Current Bulls Thankful For Those That Got The Program Started
September 06, 2017 | Football
GAME DAY CENTRAL
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 7, 2017 – Before a No. 2 national ranking, a record 11-2 season and other shining program achievements, USF football set the tone for what was to come with a fantastic first.
Wednesday marked exactly 20 years since the Bay Area community welcomed USF with open arms and nearly 50,000 people watched the Bulls steamroll past Kentucky Wesleyan, 80-3, in the program's first-ever football game played on Sept. 6, 1997.
"Those guys really set a standard for the entire program for years to come," said junior receiver Tyre McCants (Niceville, Fla.).
Getting the program ready to hit the ground running in game 1 required USF to roll up its sleeves and lay the foundation. The USF Board of Regents approved the university adding football on Sept. 15, 1995 after an effort driven by the late, great Lee Roy Selmon, then USF's associate athletic director.
With the plan in place, USF formed a team of 75 players and practiced for the entire 1996 season.
Before having fancy offices inside the Selmon Athletic Center, USF's football coaches worked out of trailers while players competed against each other on fields that are now home to the university's recreational sports programs.
"They couldn't play that first year, but they came hungry," McCants said. "They just practiced against themselves and they treated it like a game."
Once the game finally arrived at 7:06 p.m. that Saturday night, USF proved to be an unstoppable force at old Tampa Stadium.
USF scored three times on its first four possessions, starting with a 1-yard touchdown run by Rafael Williams just over three minutes into the action. By the final whistle, USF had out-gained Kentucky Wesleyan, 548-74, in what remains the program's highest scoring outing.
"From the first game, we just saw a lot of passion," said senior offensive lineman Cameron Ruff, a Tampa native. "That first game, they got a chance to show off for the fans. For the school, they showed a lot of heart and a lot of passion. They proved it by running up that score and having the top score ever in USF history."
Embracing Bulls of the past is something USF football takes very seriously and current players make sure to soak up as much program knowledge as they can. When players from USF's first teams come back to watch practice, current Bulls make sure to listen and learn from each encounter.
"It's inspiring just to be here, have this facility and all that stuff. It was because of them," said senior safety Devin Abraham. "It's pretty cool to have all those guys come back and still have an impact on us here."
Now 2-0 and ranked No. 20 nationally, USF is using its past as motivation to elevate the program even more for the future. Twenty more years from now, current Bulls want to make the 2017 season one that future Bulls can marvel at, much like the 1997 squad.
"I feel like USF has come a long way and we're still going a long way right now," Ruff said. "We give a lot of thanks and gratitude to the people who started this program and the people who continue to fight for this program every single day."
Offense Looks to Start Fast
USF currently leads the nation with 19 consecutive games of 30-plus points. For the streak to reach 20, the Bulls' offense knows it must bust out of the gates at UConn.
"We're just preaching, 'Attack. Come out and start fast,'" offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert said. "We don't get to pick where we get the ball the first series and all that stuff. Wherever we're at, we need to come out, we need to execute and just get some momentum. When we do that, and that's coming, we're going to be fine."
In the mission of starting fast, USF has prioritized fixing missed assignments in practice after having to heat up in the second quarter and beyond during the first two games.
"If we focus on us, take care of what we're supposed to do, then it will clean those things up for us," Gilbert said.
Gilbert noted USF hasn't shown its entire offensive playbook because it's still early in the season.
"There's stuff that's still coming, to be implemented and installed, that we're going to be able to utilize, especially with conference games and stuff coming up," he said.
USF knows lighting up the scoreboard won't be easy at UConn, where the past six games of the series have been decided by an average of less than six points.
"Those guys, they're dang good. They do a really good job over there," Gilbert said. "They're big, they're physical and they're sound in what they do schematically-wise. We just need to go out and execute."
USF-UConn Start Moved Up
USF's game at UConn has been moved up to 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Storrs.
The move was made in coordination with both universities and the league office to allow the Bulls adequate time to safely return to the USF campus ahead of the advance of Hurricane Irma on the state of Florida. Learn more HERE.
Defense Hungry for More Production
The brightest spot for USF through the first two games of the season has been its aggressive defense that ranks second nationally with five interceptions.
Driven to make 2016 stats a thing of the past, USF's defense has allowed just 26 total points while forcing opponents to punt 20 times.
Defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary said the Bulls aren't satisfied.
"We always want to be perfect," he said. "Even though (sometimes) we've been put on some short fields, we practice for those situations and we expect a field goal attempt. You hate giving up scores no matter the situation and they were always on plays that could be corrected."
Jean-Mary said he will really get to evaluate what he has on defense after the UConn game, which will present a good sample size a quarter into the season. Led by Bryant Shirreffs, UConn erased a 20-7 deficit in the second half of a 27-20 victory over Holy Cross on Aug. 31.
"You can see he kind of added a spark to them and you could see that the team really believed in him," Jean-Mary said. "You could see the offensive line and the receivers kind of had a different bounce to them. You can tell that's somebody they trust in as their leader."
Bulls Bits
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF finished the 2016 season ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll with a school-record 11 wins following the program's fifth-ever bowl victory in the Birmingham Bowl. The Bulls' 11-2 record marked the fifth-best winning percentage in FBS football in 2016 and one of just 11 teams to reach 11 wins. USF set nearly 40 team and individual records in 2016, including team records for total yards (6,650), rushing yards (3,714), touchdowns (77) and scoring (569). Junior quarterback Quinton Flowers was named the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led a school-record 10 players named to the all-conference team, six of which, including Flowers, will return in 2017.
Purchase tickets for the upcoming season by following the USFBullsTix.com link HERE.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 7, 2017 – Before a No. 2 national ranking, a record 11-2 season and other shining program achievements, USF football set the tone for what was to come with a fantastic first.
Wednesday marked exactly 20 years since the Bay Area community welcomed USF with open arms and nearly 50,000 people watched the Bulls steamroll past Kentucky Wesleyan, 80-3, in the program's first-ever football game played on Sept. 6, 1997.
"Those guys really set a standard for the entire program for years to come," said junior receiver Tyre McCants (Niceville, Fla.).Getting the program ready to hit the ground running in game 1 required USF to roll up its sleeves and lay the foundation. The USF Board of Regents approved the university adding football on Sept. 15, 1995 after an effort driven by the late, great Lee Roy Selmon, then USF's associate athletic director.
With the plan in place, USF formed a team of 75 players and practiced for the entire 1996 season.
Before having fancy offices inside the Selmon Athletic Center, USF's football coaches worked out of trailers while players competed against each other on fields that are now home to the university's recreational sports programs.
"They couldn't play that first year, but they came hungry," McCants said. "They just practiced against themselves and they treated it like a game."
Once the game finally arrived at 7:06 p.m. that Saturday night, USF proved to be an unstoppable force at old Tampa Stadium.
USF scored three times on its first four possessions, starting with a 1-yard touchdown run by Rafael Williams just over three minutes into the action. By the final whistle, USF had out-gained Kentucky Wesleyan, 548-74, in what remains the program's highest scoring outing."From the first game, we just saw a lot of passion," said senior offensive lineman Cameron Ruff, a Tampa native. "That first game, they got a chance to show off for the fans. For the school, they showed a lot of heart and a lot of passion. They proved it by running up that score and having the top score ever in USF history."
Embracing Bulls of the past is something USF football takes very seriously and current players make sure to soak up as much program knowledge as they can. When players from USF's first teams come back to watch practice, current Bulls make sure to listen and learn from each encounter.
"It's inspiring just to be here, have this facility and all that stuff. It was because of them," said senior safety Devin Abraham. "It's pretty cool to have all those guys come back and still have an impact on us here."
Now 2-0 and ranked No. 20 nationally, USF is using its past as motivation to elevate the program even more for the future. Twenty more years from now, current Bulls want to make the 2017 season one that future Bulls can marvel at, much like the 1997 squad.
"I feel like USF has come a long way and we're still going a long way right now," Ruff said. "We give a lot of thanks and gratitude to the people who started this program and the people who continue to fight for this program every single day."
Offense Looks to Start Fast
USF currently leads the nation with 19 consecutive games of 30-plus points. For the streak to reach 20, the Bulls' offense knows it must bust out of the gates at UConn.
"We're just preaching, 'Attack. Come out and start fast,'" offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert said. "We don't get to pick where we get the ball the first series and all that stuff. Wherever we're at, we need to come out, we need to execute and just get some momentum. When we do that, and that's coming, we're going to be fine."In the mission of starting fast, USF has prioritized fixing missed assignments in practice after having to heat up in the second quarter and beyond during the first two games.
"If we focus on us, take care of what we're supposed to do, then it will clean those things up for us," Gilbert said.
Gilbert noted USF hasn't shown its entire offensive playbook because it's still early in the season.
"There's stuff that's still coming, to be implemented and installed, that we're going to be able to utilize, especially with conference games and stuff coming up," he said.
USF knows lighting up the scoreboard won't be easy at UConn, where the past six games of the series have been decided by an average of less than six points.
"Those guys, they're dang good. They do a really good job over there," Gilbert said. "They're big, they're physical and they're sound in what they do schematically-wise. We just need to go out and execute."
USF-UConn Start Moved Up
USF's game at UConn has been moved up to 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Storrs.
The move was made in coordination with both universities and the league office to allow the Bulls adequate time to safely return to the USF campus ahead of the advance of Hurricane Irma on the state of Florida. Learn more HERE.
Defense Hungry for More Production
The brightest spot for USF through the first two games of the season has been its aggressive defense that ranks second nationally with five interceptions.
Driven to make 2016 stats a thing of the past, USF's defense has allowed just 26 total points while forcing opponents to punt 20 times.
Defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary said the Bulls aren't satisfied.
"We always want to be perfect," he said. "Even though (sometimes) we've been put on some short fields, we practice for those situations and we expect a field goal attempt. You hate giving up scores no matter the situation and they were always on plays that could be corrected."Jean-Mary said he will really get to evaluate what he has on defense after the UConn game, which will present a good sample size a quarter into the season. Led by Bryant Shirreffs, UConn erased a 20-7 deficit in the second half of a 27-20 victory over Holy Cross on Aug. 31.
"You can see he kind of added a spark to them and you could see that the team really believed in him," Jean-Mary said. "You could see the offensive line and the receivers kind of had a different bounce to them. You can tell that's somebody they trust in as their leader."
Bulls Bits
HUNGRY FOR MORE PICKS: Junior cornerback Mazzi Wilkins (Tampa) hauled in an interception in each of the first two games, which is a trend he wants to continue this season. "I feel like my mentality is, I can never be satisfied. I have to keep on going and keep on pushing," he said. "My goal is to get a pick a game, so the only way to achieve that is to work and stay hungry. I can't be content with just two interceptions."- RECORD WATCH: Quinton Flowers (Miami) needs one more touchdown run to reach USF's career rushing record of 32 set by current Indianapolis Colts back Marlon Mack. Last season, Flowers rushed for three touchdowns in the 42-27 home win over UConn. Flowers also ran for a touchdown at UConn two years ago in a 28-20 victory.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF finished the 2016 season ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll with a school-record 11 wins following the program's fifth-ever bowl victory in the Birmingham Bowl. The Bulls' 11-2 record marked the fifth-best winning percentage in FBS football in 2016 and one of just 11 teams to reach 11 wins. USF set nearly 40 team and individual records in 2016, including team records for total yards (6,650), rushing yards (3,714), touchdowns (77) and scoring (569). Junior quarterback Quinton Flowers was named the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led a school-record 10 players named to the all-conference team, six of which, including Flowers, will return in 2017.
Purchase tickets for the upcoming season by following the USFBullsTix.com link HERE.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
- #GoBulls -
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