The biggest storyline at each position group heading into fall camp for USF football
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
USF will begin it's trek for a ninth national championship when they open the season on the road against Georgia in a few weeks but head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. and the rest of his experienced staff know all too well that the real work has already begun, dating back to spring football and through the summer workouts which has gotten the Bulls ready for their fall camp, set to begin in a couple of days.
While USF returns plenty of talent from last year's playoff team, there are also a ton of questions that must be answered for this season's success and beyond.
Who emerges as QB2 behind Heisman hopeful Rashad Woodard?
Woodard enters camp as the unquestioned starter for the second year in a row and despite leading the team in rushing in addition to his 2,612 passing yards, Woodard's first season as a starter was hardly a walk in the park.
He struggled to stay on the field due to injuries and had a couple of clunker performances that led to USF having a tougher path to the national championship, resulting in the Bulls getting bounced out in the first round against Alabama.
With Woodard's injury history, the backup quarterback battle is an interesting one between Chris Price (Rs-So), Jusitn Ingram (Rs-So) and true freshman Kevin Meadows. Meadows might be the most talented of the bunch at six-foot-four, 244 pounds with legit sub 4.6 speed on the lasers. He's still progressing as a passer but in the spring game he showed promising touch and anticipation with his throws.
Price is the more proven commodity with 43 career pass attempts for 440 yards and six touchdowns but he isn't the athlete that Woodard or Meadows are which would cause the offense to shift with him or Ingram at quarterback.
Ideally, USF would love to redshirt Meadows and keep him on ice but a long-term injury to Woodard could force their hand in deciding who is the true backup and not just on paper.
Can Justin Thomas reach his full potential in a three-back committee?
Thomas took a step back last season with his yards per carry average going down nearly two full yards from 7.7 as a freshman to 5.9 last season although he was a more effective pass catcher with 31 receptions compared to just eleven the year before.
He'll once again be the lead back in USF's three-man rotation of Dave Parker (107 carries) and Cameron Stokes (75 carries) along with the running threat of Woodard (168 carries) who led the team in rushing last season. There's also true freshman Brian Clay who impressed in spring practices with his stop and start ability.
There were games last season where Thomas wouldn't see his first touch until the second quarter and for a player like Thomas that seemed to feed on momentum, it's fair to wonder if he can ever be his best self as part of a rotation that causes him to get cold on the sidelines.
They'll need him -- or someone else -- to help stabilize a running game that was too hot and cold last season and way too reliant on Woodard's running ability to get them out of 'funks'.
What's fair to expect from Donald Jones?
With the ball in his hands, Donald Jones was a pleasure to watch in the spring and fans caught of a glimpse of that in the spring game where he turned a three-yard hitch route into a 23-yard pick up.
Jones did struggle, however, with creating separation in his routes and its evident that he is far from a finished product when it comes to being a complete receiver. The lack of polished route running and top end speed are important factors to keep in mind when projecting what Jones' freshman season is going to look like, even if he is a five-star.
There have been productive receivers at USF that weren't burners but they typically were more refined receivers than Jones is at this point in his career. He'll have plenty of opportunities throughout fall camp to make a case to be a starter with Nick Weiss and Andre Morgan transferring to other programs. He'll be competing for the starting Z-receiver spot along with Eddie Shaw and Will Madison.
Does Jake Bryant start to separate himself from the rest of the room?
In terms of production, there was a big gap between Bryant (27 receptions, 323 yards, TD) and fellow freshman Russell Arrington (4 receptions, 77 yards, TD) but the two had similar opportunities in terms of playing time as freshmen.
Heading into their second season, Bryant continued to split reps with Arrington throughout the spring as well as freshman Matt Jordan who saw a few first team snaps midway through spring practices.
Bryant's big play ability from the tight end position is something that he'll need to continue to showcase if he wants to be the lone TE1 and run away with that starting job. He's the best athlete of the group and really improved on his intensity when it came to run blocking in the spring and if that continues to be the case, it'll be his job and his job alone by the time the season rolls around.
What does the best starting five look like?
By the end of spring, USF offensive line coach seemed to have found his nucleus with left tackle Kevin Brown (So), left guard Mike Miller (Fr) and center Nick Ryan (Jr).
At right guard, it's been Brian Jackson (So) rotating with Josh Henry (Rs-So) and Tim Richardson (Rs-Jr), the former transfer. At right tackle, Sam Jefferson (Jr) and Luis Pearson (So) continue to battle it out after Jefferson won that battle last offseason.
Jefferson might be the team's best run blocker and he's the most experienced of the bunch outside of Ryan and with only two other returning starters in Brown and Ryan, the Bulls coaching staff might value bringing back a guy like Jefferson as a starter even with his struggles in pass protection.
Jackson played a little bit last season as a freshman and continues to impress the staff with his footwork and technique, especially in pass pro but Richard's physicality might be a better fit for the type of offense that the Bulls want to run which leans on the running game.
It's now or never for Shawn Thomas and Kyle Wood
Both players came in with plenty of hype with Thomas being a five-star and Wood being four-star prospect out of IMG that many thought would be a day-one impact player.
They enter fall camp as the most experienced players at defensive end and defensive tackle respectively and are tasked with replacing the production and leadership of the Smith brothers with Brandon and Marcellus no longer here.
They'll need to fend off some talented players in Dante Avery, Seth Whitaker, John Potts and Alex Kelly for Wood at defensive end and at defensive tackle, it's the talented freshman in Dan James that is going to be looking to carve out a role for himself by outplaying Thomas in fall camp.
Just how good can Oliver Colvin be?
We saw flashes last season when he was on the field but due to injuries, they were few and far in between.
He finished the year with sixteen tackles, ten tackles for loss and two sacks but anyone that watched the games saw the immediate impact that Colvin was having at outside linebacker when he was out there.
He's the full-time starter this year with James Scott gone and Joel Espinosa having graduated who he split time with last year. The Bulls are going to need to replace the pass rush of Marcellus Smith and Colvin showed he can get after the quarterback last year in a limited role so expect that role to continue to expand for the second-year player.
Which of the freshmen defensive backs make the biggest impact?
USF brought in a nice crop of young talent in cornerbacks Ernest Bright and Sean Hart along with safety Michael Williams and Courtney Jones.
Bright and Hart are 'sticky', physical press man corners who aren't afraid to be left out on an island and can handle their own in man coverage. Bright is the longer, better athlete at this point in their development but both corners are going to be vying for playing time as that fourth cornerback behind Ronald Berry, Brandon Bryant and Thomas Felder.
At safety, it's a wide open competition with Lamar McNair to replace Anthony Gunn as the deep-lying free safety. Williams' coverage skills are impressive for someone his age but McNair, a former corner, is a bit more advanced which is to be expected at this point in their respective development. Jones' physical playing style quickly made him a favorite among the coaching staff so he could craft himself a role on special teams and in short yardage situations.
Despite consecutive early playoff exits, the University of South Florida still has all the makings of a potential champion
Adriana Castillo -- usfwire.usatoday.com
While USF fared much better this time around in their quarterfinal loss to Alabama after getting blown out by Michigan the year prior in the first round, it was still an early exit for a USF team that at points through last season looked like one of college football's best teams with impressive wins over Southern Miss, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Miami and others.
The Bulls lose a ton of talent to the draft and graduation, including their top receiver (Scott Price), top defensive backs (Travis Jones, Clarence Sullivan, Anthony Gunn) as well as their best defensive linemen in Marcellus and Brandon Smith and their best offensive lineman and leader of the front five in center Kyle Jones.
Even with the exodus, it's still USF and it's still Malcolm Francois Sr. who has reloaded the roster with a bevy of talented freshmen and a few familiar faces ready to take that next step.
Ten Best USF Players
1. LB Julian Harrell, Senior
2. QB Rashad Woodard, Senior
3. HB Justin Thomas, Junior
4. C Nick Ryan, Junior
5. OLB Richard Smith, Rs Senior
6. OLB Oliver Colvin, Sophomore
7. S Mike Mason, Junior
8. CB Ronald Berry, Rs Junior
9. WR Eddie Shaw, Junior
10. LB Nate Jacobs, Sophomore
Schedule
Aug. 27 at #15 Georgia
Sep. 3 at #5 USC (night game)
Sep. 10 vs. #2 Alabama
OPEN
Sep. 24 at #1 Stanford
OPEN
Oct. 8 at #10 Texas
OPEN
Oct. 22 vs. #6 Nebraska
Oct. 28 vs. #14 BYU (Homecoming)
Nov. 5 vs. #20 Georgia Tech (night game)
Nov. 12 at #7 Oklahoma (night game)
Nov. 19 at #17 Virginia Tech
Nov. 25 vs. UCF (night game)
Dec. 3 vs. #3 Ohio State (Senior Day)
Preseason All-Americans First Team
LB Julian Harrell, Senior
Preseason All-Champions Division First Team
HB Justin Thomas, Junior
LB Julian Harrell, Senior
Second Team
QB Rashad Woodard, Senior
What to watch for on offense: Rashad Woodard returns for his second season as a starter and perhaps the biggest wild card at the top of the sport. When he's on, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country but he's dealt with injuries and turnover issues in his first season as a starter. The play calling process has also been streamlined with Jeremy Butler being the sole play caller following co-OC Malcolm Francois Jr. taking the head coaching job at Oregon State.
What to watch for on defense: Even with all of the losses on defense, this remains the team's strength as its a defense with a ton of speed, led by linebacker Julian Harrell who could be due for a big season as he's a favorite to win the Butkus Award as he enters his third season at linebacker, making the switch from safety. He's surrounded by a ton of talent at linebacker in Richard Smith, Oliver Colvin, Nate Jacobs and Damon Hill.
The team will be far better if... Defensively, they're starting a brand new front line led by former five-star Shawn Thomas who has all the talent in the world but not a ton of production. They'll need to replace the mammoth that Brandon Smith was in the middle and the twitchiness and effort plays that Marcellus Smith provided off the edge for the past four seasons.
On offense, the backfield is loaded with potential as Justin Thomas showed he can be a versatile running back capable of running between the tackles, outside on the edge and also be efficient as a pass catcher. Can he become that 1,000-yard rusher that he was projected to be coming out of high school and alleviate some of the pressure from Woodard to produce big plays?
The Schedule: Another year, another gauntlet of a schedule for USF as the only unranked team on their schedule is rival UCF towards the end of the year.
They open with a solid test against Georgia who is making their return to the Champions Division and projects to be a borderline playoff contender in their first season. After that, it's a murderer's row with at USC (No. 5), at home against No. 2 Alabama, back on the road against No. 1 Stanford and No. 10 Texas.
The Bulls also have a weird September schedule due to stadium conflicts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who they share Raymond James Stadium with so they'll have three bye weeks in five weeks between when they play Alabama and Nebraska which could cause some rustiness.
After that last bye, it's a sprint with a homestand against Nebraska (No. 6), BYU (No. 14) and Georgia Tech (No. 20) before going on the road against two potential playoff teams in Oklahoma and Virginia Tech and then ending the season with UCF and Ohio State.
Best offensive player: The loss of Scott Price is a big one which leaves this claim as a toss up between Justin Thomas and Rashad Woodard with Woodard getting the slight edge due to positional value.
More concerning, after them, it's a big drop off at the skill position as the team doesn't really have another big time playmaker but instead have solid, reliable players in backup running back Dave Parker who could lead the team in rushing touchdowns and receiver Eddie Shaw, who might lead the team in receiving this season.
Best defensive player: The only preseason All-American on the team is Harrell who projects to be one of the top players in college football. He's a dynamic player and arguably one of the fastest players in the country. If he's able to round out his game some more and bring more physicality at the point of contact, he could be due for an all-world season.
Key players to a successful season: With Woodard being the simple answer, going to go with a more intriguing one in receiver Joshua Butler. He's probably USF's fastest receiver and was a former five-star receiver that hasn't done much through two seasons (27 receptions) as he's been battling with injuries throughout his time at receiver. We know Shaw is the reliable hands from the slot but they need an explosive outside threat and from a physical standpoint, Butler is the best option to provide that.
On defense, the staff has been raving about cornerback Brandon Bryant ever since he was a high school prospect and after snagging in an interception last season as a backup, Bryant is projected to be one of USF's top corners this season and with plenty of playing time and opportunity, he'll need to step up as the Bulls need to replace Travis Jones and Ernest Jones.
The season will be a success if...USF makes it to the semi-finals after back-to-back disappointing finishes. While ultimately a championship is what USF is aiming for, this is a young team outside of quarterback Rashad Woodard and a few others.
Key game: They've lost back-to-back games to the Crimson Tide so the Bulls and Francois Sr. are going to be looking for their lick back.
Game by Game Predictions
Aug. 27 at #15 Georgia: W
Sep. 3 at #5 USC: L
Sep. 10 vs. #2 Alabama: W
Sep. 24 at #1 Stanford: L
Oct. 8 at #10 Texas: W
Oct. 22 vs. #6 Nebraska: W
Oct. 28 vs. #14 BYU: W
Nov. 5 vs. #20 Georgia Tech: W
Nov. 12 at #7 Oklahoma: W
Nov. 19 at #17 Virginia Tech: W
Nov. 25 vs. UCF: W
Dec. 3 vs. #3 Ohio State: L
Bulls land first commitments of 2045 cycle with a trio during Green and Gold Bash
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
The University of South Florida received three commitments this past weekend during their annual Green and Gold Bash recruiting event with four-star linebacker Cedric Cook, four-star receiver Chris Thompson and three-star JUCO offensive tackle Alvin Powell all committing to the Bulls.
Thompson is a top-100 talent according to the 247 Sports Composite Ranking and with good reason as he's got ideal size at six-foot-three and 177 pounds with a frame that could get into the low 190s once he's been through a college nutrition program and strength training. The local prospect has above average straight line speed with a sub-11 in the 100m as a track athlete and is a well rounded receiver who does a good job of tracking the ball and is able to run a variety of routes.
Depending on how he fills out and develops physically, he could potential all three receiver positions at the next level for the Bulls but ideally projects to be an X receiver if he can improve on his straight line speed or kick inside in the slot if he decreases his amount of concentration drops.
The Bulls beat out Georgia and Ohio State for his commitment.
A classic tweener, Cook is a six-foot, 200-pound linebacker who USF will need to decide exactly what he is at the next level. He primarily plays as an edge rusher at the high school level with twelve sacks last season and while he could potentially play SAM or JACK linebacker for the Bulls in their base 3-4, he'll need to continue transforming his body. A more natural progression would be to move to off-ball linebacker where other similarly undersized players have had success with the Bulls as the best comparison for Cook might be a bit of a throwback in Nick Robinson. The Tampa native was 6'1", 206 pounds as a high school senior and finished his career with 41 tackles for loss as the team's WILL linebacker.
A rare JUCO commitment for the Bulls, Powell is an intriguing prospect at six-foot-eight and 280 pounds with three years of eligibility left. Academic issues led to Powell spending his senior season away from football and while he had offers from lower division schools, he opted to enroll at Holmes Community College in Mississippi earlier this summer and by all accounts, is on track to be academically eligible to compete this season and be able to enroll at USF.
If those academic issues are truly a thing of the past, the Bulls landed a Champions Division caliber talent from the discount bin -- no disrespect to JUCO football -- as Powell has the ideal combination of size, foot speed and strength to be a potential elite left tackle in a couple of years. Florida State and Miami were the other top schools he was considering.
Bulls release first official depth chart of the season ahead of opener against Georgia
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
The University of South Florida has released its first official depth chart of the season with notably, no true freshman listed as a starter.
It's a veteran group on offense with one sophomore at receiver in Ryan Murray who was a co-starter -- when healthy -- as a freshman and Jake Bryant being the lone starter at tight end after being a co-starter last year. On the offensive line, the opening unit is going to feature three returning starters in Kevin Brown, Nick Ryan and Sam Jefferson. Ryan makes the move from left guard to center, as expected, with Brian Jackson sliding in at left guard and Kevin Pearson starting at right tackle. Both second-year players played at times last season but enter their first season as projected full time starters.
On defense, John Potts and James Foster are co-starters opposite of Kyle Wood, the once talented prospect who is now a senior and looking to build on his draft profile. The other co-starters on defense are Damon Hill and Nate Jacobs who shared time last season at MIKE linebacker and at safety, it's a trio of Lamar McNair, Shawn Franklin and Mike Mason who all saw the field plenty last season prior to the return of Clarence Sullivan.
Ronald Berry, the team's most experienced defensive back, will wear the No. 2 jersey, replacing Sullivan.
Sheesh! Bulls lay it on THICC to the Georgia Bulldogs in season opener
Rashad Woodard and the USF Bulls came two yards short of beating Alabama in the CFP Quarterfinals the last time they took the field. With Georgia making their re-introduction to the Champions Division, the Bulls wasted no time in welcoming them to big boy football.
Woodard threw five touchdowns in the first half, including four in the second quarter in an seven minute span as the Bulls routed the Bulldogs 70-7 on Saturday afternoon in Athens.
It was a tough day for Georgia quarterback Jeff Pugh who threw a pick six right before halftime and led just one scoring drive the entire game while turning the ball over three times and striped of the ball on a fourth down play in the second half.
Georgia had no answers for USF's rushing attack who ran for 433 yards while Georgia themselves netted negative 40 yards on the day due to Pugh being sacked six times.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[USF] R. Murray, 16 Yd pass from R. Woodard (1:01)
Quarter 2
[USF] R. Arrington, 18 Yd pass from R. Woodard (7:07)
[USF] R. Murray, 13 Yd pass from R. Woodard (5:15)
[USF] J. Butler, 10 Yd pass from R. Woodard (2:41)
[USF] D. Jones, 13 Yd pass from R. Woodard (0:28)
[USF] T. Felder, returned interception 22 Yds (0:20)
Quarter 3
[UGA] N. Weiss, 4 Yd pass from J. Pugh (6:03)
[USF] J. Thomas, 44 Yd run (2:19)
Quarter 4
[USF] J. Thomas, 27 Yd run (7:20)
[USF] W. Madison, 7 Yd pass from K. Meadows (4:39)
[USF] J. Thomas, 28 Yd run (2:09)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #4 South Florida Bulls
QB Rashad Woodard: 18 of 20, 180 yards, 5 touchdowns, 6 carries, 54 yards
QB Kevin Meadows: 3 of 4, 20 yards, touchdown, sacked once, 7 carries, 45 yards
HB Cameron Stokes: 19 carries, 117 yards
HB Dave Parker: 10 carries, 87 yards
HB Justin Thomas: 8 carries, 114 yards, 3 touchdowns
WR Ryan Murray: 3 receptions, 46 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR Joshua Butler: 3 receptions, 45 yards, touchdown
WR Donald Jones: 3 receptions, 27 yards, touchdown
LB Julian Harrell: 5 tackles, tackle for loss, interception
DT Brent Craft: 5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 sacks
CB Anthony Sharp: 3 tackles, interception
DT Shawn Thomas: 2 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack
CB Thomas Felder: 1 tackle, interception, touchdown
#15 Georgia Bulldogs
QB Jeff Pugh: 24 of 42, 224 yards, touchdown, 3 interceptions, sacked 6 times, fumble (recovered)
HB Chris Lumpkin: 8 carries, 15 yards
WR Melvin Whitmore: 8 receptions, 86 yards
WR Nick Weiss: 6 receptions, 63 yards, touchdown
WR Jamaal Robinson: 4 receptions, 41 yards
S Jamal Freeman: 14 tackles, tackle for loss
CB Sean Young: 9 tackles, tackle for loss
Week 1 Top Stories
1. Ohio State opens its season on a positive note in a battle of two Top 10 teams.
2. Osborn named Player of the Week after victory over rival Hawaii.
3. Alabama and Virginia Tech kick the year off in style with a wild shootout as the Tide beat the Hokies 41-38.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 1 Champions Division Results
USF 70 - UGA 7 | tOSU 45 - OU 3 | ALA 41 - VT 38
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 2 Champions Division Schedule
#14 Oklahoma (0-1, 0-1) at #2 Stanford (0-0, 0-0)
#21 Virginia Tech (0-1, 0-1) at #22 Georgia (0-1, 0-1)
#3 Alabama (1-0, 1-0) at #1 Ohio State (1-0, 1-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 2 Notable Games
#4 USF (1-0, 1-0) at #5 USC (0-0, 0-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Daniel Austin (Kansas): W 45-16 at Tennessee - 21 of 29, 287 yards, 19 carries, 39 yards, 5 total touchdowns
CB Mike Hand (Nebraska): W 35-21 vs. Boise State - 2 tackles, forced fumble, 2 interceptions
-------
QB Dominic Mayfield (Ohio State): W 45-3 at Oklahoma - 17 of 18, 233 yards, 15 carries, 101 yards, 4 total touchdowns
CB Mike Hand (Nebraska): W 35-21 vs. Boise State - 2 tackles, forced fumble, 2 interceptions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#84 Chris Thompson [WR #24]: 6'3", 177lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
The Bullpen: Bulls rely on an unlikely catalyst to ignite rout in opener
Jonathan Bright -- BullsNation.com Football Reporter
Not many people had it on their Bingo Card that sophomore running back Cameron Stokes would not only led the team in rushing attempts in the opener against Georgia but do it by a wide margin with more carries (19) than the next two players combined.
It wasn't all second half carries either as Stokes was the clear RB1 throughout the game, finishing with 117 yards and averaging 6.1 yards per carry. It was the best performance of his young career and Stokes 'north-south' running style definitely set the tone of what would be a punishing game for the Bulldogs at the line of scrimmage.
Ideally, Justin Thomas would still be the team's feature back going forward -- as evident by his 14.2 yards per carry -- but Stokes has the right blend of speed, size and power to perhaps be that tone setter for the Bulls while Thomas is the energizer bunny and Dave Parker does a bit of both.
‣ Francois Sr. says unique situation led to Meadows burning his redshirt
It didn't take long for the idea that Kevin Meadows, the talented freshman quarterback, would burn his redshirt as Meadows took over at halftime and finished the game for the Bulls, going 3 of 4 for 20 yards with a touchdown to fellow freshman Will Madison and also rushed for 45 yards.
After the game, head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. confirmed that redshirt sophomore Chris Price remains the team's backup and that the nature of the game at that point, a 42-0 blowout, is why Meadows came in instead of Price.
"[Price] is QB2," Francois Sr. told the media on Wednesday, "We had a unique opportunity to get younger guys in the game and we know what we have in [Price] so we had the chance for [Meadows] and others to get some snaps and we took advantage of that."
Francois Sr. cited the nature of college football and players declaring early as one of the reasons why he felt comfortable 'burning' Meadows' redshirt.
"For a kid like that, he's probably not going to need every bit of eligibility he has. This is 2044, there aren't really fifth year seniors anymore, not at the talent level that we're talking about and at the quarterback position, maybe at other spots."
‣ A forgotten name, Brent Craft reminds folks he's still here
While Craft was far from a perfect prospect coming out of high school, he was still a four-star prospect with a ton of upside and on Saturday, in his first extensive opportunity, it showed.
Craft finished with five tackles and three sacks as Georgia's offensive line had no answers for him on the inside. He's still a bit of tweener as he's not stout enough to be a nose tackle nor twitchy enough for what you ideally want in a three or five technique but he really impressed against Georgia.
The Bulls entered the season needing to replace the production of Brandon Smith and through one game, Craft has certainly made himself a candidate to do so.
Week 2 Preview: at #5 USC Trojans
Last Season Record: 8-5, 5-4 Rising Division
Head Coach: Lane Kiffin (313-153 at USC, 36th year)
Offensive Coordinator: Morris Carter (Pro)
Defensive Coordinator: Alex Hawthorne (4-3)
Returning Career Leaders
Passing: Mark Grant (51 cmp%, 215 yards per game, 58 TD, 26 INT)
Rushing: Mark Grant (22.4 yards per game, 2.1 ypc, 5 TD)
Receiving: Shawn Johnson (96 receptions, 1476 yards, 10 TD)
Defense: Johnny Leach (55 tackles, 7 INT, 2 TD, 13 PBU)
USF QB Rashad Woodard injured in Bulls win over USC
It only took a half for USF to show that with senior quarterback Rashad Woodard at the helm, they can be the country's most explosive offense, capable of scoring in a multitude of ways. With Woodard sidelined early against USC with an injury to his throwing arm, the Bulls had to show a different side of themselves.
The Bulls relied on key plays during critical moments, limiting their mistakes and timely special teams play to outlast the Trojans 27-17 on Saturday to notch their second top fifteen win in as many weeks.
Redshirt sophomore Chris Price replaced Woodard and after scoring on two touchdown runs in the end zone to take the early lead, the Bulls were able to perfectly execute the end of the second half to extend their 14-10 lead.
It began with a few missteps as the Bulls failed to convert on fourth and one and had to give USC the ball back with 2:38 remaining. The Trojans were able to get the ball deep into USF's territory but linebacker Julian Harrell would intercept Mark Grant near USF's 25-yard line to give the Bulls the ball back with 40 seconds remaining.
After two quick incompletions, USF was in danger of having to give the ball back to USC who had all three of their timeouts remaining but on a handoff to Dave Parker, the second-year player took it 42-yards to get the ball inside USC's 40-yard line. Price would then throw a 40-yard bomb to Joshua Butler who made the diving catch in the end zone for the lead.
Both defenses hunkered down in the second half until the Trojans were able to lean on their running game, led by Antonio Nicholas' 124 yards rushing, to score a goal-line touchdown at the end of the third quarter to make it a one-score game.
It would be USF's rushing attack (303 rushing yards) that would bleed the rest of the clock out, leading to two field goals and aided by USF's defense that intercepted Grant once more as they shut out USC's offense for the rest of the fourth.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[USC] J. Bullock, 23 Yd FG (6:00)
[USF] C. Price, 7 Yd run (4:13)
[USC] J. Scott, 6 Yd pass from M. Grant (1:06)
Quarter 2
[USF] C. Price, 3 Yd run (6:58)
[USF] J. Butler, 40 Yd pass from C. Price (0:17)
Quarter 3
[USC] A. Nicholas, 1 Yd run (0:16)
Quarter 4
[USF] J. Love, 42 Yd FG (5:47)
[USF] J. Love, 40 Yd FG (2:16)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #4 South Florida Bulls
QB Rashad Woodard: 2 of 2, 25 yards (left game with injury in first quarter)
QB Chris Price: 9 of 18, 132 yards, touchdown, interception, sacked once, 15 carries, 84 yards, 2 touchdowns
HB Cameron Stokes: 10 carries, 95 yards
HB Dave Parker: 9 carries, 76 yards
HB Justin Thomas: 8 carries, 43 yards
TE Jake Bryant: 3 receptions, 44 yards
WR Eddie Shaw: 3 receptions, 34 yards
WR Joshua Butler: 2 receptions, 53 yards, touchdown
S Mike Mason: 9 tackles
OLB Richard Smith: 5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack
LB Nate Jacobs: 4 tackles, tackle for loss, sack
S Lamar McNair: 3 tackles, interception
LB Julian Harrell: 2 tackles, interception
#5 USC Trojans
QB Mark Grant: 12 of 21, 144 yards, touchdown, 2 interceptions, sacked 3 times
HB Antonio Nicholas: 23 carries, 124 yards, touchdown
HB Kory Hall: 4 carries, 54 yards
WR Lamar Mitchell: 3 receptions, 61 yards
WR Bryce Pitts: 3 receptions, 26 yards
TE Shawn Johnson: 2 receptions, 14 yards
S Casey Taylor: 11 tackles, tackle for loss
LB David Thompson: 8 tackles, tackle for loss
CB Stephen McNair: 1 tackle, interception
