Bulls Locked In On Saturday's Game
By Joey Johnston
The USF Bulls (0-2) are seeking their first win of the season when the Florida A&M Rattlers (1-1) visit Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night. There are plenty of factors to anticipate.
Here's a non-factor:
The Bulls, a Football Bowl Subdivision program, insist they will not overlook the Rattlers, a Football Championship Subdivision team. Even though the FBS has more scholarships, more resources and generally more highly regarded players than the FCS, the Bulls know that it would be downright foolish to look past any opponent.
"We haven't done anything to be able to look past anybody, that's for sure,'' said USF coach Jeff Scott, whose team is coming off a 42-20 home defeat against the No. 13-ranked Florida Gators. "Everybody in our locker room knows we have a lot of work to do. At the end of the day, it's football. If you execute, you have a chance to win. If you don't, you can lose against anybody you play.
"We're looking to get our first win of the year. Our guys are frustrated. The only way to change it is to put in the work, go out with the right mindset and play well. All of sudden, when you win, there's nothing like a win to give you positive energy and momentum. That's what our guys are focused on this week.''
The Rattlers, who didn't play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began with a 7-6 defeat against Jackson State (and Coach Deion Sanders) in the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami, then registered a 34-7 home victory against Fort Valley State.
FAMU coach Willie Simmons, a former quarterback and Scott's former teammate at Clemson University, has gone back-and-forth on his quarterbacks, alternating between junior Rasean McKay and freshman Junior Muratovic.
The top Rattler player is senior safety Markquese Bell (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), who was named to three preseason FCS All-American teams. Senior punter Chris Faddoul (second nationally in FCS punting at 46.0 in 2019), senior wide receiver Xavier Smith and senior offensive lineman Keenan Forbes (6-3, 330) also are considered All-Southwestern Athletic Conference-level players.
"They're very fast with excellent speed on the back end (secondary),'' Bulls junior running back Darrian Felix said. "We look at FAMU like any other opponent on our schedule. We respect everybody. Whoever comes to play is who's going to win. We can't look past them.''
"They're fast and they play hard, those are the main things,'' USF junior defensive end Rashawn Yates said. "They don't care who we are. They're going to play hard and they have something to play for against the (bigger) school. Well, we have plenty to play for, too.''
If the Bulls need extra motivation, consider last weekend's shocker in Tallahassee:
Jacksonville State 20, Florida State 17.
For the eighth time in the young season, an FCS team upset an FBS team (the others: Duquesne 28, Ohio 26; East Tennessee State 23, Vanderbilt 3; Eastern Washington 35, UNLV 33 in double overtime; Holy Cross 38, UConn 28; Montana 13, Washington 7; South Dakota State 42, Colorado State 23; and UC Davis 19, Tulsa 17).
Scott was asked if needed to write "Jacksonville State'' on the overhead white board at USF's team meeting. Scott said that wasn't necessary.
"If we were 2-0 and coming off two wins against NC State and Florida, maybe I'd have to spend more time with that,'' Scott said. "Our guys know we can't afford to look past anyone. We've got to focus on ourselves and playing better or else it doesn't matter who we play. We're not going to win.
"That (FBS overlooking FCS) is not a concern for me right now. Playing better is the biggest concern and that's where our focus is.''
Quarterback situation
Scott said there's still a battle going on at quarterback between sophomore Cade Fortin, who started the first two games, and true freshman Timmy McClain, who played in both games. Scott has maintained he hopes to have a solid starter in place when the Bulls begin American Athletic Conference play on Oct. 2 at SMU.
"Every game you learn more and game footage is the best opportunity to evaluate the guys,'' Scott said. "Is it going to be perfect before naming a starter? No. What I really don't want to do is to go into conference play rolling back and forth with the guys. Pick your guy and move forward. We're getting closer to that.''
Against Florida, Fortin was 12 of 18 for 91 yards and he led a 17-play drive that produced a field goal. McClain, playing in the second half, was 4-for-10 for 83 yards, including a stunning 44-yard pass to Xavier Weaver, when USF was backed to its 1-yard line.
"Timmy's a freshman, but it doesn't look like the game is too fast for him,'' Scott said. "He doesn't always make the right decision — we've got to help him with that — but he makes quick decisions. That's really what you need from the quarterback.''
Wounded secondary
Scott said the secondary — one of the team's strong points when the season began due to an influx of talented transfers — is dealing with several injury issues. Safety Will Jones II (Kansas State) suffered a season-ending injury two days before the opener, then fellow transfer cornerback Christian Williams (Miami) was hurt at NC State. Now two more players — junior free safety Mekhi LaPointe and junior safety Isaiah Cromarty (recently placed on scholarship) — are unavailable after injuries against Florida.
