Game 7 Player to Watch: Mitchell Wilcox
USF GAME NOTES (PDF)
PURCHASE USF-UCONN TICKETS
MATCHUP: UConn (1-5, 0-3) at No. 21/20 USF (6-0, 2-0)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/7 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV: CBS Sports Network
RADIO: 820-AM, 98.3-FM, Bulls Unlimited
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFFootball
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 19, 2018 – Whether it's delivering a crushing block or hauling in a tough catch, versatile tight end
Mitchell Wilcox wants to be the man to make it happen for USF football.
"He's a big, strong, physical guy that is a skill player and offensive lineman – whatever you need him to be," said quarterback
Blake Barnett of the 6-foot-5, 245-pound standout. "He does it selflessly and he's there to make the big-time plays."
A
Mackey Award candidate for the second straight season, Wilcox has become a go-to guy for Barnett and the No. 21/20 Bulls heading into Saturday's homecoming clash with UConn. The junior from Tarpon Springs, Fla., is in the midst of a career year with 22 receptions for 311 yards (14.1 ypc), passing his previous top season marks of 17 catches (2017) and 278 receiving yards (2016).
"They're calling my number," he said.
Barnett hit up the Wilcox hotline five times last week and USF's trusty tight end delivered early with a diving 45-yard catch on a scoring drive in the first quarter at Tulsa. Wilcox finished with 95 receiving yards after moving the chains on consecutive plays with a pair of catches for 28 yards during USF's game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
"He's a guy that's got great ball skills and he's just highly competitive, especially in that moment, in that situation," offensive coordinator
Sterlin Gilbert said.
Wilcox has come through for the Bulls with clutch catches in each of USF's three double-digit comebacks in the fourth quarter this season. Against Illinois at Soldier Field on Sept. 15, the former all-conference pick set a USF tight end record with eight receptions for a career-high 109 yards.
"He's been doing that really since the summer," said senior receiver
Tyre McCants. "We were all excited at the beginning of the season to see what he can do and it's great to see him showing his talents. He's having a great season."
A collegiate season like this is what Wilcox has been dreaming of since he got his first shot at tight end later in his career at Tarpon Springs High School. A tackle his first two prep seasons, Wilcox became a two-way star that eventually earned all-state honorable mention accolades.
"I played both sides of the ball in high school, but I knew in college I wanted the ball in my hands. I want to make plays," he said. "You just have to have an attack-mode mentality."
Dialing the Wilcox hotline could lead to more historic USF results in the near future, maybe even Saturday.
Heading into the homecoming game, Wilcox needs 80 more yards to break the Bulls' tight end season receiving record of 390 yards set by Trevor Hypolite in 1997. Wilcox is 13 catches away from snagging the USF tight end season receptions record also held by Hypolite (34, 1997) with at least seven more games to go in 2018. USF is bowl eligible for the fourth straight season and at the earliest date in program history.
"I want to be an exciting college football player and to have an opportunity to do that now is awesome," Wilcox said. "I'm loving every second of it."
More Wilcox Notables
- USF CAREER MARKS WITHIN REACH: With 51 total catches for 747 yards at USF since 2016, Wilcox is closing in on program career tight ends records for receiving yards and receptions. Sean Price (2012-15) is the current record-holder in both categories with 897 yards on 75 receptions.
- WILCOX LOVES CONTACT: Wilcox takes pride in springing Bulls for big gains with crushing blocks whenever the team needs him to make it happen. "He's a guy we know we're going to get everything from," offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert said. Wilcox delivered bruising hits often as a senior at Tarpon Springs High School, posting 61 total tackles and 17.5 tackles for loss.
- HE SCREAMS FOR ICE CREAM: Once he puts down his favorite dish, a medium-rare steak, Wilcox loves to eat ice cream. "My family has an ice cream scoop that has been passed down through the family," he said. "It's reinforced by the end of a shovel handle. It used to have a plaque with it. It started with my grandfather."
- HIS FIRST LOVE WAS HOOPS: Before he became a big-time tight end, Wilcox grew up sleeping with a basketball in his grasp. "That was my big sport and I still love it," he said. "I played on the Tarpon Springs team that made the Final Four. Our last home game, the regional, I'll never forget it. I can't even remember who we played, but I remember that crowd. Just the noise, it was amazing."
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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