Focused Bulls Continue to Prep for Saturday's Spring Game
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, APRIL 10, 2018 –
Charlie Strong's Bulls worked with a purpose in the pouring rain during Tuesday's practice as preparation continued leading up to the day USF fans have been anxiously awaiting.
Following another practice session on Thursday, the Bulls will finally get to showcase their progress to the world Saturday at the USF Spring Game presented by USF Federal Credit Union. The free game for fans is set for a 2 p.m. start at Corbett Stadium, USF's on-campus soccer home.
"It's really cool. I remember last year playing at Corbett Stadium and just getting the whole USF community back together," said quarterback
Chris Oladokun (Tampa). "We had a lot of fans last year and I expect even more this year."
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Once again, USF supporters get to have lots of fun before kickoff. Saturday's football festivities begin with a street fest at noon that features live music and family entertainment outside Corbett Stadium.
If you're unable to attend the game, you can still catch the action thanks to The Identity Tampa Bay. The new, full-service digital network will provide a live stream starting with a pregame show at 1:40 p.m. On-demand access also will be available after the final whistle on a number of devices. Learn more about The Identity Tampa Bay and its spring game viewing platforms
HERE.
Saturday's game will mark USF's 15
th practice of the spring that's spanned across five weeks. With USF's record-breaking 2017 class now preparing for the pros, the Bulls have made solid progress in year two under Strong with a new crop of go-to playmakers popping up on both sides of the ball.
"Every year, things change and your football team is never the same as it was the year before. Kids are going to move on and graduate," offensive coordinator
Sterlin Gilbert said. "You've got an opportunity to find out who we are, what are we about, and what are we going to be. It goes through spring ball, it carries over into the summer and it carries into fall camp."
Before those next two important phases of the preseason, USF wants to pump up fans for 2018 with an impressive performance Saturday at a unique place for football. There's no bad seat in the house at Corbett Stadium, which also includes plenty of space on the grass berms for fans to closely surround the Bulls with excitement.
"It's just getting back to the roots, like when you used to play little league football, just having people surround you around the field and coming out to watch you play," said defensive end
Josh Black (Tampa).
While Black continues to battle for a starting spot on the defense,
Brett Kean is doing the same at quarterback with Oladokun. Kean said Saturday is a great chance for fans to see the team taking shape.
"There are a lot of new faces at a lot of new positions and it's exciting. The fans on Saturday are going to be able to see basically an almost entire new feel for a team," Kean said. "… You're going to see the same system, we're in year two, but you're seeing a lot of new faces."
Progressing QBs Making Offense Go in a Number of Ways
Offensive coordinator
Sterlin Gilbert met with the media after practice Tuesday and shared his thoughts about the battle for the starting QB job between
Brett Kean and
Chris Oladokun.
"Both of those guys have gotten better. They're starting to see things, feel things out," Gilbert said. "Some things have slowed down for them, which is positive."
What hasn't slowed down is USF's up-tempo attack with both quarterbacks showing they can use their feet to get first downs.
Oladokun, a sophomore from Tampa, moved the chains often while rushing for more than 100 yards in
last Saturday's scrimmage.
"When I run the ball, I just feel I can stretch the field," he said. "I can make the right decisions. I can get the first down if needed, or if the play breaks down."
Kean, a junior from Lakewood, Ohio, also has proven he has the mobility to make things happen outside the pocket throughout the spring. Kean said having a dual-threat quarterback in an offense "helps," but noted USF's deep backfield has the ability to carry much of the rushing load.
"We have eight guys who could potentially really get a lot of reps. I think it's just picking and choosing what you're doing," Kean said. "We have total faith in Coach Gilbert, he's an awesome play-caller. Whatever he's feeling on that day, or whatever the defense is giving us, I think that's what we're going to do."
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Bulls Bits
- DUKES BACK AT RECEIVER: Sophomore DeVontres Dukes returned to the receiver position in a big way by hauling in a 30-plus yard touchdown during one-on-one drills in the rain Tuesday. The Tampa native experimented as a safety the past few practices to help provide depth at the position. "We told him also it's not a permanent move. He's such a good kid, you don't want to penalize a kid that's so much of a team-oriented guy," defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary said last week. "If the move doesn't work, he'll go back to receiver and I'm pretty sure he'll pick up right where he left off."
- WILCOX CONTINUES TO BE THE 'DOG': The spectacular spring of Mitchell Wilcox continued Tuesday with USF's trusty junior tight end catching two touchdown passes from Brett Kean in red zone work. "We like to use the term 'dog' when someone is going out and making plays, and just asserting himself as being that guy. Mitch has been that all spring," Kean said. "… He has the potential to go out and be that guy all the time. He's really embracing that role and going out and performing."
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Up Next
USF is back in action Thursday morning at the Morsani Complex, where the Bulls will practice for the final time before Saturday's spring game at Corbett Stadium.
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ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 14 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and has spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 28 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 32 first-team all-conference selections.
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- #GoBulls –
