By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA - The USF offense gained a little bit of
swagger on Saturday and now Todd Fitch wants to see it turn into greater
success.
The Bulls' first, second and third teams racked up 10
touchdowns against a usually stingy USF defense in the Green and Gold Bowl, which made
for a very jovial offensive coordinator after Monday's spring practice.
"It was a very productive day overall," Fitch said after
sharing a laugh with reporters.
Fitch certainly isn't complacent. He knows there still is room for improvement with two more spring sessions to go and the biggest
challenge yet will be 6 p.m. Saturday when the Bulls, and a defense looking for
redemption, take the field for the spring game at Raymond James Stadium.
"Usually when one side has a good day the other side usually
comes back a little excited. I don't want us to kind of defend something, so to
speak. I want us to go out and attack even more," he said. "It goes back to
last year. You're 4-0. Are you trying to play to protect something or are you
trying to go to the next level? What we're going to preach Wednesday and
Saturday is let's go one step further. We'll see how they react to that."
HELPING HIS CAUSE
One player that certainly helped his cause Saturday was
receiver Ruben Gonzalez, who snagged several passes with some moving the chains
while he lined up with the first team.
What a difference a year makes and Gonzalez will be the
first one to tell you 2011 was a challenge trying to catch on as a true
freshman.
"Last year I was basically like Bambi. This year I'm an
actual deer. I feel way better," said Gonzalez, who posted five receptions for
55 yards in 11 games last season.
Gonzalez didn't invest too much thought about his top spot
in the spring's initial depth chart and the Tampa native wants to keep his play
at a consistent level going into the fall.
"I don't want to be on a rollercoaster. I want to stay going
up the whole time," he said.
YOUNG O-LINEMEN EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE
Quarterbacks, receivers and running backs shined on
Saturday, but Fitch was quick to commend his second unit of young offensive
lineman taking a big step in the right direction.
Center Thor Jozwiak, right guard Brynjar Gudmundsson and
right tackle Max Long - all redshirt freshmen - took a pep talk to heart and
progressed a ton after Fitch said they were "thinking too much" in the first
spring scrimmage two weeks ago.
"I kind of talked to them about why we brought them here and
the physical nature they played with in high school going into the scrimmage,"
Fitch said. "They kind of answered the challenge. They made some mistakes, but
there was a lot more consistency from those guys."
The potential is definitely there for all three heading into
their first full season of action with the Bulls.
Jozwiak (6-4, 307) earned Ledger first-team all-county
honors as a senior at Lake Region High School in Eagle Lake. Gudmundsson (6-4,
293) also earned first-team all-county honors as a senior at Wellington (Fla.)
High School after posting 36 pancake blocks and not allowing a sack. Lang (6-5,
282) pushed his way to solidifying a spot on the all-state team twice at Boone
High School in Orlando.
GIDDINS IS GETTING THERE
Defensive end Ryne Giddins became a household name for USF
last season and he's still grabbing attention this spring, especially from new
defensive coordinator Chris Cosh.
Now a redshirt junior, Giddins posted two sacks and forced
starting quarterback B.J. Daniels into a safety in Saturday's scrimmage. There
was no contact allowed on the quarterbacks, but speedy Giddins was well in
place to make it happen.
"He practices like that. He chases the ball out here, and
sometimes I think it's a DB chasing the ball and it's Ryne Giddins. He's
passing people up," Cosh said. "I really appreciate his energy and the way he's
playing. He carries it to the team and he carries it to the scrimmage."
Giddins was third on the team in 2011 with 5.5 sacks and
ranked second with 11 tackles for loss.
