USF Athletics

Bulls Confident They Can 'Play Safely' as Productive Practices Continue

August 11, 2020

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, AUG. 12, 2020 – Just hours after Jeff Scott welcomed a newborn son to the world, his USF football team happily continued to operate with a sense of urgency Tuesday morning at the Morsani Complex.

As expected, Scott remained with his wife, Sara, who gave birth to their son, Hunter, on Monday evening, much to the enjoyment of new big sister, Savannah.

"Another Bay made Bull born here in Tampa," said hometown cornerback Mike Hampton, who gave Scott a special shout-out after practice.

Despite their head coach being temporarily away from the helm, the Bulls conducted business as usual in their first fall camp practice in shoulder pads under the direction of associate head coach Allen Mogridge, who is also tasked with coaching the Bulls' offensive line.

"It's like Coach Scott never left," Hampton said. "(The staff) kept the energy, kept the pace, and it was flowing today."

Mogridge called the Bulls' performance "gritty" in his post-practice team address after USF's aggressive defense tried to keep making up for lost time lost in the spring due to the pandemic.

Creative defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer is implementing his multiple schemes as fast as possible in order to get the Bulls on his side of the ball ready for game action during a time of uncertainty for college's premier fall sport.

"For the last three years, I've put in the system fresh each time. In my mind, I know what that process looks like, kind of the growing pains that you go through," Spencer said. "Trust me, we'll get it done but we don't need to take off any time, if you know what I'm saying. All those practices that are live, we're gonna need every one of them."

KJ Sails confirmed USF players' strong desire to keep things going, saying "everybody is pretty much all in" regarding the 2020 season. The senior cornerback from Tampa spoke to the media one day after collaborating with fellow American Athletic Conference players on a #WeAreUnited, #WeWantToPlay social media statement.

"We're a lot safer here. A lot of our players feel like we're safer here than going home," Sails said. "Our medical staff has done an unbelievable job of keeping us safe and we're following the proper protocols. We feel that we have a plan here to play safely and I feel that we can get that done."

Hampton, also a starting senior corner with NFL Draft hopes, agreed with Sails' sentiment regarding the united Bulls' hopes of playing in 2020.

"All the locker room, all we talk about is bring home a conference championship," he said. "We can't do that sitting at home."

Scott continued USF's #WeWantToPlay approach Tuesday afternoon on social media. His message: "After being together for meetings/walkthrough practices/lifting/conditioning for the last 2 weeks....we tested our team on Monday and found out today we have ZERO positives. Plan and protocols are working....we will continue to move forward diligently and safely."

More About Spencer's Defense
Back in the spring, coordinator Glenn Spencer gave Bulls fans a glimpse of what they can expect his defense to look like on game days.

"A lot of what I do is multiple, but if you broke us down now, you'd say probably 65-70 percent is what I call '30-float,'" Spencer said in his Bulls Football Profile. "So, it's a three-down scheme with a bunch of different looks on the back end, some guys based off formation, playing different assignments."

Spencer's scheme certainly confused opposing offenses last year. In his one season with FAU, the Owls led the nation in takeaways (33), interceptions (22) and turnover margin (+21). 

"The defense, it's set up for us to make plays," cornerback Mike Hampton said.

USF tied for 15^th in total takeaways last year with 24. Players are hungry for even more production this season and they're hearing Spencer's message loud and clear.

"If you can strip it, strip it. If you can scoop up a fumble, scoop it," cornerback KJ Sails said. "Pick it, pick it. When an opportunity presents itself, you gotta make the play."

As for specific looks, Spencer isn't giving away secrets while he gets the Bulls ready to trick opponents with "two totally different defenses."

"We have the ability to change it per drive, or change it based on what's working," he said. "It's very multiple."

Bulls Bits

• VETERAN LINEBACKERS 'A GREAT BENEFIT': Glenn Spencer's schemes allow the Bulls to deploy different amounts of linebackers on the field but expect to see a lot of returning starters Dwayne Boyles and Antonio Grier. Last season, Boyles (Miami) led the Bulls in total tackles (75), solo tackles (48) and tackles for loss (12.5). Meanwhile, Grier (Atlanta) totaled 58 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with four sacks. Spencer called the proven duo's game experience "invaluable." "At the end of the day, we have to run and tackle," Spencer said. "To have some guys that have done that and have been productive doing that, that's a great benefit."
• MANGUM MAKES IMPRESSION: A newcomer who has caught his defensive coordinator's eye instantly is 285-pound tackle Thad Mangum (Piedmont, S.C.). The grad transfer brings 37 games of experience to the table and was an All-Southern Conference pick for Wofford in 2018. "So far, he's having a good camp and he's a great addition," Spencer said.
• OFFENSIVE OBSERVATIONS: Three quarterbacks competing for the starting job kept impressing in Tuesday's practice. During team work, Noah Johnson (Tampa) and Cade Fortin (Suwanee, Ga.) both completed deep passes to receiver Bryce Miller (St. Petersburg, Fla.), who made the play of the day on a diving over-the-shoulder catch near the sideline on a ball from Johnson. Jordan McCloud (Tampa) threw a perfect 40-yard touchdown strike to Terrence Horne (Miramar, Fla.) and pulled of his best Deshaun Watson celebration impression after several other deep connections. 

 
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.
                                                                                
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