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Game 4 Player to Watch: Jordan McCloud
September 27, 2019 | Football
NEXT GAME: SMU (4-0) at USF (1-2)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/4 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV/RADIO: ESPNU/USF Radio Network: Over the Air: 1250-AM & Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 3-1 (Bulls won last matchup, 35-27, in Dallas in 2016)
GAME NOTES: USF (PDF) | SMU
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 27, 2019 – Redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan McCloud played the leading role like a true veteran in his first career start, accounting for five touchdowns in the Bulls' big victory before the bye.
"I think he has that 'it' factor," offensive coordinator Kerwin Bell said.
Now it's time for start No. 2 and the stage certainly is grand for the talented Tampa native. McCloud and the Bulls will look to produce more fireworks in front of a national TV audience when they take on undefeated SMU at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday.
"It's very special," he said. "In high school, this was going to be one of my top schools, regardless of how highly I was recruited. Now that I'm here in front of all my family, it's just great."
Bulls fans are anxious to see what McCloud will do for an encore after helping USF light up the Ray Jay scoreboard in the 55-16 rout of South Carolina State on Sept. 14. McCloud settled into the starting role pretty quick, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for another score while the Bulls built a 24-3 halftime lead.
McCloud's first TD toss, a 42-yard strike to speedy sophomore Johnny Ford (Miami) in the first quarter, showed his coordinator a lot about a young player former coaches and teammates call "unflappable."
"He had pressure in his face. Instead of flushing out and running, or throwing it underneath or something, he steps over real quietly with his feet," Bell said. "He keeps his head down the field and makes the 40-yard throw for a touchdown. Those little things there are sort of an 'it' factor that you have, a feel for the game. He has that."
McCloud's poise led to more production (1 TD pass, 1 rushing TD) in the second half of his turnover-free performance. The five touchdowns he accounted for marked the most ever by a USF QB in a debut.
All that was accomplished a game after McCloud threw a 20-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and nearly led the Bulls to a comeback victory in his impressive relief effort at Georgia Tech.
"He's calm. He's confident. He's taking the shots he needs to in the games and in practice," said receiver Eddie McDoom (Winter Garden, Fla.). "He just makes us feel comfortable."
Not bad for a quarterback who didn't even start playing the position until his junior year of high school.
McCloud's Path to Becoming USF's Starting QB
As a kid, McCloud wanted nothing to do with being a quarterback on the youth fields of Tampa.
"Little League, that's not something you like because you don't really throw the ball," he said. "I just liked playing running back."
For fans who've seen McCloud's smooth moves as a scrambler (2 rushing TDs, 4.5 ypc so far as a Bull), his backfield background makes sense. So does the dual threat's ability to change directions quickly, dating back to his early high school days as a defensive back.
That was until his junior year, when things started to click as a starting quarterback at Sickles High School. What helped sell him on the position even more was what he saw when he'd go to his older brother Ray-Ray's games at Clemson.
"I used to watch Deshaun Watson," McCloud said. "He's one of my favorite quarterbacks now and that made me love it even more."
McCloud had so much passion for the position that he'd throw fun out of the window to learn from legendary coach Robert Weiner at Plant High School, where his game as a QB really took off as a senior.
"In summer as a high school kid, you do a lot of stuff. You go to the beach, hang out with your friends," he said. "I couldn't do any of that."
Hard work certainly paid off for the 2017 FloridaHSFootball.com all-state selection. McCloud threw for 2,426 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading Plant to a 12-2 record, district and regional titles along with a trip to the state semifinals.
Scholarship offers flowed in from places like Oregon, Boston College and Maryland, but McCloud wanted to stay home and play in the Bay. He had to wait a year, but redshirting in 2018 was beneficial for a Bull who seems wise beyond his 19 years.
"I had three good quarterbacks in front of me last year," he said. "… They all played last year and they all taught me something different. That helped me out a lot coming into this season."
Now it's McCloud's time to shine as USF's quarterback and he's looking forward to accomplishing more than just a solid, first-team debut.
"It was my first start. I just had to get it out of the way," he said. "After that, I gotta roll."
More About McCloud
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.
DAY/TIME: Saturday/4 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV/RADIO: ESPNU/USF Radio Network: Over the Air: 1250-AM & Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 3-1 (Bulls won last matchup, 35-27, in Dallas in 2016)
GAME NOTES: USF (PDF) | SMU
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 27, 2019 – Redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan McCloud played the leading role like a true veteran in his first career start, accounting for five touchdowns in the Bulls' big victory before the bye.
"I think he has that 'it' factor," offensive coordinator Kerwin Bell said.
Now it's time for start No. 2 and the stage certainly is grand for the talented Tampa native. McCloud and the Bulls will look to produce more fireworks in front of a national TV audience when they take on undefeated SMU at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday."It's very special," he said. "In high school, this was going to be one of my top schools, regardless of how highly I was recruited. Now that I'm here in front of all my family, it's just great."
Bulls fans are anxious to see what McCloud will do for an encore after helping USF light up the Ray Jay scoreboard in the 55-16 rout of South Carolina State on Sept. 14. McCloud settled into the starting role pretty quick, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for another score while the Bulls built a 24-3 halftime lead.
McCloud's first TD toss, a 42-yard strike to speedy sophomore Johnny Ford (Miami) in the first quarter, showed his coordinator a lot about a young player former coaches and teammates call "unflappable."
"He had pressure in his face. Instead of flushing out and running, or throwing it underneath or something, he steps over real quietly with his feet," Bell said. "He keeps his head down the field and makes the 40-yard throw for a touchdown. Those little things there are sort of an 'it' factor that you have, a feel for the game. He has that."
McCloud's poise led to more production (1 TD pass, 1 rushing TD) in the second half of his turnover-free performance. The five touchdowns he accounted for marked the most ever by a USF QB in a debut.All that was accomplished a game after McCloud threw a 20-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and nearly led the Bulls to a comeback victory in his impressive relief effort at Georgia Tech.
"He's calm. He's confident. He's taking the shots he needs to in the games and in practice," said receiver Eddie McDoom (Winter Garden, Fla.). "He just makes us feel comfortable."
Not bad for a quarterback who didn't even start playing the position until his junior year of high school.
McCloud's Path to Becoming USF's Starting QB
As a kid, McCloud wanted nothing to do with being a quarterback on the youth fields of Tampa.
"Little League, that's not something you like because you don't really throw the ball," he said. "I just liked playing running back."
For fans who've seen McCloud's smooth moves as a scrambler (2 rushing TDs, 4.5 ypc so far as a Bull), his backfield background makes sense. So does the dual threat's ability to change directions quickly, dating back to his early high school days as a defensive back.That was until his junior year, when things started to click as a starting quarterback at Sickles High School. What helped sell him on the position even more was what he saw when he'd go to his older brother Ray-Ray's games at Clemson.
"I used to watch Deshaun Watson," McCloud said. "He's one of my favorite quarterbacks now and that made me love it even more."
McCloud had so much passion for the position that he'd throw fun out of the window to learn from legendary coach Robert Weiner at Plant High School, where his game as a QB really took off as a senior.
"In summer as a high school kid, you do a lot of stuff. You go to the beach, hang out with your friends," he said. "I couldn't do any of that."
Hard work certainly paid off for the 2017 FloridaHSFootball.com all-state selection. McCloud threw for 2,426 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading Plant to a 12-2 record, district and regional titles along with a trip to the state semifinals.
Scholarship offers flowed in from places like Oregon, Boston College and Maryland, but McCloud wanted to stay home and play in the Bay. He had to wait a year, but redshirting in 2018 was beneficial for a Bull who seems wise beyond his 19 years.
"I had three good quarterbacks in front of me last year," he said. "… They all played last year and they all taught me something different. That helped me out a lot coming into this season."
Now it's McCloud's time to shine as USF's quarterback and he's looking forward to accomplishing more than just a solid, first-team debut.
"It was my first start. I just had to get it out of the way," he said. "After that, I gotta roll."
More About McCloud
- FOLLOWING RAY-RAY: McCloud had fun going to his older brother's Clemson games and now Jordan gets to watch him as a pro. Ray-Ray McCloud is making plays as a punt/kick return man in his first season with the Carolina Panthers. McCloud also made things happen as a receiver this preseason for Buffalo, which selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
PRIDE OF HILLSBOROUGH: The last time out, McCloud (Tampa) became the 17th starting quarterback in USF history and the third from Hillsborough County, joining Bobby Eveld (Tampa) and Chris Oladokun (Tampa). McCloud is the 10th USF quarterback to win in his starting debut.
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 –
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