USF Athletics

Bulls Want to Add to Winningest USF Era in 2018

August 28, 2018

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, AUG. 28, 2018 – Following its second straight bowl win over a Power Five foe, USF is ready to keep things rolling at Raymond James Stadium in Saturday's 2018 opener presented by new season sponsor Valley National Bank.

Head coach Charlie Strong's Bulls are set to take on Elon in a 6 p.m. kickoff and they'll be looking to build on the most successful era in USF football history (29-9 record from 2015-17).

"This group of seniors can do even more because they can add their stamp on the program. They can just add more wins to it," said Strong during Tuesday's press conference. "If you look at us, we're 21-4 over the last two seasons. If these guys have a great year, they can add to it. They can go out as the winningest senior class, and the next class coming behind them can go out as the winningest senior class."

USF will attempt to continue its winning ways with a new season-opening starting quarterback for the first time since record-breaking Quinton Flowers in 2015.

"Blake Barnett is going to be the starter," Strong said. "… The team needs to see who is going to be the guy. Just every day, who is going to run the team and this is the person we're going to count on."

Regardless of which Bull was chosen to start at quarterback, USF knows a solid team performance is needed to get past Elon in the season opener. Senior receiver Tyre McCants (Niceville, Fla.) promises the eager Bulls will be focused Saturday night.

"It's been a long time coming since the Birmingham Bowl," McCants said. "Everybody is going to be ready just to get back on the field and get back to playing somebody else. We're tired of beating up on each other. We're just ready to play somebody else."

Strong Welcomed Input on QB Decision
Barnett, a junior from Corona, Calif., becomes the 15^th starting QB in USF history after competing with junior Brett Kean (Lakewood, Ohio) and sophomore Chris Oladokun (Tampa) throughout fall camp.

Strong welcomed lots of input about the decision, meeting with the offensive and defensive coaching staffs before making the final call on the game 1 starter with offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert.

"I just went around the table to each coach and I said, 'Why? Why?' Then Sterlin and I sat down and we talked about it," Strong said. "But what I didn't want to do is it all to fall on (Gilbert's) shoulders because I wanted everyone else's opinion."

USF will go with a consensus five-star prospect who started game 1 for Alabama as a redshirt freshman in 2016. Barnett also was rated as the top dual-threat QB by Rivals.com coming out of high school and he's played in seven total collegiate games since suiting up for Arizona State last year.

"You're looking at someone who is looking to prove to himself and prove to everybody else he's a good player," Strong said.

Barnett enrolled at USF in May after earning his bachelor's degree in liberal studies from Arizona State this spring. The graduate transfer showcased his strong arm throughout fall camp and the 6-foot-5 playmaker even surprised Strong with his feet.

"He said to me, 'I'm faster than what you thought,'" Strong said. "I said, 'Yeah, you are. I never saw that speed.'"

Athleticism aside, Barnett brings a calming, veteran presence to the team and the Bulls have noticed.

"He's really blended with the team well. He's gotten down the chemistry with the receivers and tight ends, just the entire offense," McCants said. "… I think with him, he's very poised back there and just gives that extra confidence to the offense."

Bulls Team Up With Valley National Bank
Tuesday's press conference started with the big announcement of Valley National Bank being the new season-presenting sponsor of USF football starting in 2018.

Valley National Bank also has partnered with the USF Foundation to create the "Valley for Veterans" program, committing a total of $75,000 in scholarships throughout the 2018 Bulls football season. With every USF touchdown scored in Ray Jay this season, USF and Valley National Bank will recognize a scholarship granted to a first generation veteran student attending USF. Learn more HERE.

"A huge, new partnership for us today that I'm so proud to announce and share with you is that with Valley National Bank," USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said. "… They feel the momentum. They've got the passion for what we're going to do."

Know the Opponent
Experienced Elon (No. 13 in FCS Coaches Poll) returns 18 starters on offense and defense (nine on each side of the ball) from its 2017 team that went 8-4 and appeared in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.

Elon brings back its top six rushers and eight of its top nine receivers from last season's team that reached No. 7 in the FCS rankings. Also returning is starting quarterback Davis Cheek, who threw for 2,431 yards and 15 touchdowns on the way to Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2017.

Second-year Elon head coach Curt Cignetti previously posted a 53-17 record at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2011-16 and was an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator on Nick Saban's 2009 national championship team at Alabama. Cignetti's father, Frank Cignetti Sr., won 199 games as a head coach at West Virginia and IUP, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

"(Curt's) father was a really outstanding coach, so his son learned from his father," Strong said. (Elon is) going to be prepared."

USF has a 2-1 lead in its all-time series with Elon and has won the past two meetings (28-13 in 2007; 35-7 in 1998). Elon won the first meeting on its home turf back in the Bulls' inaugural 1997 season when USF was an FCS independent.

"We've just got to be concerned about ourselves and play with good fundamentals and good technique, and play with energy and passion," Strong said.

Bulls Bits

• THE DRIVE FOR FIVE: USF will chase after its fifth straight season-opening victory. The Bulls are 16-5 all-time in season openers and 14-1 when starting the season at home.
• BULLS WANT RAY JAY PACKED: Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times broke some good news Tuesday when he reported USF has sold more than 1,000 more season tickets than this time last year. Strong said having a big crowd at Ray Jay is a huge advantage for the Bulls. "We have to get our fans. We have to get them out to the game because that's what's going to be critical for us," he said.
• SPECIAL TEAMS UPDATE: Strong said Australian sophomore Trent Schneider will handle punting duties for the Bulls this season. Strong said long snapping duties will be handled by freshman Ian Deneen (Winter Gardens, Fla.).

 
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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