Former USF Greats Help Get Bulls Ready for War on I-4
NEXT GAME: USF (4-7, 2-5) at UCF (8-3, 5-2)
DAY/TIME: Friday/8 p.m.
LOCATION: Spectrum Stadium, Orlando
TV/RADIO: ESPN/USF Radio Network:
Over the Air: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 6-4. Bulla are 3-2 in Orlando.
PURCHASE TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
GAME NOTES: USF (PDF) UCF (PDF)
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 26, 2019 – Two of the program's all-time greats showed special support to the Bulls ahead of their War on I-4 battle with rival UCF.
Heavy hitters
George Selvie and
Stephen Nicholas – No. 1 and 2 in career sacks and tackles for loss at USF - were back on campus Tuesday to watch practice and provide the Bulls with extra motivation for Friday's prime-time matchup in Orlando.
"Ya'll go out there and win. It's a rivalry game. Ya'll get up for this game," Selvie told the team.
USF is looking to extend its lead over UCF to 7-4 in a series that started with four straight victories by the Bulls. The teams have split the past four meetings, with the Knights taking the past two.
"When rivalry games show up, all your alums, their eyes are open and they want to make sure (current players) understand what this game means, not just to the team this year but to all the guys that have played on this field," defensive coordinator
Brian Jean-Mary said.
A member of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019, Selvie enjoyed playing a role in three of USF's first four Ws against UCF from 2006-08 and had a four-TFL performance in a 64-12 rout of the Knights at Raymond James Stadium in 2007. Prior to his six-year NFL career, Selvie got his hands on numerous program records, including career sacks (29) and tackles for loss (69.5) along with single-season sacks and TFLs (14.5/31.5 in 2007).
Nicholas was a part of the first two wins in the USF-UCF series and set the tone often for the Bulls. Before a seven-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, the linebacker racked up 53.5 tackles for loss and 20 sacks (both second all-time at USF) in addition to making 326 stops from 2002-06.
Offensive coordinator
Kerwin Bell echoed Nicholas' message to the team during his media availability.
"It was good to hear," Bell said. "It was sort of that same message (we have), 'You're playing for this university. You represent the University of South Florida, and there's some pride about that. There's some pride about representing your family and your teammates. You gotta understand that what you put on the practice field will pay dividends on Friday night.'"
USF players definitely appreciated wise words and guidance from two of the best Bulls to ever do it for the program.
"That was super cool, (hearing) what those guys were saying, taking it all in," said sophomore linebacker
Dwayne Boyles (Miami). "I want to apply that to the field, also to my life."
Joiner Making Most of Opportunity
Injuries have opened the door for
Kelley Joiner Jr. to get carries and the young back is running away with the opportunity.
The tru
e freshman heads into his first War on I-4 battle with confidence after rushing for 115 yards on 13 attempts in his first-ever start against No. 18 Memphis. Joiner showcased his smooth moves in his first 100-yard game as a Bull on a 47-yard run in the first quarter.
"He's the kinda guy that can make you miss. You don't have to block everybody," offensive coordinator
Kerwin Bell said. "… That's what we're looking for is those kinda guys that can make plays in space and create big, explosive plays. He's gonna be a big addition for this program for the next few years."
Joiner now ranks second on the team in rushing with 341 yards (5.9 ypc) in a season that saw the Clermont, Fla., native go into fall camp as a receiver. That was his spot until freshman back
Josh Berry – one of Joiner's roommates – unfortunately was sidelined for the year with a knee injury.
"(Berry) was looking really good in camp. When we lost him, we said, 'Hey, let's move Kelley back to running back,'" Bell said. "He's come on and on throughout the season, and he's really worked his butt off. When he got an opportunity, he really took advantage of it."
Bulls Bits
BOYLES 'NOT SATISFIED': Dwayne Boyles (Miami) leads the Bulls with 68 tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss, but the sophomore linebacker is staying humble about his big season. "I've been pleased, but I'm not satisfied. I'm still hungry to make more plays," he said. "I should have made more plays this year. I left some plays out on the field this year. I want to learn from that and get better, so I can be the best I can be next year."
MIMS PLAYS LIKE A CHAMP: Another young linebacker who keeps pushing for more production is Andrew Mims. The sophomore from St. Johns, Fla., set a new career high the last time out with 13 tackles (11 solo) against No. 18 Memphis. "He's got some nicks and bruises that have kept him where he hasn't been consistently on the field, but he's been one of our more talented guys," defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary said. "He was a kid that battled for all four quarters. We had two linebackers go down and he had to go in and go finish the game. I pointed him out as one of the guys, when things weren't always going good that played with 100-percent effort and was still playing at a championship level."
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 6-4 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.
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– #GoBulls –
