Bulls in the NFL: Week 1
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 15, 2020 – Former USF receiving great
Marquez Valdes-Scantling's third NFL season is off to a grand start.
Valdes-Scantling played a big role in Green Bay's 43-34 victory at Minnesota on Sunday, racking up 96 yards on four receptions (24.0 ypc). His brightest moment of Week 1 was when he hauled in a deep ball from Aaron Rodgers for a 45-yard touchdown that helped provide the Packers with a 22-7 lead late in the second quarter.
Rodgers made sure to show his dynamic receiver some love after the highlight-reel snag.
MVS followed up his huge first catch of the season with a 39-reception that set up another Green Bay score near the end of the third quarter. Sunday marked Valdes-Scantling's sixth career NFL game with at least four catches and his fifth 90-plus receiving yard performance since 2018.
"I love Marquez. He's such a good-hearted kid. I think he really adds a lot to our locker room and he wants it so badly," said Rodgers during his postgame press conference. "… I'm proud of his approach and I'm proud of the way he played today."
Bulls fans are certainly proud of the way Valdes-Scantling represented USF from 2016-17. The #BayMade Bull from St. Petersburg set the USF single-season receiving record with 879 yards in 2017 and finished with 1,294 yards on 75 catches in two seasons with the program. Green Bay's fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is tied for eighth in USF history with 11 touchdown receptions. Check out his USF bio
HERE.
Find out how other former USF stars fared in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season below.
DE JASON PIERRE-PAUL: The 11th-year pro started and totaled three tackles and a sack in Tampa Bay's 34-23 loss at New Orleans. JPP ranks 12th among active NFL players with 80.5 career sacks.- C AUSTIN REITER: The fifth-year pro started for defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City and made all 69 snaps on offense in addition to six more on special teams in the Chiefs' 34-20 victory over Houston on Thursday Night Football.
- RB MARLON MACK: The fourth-year pro started, rushed four times for 26 yards (6.5 ypc) and caught three passes for 30 yards in the first half of the Indianapolis Colts' 27-20 loss to Jacksonville. Mack missed the second half and Colts head coach Frank Reich confirmed Monday that Mack will unfortunately miss the rest of the season with an Achilles injury.
- RB D'ERNEST JOHNSON: The second-year pro gained 5 yards on his first carry of the season and was on the field for 20 total snaps (16 on special teams) in Cleveland's 38-6 loss to Baltimore.
- DT DEADRIN SENAT: The third-year pro totaled two tackles and saw 12 snaps in Atlanta's 38-25 loss to Seattle.
- CB MAZZI WILKINS: The second-year pro was recently promoted to Tampa Bay's active roster but did not play in the Buccaneers' 34-23 loss at New Orleans.
Bulls on NFL Practice Squads
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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- #GoBulls –
