Coordinators Talk About USF's Test at ECU on Saturday
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 |
ECU
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 23, 2019 – After starting October with two straight victories, USF is focused on closing out the month with more momentum heading into the home stretch of the regular season.
"You're a game away from getting to November and you know with college football, November is kind of what defines your season," defensive coordinator
Brian Jean-Mary said. "We always look at the next game as the most important game. Coming off of a loss, obviously the level of importance goes up."
Motivated to move forward from a setback at Navy, the Bulls know continuing a trend on defense could lead to the program's fifth straight road win in the series with East Carolina on Saturday. USF has feasted on opponent's mistakes this season, ranking second nationally with 18 takeaways, while the Pirates are tied for 72
nd in the FBS with a turnover margin of -0.14.
"If we can keep getting turnovers and keep giving the ball to our offense, hopefully in scoring position, that always raises your level of ability to win the game," Jean-Mary said. "… That's always a point of emphasis and that's gonna be probably one of the key factors this upcoming game."
ECU has been intercepted in five of seven games this year, but that doesn't mean its offense is afraid to air it out. The Pirates have produced 24 passing plays of 20-plus yards, including a 72-yard connection between quarterback Holton Ahlers and receiver Blake Proehl against Old Dominion on Sept. 28.
"They have great skill from Proehl and some of the other receivers that they have," Jean-Mary said. "They can really challenge you in the defensive backfield."
No matter which quarterback takes snaps Saturday, USF's offense wants to make it as easy as possible for an underclassman to have passing success against ECU. What could help is keeping things rolling on the ground, where USF has averaged 235.3 rushing yards in three games this month.
"We're pleased with the way it's going but never satisfied," said senior right guard
William Atterbury (Clearwater, Fla.).
Another area of the game where USF is hungry for more production is special teams, which could play a major factor in the Bulls extending their overall winning streak against ECU to five. Sophomore
Bentlee Sanders (Tampa) is averaging 27.11 yards per kick return this season (14th in FBS) and already has two 60-plus yard plays to his credit. This week's opponent ranks 119
th nationally in kick return defense (25.75 ypr).
Bell Covers Quarterback Topic
Regardless of its rushing results this month, USF's offense wants to attack defenses through the air, which could lead to more points.
Starting quarterback
Jordan McCloud threw three touchdown passes in his first-ever start but continued success has been slowed by wrist/shoulder injuries that started affecting his play against SMU on Sept. 28.
"He knows he's gotta get healthy and I really like where he's at right now this week," offensive coordinator
Kerwin Bell said. "He's not 100 percent, by no means, but he's a lot further along than he was the last two weeks."
Bell noted McCloud hasn't needed a glove on his throwing hand and his playing status Saturday will depend on the redshirt freshman's ability to "drive the ball down the field," which has been hampered by the shoulder injury.
"Like I told him, I'm not gonna put him out there this week if he can't make those kinda throws," Bell said.
With senior
Blake Barnett (Corona, Calif.) out for the rest of season, USF's other option at quarterback is
Kirk Rygol (Fort Mill, S.C.). The redshirt sophomore threw a 33-yard touchdown pass late in the 48-22 win at UConn on Oct. 5 and sparked the offense at Navy last Saturday, when he went 4-for-7 for 64 yards in limited action.
"He's got a really quick release and great arm," Bell said.
Three of Rygol's completions against the Midshipmen covered distances of 28, 24 and 10 yards, and he's shown flashes of the mobility he showcased as a prep standout. The district player of the year threw for over 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior at Nation Ford High School. He also rushed for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns that year on the way to second team all-conference honors.
"When he sees it and it's open, he can make all the throws. He moves really good for his abilities and he's got escapability," Bell said. "I'm not afraid to put him out there. I know he'll be able to drive the football down the field if that's what we need."
Bulls Bits
KIRBY STEPPING UP: Brian Jean-Mary was asked Wednesday about which young Bulls have made the most improvement since fall camp and USF's third-year coordinator talked a lot about redshirt freshman defensive lineman Stacy Kirby. "I think he's really starting to turn the corner and kind of living up to the expectations we had for him coming out of high school," Jean-Mary said. Kirby (Orlando) intercepted a pass in his first appearance of the season against SMU on Sept. 28 and has recorded at least one tackle in every game since then, including a career-high three stops at Navy last week. "He's starting to earn a lot more trust and his playing time is starting to increase, but it's starting in practice," Jean-Mary added. "He's starting to really pick up what we're doing on defense and he starts to flash a lot more than he did in the past."- RADIO SHOW ON THURSDAY: Get ready for game day by attending the next USF Football Radio Show that's set for Thursday from 7-8 p.m. at World of Beer on East Fowler Ave (close to the USF campus). The show also can be heard on WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM and Bulls Unlimited on iHeart Radio. Get more info HERE.
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 –
