Offense Tops Defense in Thrilling USF Spring Game
PHOTO GALLERY
OFFENSIVE STATS
DEFENSIVE STATS
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, APRIL 14, 2018 –
Charlie Strong's Bulls rewarded fans for packing Corbett Stadium by putting on a show on both sides of the ball in Saturday's USF Spring Game presented by the USF Federal Credit Union.
Quarterbacks
Brett Kean and
Chris Oladokun both threw a pair of touchdown passes while freshman receivers
Randall St. Felix and
Zion Roland posted four catches apiece to lead the white team offense to a 56-55 victory over the green team defense.
Saturday's game awarded point totals for various achievements on offense and defense (including sacks, tackles for loss and turnovers) instead of splitting up teams and Strong was pleased with the close outcome. The game was fast-paced with a running clock in both halves.
"It was good today that we were able to come out and just compete as well as we competed with offense versus defense," Strong said. "It was a close score. Early, the defense played very well and then the offense got cranked up and was able to make some throws and catches."
Coordinator
Brian Jean-Mary's defense also did some damage with an interception by senior safety
Jaymon Thomas on top of racking up nine sacks. Senior end
Josh Black led the sack attack with 2.5 trips to the quarterback.
Saturday was the latest example of USF's up-tempo offense and aggressive defense both producing positive results through 15 spring practices, which helped the Bulls build a lot of momentum for the fall.
"It's all about fundamentals and technique," Strong said. "That's what you always look for in the spring, where guys get better. You want to make sure each day there's improvement and we were able to improve."
From fans filling the stands, to more USF faithful covering Corbett's grass berms, the Bulls definitely appreciated the support on game day that began with a pair of paratroopers flying onto the field.
"I loved it, the crowd was awesome," Kean said. "It was good getting the band out here playing the whole time. The paratroopers coming in the beginning, it really pumped us up."
QB Battle Remains Close
USF's ongoing battle for the starting quarterback job remained close all spring and Saturday was no different.
Brett Kean and
Chris Oladokun both finished with 127 passing yards and two touchdowns to help the offense rally past the defense after a slow first quarter.
Kean's prettiest pass of the day went to junior receiver
Darnell Salomon (Miami) for a 43-yard score in the second quarter. Kean, a junior from Lakewood, Ohio, capped off the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown to junior receiver
Tyre McCants (Niceville, Fla.) early in the fourth quarter.
"I think a big thing for this offense is getting in a rhythm," said Kean, who completed 10 of 17 passes. "I think throughout the game, we got in a rhythm and it showed."
Oladokun completed 13 of 23 passes and got the offensive scoring started with a 24-yard touchdown strike to running back
Jordan Cronkrite (Miami) in the second quarter. Oladokun, a sophomore from Tampa, made his play of the day by hitting
Randall St. Felix (Miami) with a perfect 31-yard touchdown pass in the front, left corner of the end zone in the third quarter.
USF's QB battle will continue into the fall and Strong has been pleased with what he's seen so far.
"We're still in the evaluation process," Strong said. "Both of them can make throws and operate the offense. That's really what you look for."
Young Talent Leads Receiver Group
Randall St. Felix's 31-yard touchdown catch was the kind of play the redshirt freshman from Miami has been putting on tape all spring. St. Felix finished the spring game with a team-high 65 yards on four catches.
"He's been making incredible plays, high jump balls and always attacking the ball," receiver
Darnell Salomon said. "He's been impressing me and I feel he's going to have a really good season this year.
Zion Roland (St. Petersburg) also finished with a team-high four catches for 41 yards to end a spring that saw the freshman steadily make progress.
"I thought he looked really good," quarterback
Brett Kean said. "It was good to see his development over spring."
Defense Brings the Pressure
USF's new-look defensive line really brought the pressure the last two weeks of spring and the rush to the QB continued Saturday with nine sacks.
Josh Black led the way with 2.5 sacks and sophomore tackle
Mi'Cario Stanley made an impact with a pair of trips to the QB.
Spring standout end
Kirk Livingstone (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished with 1.5 sacks while
Vincent Jackson (Tampa), emerging freshman linebacker
Dwayne Boyles Jr. (Miami) and sophomore tackle
Kevin Kegler finished with a sack apiece.
Aside from a pick by
Jaymon Thomas (Immokalee, Fla.), USF's secondary got a big boost from senior safety
Nate Ferguson (Tampa), who led the team with nine total tackles. New weakside linebacker
Khalid McGee (Miami) was solid with seven total tackles (five solo).
Bulls Bits
- WELCOME, KWON: USF got a special visit from Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl linebacker Kwon Alexander, who watched the game from the defense's sideline.
- BACKS ALSO PRODUCE: Down to just seven offensive linemen due to various injuries, USF's running backs still found ways to get first downs. Dave Small (Miami) led the way with 11 carries for 35 yards while Jordan Cronkrite (Miami) gained 25 yards on just two carries. USF's seven backs combined for 128 yards.
- DUKES DAZZLES AT WR: After experimenting this spring at safety, DeVontres Dukes (Tampa) showed off his skills back at receiver with a one-handed grab down the sideline for a 35-yard gain.
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 –
