USF's first football scrimmage on Saturday morning included a fast-starting defense, an offense that showed big-play flashes but also too many mistakes for Coach Jeff Scott's liking.

All told, though, it was about what Scott expected for an initial scrimmage, which will help to decide position battles, define roles and clarify what's ahead for the fleet of new and returning Bulls.

"There's a lot we have to clean up, a lot we have to improve, but also many things we can build upon,'' Scott said after witnessing a 110-play effort. "That sounds about right for a first scrimmage.''

The offense generated two-eye popping scoring plays:

* Wide receiver Ajou Ajou, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound transfer from Clemson, hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass from Timmy McClain, the incumbent starter at quarterback. Ajou initially juggled the short pass over the middle, secured it, broke a tackle, and then rumbled down the left sideline, stiff-arming another defender as he made it to the end zone.

* Wide receiver Jimmy Horn made a picturesque 31-yard touchdown reception on a perfectly placed ball from quarterback Gerry Bohanon, a transfer from Baylor. Horn gathered in the beautiful rainbow toss in the back of the end zone as it dropped into his arms between onrushing defenders Will Jones and Ray Thornton.

USF's defense collected eight sacks — most of them touch sacks when the whistle was quickly blown to protect the quarterback — and generated four turnovers during several sequences near the scrimmage's mid-point. There were interceptions by nickel back Matthew Hill, one of the clear stars of fall training camp to date, and linebacker Jhalyn Shuler, who raced 60 yards for a touchdown. There was another pick by defensive lineman Jason Vaughn, who was in the right place after cornerback Ben Knox tipped a pass by Katravis Marsh. And there was a fumble recovery by freshman defensive lineman Eddie Kelly, who has gained early praise from Scott.

The scrimmage's biggest negative was penalties.

"I don't think I've ever been part of a scrimmage with 15 penalties,'' Scott said. "One of our biggest expectations is to be a disciplined football team. We got exposed. We simply have to be much, much better there. I mean, you have a 40-yard run and you're in the red zone. But there's a flag and now you're backed up 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Because one guy is undisciplined, the whole team suffers.''

Scott said he felt the defense, working under first-year coordinator Bob Shoop, was "dominant'' in the beginning periods and brought far more energy. He was pleased with the late-scrimmage performance of the offense, which rebounded from its four turnovers to finish its next three drives with touchdowns.

Other scrimmage notables:

* McClain and Bohanon, competing for the starting quarterback position, both made excellent decisions, threw crisp passes and showed elusiveness in the pocket. Both completed better than 64 percent of their passes, threw for more than 100 yards and had two touchdown passes while each had an interception. Meanwhile, Marsh threw for 97 yards in more limited action. McClain rushed for three touchdowns — two in goal-line drills — while Bohanon scored on a 6-yard run and had a 29-yard scamper.

* Freshman Jason Albritton turned heads with his bowling-ball running style. He scored on a 10-yard run and had a 38-yard reception off a swing pass in which he rumbled down the sideline.

* Jaren Mangham had two touchdowns, a 6-yard run and a 2-yard reception, while Kelley Joiner had the scrimmage's longest run, a 22-yarder that might have been a long score had he not been tripped up.

* Ajou and Horn were the top pass-catchers. Ajou had three receptions for 74 yards and two scores, including a 1-yarder during goal-line drills. Horn had four receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown.

* Early on, the defense lived in the opposing backfield and linebacker Dwayne Boyles was credited with three of the touch sacks. Defensive back Christian Williams broke up a certain touchdown pass with a leaping deflection in the end zone.

Offense Ready To Go

USF offensive coordinator Travis Trickett said he feels great about his unit's performance so far in fall training camp. Eighty-five percent of the plays have been installed, but his overarching philosophy remains iron-clad.

"We want a system that allows our players to play fast, attack and do what they do best,'' Trickett said. "Put the playmakers in space. Let them get a one-on-one matchup. We're tailoring it to our personnel and we have got some tools to work with — a good quarterback room, a good running back room, a good wide receiver room, a veteran offensive line.

"We'll sit back and say, 'OK, this is what we can be great at, this is how we're going to get them the ball and how we can do that.' Then we'll spend the rest of camp developing the attention to detail on those things. I believe we're going to be a successful offense this year. The football knowledge has increased at every position.''

Laying It On The Line

USF will enter 2022 with the nation's most experienced offensive line with 154 career starts (Pittsburgh is second with 145).

"That's something we have to show this year,'' offensive tackle Donovan Jennings said. "Being such a veteran group, we really want to take our game to the next level, because we're never satisfied. We're always looking for more. It's our job to teach the younger ones and show them how it's done. I'm really excited to show what we can do.''

Mangham Power

After transferring from Colorado, Mangham had a stellar USF debut in 2021, rushing for a team-high 671 yards and 15 touchdowns. USF's running-back room has even more depth this season, but Mangham is expected to be the focal point.

What numbers does he have in mind?

"Obviously, I have individual goals that I would like to accomplish for sure, but I feel that the team's goals right now are a lot greater than mine,'' Mangham said. "As a team, I would like to make a bowl game and obviously win some games.

"Individually, I know my capabilities. I can help the team in so many ways. Whatever comes to me, I'm going to do the best I can.''

– GO BULLS –