USF Defense Bringing Its Aggressive Mentality Back to Ray Jay
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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 18, 2018 – Coordinator
Brian Jean-Mary's aggressive USF defense looks to continue bringing the heat in Saturday's homecoming game at Raymond James Stadium.
No. 21/20 USF heads into its conference clash with UConn tied for fifth nationally in tackles for loss (8.8 per game) and 13
th in sacks (3.1 per game). In the past two games, USF racked up eight sacks and 19 tackles for loss on the road.
"That's what we base our defense of off – disruption in the backfield," Jean-Mary said after practice Wednesday.
Under Jean-Mary, the Bulls have been in opponents' backfields on the regular, registering seven or more tackles for loss in 12 of their past 15 games and 13 times overall in 18 outings.
"We're a blitzing team and a slant-and-angle team, so we expect to get in the backfield," Jean-Mary said. "If our guys are being productive, our tackles for loss numbers should always be pretty high if you feel like you're doing a decent job on defense."
USF definitely got the job done last week with 11 tackles for loss, including three in the furious fourth-quarter rally at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane totaled just 4 yards on nine snaps in the final quarter while the Bulls seized the momentum.
"There's never any panic with our guys," Jean-Mary said. "I never saw anybody that really lost their composure and felt like we were out of the game."
Now no-quit USF is one of only eight remaining undefeated teams in FBS football and can match the program's best-ever start (7-0, 2017) with a win over the Huskies (1-5, 0-3 in The American).
Keeping the tackle-for-loss train rolling along won't be easy against UConn's improving offensive line and its elusive quarterback. Senior David Pindell leads the Huskies with 467 rushing yards this season (5.4 ypc) after his 157-yard performance against UCF in the season opener.
"You can tell he got banged up a little bit toward the fourth and fifth games, so he didn't run as much," Jean-Mary said. "But coming off (UConn's) bye week, we expect that he'll be back to almost full speed, so we're expecting him at his best."
Through the air, Pindell has completed 61.3 percent of his 173 passing attempts (28.8 per game) for 1,111 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions.
"He is their best offensive player," Jean-Mary said. "They have some weapons, but he's very dynamic with the ball in his hands as a dual-threat, run-pass quarterback."
Despite Pindell's playmaking capability, UConn ranks 121
st nationally in scoring offense (20.3 ppg) after putting up a combined 21 points in the past two games. UConn is averaging 377.8 yards per game (tied for 91
st nationally), but Jean-Mary said the Bulls won't be underestimating the Huskies after a tough "dogfight" with Tulsa.
"We know being a nationally ranked team and being a team that's been undefeated two years in a row at the midpoint of the season, people are going to get up to play you," Jean-Mary said. "We have to bring our 'A' game when we go step on that field."
Offense Eyes Complete Performance at Ray Jay
Ranked 15
th nationally in total offense at 487.3 yards per game, USF got things clicking late in last week's thrilling fourth-quarter comeback at Tulsa that included 15 unanswered points down the stretch.
This week, the Bulls are looking to get into a rhythm early and keep rolling against a UConn defense that ranks last in the FBS in total defense (658.2 yards allowed per game). The Huskies are giving up 322.3 rushing yards and 335.8 passing yards per game (128
th nationally in both categories).
"We've been finding our most focus and we've been playing our best football when we absolutely need to," said quarterback
Blake Barnett (Corona, Calif.). "It's great that's happening but it also shows that we need to be doing that from the get-go."
If trends continue, Saturday could be a prime opportunity for the Bulls to bust out of the gates. UConn has been outscored, 89-25, in the first quarter this season and 190-87 in the opening half. The past two games, opponents have combined to post a 62-21 halftime advantage against the Huskies.
Like
Brian Jean-Mary's defense, coordinator
Sterlin Gilbert's offense isn't overlooking UConn's potential and senior receiver
Tyre McCants said the Bulls must bring the toughness.
"The defense, I know they've got a lot of young guys, just like we've got a lot of young guys, and they're a physical team," McCants said. "UConn has always been physical and they've always brought their 'A' game whether we went there, or they came here."
USF has won its past two meetings with UConn by an average of 16 points, but 11 of the first 15 matchups have been decided by eight points or less.
"They were (physical) last year at UConn and again we expect the same thing from them," said Gilbert of the Huskies.
Ford, Young Bulls Playing Key Roles in Team's Success
Freshman
Johnny Ford has quickly become a go-to back for the Bulls, averaging 6.2 yards per carry this season and really rising to the occasion the past two games.
Two weeks ago at UMass, the Miami native rushed nine times for a career-high 77 yards and two touchdowns. Ford also moved the chains in a crucial situation last week, gaining 29 of his 59 total rushing yards in the fourth quarter of the comeback at Tulsa.
Ford is a prime example of USF's youth immediately serving the Bulls with 13 true freshmen already seeing action this year. Tampa native
Donovan Jennings started the past two games at left tackle while fellow true freshmen
Vincent Davis (DB, Jacksonville, Fla.),
Rashawn Yates (DL, Port St. Lucie, Fla.) and
Tyrone Barber (DT, Venice, Fla.) have appeared in the starting lineup.
USF also has gotten key contributions from redshirt freshmen and five have started – WR
Randall St. Felix (Miami), OL
Demetris Harris (Jacksonville, Fla.), S
Bentlee Sanders (Tampa), S
Mekhi LaPointe (Seffner, Fla.) and S
Nick Roberts (Jacksonville, Fla).
"These guys are really coming in, playing our brand of football and they're doing it well at a young age," quarterback
Blake Barnett said. "It's great that these young guys are really stepping up in big-time situations and helping this team."
Bulls Bits
- BULLS EXCITED ABOUT HOMECOMING: The Tampa Bay area community is invited to join USF alumni, students, faculty and staff as the university celebrates homecoming week. Check out the schedule of events HERE leading up to USF's 7 p.m. clash with UConn on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium. "It's a really exciting game to see all the alumni come back," said senior receiver Tyre McCants (Niceville, Fla.). "It's a special moment for them and it's exciting to get that type of atmosphere. We're excited to play at Ray Jay again."
MEKHI WAS THE GUY AT TULSA: Safety Mekhi LaPointe earned team defensive MVP honors in the second start of his career at Tulsa. The redshirt freshman from Seffner, Fla., made a career-high nine tackles (seven solo) and his second tackle for loss of the game helped set up USF's game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. "He made some game-saving tackles and he looked like he was a step quicker than what he's been through the preseason and last year," defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary said. "That was a very bright spot for our defense last game."
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
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