USF Athletics

Bulls Preparing to Bring Physical Brand in Prime-Time Test Against Tulsa

October 21, 2020

GAME 6 MATCHUP: Tulsa (1-1, 1-0 in AAC) at USF (1-4, 0-3 in AAC)
DAY & TIME: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV: ESPN
RADIO: Over the Air: 1250-AM WHNZ & Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 3-0
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com, 1-800-Go-Bulls
GAME NOTES: USF | Tulsa
 

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, OCT. 21, 2020 – With a day less than usual to prepare, head coach Jeff Scott's Bulls have been working quickly to get ready for an all-out battle at Raymond James Stadium on Friday night.

ESPN cameras will be capturing the action as USF looks to top a Tulsa team packed with huge players on both lines and in plenty of other positions.

"I'm very impressed with Tulsa when you turn on the tape," head coach Jeff Scott said. "I think Coach (Philip) Montgomery and his staff have done an excellent job of recruiting and developing their talent. What stands out to me is just how big (they are)."

Earlier this week, Scott detailed Tulsa's defense during his press conference and made sure to point out there's no shortage of size in the starting secondary.

"They've got four guys – two corners, two safeties – I think they're 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4," he said.

With that in mind, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. has been telling scout team defenders going against USF receivers to "get in their grill" and "dominate." Tough acts in practice were attempts to replicate how Tulsa likes to "bully" opposing pass catchers and push them out of bounds.

"You can't take any plays off because these guys are gonna play hard every single play," said Weis. "If you take a play off, they're gonna embarrass you and put you to the sideline."

Fortunately for the Bulls, they have a shining example of how being aggressive near the line of scrimmage can pay off. Last week, DeVontres Odoms-Dukes (Tampa) did just that at Temple on a play that resulted in a 28-yard scoring reception in the second quarter.

"It's really that mentality of going out there and playing physical, like Dukes did on his touchdown," Weis said. "You can see how easy it is when you play like that, to have some production."

McCloud On Point the Past Two Weeks
Charlie Weis Jr. likes to call USF's quarterbacks "point guards" when it comes to dishing the ball out to receivers on short and intermediate throws.

Spreading the ball around has been a strength lately for starting quarterback Jordan McCloud, who has produced big plays in the passing game the past two outings.

During the last home game against ECU on Oct. 10, the Tampa native set career highs in completions (26) and passing yards (298). McCloud matched another career best last week by totaling three touchdown tosses in the 37-point showing by the Bulls at Temple.

"I think he's done a really good job with the passing game and distributing the ball, knowing where to go," Weis said. "I think his confidence in what he's doing has continued to grow. It's just being in that offense and definitely being in the groove of being the starter and being the guy and doing all that."

McCloud also has been finding receivers at a very efficient rate, completing 64 percent of his passes to rank 23^rd nationally this season. The sophomore solidified his starter status against ECU, completing 74 percent of his passes and he's connected on nearly 68 percent of his throws the past two weeks.

"He's certainly made big strides. We certainly have improvement to go and the biggest thing for him is just eliminating those three or four plays that can define a game that are bad, whether it's turnovers or a missed throw here or there," Weis said. "I'm really proud of him and how he's continuing to grow."

'QB' of Defense Boyles Giving Bulls a Huge Boost
Even though they're going up against a dangerous opponent this week, the Bulls know they're in good hands with the leader of the defense really back in the mix.

Starting linebacker Dwayne Boyles announced his return to the field with authority last week, racking up a team-high nine tackles and even blocking a field goal on special teams at Temple. It marked the Miami native's first game action since all the way back on Sept. 12, when the Bulls kicked off the season with a 27-6 win over The Citadel.

Boyles has totaled 108 tackles (15.5 TFLs) since 2018 but steady production is just part of the reason why he's such a difference maker.

"Boyles is like our quarterback on defense. He just gets everybody lined up," head coach Jeff Scott said. "He just exudes confidence to the rest of those guys."

Defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer could instantly sense what Boyles brings to the table when he returned to practice for the first time in about four weeks.

"Totally different vibe. A guy like that just raises everybody," Spencer said. "Everybody seemed a little bit more dialed in. Everybody was more emotional. It's hard to explain but if you know it, you know it."

Having a very valuable defensive leader like Boyles will really come in handy for USF's defense this week.

With a Baylor-style approach and a big offensive line, Tulsa showed it can score in bunches during a 34-26 comeback win at then-No. 11 UCF the last time out on Oct. 3.

Senior quarterback Zach Smith led the road rally with three touchdown passes and he's thrown for 3,718 yards and 23 scores in 14 games with the Golden Hurricane. The former Baylor Bear has 6,715 passing yards and 44 touchdowns in his 32-game collegiate career.

"A mature Zach Smith now is dangerous," Spencer said. "It's kind of like it's been building up to this for him now that the talent level around him is back to kind of what he is used to. That's when it gets dangerous."

Tulsa's offense also can be lethal with a gritty ground game that features multiple 200-pound rushers on the roster.

"The big stat is gonna be yards after contact Friday night, how well we're able to get their feet off the ground because they are very, very powerful running backs," Spencer said.
 
About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 23^rd season (20^th at the FBS level) in 2019. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 14 All-America selections and 29 first-team all-conference selections and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft. USF has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program record six straight appearances from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
                                                                                
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.