Game 8 Player Spotlight: Daquan Evans
GAME 8 MATCHUP: USF (1-6, 0-5 in AAC) at Houston (2-3, 2-2 in AAC)
DAY & TIME: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: TDECU Stadium, Houston
TV: ESPN2 &
ESPN+
RADIO: Over the Air: 95.3/620 WDAE &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: Houston leads, 4-2
GAME NOTES: USF (PDF) |
Houston (PDF)
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 14, 2020 – Every time
Daquan Evans intercepts a pass, USF fans better buckle up because the playmaking defensive back is taking Bulls Nation on a wild ride.
Last week at Memphis, Evans jumped in front of a receiver and sprinted 51 yards to the house on a terrific touchdown play that broke up a 6-6 tie and really sparked USF's 27-point explosion in the first half.
"Once I catch the interception, I turn into an offensive player," Evans said. "… If I score, I'm adding points to the board. If I don't, I'm putting the offense in a better (position) to score. Either way it goes, it's a win-win situation for us."
USF's offensive players have certainly been big fans of the huge hand Evans has given them during his current three-game interception streak that started with a 56-yard takeaway return against Temple on Oct. 17.
Evans then took his second pick in as many weeks 31 yards downfield the last time USF was at Raymond James Stadium to host Tulsa on Oct. 23.
Take those two highlight-reel plays and tack on his pick-6 from long distance at Memphis and Evans is all the way up to 138 interception return yards in 2020, just 26 yards shy of Trae Williams' USF season record set in 2007.
That's not the only notable milestone Evans is rapidly approaching.
Boosted by three 50-plus yard interception returns, the sophomore already is up to second all-time on USF's career chart with 190 return yards on four takeaways.
The next time Evans snags an opposing quarterback's pass, he'll need to take it 29 yards the other way to match Williams' program record career mark of 219 return yards on 16 interceptions from 2004-07.
"That would mean a lot to me. It would feel special to me. I'm achieving more accomplishments than I thought I could," Evans said. "As far as the records, my name could be here for a little minute. It's a big accomplishment."
Daquan Doing It for Da'mani
Accomplishing big things in life is super important to Evans, a proud father who wants to set a great example for Da'mani, his 3-year-old son.
"I was a dad at a young age. I had to grow up fast, learn how to take on responsibilities," Evans said. "I'm making sure he's taken care of first, then I take care of myself."
Usually, Evans goes home to Orlando to see his son as much as he can during the school year. The pandemic has made things more difficult to do that, so Evans is very thankful technology still allows him to drop in on Da'mani often.
"I just FaceTime him every day and see him on video calls to make sure everything is good. That's my motivation," Evans said. "When I see him, it makes me happy."
When college was approaching, Evans got plenty of scholarship offers from schools like Duke, North Carolina, Minnesota, Indiana, Mississippi State and Virginia Tech. The interest was nice, but Evans said becoming a Bull was important because it allowed him to stay closer to his family.
"You have to take on your responsibilities," he said. "You've got school responsibilities. I've got at-home responsibilities."
Succeeding in School for Mom
Evans said keys to succeeding in school, sports and fatherhood have been time management and always keeping top priorities in mind.
The finance major and 2019 AAC All-Academic Team member always makes sure his grades are in good shape and credits his late mother, Sharicka, for instilling that drive in him.
"My mom always wanted me to handle my academics, no matter the situation," he said. "Where I grew up, it wasn't being a product of your environment. I'd handle my grades first, then be an athlete next and make the right decisions."
Keeping those wise words of advice in mind helped motivate Evans to finish high school in three-and-a-half years and also become a National Honor Society student at Orlando's Jones High School.
"I could get a head start on this college situation and try to be a true freshman my freshman year, like I did," said Evans, who played in all 12 games last season.
Evans arrived at USF as an early enrollee in January 2019. He was a full-time college student well before he received his high school diploma with his former Jones classmates that May. Celebrating the special moment was hardly on Evans' mind, however, because that was the day he had to start dealing with the loss of his mom.
"I found out that she passed on the morning of my graduation," he said. "I was hesitant about if I wanted to walk on the graduation stage. I did it for her because that's what she wanted."
Sharicka would be happy with what Evans continues to accomplish as a Bull and how her family is sticking together. Evans has a 25-year-old brother named Anfernee and his younger brother, Demon (pronounced Da-mahn), is 15.
"We're all we got ever since my mom passed," Evans said. "… Ever since then, I've basically been on my grind. I'm making my family proud. I'm making the right decisions. We've been holding up, so everything is good."
More Daquan Details
- FROM RB TO DB: Evans started football at age 8 and was a running back during his youth league days who played some defensive back before high school. He started his varsity career at Jones High School as a slot receiver and switched to safety as a sophomore. Evans also played other roles in the secondary, depending on the opponent or if it was a "crunch-time situation." "If we were playing a good team and their best player was playing receiver, I had to play cornerback," he said. "If their best player was in the slot, I had to roll down and play nickel. Whatever my coach needed me to do, I just did it." So far, cornerback has been the main position at USF for Evans, who has seen action in 19 games. In addition to four career interceptions, the sophomore has registered 31 tackles (27 solo) and five passes defended.
- THIS AND THAT: Evans often goes by his "DayDay" nickname and has for a while. "People have been calling me that since I started talking," he said… Many players have pros they aspire to be like, but Evans likes to be like Evans. "I want to have my own game," he said. "I look at other people and the way they play, but I want to be myself. I don't want to be like anybody else."
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.
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