG ACC 0/50
PUNT POW 45/45
PUNT ACC 0/40
I've heard that 100 PASS COVERAGE and RUSH DEFENSE actually results in CPU defense playing worse so going to be doing some tuning before this season with these sliders: https://discord.com/channels/7077870557 ... 3518012448
No major surprises on USF's first official depth chart of the season as positional battles bleed into the regular season
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
USF's quest to a third straight national championship is officially underway with the team releasing it's first depth chart of the season which featured five true freshmen as starters or co-starters.
As expected, USF quarterback Mark Cunningham is the team's starting quarterback with not a ton of surprises on offense as true freshmen Joshua Butler and Eddie Shaw are listed as co-starters at Z receiver, opposite of returning starter Scott Price. Along the offensive line, it's another pair of freshmen as co-starters with Nick Ryan sharing the starting role with junior Jake Thompson and Sam Jefferson sharing the right tackle starting spot with returning starter Cole Britton.
Defensively, the biggest note is that former safety Julian Harrell is officially listed as a co-starter at WILL linebacker and isn't listed at all at safety. Instead, it's true freshman Mike Mason and junior Anthony Gunn listed as co-starters at free safety, Harrell's former position. Brandon Smith is also listed at six-foot-ten, adding two more inches to his massive frame from last year's official roster.
Week 1 Top Stories
1. Florida State's high hopes are dismantled after early loss to Wisconsin.
2. Trojans win their conference opener against Penn State.
3. Miami University survives a scare in season opener against Middle Tennessee State.
4. Ingram is honored after Alabama opens 2042 with a victory over BYU.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 1 Champions Division Results
ALA 62 - BYU 20
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 2 Champions Division Schedule
#1 Alabama (1-0, 1-0) at #2 USF (0-0, 0-0)
#12 Oklahoma (0-0, 0-0) at #4 Stanford (0-0, 0-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 2 Notable Games
#10 Minnesota (0-0, 0-0) at #11 Georgia (0-0, 0-0)
#22 Ohio State (1-0, 1-0) at Auburn (0-0, 0-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Jimmy Smith (Ohio State): 19 of 25, 286 yards, 5 touchdowns, 31 carries, 139 yards
S J.T. Foreman (Utah): 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception
-------
QB Melvin Ingram (Alabama): 19 of 24, 299 yards, 19 carries, 56 yards, 4 total touchdowns
CB Brady Mixon (Alabama): 3 tackles, interception
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#4 Ryan Murray [WR #1]: 6'0", 180lbs | Springdale, OH | 5-star | University of South Florida
#5 Maurice Darby [ATH #2]: 5'10", 191lbs | Van Wert, OH | 5-star | Ohio State University
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#97 Dante Avery [DE #9]: 6'2", 255lbs | Orlando, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#108 Cameron Stokes [ATH #31]: 6'3", 205lbs | Pensacola, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#121 Brian Jackson [G #36]: 6'3", 312lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
#158 Nate Jacobs [ILB #6]: 6'5", 225lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
Week 2 Preview: vs. #1 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 1-0, 1-0 Champions Division
Last Season Record: 8-5, 4-5 Champions Division
Head Coach: Jonathan Henry (9-5 at Alabama, 2nd year, 22-6)
Offensive Coordinator: John Burns (Spread)
Defensive Coordinator: Charlton Warren (3-4 D)
Returning Career Leaders
Passing: Melvin Ingram (297.3 yards per game, 68 TD, 20 INT, 193.6 rating)
Rushing: Scott Allen (61.4 yards per game, 5.4 ypc, 10 TD)
Receiving: Tyler Wade (87 receptions, 49.7 yards per game, 15.4 ypc, 10 TD)
Defense: Dane Luntz (141 tackles, 29 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 3 INT, 7 PBU)
USF wins a tight battle in their season opener against Alabama as Chris Sanders nails GW field goal
Alabama quarterback Melvin Ingram returned for his senior season to accomplish three things according to the Texas native: lead Alabama to their first national championship since 2032, become Alabama's first Heisman winner since 2011 and beat the University of South Florida in a game he started and finished.
USF's defense derailed the latter, intercepting Ingram's pass four times, returning two of them for touchdowns, and the fourth sealed USF's 38-36 victory over the Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon in rainy Tampa Bay.
The Bulls had jumped out to a 35-23 lead following Jacob Wheeler's 23 yard touchdown catch from Mark Cunningham late in the third quarter. Up to that point, Ingram had already thrown three interceptions with two of them returning for touchdowns.
Aided by the running game starting to come alive, Alabama was able to get into the red zone but had to settle for a field goal before the end of the third quarter to make it a two possession game. Following a USF three-and-out, Alabama went back to their running game with Scott Allen breaking a 32-yard touchdown run to make it a one score game.
Unable to rely on their struggling rushing offense (33 team rushing yards on 32 carries), USF was unable to lean on their running game to bleed out the clock and instead punted the ball back to Alabama with 5:46 remaining.
Ingram got into rhythm as Alabama employed a hurried up offense with Ingram converting on three consecutive third downs to keep the drive alive and eventually find John Langford underneath for the 13-yard touchdown to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter. Alabama's two point conversion failed as Ingram was stripped of the ball, keeping it a one-point lead for Alabama with 3:10 remaining in the game.
USF picked up a quick 21 yards with back to back completions to Scott Price and got the ball in Alabama's territory with 2:19 remaining. The Bulls were then stopped on 3rd and 2 following a handoff to Jacob Wheeler with 1:19 remaining. USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. used some gamesmanship, leaving his offense on the field with the clock running until past the minute mark, rushing his special teams unit out on the field with less than 15 seconds left on the play clock, robbing Alabama of the opportunity to call a timeout to save time.
Chris Sanders nailed the 47-yard field goal to make it a two-point lead for USF with forty seconds left in the game but all three timeouts for Alabama. But time wouldn't be the issue for Alabama as Ingram's first pass was intercepted by Jalen Harrell, sealing the win for USF and marking the second straight game against the Bulls where Ingram's final pass was intercepted. He threw four interceptions last season in the 31-20 loss to the Bulls.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[ALA] J. Gibson, 35 Yd FG (5:37)
[ALA] J. Gibson, 43 Yd FG (3:37)
[USF] M. Cunningham, 4 Yd run (1:28)
Quarter 2
[USF] C. Graham, 10 Yd pass from M. Cunningham (5:23)
[USF] M. Mason, returned interception 49 Yds (4:38)
[ALA] K. Davis, 1 Yd run (2:02)
Quarter 3
[USF] A. Smith, returned interception 66 Yds (4:57)
[ALA] D. Anderson, 16 Yd run (4:24)
[USF] J. Wheeler, 23 Yd pass from M. Cunningham (2:27)
[ALA] J. Gibson, 45 Yd FG (1:09)
Quarter 4
[ALA] S. Allen, 32 Yd run (6:43)
[ALA] J. Langford, 13 Yd pass from M. Ingram -- 2pt failed (3:10)
[USF] C. Sanders, 47 Yd FG (0:40)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #2 South Florida Bulls
QB Mark Cunningham: 26 of 37, 312 yards, 2 touchdowns, sacked 4 times, 9 carries, -12 yards, touchdown
HB Jacob Wheeler: 11 carries, 15 yards, fumble (lost)
HB Justin Thomas: 10 carries, 23 yards
WR Scott Price: 10 receptions, 105 yards
WR Carl Graham: 6 receptions, 111 yards, touchdown
WR Eddie Shaw: 4 receptions, 25 yards
CB Charlie Robinson: 7 tackles
S Clarence Sullivan: 7 tackles
CB Akeem Smith: 6 tackles, interception, touchdown
S Anthony Gunn: 3 tackles, interception
LB Julian Harrell: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception
S Mike Mason: Interception, touchdown
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide
QB Melvin Ingram: 23 of 43, 316 yards, touchdown, 4 interceptions
HB Scott Allen: 20 carries, 159 yards, touchdown
HB Dennis Anderson: 2 carries, 15 yards, touchdown
FB Kerry Davis: 1 carry, 1 yard, touchdown
TE Tim Price: 6 receptions, 35 yards
WR Parker Gibson: 4 receptions, 56 yards
WR Andrew Crews: 4 receptions, 45 yards
WR Tyler Wade: 3 receptions, 122 yards
WR John Langford: 2 receptions, 24 yards, touchdown
S Shabazz Allen: 9 tackles, tackle for loss
LB Melvin Carrington: 8 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, sack
DE Anthony Page: 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack
The Bullpen: Bulls reclaim top ranking following win over Alabama but any cause for concern?
Jonathan Bright -- BullsNation.com Football Reporter
It didn't take long for USF to disprove any notion that they weren't the best team in the nation, taking care of Alabama with a 38-36 victory despite a less than stellar output from their offense.
As expected, USF's defense continues to look like the nation's premier unite, intercepting Heisman hopeful Melvin Ingram four times and returning two of them for a touchdown. For a while, USF's defense was not only outscoring Alabama's offense but their own. Even with Alabama's offense eventually finding their groove late in the game, USF still allowed only 7.3 yards per attempt in the passing game and the bulk of Alabama's 173 team rushing yards came on three 20+ yard runs by Scott Allen, who projects to be one of the better running backs in the country if he can stay healthy this year.
There's something room for improvement on the defense, specifically against the run late in the game and a more consistent pass rush as they failed to sack Ingram but overall, USF fans should be pleased with that performance against Alabama.
‣ OC Peter Nicholson downplays lack of running game, points to personnel matchup
USF running back Jacob Wheeler's Heisman chances took a hit not only with his lack of production on Saturday but also USF offensive coordinator Peter Nicholson's words after the game when asked about USF's struggles on the ground.
"The running game isn't always going to be there," Nicholson told the media in the post game press conference, "I think trying to stay balance just to stay balance is a losing proposition, I really do. Being a balanced offense isn't running the same amount of plays to me, being balanced is finding that right combination, that right split for your team base on the personnel and the talent that you have."
USF ran the ball 32 times against Alabama, nine more carries than the Tide, but finished with 142 less yards, averaging less than a yard per carry. Wheeler was the team's worst runner in term of efficiency, averaging 1.3 yards per carry on his eleven in the game, finishing the game with just 15 rushing yards. Justin Thomas had 23 yards on ten carries in his debut while Victor King's first two career carries went for seven yards.
‣ Freshmen Nick Ryan gets the start at guard, Sam Jefferson finishes the game at tackle
USF true freshmen Nick Ryan and Sam Jefferson, who were listed at co-starters at left guard and right tackle respectively, both got in the game against Alabama on Saturday with Ryan starting and Jefferson finishing the game. Ryan was replaced by Jake Thompson in the second half and Jefferson came in for Cole Britton at halftime as well.
USF offensive line coach Ryan Williams said both switches weren't performance based and part of the rotation at both positions. Neither Ryan nor Thompson stood out in a positive or negative way with Thompson perhaps having the cleaner game in terms of pass protection. Both Jefferson and Britton surrendered a sack, as did left tackle Steve Bailey and center Kyle Jones.
Williams was non committal when asked what the starting five would look like against Oklahoma
‣ DE Marcellus Smith fails to register a sack but makes presence felt
According to the counting stats, team captain and junior defensive end Marcellus Smith was a non factor against Alabama, registering just one tackle and a pass breakup. But watching the game live and re-watching it later, it's clear that Smith is one of the team's best players with his ability to wreck havoc. He registered three pressures including on Ingram's first interception of the game.
Smith also drew two holding penalties and slowed down Dennis Anderson on an early third down play that was eventually stopped short of the first down even though he failed to make the tackle. Smith needs to be a better finisher in terms of getting after the quarterback and also wrapping up ball carriers but the 'juice' is evident on tape and if he's able to put it altogether and start getting the sacks and tackles for loss, he could be a first round pick in next spring's draft.
Editor's Note: s/o to Caesar for the idea with his Colonel's Retreat as there are topics and storylines that perhaps don't warrant a stand alone article and this is a good way to get them out there on a weekly basis. If you have any questions as well, I'll also try to answer them here in the form of a mailbag.
Last edited by Soapy on 03 Aug 2023, 09:33, edited 1 time in total.
