TAMPA -- Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium produced an instant Spring Game classic.
Arguably the most competitive and entertaining Spring Game in USF football history was charaterized by big plays... as in three scoring plays of 45 yards or more, including a 95-yard interception and score by sophomore cornerback Quenton Washington.
New offensive coordinator Mike Canales was encouraged by the offensive output, especially the big plays. The ironic part is that Canales was concerned that the offense would be limited by the quarterbacks having to take all the snaps under center. USF's top two centers - Jake Sims and Sampson Genus - are unable to snap at the moment because of injuries, so USF couldn't work from the shotgun. The USF spread offense is run in the shotgun and they have worked in that formation almost exclusively throughout spring practices.
The change in location of the quarterback didn't seem to slow down the offense, as they produced 35 of the 42 points scored.
Click Here to Watch BullsVision Exclusive Video of MIke Canles After the Game
BullsVision also shot video of Coach Leavitt's Press Conference, new defensive coordinator Joe Tresey and Spring Game standout Dontavia Bogan.
BullsVision Video: Coach Leavitt | BullsVision Video Joe Tresey | BullsVision Video Dontavia Bogan
Katharine Smith of the Tampa Tribune wrote:
A battle for the backup quarterback position turned Saturday's University of South Florida Green and White Game into a touchdown-fest.
Scoring more points in the first half than the past two spring games combined, redshirt freshmen B.J. Daniels and Evan Landi did all they could to assert themselves as the No. 2 quarterback. Nearly 5,000 fans attended Raymond James Stadium for a game that came down to the wire, with Daniels and the Green team prevailing 21-20.
Greg Auman of the St. Petersburg Times wrote:
Both B.J. Daniels and Evan Landi threw long passes on their first scoring drives. Daniels hit WR Dontavia Bogan for 55 yards on the game's second play and followed two plays later with a 1-yard touchdown run. Landi, taking over for senior Matt Grothe after two possessions, completed his first three passes, including a 55-yard touchdown to redshirt freshman Daniel Bryant to tie the score at 7.
Daniels and Bogan hooked up for a long score late in the third quarter. Two plays after a 56-yard score was wiped out by a penalty, Daniels' pass was tipped by walk-on CB Chris Lane to Bogan, who got a 46-yard touchdown for the game's winning margin.
"I thought both freshman quarterbacks did a real good job," coach Jim Leavitt said. "They competed so well, and I was really proud of that."
Chris Harry of the Orlando Sentinel wrote:
South Florida's spring games the last couple of years were tough to watch ? even for the players and coaches ? thanks to single-digit scoring by both sides.
The 2009 version Saturday night, though, had its share of action and even a touch of game-ending exhibition drama.
With no time remaining, Evan Landi's two-point conversion pass for Theo Wilson fell just beyond the receiver's outstretched arms, enabling the Green squad to defeat the White 21-20 before an estimated crowd of 5,000 at Raymond James Stadium.
The throw came after Landi mounted an 85-yard drive that was capped with a diving 6-yard touchdown pass to Seminole High product Colby Erskine as time expired. With no overtime in Coach Jim Leavitt's plan, the White team went for the win.
Tom Zebold of the Lakeland Ledger wrote:
Daniels left a mark with his feet, too. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound standout from Tallahassee rushed for a modest 33 yards, but possessed tremendous scrambling ability to avoid a fierce rush attack.
"He's a tremendous athlete," said Leavitt of Daniels, who ran for a 1-yard score in the first quarter. "What I was happy with (was) he wasn't really looking to run. He was keeping his eyes downfield."
Alan Dell of the USFBullsEye.com (Premium) wrote:
B.J. Daniels showed his talent, his youth and at times inexperience. But the most telling thing about the USF quarterback came on a play he has deleted from his memory.
Larry Weisbaum of USFNation.com (Premium) wrote:
On Saturday night the Bulls played their annual Spring Game, and it was one for the ages that came down to an exciting last second finish and a 21-20 victory for the Green team. Coach Leavitt was very encouraged, and talks about the game and the players performances.
