Gulf Coast Offense Sizzles in Season Opener
September 04, 2016 | Football
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 4, 2016 – Kofi Amichia summed up USF's Gulf Coast Offense well when he described the Bulls' up-tempo approach back in fall camp.
“Our objective is to get off the field as quickly as possible,” the starting left tackle said.
USF completed its mission at a fast and furious pace in Saturday's season-opening, 56-20 win over Towson. The quick-strike Bulls scored six touchdowns on drives that each took less than two minutes while matching the program's FBS record for points in a season opener.
“We go so fast and run so many plays. We put people in different situations,” running back Darius Tice said. “When it comes down to somebody making a play, you never know where it's coming from.”
USF, which saw seven different players score, needed just 10 combined plays and 2 minutes, 22 seconds to score four touchdowns in the opening half, and the first playmaker was Tice. The senior back from Miami turned a short pass from Quinton Flowers into a 43-yard touchdown less than three minutes into the action. The 75-yard drive took 1:39, easily USF's longest drive of the half.
“The offense is real fun because everybody gets a chance to score,” Tice said.
Marlon Mack's 7-yard touchdown run capped off a 29-second drive later in the first quarter and the Bulls had plenty more fireworks for fans before the break. Marquez Valdes-Scantling hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass on the first play of a six-second drive.
“We've got a lot of guys than can do a lot of things,” Flowers said. “At the end of the day, I just try to get the ball in their hands and let them do what they have to do with it.”
Defenses also have to deal with a dual-threat quarterback that led the Gulf Coast Offense to record-breaking numbers in 2015. When a throw wasn't there Saturday, Flowers tucked the ball and ran for a 5-yard touchdown on the first play of an eight-second drive that cushioned USF's lead to 28-10 before halftime.
Flowers used his legs to get to the end zone again in the second half that saw the Bulls add two more scoring drives in less than two minutes. Fans in line to get their popcorn at Ray Jay might have to watch the highlights again on GoUSFBulls.com because USF's longest scoring drive took just 3 minutes, 22 seconds.
Last year, USF posted 35 scoring drives (31 touchdowns) under two minutes and the Bulls already have six in 2016.
“That's just what we do and that's what the Gulf Coast Offense is,” Valdes-Scantling said.
