Bulls Look Forward to Opportunity at ECU
NEXT GAME: USF (3-4, 1-2) at East Carolina (3-4, 0-3)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/3:45 p.m.
LOCATION: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.
TV/RADIO: ESPNU/USF Radio Network:
Over the Air: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 8-1, and has won four straight
GAME NOTES: USF
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 22, 2019 – USF is determined to bounce back before the bye next week and the plan doesn't include hitting the panic button.
Despite being 1-2 in The American, players are sticking together and looking forward to achieving more success against an opponent that hasn't beaten the Bulls since 2014. USF eyes its fifth straight victory over East Carolina when the programs clash Saturday afternoon in Greenville, N.C.
"There's absolutely no way we want to finish this season the way we finished last season," senior right guard
William Atterbury said. "We're gonna go out and do everything we can every single game."
Atterbury (Clearwater, Fla.) and the rest of the big guys up front know they'll have to give all-out effort to protect USF's quarterback against Pirates.
Redshirt freshman
Jordan McCloud (Tampa) accounted for five touchdowns in his first career start before battling through wrist/shoulder injuries that have affected his playmaking ability since the SMU game on Sept. 28.
Head coach
Charlie Strong said McCloud will make his sixth straight start if he's healthy enough to play Saturday.
"That's our job as an offensive line to sit back there and take all the pressure that anyone gives us and make him as comfortable as possible, and keep people from touching him," Atterbury said. "As long as we can do that job, I think that we'll be able to give him the comfort that he needs to have his results."
Fortunately for the Bulls, they also have players at other positions who can keep McCloud upright. NFL prospect
Mitchell Wilcox (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) is a strong blocker at tight end while senior running backs
Jordan Cronkrite and
Trevon Sands are certainly capable of providing solid protection.
"If we were to mess up a blocking situation and let a D-end free, they're not afraid to go out and attack them and do whatever they need," Atterbury said. "They're able to catch balls out of the backfield. They run downhill super aggressively. We love having guys like that because you know they're not gonna run away from any of the pressure, they're gonna run towards it. As an offensive line, those are the guys you want to block for."
Both backs from Miami have been rewarded for their do-it-all efforts by the line the past three games.
Cronkrite has totaled 382 rushing yards during the stretch that included 100-yard outings against UConn and BYU. The former Florida Gator has 1,580 rushing yards in less than two seasons with USF and needs 160 more to break into the Bulls' all-time top 10.
Sands has averaged 6.9 yards per carry to help the Bulls generate 235.3 yards on the ground per game in the past three outings.
"We're pleased with the way it's going but never satisfied," Atterbury said.
'The General'
Safety
Nick Roberts has earned a pretty cool nickname thanks to his instincts and countless hours of film study.
"We call him 'The General' because he calls out everything," junior cornerback
Mike Hampton said. "He calls out the plays, formations before they happen."
At this point, the sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., is directing the secondary well because has seen a lot, starting 17 of the 20 battles he's been in so far as Bull.
Play recognition helped Roberts step in front of a deep pass at Navy and secure his second interception of the year, one season after leading the Bulls with three picks.
After making 72 stops in 2018, Roberts has continued to produce with his pads with 38 tackles this season that rank him third on the squad. One of those tackles resulted in a forced fumble USF recovered against Georgia Tech, which added to the Bulls' current total of 18 takeaways (second in FBS).
"He's doing good," Hampton added.
Checking in on Hampton Island
Junior cornerback
Mike Hampton's Twitter handle (
@mike_7Island) is pretty fitting, especially after his breakout season in 2018.
The Tampa native earned all-conference honorable mention status as a sophomore while ranking ninth nationally in passes defended per game (1.4). With 18 total passes defended (2 INT, 16 PBU), Hampton finished one shy of matching USF's season record set by Bernard Brown in 1999 (1 INT, 18 PBU).
Business has been slower on Hampton Island this season because offenses are now much more aware of the Thorpe Award candidate's capabilities.
"I think they're shying away from me here and there. I'm not getting much action, but I think I'm doing all right," said Hampton, who has three pass breakups and 27 tackles (sixth on team).
Hampton isn't bitter about fewer playmaking opportunities, however, because his teammates are getting more chances to shine. The Bulls as a whole rank second nationally in takeaways (18) and
KJ Sails, Hampton's close friend, has four (2 INT, 2 FR).
"The less they target me, the more opportunities the other DBs got," Hampton said. "KJ, he's leading the team in takeaways, so I'm really happy for him."
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
– #GoBulls –
