Porter's Playbook | The Coaching Career of DJ Porter

redsox907 · Post by **redsox907** » 04 Dec 2025, 11:27

nice you snagged a recruit even with the L. The path to the top isn't always linear

Post by **The JZA** » 04 Dec 2025, 15:57

Got you a recruit. The journey to next week isn't empty-handed

Post by **djp73** » 04 Dec 2025, 19:52

redsox907 wrote: ↑
04 Dec 2025, 11:27
nice you snagged a recruit even with the L. The path to the top isn't always linear

i was hot after the game but that helped

Post by **djp73** » 04 Dec 2025, 19:52

The JZA wrote: ↑
04 Dec 2025, 15:57
Got you a recruit. The journey to next week isn't empty-handed

big position of need too

Post by **djp73** » 04 Dec 2025, 20:29

GAME PREVIEW
NAVY 0-9(0-6) AT USF 7-2(4-1)
Saturday November 13, 2027 | 12:30PM | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Florida

USF BULLS
Head Coach: DJ Porter | 7-2 at USF | 7-2 Career
Schemes: Multiple | 3-3-5 Tite
2027 Season Schedule and Results
Sat, Aug 28 – at Northern Illinois – W 49-21
Sat, Sep 4 – vs Louisville – W 17-14
Sat, Sep 11 – at Boise State – L 7-14
Sat, Sep 18 – vs Florida A&M – W 41-20
Sat, Oct 2 – at Charlotte – W 28-21
Sat, Oct 9 – vs East Carolina – W 45-17
Sat, Oct 23 – at Florida Atlantic – W 49-20
Sat, Oct 30 – at Rice – W 35-33
Sat, Nov 6 – vs North Texas – L 28-31
Sat, Nov 13 – vs Navy – 12:30 PM
Sat, Nov 20 – vs UTSA – 3:30 PM
Sat, Nov 27 – vs Army – 1:30 PM

Injury Report
C Teriyan Morman | Compound Foot Fracture | 9 Weeks

NAVY MIDSHIPMEN
Head Coach: Brian Newberry | 31–30 at Navy | 31–30 Career
Schemes: Option | Base 3–4 Multiple
2027 Season Schedule and Results
Sat, Sep 4 – vs FCS Southeast – L 22–15
Sat, Sep 18 – vs UTSA – L 38–8
Sat, Sep 25 – vs Florida Atlantic – L 34–31
Sat, Oct 2 – vs Air Force – L 23–0
Sat, Oct 9 – at #22 Tulane – L 27–0
Sat, Oct 16 – vs Temple – L 17–14
Sat, Oct 23 – at Tulsa – L 22–21
Sat, Oct 30 – at #11 Notre Dame – L 51–10
Sat, Nov 6 – at Rice – L 31–3
Sat, Nov 13 – at USF – 12:30 PM
Sat, Nov 27 – vs Memphis – 6:00 PM
Sat, Dec 4 – vs Army – 3:00 PM

Coach Porter's Notes
We. Need. To. Run. The. Damn. Ball.
They are allowing a conference high 182 yards per game on the ground, we'd better exceed that.
Their best players on defense are CBs Brown (#10), Rucker (#4) and Starling (#17). They all have great speed and can punish us for mistakes in the passing game.
Middle backer McCain (#18) is the best defender in the front seven.
We need to run the ball.
Coach White's Notes
This will be a different look than we're used to as Navy will be running their option.
Discipline will be the key.
Solid tackling is a must.
RB Taylor (#28) is their most explosive player and they like to throw to him out of the backfield when they do throw it.
Kearney (#7) is their fastest and most talented receiver.

Post by **djp73** » 04 Dec 2025, 22:06

OUTRUN

USF leans on ground game in win over Navy

Saturday November 13, 2027 | 12:30PM | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida - On a humid November afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, USF delivered one of its most disciplined, methodical performances of the season, leaning on a rugged ground attack and a suffocating defensive game plan to defeat Navy 26–7.

From the opening possession, it was clear USF intended to dictate pace. The Bulls nearly tripled Navy’s rushing output, racking up 196 yards on the ground to the Midshipmen’s 67. Behind Steven Snead, George Shembo, and Connor Suggs, USF repeatedly leaned into the heart of the Navy defense, churning out steady gains and shortening the game snap by snap.

It worked to perfection.

USF ran 63 plays to Navy’s 33 and nearly doubled the Midshipmen in time of possession, keeping the ball away from a Navy attack that thrives on rhythm and cumulative pressure. But even when Navy did have the football, the Bulls allowed very little to develop. They held the Midshipmen to just five plays of 10 yards or more and forced Navy into eight separate third-and-long situations.

“We knew exactly what this game was going to be,” said USF head coach DJ Porter. “Navy wants to limit your possessions. If you get impatient, they can steal a game on you. So we flipped it, we slowed things down ourselves, leaned on the run, and made them play from behind. Their offense isn’t built to score quickly, and we wanted to make them feel that pressure.”

The Bulls did just that.

After an early field goal from Nico Gramatica gave USF a 3–0 lead, quarterback Locklan Hewlett settled in, capping a second-quarter drive with a 5-yard touchdown strike to Kyrie Michaels. Gramatica later added another field goal to push the lead to 13–0 at halftime.

From there, the ground dominance took over. Snead powered in a 5-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and Shembo punched in a 1-yard score in the fourth, extending the lead to 26–0 before Navy finally cracked the scoreboard with a late Marquez Taylor touchdown run.

Defensively, USF was relentless. Linebacker Eric Rance led the way with eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack, while Freshman cornerback Cordell Folkerts added a key interception late that stalled one of Navy’s few promising drives. The Bulls generated constant backfield pressure, finishing with five sacks and nine tackles for loss.

On the other side, Navy’s triple-option attack struggled to generate traction. Quarterback Luke Moga finished with just 56 passing yards and 21 rushing yards, while Taylor, the team’s most explosive threat, was bottled up all afternoon.

USF’s statistical dominance told the story. Nearly three times the rushing production. Nearly double the number of plays run. Nearly double the total yards. A defense that allowed only six first downs.

“This is who we are,” Porter said. “Physical. Disciplined. Smart with the football. When we control the game like this, we’re hard to beat.”

With the win, USF improves to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in American Conference games, still hoping to land a spot in the conference championship game after the loss at North Texas last week.

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
USF – Nico Gramatica 21-yard FG, 1:28
Second Quarter
USF – Kyrie Michaels 5-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Nico Gramatica kick), 5:47
USF – Nico Gramatica 22-yard FG, 1:19
Third Quarter
USF – Steven Snead 5-yard run (2-point conversion failed), 5:45
Fourth Quarter
USF – George Shembo 1-yard run (Nico Gramatica kick), 7:40
NAVY – Marquez Taylor 6-yard run (Rico Grimm kick), 4:03

USF Stat Leaders
Passing
L. Hewlett – 20/29 158 Yds 1 TD 1 INT
Rushing
S. Snead – 12 Car 85 Yds 7.0 Avg 1 TD
C. Suggs – 10 Car 48 Yds 4.8 Avg
G. Shembo – 8 Car 45 Yds 5.6 Avg 1 TD
N. Daniel – 3 Car 18 Yds 6.0 Avg
Receiving
T. Williams – 9 Rec 92 Yds 10.2 Avg Long 21
D. Zipperer – 4 Rec 28 Yds 7.0 Avg Long 9
J. Bridgewater – 3 Rec 31 Yds 10.3 Avg Long 16
K. Michaels – 2 Rec 7 Yds 3.5 Avg 1 TD Long 5
Defense
E. Rance – 8 Tkl 2 TFL 1 Sck
D. McCormick – 5 Tkl
G. Jenkins – 5 Tkl 1 TFL
D. Igbinoghene – 4 Tkl 1 TFL
C. Hawkins – 3 Tkl
I. Singleton – 3 Tkl 1 TFL 1 Sck
N. Jones – 2 Tkl
D. Felton – 2 Tkl 1 TFL 1 Sck
J. Grant – 2 Tkl 1 TFL 1 Sck
D. Exume – 1 Tkl 1 TFL
C. Folkerts – 1 INT
Special Teams
N. Gramatica – 2/2 FG (Long 23), 2/2 XP
D. McSurdy – 1 Punt 44 Yds 44.0 Avg, Net 35.0
D. Igbinoghene – 2 KR 21 Yds 10.5 Avg Long 14
E. York – 5 PR 32 Yds 6.4 Avg Long 13

Navy Stat Leaders
Passing
L. Moga – 8/12 56 Yds 0 TD 1 INT
Rushing
M. Taylor – 9 Car 26 Yds 2.8 Avg 1 TD
L. Moga – 9 Car 21 Yds 2.3 Avg
K. Shields-Dutton – 1 Car 19 Yds 19.0 Avg
C. Kiselak – 2 Car 1 Yds 0.5 Avg
Receiving
M. Taylor – 5 Rec 26 Yds 5.2 Avg Long 16
C. Kiselak – 1 Rec 14 Yds 14.0 Avg Long 14
T. Brock – 1 Rec 10 Yds 10.0 Avg Long 10
S. West – 1 Rec 6 Yds 6.0 Avg Long 6
Defense
Z. Brown – 17 Tkl 2 TFL
M. McCain – 14 Tkl 3 TFL
E. Pratt – 12 Tkl 1 TFL
N. McNichols – 10 Tkl
T. Starling – 6 Tkl
C. Rucker – 5 Tkl
T. Fegans – 4 Tkl
J. Donaldson – 3 Tkl 1 Sck
C. Taylor – 3 Tkl
J. Riddick – 2 Tkl 1 INT 11 INT Yds
C. Cole – 2 Tkl
A. Swinton – 2 Tkl 1 TFL
D. Preston – 1 Tkl
Special Teams
R. Grimm – 1/1 XP
J. Ricks – 5 Punts 222 Yds 44.4 Avg, 1 In-20
S. Griffen – 2 KR 43 Yds 21.5 Avg Long 22
Z. Kearney – 1 PR 8 Yds 8.0 Avg Long 8

Team Stats Comparison

Category	USF	Navy
Score	26	7
First Downs	24	6
Total Offense	354	123
Total Plays	63	33
Yards Per Play	5.6	3.7
Rush\|Yards\|TD	33\|196\|2	21\|67\|1
Yards Per Rush	5.9	3.2
Comp\|Att\|TD	20\|30\|1	8\|12\|0
Yards Per Pass	5.3	4.7
Passing Yards	158	56
3rd Down Conv.	5\|12 (41%)	0\|7 (0%)
4th Down Conv.	3\|3 (100%)	1\|2 (50%)
2 Pt Conv.	0\|1 (0%)	0\|0 (0%)
Red Zone TD\|FG\|%	3\|2\|100%	1\|0\|100%
Turnovers	1	1
Fumbles Lost	0	0
Interceptions	1	1
PR Yards	32	8
KR Yards	21	43
Total Yards	407	174
Punts (Avg)	44.0	44.4
Penalties	1\|5	1\|5

Post by **djp73** » 04 Dec 2025, 22:16

USF POSTGAME REPORT

USF 26 – NAVY 7

Offense
–USF took a deliberate, methodical approach against Navy, leaning heavily on the ground game and controlling the tempo from start to finish. The Bulls nearly tripled Navy’s rushing yardage (196–67) behind the trio of Steven Snead, Connor Suggs, and George Shembo, each of whom provided efficient, physical gains that steadily wore down the Midshipmen’s front.

–Quarterback Locklan Hewlett was efficient in a controlled game plan, finishing 20-of-29 for 158 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Rather than pushing the ball downfield repeatedly, Hewlett managed the offense with poise, distributing underneath throws and letting the run game dictate the rhythm.

–Head coach DJ Porter said afterwards that the Bulls adapted their strategy to what they expected Navy to do: “We knew Navy would play over the top in coverage so when we threw it was mostly underneath stuff, leaning on our guys run after the catch ability.”

–Snead led the way with 85 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while Suggs added 48 yards and Shembo contributed 45 and a goal-line score. Their combined success allowed USF to more than double Navy’s number of offensive plays (63–33) and dominate time of possession.

–Tyler Williams paced the receiving unit with nine catches for 92 yards, while Daidren Zipperer and Jordyn Bridgewater supplied timely chain-moving grabs. Freshman tight end Kyrie Michaels added a short touchdown in the second quarter.

Defense
–USF’s defense suffocated Navy’s triple-option attack, limiting explosive plays and holding the Midshipmen to just six first downs and only 123 total yards. The Bulls allowed just five plays of 10 yards or more, consistently forcing Navy into long-yardage situations that neutralized their option concepts.

–Linebacker Eric Rance led the way with another standout performance, recording eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. The front seven repeatedly penetrated the mesh point, with Ira Singleton, Danny Felton, and Jahari Grant all contributing sacks and backfield disruption.

–Cornerback Cordell Folkerts, who has played very sparingly thus far and was in the game late, produced the game’s only interception, jumping a late second-half throw that halted one of Navy’s rare sustained drives.

–Navy quarterback Luke Moga managed only 56 passing yards and 21 rushing yards, and the Midshipmen’s leading rusher finished with just 26 yards. The Bulls’ discipline on the perimeter and physicality at the line of scrimmage ensured that Navy never found the rhythm necessary for their methodical offense.

Special Teams
–Senior kicker Nico Gramatica delivered a perfect outing, going 2-for-2 on field goals (long of 23) and 2-for-2 on PATs. His early kicks provided the cushion USF used to take full control of the game.

–Punter Dorian McSurdy produced a strong 44-yard boot on his lone attempt, flipping field position effectively.

–Elton York added 32 punt-return yards on five attempts, while David Igbinoghene contributed 21 yards on two kickoff returns.

Quotables
“We knew they’d try to limit our possessions, so we flipped the script. We slowed it down ourselves and leaned on the run. Their offense isn’t built to score quickly, and we wanted to make them feel that.” – DJ Porter, USF Head Coach

“We were patient and trusted the run game. When we control the clock like that, we’re in a great spot.” – Locklan Hewlett, Quarterback

“We played our assignments, didn’t chase, and didn’t give them anything easy. That’s how you beat an option team.” – Eric Rance, Linebacker

“Our defense looked a lot different than it normally does. We got some different looks out there and put some different personnel out there and they performed.” - Tony White, Defensive Coordinator

Injury Notes
–Reserve guard Emmett Parks suffered a broken collarbone in the win and is likely to be out for the remainder of the season. Parks had typically been the first player off the bench whenever there was an injury to an interior linesman. With starting center Treiyan Morman already out for the season the Bulls coaching staff will need to get creative up front to find the best combination.

–Quarterback Locklan Hewlett showed no lingering limitations from the leg issue suffered earlier in the season.

–Center Teriyan Morman remains out with a foot fracture and is expected to miss additional time.

News
–The win improves USF to 8–2 overall and 5–1 in American Conference play, keeping the Bulls firmly in the race for a conference championship berth.

-North Texas fell to Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton this past weekend, dropping their conference record to 402 and putting USF back in the 2nd spot in the conference. If the season ended today USF would face #22 Tulane (8-2|6-0) in the American Conference championship game.

Next Up
–USF will play host to UTSA (4-6|3-3) in their second to last regular season game. The Bulls wrap up the regular season by playing host to Army in two weeks on November 27th.

Count · Post by **Count** » 05 Dec 2025, 00:32

Good thing you smoked Navy. Couldn’t let them get their first win against you

ShireNiner · Post by **ShireNiner** » 05 Dec 2025, 00:33

Good win as expected. The rest of the season looks promising to win out and get into the championship. Navy dropping to 0-10, ouch.

Post by **djp73** » 05 Dec 2025, 06:42

Count wrote: ↑
05 Dec 2025, 00:32
Good thing you smoked Navy. Couldn’t let them get their first win against you

With our struggles against the run lately I was worried for a minute. The problem with the service academies in the game is they recruit fullbacks and they don’t fit the offense so they’re handing the ball off to a blocking fullback with 75 speed. Interestingly enough Navy’s top three or four players are all CBs and their CB1 was very good, one of the best we have faced.

Login • Register