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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 21, 2014 – Steady rain fell on the Bulls as they took the field Friday night with a tough task ahead of them.
Head coach Willie Taggart's squad had to forget two prior losses in a hurry with UConn standing in the way of a 1-0 start to American Athletic Conference play. The Bulls shook off the less-than-ideal conditions and performed in a tough, physical way Taggart thoroughly enjoyed in a 17-14 victory at Raymond James Stadium.
USF's second consecutive 1-0 start to American play under Taggart featured a gritty effort from the offense, a dominating showing by the defense and stellar production on special teams by punter Mattias Ciabatti.
“The guys are starting to play for each other and not worry about anything else, that's something we talk about all the time,” Taggart said. “If we don't control our attitude and our mindset, then we'll let our circumstances and our distractions control us. We've got to control our attitude and our mindset and stay positive and stay with the plan – that's the only way we can get out of it.”
The 2-2 Bulls did just that, especially on offense, in a game that took on an old-school football style. Playing in the pouring rain, USF stuck to a steady running game that gained 158 hard-fought yards on 53 attempts. Marlon Mack got the bulk of the workload with a career-high 31 carries and the true freshman produced the second 100-yard game of his promising career by finishing with 103 yards and a touchdown.
“This week in practice one of our former players came by and spoke to our team. He came up to me and said, 'Coach, what's going on? I looked in the paper and your running back had (12) carries (against NC State) – that's not what you do. You're usually around 30 carries. Get back to what you do. I like No. 5. Feed him the ball,'” Taggart said. “And he was right, so we fed him the ball and he did some good things for us.”
USF offensive linemen had been challenged all week by Taggart after struggling against NC State and the Bulls sure did bounce back against a big, experienced UConn defensive line. Controlling the line of scrimmage helped the Bulls keep the ball for 39 minutes while they went 7-for-16 on third down.
“We had a meeting, just the players on Monday when we got back to work and we sat down to see how we could get better and make our identity up front,” said junior left guard Thor Jozwiak, sporting a freshly cut mohawk. “It was aggressive football. Pounding the ball, we did that tonight. It was a big win for us, a big conference win, and we're really excited up front."
One Bull was a huge fan of the big guys' performance and that person was sophomore quarterback Mike White, who threw a 30-yard touchdown to Rodney Adams and was sacked only once, admitting that it was his fault on the play.
"I was back there (in the pocket) eating my lunch," White said. "My big boys up front, man, they made me so proud."
Defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan gave his players a lot of pats on the shoulder pads before walking into the tunnel after the Bulls made things very difficult for the UConn offense. USF held UConn to 13 yards passing and 70 yards of total offense before the Huskies' final drive. Quarterback Chandler Whitmer completed 6 of 10 pass attempts for 88 yards and UConn finished with 145 total yards after going 0-for-9 on third down.
Senior cornerback Chris Dunkley set the tone by forcing a fumble while sacking Whitmer on the game's first drive and recovering it at the UConn 19. The Bulls defense has forced a turnover on an opponent's opening drive three times this season after accomplishing the feat against Western Carolina and Maryland.
“They were upset (UConn) scored later in the game and they should be, but our guys were confident,” Taggart said. “Yesterday and today were probably the most loose I have seen our guys. Sometimes I had to stop them and remind them to stay locked in and focused tonight. But it was good to see our guys be a little more loose and not uptight and confident. They were confident in what they were doing and they were confident with the plays and executed well.”
Another player that was brimming with confidence was Ciabatti, a former Hillsborough High School standout, who averaged 41.3 yards on six punts and pinned the Huskies inside their own 20 five times. UConn's starting points following Ciabatti's punts were at the 9, 5, 12, 9, 3 and 25, and only one kick was returned for negative 2 yards.
“He was unbelievable. I have said before, I would put both of our kickers up with any kickers in the country,” Taggart said. “I think tonight Ciabatti showed everyone what he was capable of especially in that condition. He was punting that ball like it was dry.”
One of the Bulls' main goals is to win an American title and they took a big step in the right direction by turning in a complete team effort at the end of a four-game home stand.
“We're not satisfied, it's just two wins. We have a way bigger picture than that,” Dunkley said. “Don't get me wrong, we're very happy we've won two games. It's a stepping stone to where we're trying to get.”
After a tough test at No. 19/17 Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 27 and a bye week, home fans can watch the Bulls try to take the next step in American Athletic Conference play by attending USF-No. 23/24 East Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 11. Purchase tickets for the first of USF's three remaining games at Raymond James Stadium this season HERE.
USF football season ticket renewals are available. Members may renew their tickets today online, by calling 1-800-GoBulls, or in person at the Ticket Sales and Service Center in the Sun Dome administrative offices (Gate B).
