By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
VERO BEACH - It's day 4 of USF's camp stay in Vero
Beach and the team's focus is at such a high level that you could tell head
coach Skip Holtz that it's Sunday or Monday and he probably would go along with
it.
"I don't even know what day it is. It's Groundhog Day,"
Holtz said Saturday. "It was morning practice, our first two-a-day, and you
come out here after four or five days of banging. They're sore, they're tired
but they came out here with a lot of emotion, energy and passion."
The Bulls got going at 8:30 a.m. and used most of the
morning session to work on the passing game. They'll be back out to the field at
7 p.m., but Holtz was eager to talk to reporters about what's been happening
off the turf. USF has finished off marathon days at Vero Beach Sports Village
meeting as a team to share life experiences and the heart-to-heart talks have
been a great source of motivation for the Bulls.
"We have a different team this year with a lot of different
leaders in seniors and every night we have different seniors get up and talk to
the team, which has really been powerful," Holtz said. "It's probably one of
the more powerful things we've done here."
Senior placekicker Maikon Bonani, a Lou Groza Award
candidate, has already talked to his teammates and his message was
inspirational for anyone on USF's roster.
"He talked to the team about, 'Be selfish, but be selfish
individually to help this team win. If you want to be selfish, don't be selfish
about numbers. Be selfish about improving yourself, so the whole team gets
better,'" Holtz remembered.
All eyes are on senior quarterback B.J. Daniels this season
and his experience in three years as a starter has helped transform him into a
candidate for multiple national awards. His thoughts during his time in front
of the team, however, were about "we, not me" as USF's veterans like to say.
"I don't care if I throw a pass. If we win the game, I'll be
the happiest guy in the locker room," said Holtz of Daniels' words to the
group. "That's kind of the progression that players go through. They come in
and they have goals and aspirations they want to obtain. But as they get to be
upperclassmen they realize the important thing is they want the team to win.
Then it's giving up your individuality for the good of the team and that's what
this senior class has done."
Words of wisdom have been shared in many other places at
USF's home base until next Saturday, when the team heads back to Tampa. Junior
safety JaQuez Jenkins kept a group of players on the field after Saturday's
morning session to stress the importance of finishing strong in anything the
Bulls do this season. The message was delivered at the perfect time as USF
looks to rebound from a 5-7 finish last season.
"We're having to slow them down on the field, which is a
good thing right now," said Holtz of USF's attitudes and work habits.
Looking Ahead to Monday
Monday's scrimmage will go a long way in developing USF's
depth chart with a specific goal of seeing what young guys will be able to help
the Bulls this season.
"I'm not going to go really heavy on the ones in this first
scrimmage. This is kind of like the first preseason game," Holtz said. "You're
going to get your ones a little bit of reps to keep them polished and sharp in
live (situations) and get them out and play your twos and threes, so you can
make some decisions of who you're going to work with as you move forward."
All practices at Vero Beach Sports Village are open to the
public and Monday's scrimmage is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start.
Quote of the Day
"You don't dwell on it, but you don't want them to forget
about it either. As I tell them all the time, 'We're only as good as our last
game.' We've been waiting eight months for this opportunity and we can't erase
that feeling we had last year until we play again. The only thing that will get
rid of it is in December when we've turned it around." - Skip Holtz on last year's
struggles and the mindset this year's team has.
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