Football Zebold: Mack, Nichols Making a Major Impact for Bulls

[Brad]

Mack, Nichols Making a Major Impact for Bulls

By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, OCT. 14, 2015 – Marlon Mack exploded on the college scene as a freshman with one of the best rushing seasons in USF history and the Mack Attack is even more dangerous in 2015.

Mack heads into Saturday’s game at UConn with seven career 100-yard outings after racking up 184 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in USF’s 45-24 homecoming win over Syracuse last week at Raymond James Stadium.

“Last year he did a lot of things off athletic ability and this year he’s understanding the blocking schemes a lot better,” head coach Willie Taggart said. “It’s really helping him continue to get better.”

Mack continues to perfect his craft after putting together an unforgettable debut season with the Bulls. The former four-star recruit from Sarasota set a USF freshman record with 1,041 rushing yards, four 100-yard games and nine touchdowns.

Mack announced his presence with authority in last season’s opener against Western Carolina. Shortly after hearing that he’d start, the true freshman tied USF’s single-game record with 275 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the way to setting the Bulls’ single-game all-purpose yards record (280).

“It was huge. We needed a difference-maker and he was a difference-maker for us,” Taggart said.

What made Mack’s freshman feats extra impressive was the fact that he initially signed with the Bulls to play on the other side of the ball.

 “We thought he was going to be an All-American safety when he came in,” Taggart said. “Then the first couple days of practice at running back, he made some plays. It was like, ‘Sorry about that, he’s not going over there. He’s staying here at running back for us.’ He continued to get better throughout training camp last year and it was really good to see what he was able to do throughout the season his freshman year. He’s continued it this year.”

Mack welcomed the full-time move to running back after playing the role of a two-way star at Booker High School.

“I was happy because I like offense, I like to score and I like to feel good after I score. Running back was good for me,” he said.

Mack became even more of a big-time collegiate back by putting the work in this offseason. The 6-foot speedster has bulked up to 205 pounds after playing at 195 last season.

“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Mack said. "With the help of Coach (Irele) Oderinde and Coach (Joey) Carnes, they made me squat more and made me bench more. They got me stronger. I’m actually feeling very comfortable with my weight.”

Mack is now squatting nearly 500 pounds and benching more than 300 pounds. The skyrocket in strength has helped last season’s American Rookie of the Year become more explosive, much to the enjoyment of Taggart.

“I think what we’re seeing now is he’s running the ball a lot harder than he did last year, where he probably tried to avoid a lot of tackles,” Taggart said. “Now he’s starting to run through tackles, which is good to see, and he still has his speed.”

USF’s more physical Mack Attack is really starting to leave his mark in the program’s career record books. With 1,617 rushing yards, Mack moved into eighth place on USF’s all-time rushing list last week and he’s on pace become the Bulls’ fifth career 2,000-yard rusher this season. More big plays, like his 45-yard TD run against Syracuse, could help Mack close in on USF’s top career rushing total of 2,731 yards set by Andre Hall in 2005.

“He loves to compete and he loves the game of football,” Taggart said. “Marlon is one of those silent killers, I call him. He’s a quiet kid, but he comes to work every single day just getting after it.”

Nichols Producing as a Sophomore Cornerback

Marlon Mack turned out to be a big fan of playing on USF’s offense while Deatrick Nichols knew exactly what he wanted to do when he enrolled early as a freshman in 2014.

“I hate offense. I want to take the ball,” the cornerback said.

Nichols did just that with his first-career interception at Maryland in Week 3 this season and the former three-star recruit turned in his best collegiate performance against Syracuse. Nichols was named to The American’s weekly honor after posting a career-high seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss with a forced fumble.

“He made some critical plays for us when we needed him to, both in the run and in the pass. He’s a great player,” defensive coordinator Tom Allen said.

Nichols gained the attention of USF and several other prestigious programs like LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Miami and Clemson while becoming a lockdown corner at Miami Central High School. Despite missing much of his senior year with an injury, Nichols finished his prep career with 12 interceptions, 105 tackles and two forced fumbles.

“When it’s time to make a play, I’m going to make it no matter what type of play it is,” Nichols said.  “Being a corner, you don’t have to tackle that much. But when you have to tackle, you have to be the hammer and not the nail.”

Nichols helped Miami Central win two of three state titles during his career while playing alongside a star-studded lineup that included FSU’s Dalvin Cook, Miami’s Joseph Yearby, Cleveland Browns corner Charles Gaines and Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman. Aside from being a football standout, Nichols also ran track and was a part of Miami Central’s 4x100 relay team that included Cook and Yearby.

Nichols grew up idolizing a great defensive back in Charles Woodson and Nichols is starting to really show an attribute that has helped an eight-time Pro Bowler like Woodson still excel today at safety.

“Swagger. (Deatrick) believes in himself and he plays with so much confidence,” Allen said. “If you’re going to play corner, you’ve got to have that. You have to believe you’re the man no matter what happens.”

Six starts into his career, Nichols leads the Bulls with 5.0 tackles for loss this season with 18 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup.

“I have many more games to play, and I expect to play harder and better,” Nichols said. “I’m trying to be perfect, that’s all.”

Those words are music to the ears of Allen, who sees Nichols back up his talk with hard work on and off the practice field on a daily basis.

“If he makes a mistake, he’s not going to hang his head. He’s going to come back better and stronger,” Allen said. “I love how he wants to get everything right. When he doesn’t, it just bothers him. He’s asks 1,000 questions, but he asks good questions. That’s a great quality to have because he cares and he studies film.”

Watch Mack, Nichols and the Bulls take on UConn in East Hartford on Saturday at noon on ESPNU. Catch the Bulls back at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24 against SMU. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. and fans can reserve their seats at USFBullsTix.com.

 

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[DELdaBull]

Our sophomores are pretty good.

[Fold FB Invest in BB]

Ive said it before. Nichols is going to be a good one for us.

[Bulls On Parade]

Such a young team we have so much potential if the coaches do their job right.

 

[Bullsgrad2001]

Marlon Mack is the MAN!!  No sophomore slump for him.  It seems like he gets better every week.

[NewEnglandBull]

Marlon Mack is the MAN!!  No sophomore slump for him.  It seems like he gets better every week.

I was worrying about that before the season started...especially with him putting on weight and adjusting to his new size. But, he has only gotten better.

[BDYZR]

Will Mack play as a Senior?

[raptorcj]

I like the attitudes from both kids. Though their personalities contrast a little, they both share confidence and that's the virus our team needs.

[GaUSFBull]

Will Mack play as a Senior?

Personnel-wise, I think that's the big long-term question.  For his sake, it would be great if it made sense, draft pick-wise, for him to declare after his junior year.  Hopefully when that time comes, we still have DJ and another playmaker or two on the roster.  

I had no idea they were going to make Mack a safety when he first came in.  I thought he was recruited as an RB.  I don't follow the recruiting boards a whole lot but that was interesting to read.  

[CPR]

Will Mack play as a Senior?

 

All depends where/if he's projected. If he continues to improve every year and he's projected in the 1st few rounds, then he's gone as a true jr. It's too risky at that position.