USF GAME NOTES
USF (0-1; 0-0 American) vs. HOWARD (0-2; 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Sept. 10 • 7:00 P.M. • Raymond James Stadium (69,457) • Tampa, Fla.
Tampa, Fla. • Raymond James Stadium (65,857)
TV: ESPN+: Richard Cross (PXP) & Leger Douzable (Analyst)
RADIO: 102.5 FM/102.5 HD2
AUDIO STREAM: TuneIn - Bulls Unlimited 1
SERIES: First meeting
IN TAMPA: NA
IN WASHINGTON DC: NA
LAST: NA
Vs. MEAC: 5-0
When Howard University coach Larry Scott steps onto the Raymond James Stadium turf for Saturday night's game against the USF Bulls, it will be more than the next contest on his team's schedule.
It's a flashback to Scott's former life.
Scott played for USF's inaugural football team and was a three-time letterman as an offensive lineman from 1997-99, even performing during the first year of 1996 (when there were no games, just practices). Scott then served as a USF assistant coach from 2005-12.
It's also a sentimental journey for three members of Scott's Howard coaching staff — running back/receiver Lindsey Lamar, the 2010 Big East Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, along with former Bulls assistants Vernon Hargreaves and Troy Douglas.
Lary Scott (#70) was part of the Bulls' first team in 1997 and later served on the coaching staff.
Scott said he continues to follow USF's program and he's excited about the $22-million Indoor Performance Facility, along with plans for the on-campus stadium.
It wasn't like that when USF football began — not even close.
Scott, from Sebring High School, agreed to a recruiting visit with USF's fledgling program. Scott and his parents circled the campus, frantically searching for the address of USF's football "complex.'' Finally, they noticed Bulls coach Jim Leavitt and defensive coordinator Rick Kravitz, standing outside a single trailer and waving their arms.
"I vividly remember that day,'' Scott said. "We got the grand tour — the grand tour of nothing. Those guys were very imaginative. They could've sold snow to an Eskimo.''
Scott remembers viewing an open field and being told the Bulls would one day practice there. He saw the future locker room — "I think it was a storage closet,'' Scott said — and a spot for the weight room, which didn't have any weights, bars, benches or platforms.
But Scott bought into the vision of USF football.
"I wanted to be part of building something that was special,'' Scott said.
And that's what happened. Scott and his teammates laid the foundation for a program that ascended into the Football Bowl Subdivision in its fourth season. Over the program's first decade or so, the Bulls defeated the likes of Florida State, Miami, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Auburn, North Carolina, NC State, Kansas, Clemson and Notre Dame. The rapid growth led to USF earning the nation's No. 2 ranking in 2007, then becoming Florida's fastest program to 150 wins in 2018.
Lindsey Lamar played and coached at USF.
"What we went through that to get the program going — and going from such humble beginnings to the big time in such a short amount of time — there's nobody else who can tell stories like that, even if you went to Florida, FSU or Miami,'' Scott said. "It's extremely unique and I think the whole story of USF football is captivating.
"I experienced the first-ever game (80-3 win against Kentucky Wesleyan) and the range of emotions were like being a kid at Christmas, just being a part of that. When we got to No. 2, I was an assistant and it just showed what could happen when you're singularly focused on a goal.
"I've had a lot of stops (assistant coach at Miami, Tennessee and Florida before becoming Howard's head coach in 2020). We're selling a vision at Howard, too, and we want our guys to realize what you can get from hard work and being devoted to your program. That's what we learned at USF. It's still a part of me and I'm proud of it.''
Scouting Report On Howard
Howard, a Football Championship Subdivision program, enters at 0-2 after defeats against Alabama State (23-13 in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge at Atlanta) and Hampton (31-28). Against Hampton, the Bison rallied with 22 fourth-quarter points, including a pair of touchdown passes in the last four minutes. Senior quarterback Quinton Williams had a career-high four touchdown passes, including two to 6-foot-7 tight end Christion Carter.
Howard (3-8 in 2021) was picked fifth in the MEAC's preseason poll. The Bison had five players named to the first-team All-MEAC — defensive back Kenny Gallop Jr., wide receiver Antoine Murray, defensive lineman Darren Brokenburr, offensive tackle Anim Dankwah and guard Darius Fox, while running back Jaret Hunter, return specialist Ian Wheeler and center Deshawn Ingram were named to the second team.
In 2021, Williams completed 176-of-301 passes for 2,353 yards and 16 touchdowns in leading the MEAC's second-best passing offense. Williams has his top two receivers returning — Murray (33 catches for 629 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021) and Matthew McDonald (20 catches for 288 yards and four touchdowns). Howard also features highly regarded freshman running back Eden James,
son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, a native of Immokalee.
Trivia Time
Larry Scott's first USF season in 1997 was held at the old Tampa Stadium (along with the first two games in 1998). When the Bulls moved to the new Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 3, 1998, who was the opponent? (see answer below).
Looking Ahead
USF heads to Gainesville on Sept. 17 to face the No. 12-ranked Florida Gators, who opened with a riveting 29-26 home victory against the Utah Utes. The Gators begin SEC play on Saturday while hosting the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Bulls visited Gainesville once before in 2010, falling 38-14 against the Gators in Skip Holtz's second game as head coach at USF. Quarterback B.J. Daniels led a 17-play, 96-yard drive on USF's first possession, scoring on a 2-yard pass to tight end Andrew Ketchel.
Trivia Answer
In its first game at Raymond James Stadium, USF defeated The Citadel 45-6 on Oct. 3, 1998.
– Go Bulls –
