'Resilient' Bulls Look to Finish Strong in Road Game at Houston
GAME 8 MATCHUP: USF (1-6, 0-5 in AAC) at Houston (2-3, 2-2 in AAC)
DAY & TIME: Saturday, 3 p.m.
LOCATION: TDECU Stadium, Houston
TV: ESPN+
RADIO: Over the Air: 95.3/620 WDAE &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: Houston leads, 4-2
GAME NOTES: USF |
Houston
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 10, 2020 – Even another heartbreaking loss can't keep head coach
Jeff Scott's "resilient" Bulls down as they continue to build a winning culture and gear up for another road opportunity at Houston on Saturday.
"When you go through a season like we're going through right now, it gives you a lot of opportunities to teach and to learn and to understand the expectations of how we're gonna do things," Scott said Tuesday. "I feel like our guys have responded very well, considering the adversity we've been through. I look for a strong finish. I don't expect our guys to change now."
Knowing total focus has to be on the task ahead, USF has turned the page on last week's tough loss that went down to the wire in Memphis. After building a 27-13 lead by the break, the Bulls used
Spencer Shrader's fourth field goal from at least 40 yards out to take a 13-point lead with just 4:36 remaining.
"That's really what gives me a lot of hope and optimism is I just feel like our guys have been very resilient," Scott said. "I think if you watched the way our guys played for three-and-a-half quarters last week, it looked more like a 5-1 team than a 1-5 team."
The final minutes of the 34-33 loss have served as teaching points for a rebuilding USF team that isn't wavering from its self-belief.
"I think the offense is definitely starting to click a lot better than we have been in the past," said freshman back
Brian Battie (Sarasota). "… We've got the right game plan, we just gotta execute it."
This Saturday, the Bulls look to do that even more in an attempt to snap Houston's four-game winning streak in the series with USF and secure their first road victory since beating ECU, 45-40, on Oct. 26, 2019.
"Here as we finish up our last few games of the season, that's my expectation is to continue to see us improve and hopefully find a way to win a couple of these games," Scott said.
Starting fast, like last week, and finishing strong in a victory would be a huge benefit for the Bulls heading into a two-game homestand that begins Saturday, Nov. 21 against Navy. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. (TV: ESPNU).
"More than for me as a coach, or our staff, I want it for our players (and them) to be able to see the reward for the way that they've worked and continued to battle in a difficult time," Scott said.
Johnson Passing Efficiently While He Continues to Lead
Tampa native
Noah Johnson, a grad transfer, showed Coach Scott a lot of good things in his first-ever start for the program he grew up cheering for, especially former star quarterback B.J. Daniels.
Against Memphis, Johnson completed 20 of 29 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns in his first full game with the Bulls. Both of Johnson's TD tosses, including a 75-yarder to
Kelley Joiner Jr., were thrown before the break and helped USF put up its most points in a first half (27) since a 35-point effort against ECU on Oct. 26, 2019.
Managing the game well and moving the offense were great feats, but Scott was most impressed with Johnson's turnover total that matched his jersey number - 0.
"The No. 1 thing I'm proud about is he held onto the ball. In the Tulsa game, he had some really nice drives and led the offense down, but he had that critical turnover right before halftime that was really a back-breaker for us going into the half," Scott said. "That was the biggest thing was his ball security running the ball and then also making the right decisions throwing the ball. I felt like he did a really good job."
Johnson has been sharp as of late, completing 67.8 percent of his 56 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns in the past two outings. Aside from posting solid stats, he's continued to lead by example like he's been doing since first stepping onto campus with a "championship mindset."
"He's got positive energy all the time," Scott said. "The guys rally around him. I want as many of those guys in our locker room and on the field as we possibly can have."
Shrader's Practice Production Carries Over to Record-Setting Game
USF had a particular field-goal kicking plan in mind for the matchup with Memphis but deviated from it for what turned out to be a very special reason.
"We went into this game saying any field goal 45 yards or longer, we're gonna let Spencer (Shrader) kick. Any field goal 44 yards or shorter, we're gonna let Jared (Sackett) kick," Scott explained. "It just so happened that the first two kicks were over 45 yards and he drilled both of them. At that point, we're like, 'OK, we're going to stay with the hot leg,' I guess you would say in this situation."
After being all good from 49 and 47 yards out, Shrader (Lithia, Fla.) split the uprights again on 46- and 41-yard kicks to become the first USF kicker in program history to make four 40-plus yard field goals in a game. The incredible 4-for-4 showing earned the Lithia, Fla., native American Athletic Conference
Special Teams Player of the Week honors and recognition among the national "Stars of the Week" by the Lou Groza Award on Monday.
Although the sophomore booms 55-plus yard kicks on the regular in practice, Shrader hadn't translated those type of performances to games until last Saturday. Making USF's first 40-plus yard field goal since 2018 and then some in clutch situations was a shining example of progress Scott loved to see.
"Hopefully the confidence that he gained from that will help him moving forward the rest of this year and into the next year," Scott said. "If he can go out and be able to transition from practice to the game, he'll be one of the best kickers that have ever kicked here. I'm really pleased to see that and hopefully he'll build off that confidence."
Sarasota's Battie Trying to Be Like 'Hometown Hero'
True freshman
Brian Battie made lots of plays in fall camp and finally got enough snaps to really show what he can do in game situations against Memphis.
Using his vision, speed and fearless approach, the promising back rushed for a career-high 76 yards on 10 carries (7.6 ypc). Battie finished second on the team in all-purpose yards (97) in his first extensive game action as a Bull.
"I would definitely say he was prepared and he did a great job. He was one of our players of the game on offense," Scott said. "I'm really excited about the future with several of those freshmen. He was one that really got an opportunity to show his teammates and everybody what he can do, and he's only gonna get better."
Continuous improvement could make Battie the next great #BayMade USF back from Sarasota. He's following in the footsteps of current Indianapolis Colt Marlon Mack, who ranks second in school history with 3,609 yards from 2014-16.
"He is our hometown hero," Battie said. "Knowing what he's done here, I look up to what he has done and try to live up to those standards, knowing that we're from the same city. I know he's rooting for me, too."
Battie actually knows Mack well, noting his father used to train the fourth-year pro during Mack's prep career with Booker High School.
"That's how I really got to meet him before he even came to USF," Battie said. "Marlon, that's my boy."
About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 23rd season (20th 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.
- #GoBulls –
