In Game The TBP Official In Game Thread: BYU Cougars at USF Bulls

[slick1ru2]

This could be a great game. Just look at the underdogs winning today, or  at least in the game.

[Brad]

Bulls open season against No. 25 BYU at Raymond James Stadium

September 03, 2022

Joey Johnston  Athletics Senior Writer

 

GAME NOTES (PDF)

For openers, it's possible that the No. 25-ranked BYU Cougars will be the best team on USF's schedule — better than the Florida Gators or Louisville Cardinals, better than any of the American Athletic Conference front-runners such as Houston, Cincinnati and UCF.

BYU is a veteran team with 18 returning starters. The Cougars have size, speed and guile. But when the Bulls examine what's required to beat BYU in Saturday's game at Raymond James Stadium, the discussion should start with one player:

Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall, a 6-foot-1, 205 pounder.

He's on everyone's short list for the nation's best signal-callers. He passed for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns in 10 starts in 2021 — and he didn't play in last season's 35-27 victory against the Bulls due to injury.

USF fans might remember the freshman version of Hall, who got his first start on Oct. 12, 2019 against the Bulls. Hall was 15-for-23 passing for 148 yards, along with 83 yards rushing and a 29-yard score (he did not play in the fourth quarter due to injury and USF prevailed 27-23).

Hall is a problem.

"The hardest thing to prepare for as a defensive coach is a quarterback who can throw and run, the traditional dual-threat quarterback,'' USF first-year defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. "The quarterbacks who can run, but can't throw create certain challenges. Quarterbacks who throw and can't run create certain challenges. But the guy who can do both is very, very challenging for a defensive coach and a defensive unit.''

Shoop said he's confident that USF's defensive line will show significant improvement from last season, when the Bulls' defense struggled to apply pressure (nine sacks all season). BYU's offense showed efficiency last season (55 red-zone trips, 49 scores, 41 touchdowns).

Shoop is wary of BYU's overall offensive talent. The Cougars have a pair of offensive linemen on the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists — Blake Freeland (6-8, 305) and Clark Barrington (6-6, 305). Running back Tyler Algeier has graduated, but BYU attracted Cal transfer Chris Brooks (6-1, 230), who rushed for 1,734 yards and 14 touchdowns in 40 games with the Golden Bears. BYU also has standout wide receivers in Gunner Romney (6-2, 195) and Puka Nacua (6-2, 205), but their availability for the opener has been questioned due to injuries.

"We've seen all the same things about Romney and Nacua,'' Shoop said. "I anticipate they're going to play, but if they've  don't, if you follow their storyline during training camp, some of their younger receivers really stepped up and had a great camp.

"They have a great connection between their quarterback and receivers. Whoever they have, I don't think it's going to significantly change what they do. They're really good.''

And it all starts with Jaren Hall, the BYU quarterback, the focal point and the No. 1 priority for USF's defense.

Previous Meetings

USF and BYU are tied 1-1 in career meetings.

BYU downed USF 35-27 last Sept. 25 in Provo, Utah. USF trailed 21-0 just 11 minutes into the game, then outscored the Cougars 27-14 the rest of the way. USF's Jaren Mangham scored on a 1-yard run with 5:41 remaining to cap a 19-play, 94-yard drive. But USF was out of timeouts and opted for an onside-kick attempt. BYU recovered and ran out the clock.

USF defeated BYU 27-23 in Tampa on Oct. 12, 1979. On BYU's final drive, the Cougars had third-and-10 at the USF 12-yard line, but backup quarterback Baylor Romney was sacked for an 8-yard loss by linebacker Antonio Grier (one of seven current USF players to appear in the 2019 game). Romney's fourth-down pass attempt was incomplete.

Connections

It's a stretch to find commonalities between USF and BYU. The Cougars have one player from Florida — freshman wide receiver Dom Henry from Ponte Vedra Nease High School.

Trivia Time

From 1976-2019, BYU lost its first eight games in the state of Florida before finally winning. Which opponent did the Cougars defeat to end their 0-for-the-Sunshine-State streak?

Trickett Time

When the USF Bulls face the Cougars Saturday, first-year Bulls offensive coordinator Travis Trickett will be calling plays for the first time since 2018.

"It's just like riding a bike,'' Trickett said. "It's nothing new.''

Trickett has seven seasons of play-calling experience during offensive-coordinator stints at Samford (2012-15), Florida Atlantic (2016) and Georgia State (2017-18). Trickett said the Bulls will be an attacking offense that will look to exploit matchups and get the ball in the hands of its playmakers.

Who will make those plays?

The game against BYU will be the first evidence of how Trickett plans to deploy his weapons. Veteran quarterback Gerry Bohanon, a transfer from Baylor who helped the Bears to last season's Big 12 Conference championship, has a deep receiving corps, led by holdovers Xavier Weaver, Jimmy Horn and Omarion Dollison, while featuring newcomers such as Khafre Brown (North Carolina) and Ajou Ajou (Clemson).

The running game is paced by powerful Jaren Mangham (671 yards and 15 touchdowns last season) and speedy Brian Battie, while Clemson transfer Michel Dukes should be a factor as well (holdover Kelley Joiner is injured and not expected back until mid-season).

Trickett's play-calling personality — from pace of play to what look he prefers on third-and-3 — will begin to reveal itself against BYU. However the game unfolds, though, Trickett emphasized that it's all about the USF players.

"You go over everything with a fine-tooth comb, making sure your substitutions are right for whatever you want on certain plays,'' said Trickett, who works from the press box, where the vantage point is generally better than field level. "You're making sure that the play sequencing is what you want. You have the game plan and you get into a routine.

"Yeah, you can get hot (while calling plays), but you're not playing. It's the kids. It's the players who are hot. What we have to do, if they're hot, is find ways to keep them hot (by calling favorable plays). If they're not hot, you try to get them back on track.''

Feeling A Rush

Since USF hired Bob Shoop as defensive coordinator in December, a major point of emphasis was improving the pass rush and getting more pressure on the quarterback (after registering just nine sacks in 2021).

With a combination of returning players and newcomers, Shoop said he believes the Bulls will have a much-improved pass rush.

Shoop said he has been impressed with holdovers such as defensive tackle Rashawn Yates and defensive end Tramel Logan.

"We use the word 'havoc' — and that means tackles for a loss and sacks,'' Shoop said. "Those are areas we need to greatly improve from 2021.

"That's in the past. This is the 2022 version of the USF Bulls and any coach who is smart will identify the strengths of the individuals and place them in position to be successful. I think we're deeper at all the positions. We should be able to run a lot of guys out there and every one of those guys is expected to create havoc and create disruption. We entered the transfer portal and we're definitely deeper up front.''

Two of the most promising newcomers are defensive tackle Rashad Cheney (Minnesota) and defensive end Jatorian Hansford (Missouri). Cheney, a one-time commitment to Alabama, will bring some inside beef (he's 6-foot-2, 285 pounds), while Hansford (6-4, 265) combines power, speed and desire on the edge.

"These guys have competed in the Big Ten and the SEC and they bring a lot of experience and maturity,'' Shoop said. "We're very fortunate to have them both. They had a big impact in the offseason and in the weight room. We're looking for big things from them.''

Looking Ahead

The Bulls face their lone Football Championship Subdivision opponent of the season next Saturday, Sept. 10, when Howard University visits Raymond James Stadium. Howard, which opened with a 23-13 defeat against Alabama State last week in Atlanta, travels to Hampton University on Saturday night.

Howard's head coach is Larry Scott, who played on USF's inaugural team and was on the Bulls' offensive line from 1997-99. Scott also served as a USF assistant coach under Jim Leavitt and Skip Holtz through the 2012 season.

Scott's Howard staff includes Lindsey Lamar, the Hillsborough High School product who became one of the top players in USF history (2009-12) and was named Big East Conference special teams player of the year in 2010. Former USF assistants Vernon Hargreaves and Troy Douglas are also on Howard's coaching staff.

Trivia Answer

Heading into the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22, 2020, BYU was 0-8 in Florida, including three defeats in bowl games, plus losses against Miami, Florida State, UCF and USF. But at the Boca Raton Bowl, the Cougars crushed the UCF Knights 49-23.

[Outlaw]

I am going with  defensive line guys with experience Yates finally does big thing with "improved coaching" and Hansford  steps up big in the AAC because he played a lot in the SEC before here.  On offense it is all about Gerry B, what he can do . Now last year players stepping up I hope Carter gets involved at TE and Horn takes a step forward.

[Rex Havoc]

Weather delay

[ForestBull]

Radar shows nothing over rayjay

[Buller64]

App State and NC is running long so TV wants a delayed start. 

[USFBulls12]

Where are they saying weather delay?

[Rex Havoc]

Just now, USFBulls12 said:

Where are they saying weather delay?

In the stadium. Lightning within in area 

[USFBulls12]

Just now, Rex Havoc said:

In the stadium. Lightning within in area 

Ah okay, thanks. Won't last long per the radar.

[Rex Havoc]

1 minute ago, USFBulls12 said:

Ah okay, thanks. Won't last long per the radar.

Yeah it doesn’t look that bad here