Jordan McCloud is USF football

[Bulls On Parade]

19 minutes ago, NewEnglandBull said:

We barely win this game if Blake had started...

What sucks is I know Blake starting cost us the win vs GT.  We left a win in Atlanta. 

[USFRaider]

Just now, Bulls On Parade said:

What sucks is I know Blake starting cost us the win vs GT.  We left a win in Atlanta. 

Very true.  And if we finish 5-7 (good possibility), then Blake starting at GT will have cost us bowl eligibility.

[raptorcj]

1 minute ago, Bulls On Parade said:

21 minutes ago, NewEnglandBull said:

We barely win this game if Blake had started...

What sucks is I know Blake starting cost us the win vs GT.  We left a win in Atlanta. 

What doesn't suck is that it at worst it was an OOC loss, and at best the coaches figured out what needed to happen and made the tough call to bench the 5-star.

[bullsbucsfan426]

It's way too early to say, but I'm viewing this year like 2015. We have a lot of young talent who is still in development stage, there are good points on the team (and I would rate the defense as one of them), and while the schedule is tough there's a path forward. 

The OL problems are going to define the season unfortunately. One thing I liked last night is that when Bell realized he needed to settle his team down and get the ball moving, he went to the run and got the OL settled down a bit. They could afford to do that against the likes of SC State and it got the offense moving, which was important. 

I suspect that the offense is going to be watered down a bit further and I don't  have an issue with that. I want McCloud to cook, but too many slow developing plays will get him killed in the pocket, so going with some quick shots will protect him and help keep the offense on schedule. Bell and Darveau need to select a starting 5 OL and stick with them all season long, chopping and changing will hold back chemistry and confidence building for the OL. 

I know people are terrified that UCF will destroy us. Who wouldn't be? They're looking like a play off team, they destroyed everyone on their schedule last year and now their QB situation is much better than it was last year and they're destroying everyone again. Temple is no slouch either, they have a strong defense and they are doing what they do every year, be the team everyone hates to play. But we have to remember that if the team develops, then we will be in a position to compete with UC, Temple, and UCF at the end of the season and that's all anyone can ask for. Our team was no better last year and we were leading UC and Temple at the half. 

This offense is all about chemistry. I don't know if we can beat SMU (they really are good this year), but two weeks to practice and get better will certainly help. I'm still ticked about GT, having that win would have been a huge confidence builder and gotten us one game closer to a bowl. 

[Bulls On Parade]

2 minutes ago, raptorcj said:

What doesn't suck is that it at worst it was an OOC loss, and at best the coaches figured out what needed to happen and made the tough call to bench the 5-star.

That is true on the OOC loss.

But I think id worry if the coaches thought that was a tough call to bench Blake.  It was so obvious to even fans that McCloud was the only one that was moving the offense during the game.

But im glad the coaches made the right call...cause a really stubborn coach keeps trotting Blake out.

[Bull Matrix]

1 minute ago, Bulls On Parade said:

That is true on the OOC loss.

But I think id worry if the coaches thought that was a tough call to bench Blake.  It was so obvious to even fans that McCloud was the only one that was moving the offense during the game.

But im glad the coaches made the right call...cause a really stubborn coach keeps trotting Blake out.

This. Not easy to do. Good to see BB get that TD pass late cause I have a strong feeling that we will need him to step up later this season. Hopefully he regains his confidence and the blocking is better. Jordan is the future but we all know freshman have their high’s and lows. So it is great to have that other option if and when the time comes.

[Bulls On Parade]

Just now, Bull Daly said:

This. Not easy to do. Good to see BB get that TD pass late cause I have a strong feeling that we will need him to step up later this season. Hopefully he regains his confidence and the blocking is better. Jordan is the future but we all know freshman have their high’s and lows. So it is great to have that other option if and when the time comes.

Yes I was glad to see Blake get that TD and I hope he gets to play more games this season in the 4th quarter in mop up duty.  He has good experience so that is nice to have in your backup.

 

[NewEnglandBull]

16 minutes ago, Bulls On Parade said:

What sucks is I know Blake starting cost us the win vs GT.  We left a win in Atlanta. 

Absolutely...remember McClouds last TD, he fakes the dive rolls to the right for the TD. That would have been the call on third don at the one in the GT game...but the kid lost his helmet and had to sit out the play of the fumble...typical USF...

[CousinRicky]

18 minutes ago, bullsbucsfan426 said:

 

I suspect that the offense is going to be watered down a bit further and I don't  have an issue with that. I want McCloud to cook, but too many slow developing plays will get him killed in the pocket, so going with some quick shots will protect him and help keep the offense on schedule. Bell and Darveau need to select a starting 5 OL and stick with them all season long, chopping and changing will hold back chemistry and confidence building for the OL. 

 

Not quite sure why we would water down the offense.  Both BB and McCloud were here last year and both are in the first year of a new system.  BB probably got more snaps in practice but I would assume McCloud got a decent share of the snaps.  

[raptorcj]

9 minutes ago, Bulls On Parade said:

But I think id worry if the coaches thought that was a tough call to bench Blake.  It was so obvious to even fans that McCloud was the only one that was moving the offense during the game.

But im glad the coaches made the right call...cause a really stubborn coach keeps trotting Blake out.

Nah it was the clear call IMO, but it wasn't so much that Blake wasn't performing all that well to me, it was that the team didn't seem to click with him in there. It's like they weren't excited to play or something. That's what I'd say was the tough call--do you play your highly rated guy with an amazing arm, and somehow force the team to rally around him, or do you play the young kid that seems smart, confident, and energizes the team? The decision seems really easy at this point.