B.J. needs to play

[Brad]

says Jim Leavitt...

"B.J. needs to play," Leavitt said this week, suggesting he might play as early as the first half tonight. "He needs to play a bunch. He's too good not to play."

USF Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels isn't just waiting in the wings behind Matt Grothe

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer

Posted: Sep 11, 2009 01:29 PM

Throughout this season, USF coach Jim Leavitt is juggling his present and his future at quarterback.

That begins with senior Matt Grothe, a fourth-year starter who should become the Big East's career leader in total offense tonight. Texas' Colt McCoy is the only active quarterback in Division I-A football with more career wins.

But Leavitt also wants to look ahead to promising redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels, who threw his first touchdown in last week's win against Wofford and is expected to play more in Saturday's game at Western Kentucky. Daniels, like Grothe, is a dual threat capable of confounding opposing defenses with his running and passing.

"B.J. needs to play," Leavitt said this week, suggesting he might play as early as the first half tonight. "He needs to play a bunch. He's too good not to play."

USF's first three games, all against lightweight opponents, give ample chance to get Daniels, 19, on the field, and Grothe has shared the quarterback duties as well as can be expected from a senior starter.

"Nobody ever likes coming out of a game, but at the same time, the other guys need to get some reps and mix it up," Grothe said Tuesday.

Grothe has led the Bulls in rushing in each of the past three years, which puts him at a greater risk for injury, making it all the more important to have a capable backup ready at all times.

Like Grothe, Daniels' elusiveness and speed in the open field make him difficult to defend against, something USF defensive coordinator Joe Tresey has discovered in practice.

"B.J. Daniels is a weapon," Tresey said last month. "If he played us, you might have to put a spy on him. We were in scrimmage, and I said, 'You know Jim, if it was third down and 7, third down and 5, you'd better put a spy on his rear end.' When he has the ball in his hands and he's moving, he's like Grothe. He's extremely dangerous."

Daniels played in two games last season, showing both his youth and his promise. On his third play in USF's opener against Tennessee-Martin, he lost a fumble that was returned 64 yards for Tennessee-Martin's only touchdown. From there, he was sharp, going 4-for-4 for 86 yards.

He played one series against N.C. State but was shelved for the season with a wrist injury that allowed him to take a medical redshirt.

Daniels came in for Grothe last week in the third quarter, with USF only up 23-7, and he led the Bulls to a field goal. Grothe returned for two series, so Daniels was limited to nine offensive plays, the last of which was a 22-yard touchdown pass to walk-on receiver Jeffrey "Pookie" Wilson.

"It felt good to finally get out there in a game situation," said Daniels, who wore a suit to postgame interviews. "I had a little taste of it last year. ... I was just anxious and happy to get my feet wet and get my first touchdown."

Daniels' touchdown came on an audible, showing a good grasp of USF's offense as well as his ability to execute it under pressure.

Daniels, who passed for 34 touchdowns and rushed for 12 more as a senior at Tallahassee Lincoln in 2007, is athletic enough that he played as a walk-on guard on USF's basketball team; he plans to do the same after football season. His focus for the next three months is firmly on football, where more and more of the focus will eventually be on him.

"The coaches intended for me to get in a lot, and I was glad I had the opportunity to get out there," he said.

Times writer Greg Auman can be reached at auman@sptimes.com and at (813) 226-3346. Check out his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/usf and follow him at Twitter.com/gregauman.

Link to Story

Link to Greg's Blog

[bulldozier1]

: And here come the debate, again. I do agree that B.J. need, and will get the reps for the future. And Grothe agree with it. I've been very critical of Grothe in the past. But I'm rooting like hell for him to win the Big East in his final year. I feel like he's our Jim Kelly of our program. And B.J. is the next Kosar.

[gobulls83]

And here come the debate, again.

I don't think anyone ever disagreed with the statement, "B.J. Daniels should play." It's retarded things like "B.J.>MG" that reveal which posters on this board have lost a few too many brain cells.

[Ruger7mmmag]

By all means we all should want BJ to play.  Bc if we can put him in, it means USF has played lights out to that point and the game is in hand with the team in a rythm.  The more experience we get him the better, but not at the expense of THIS YEAR.

[Bull Dozer]

By all means we all should want BJ to play.  Bc if we can put him in, it means USF has played lights out to that point and the game is in hand with the team in a rythm.  The more experience we get him the better, but not at the expense of THIS YEAR.

Getting him in the game even before it is well in hand isn't a bad thing for this year.  He could be used like the Gators used Tebow when they still had Leak.  If Tresey and CJL think he is a weapon and can do some positive things for us outside of garbage time i say bring it on. 

[Ruger7mmmag]

I'm all for it if Grothe is ALREADY ROCKING ON ALL CYLINDERS.  But if this offense isn't lighting folks up, he needs as many snaps as possible until they figure it out.  UF was going to roll no matter who was the QB and they were a proven commodity.  We're not quite in that position yet...

[Bull Dozer]

I'm all for it if Grothe is ALREADY ROCKING ON ALL CYLINDERS.  But if this offense isn't lighting folks up, he needs as many snaps as possible until they figure it out.  UF was going to roll no matter who was the QB and they were a proven commodity.  We're not quite in that position yet...

Actually that's a bit of revisionist history that UF squad was not that solid to where it didn't matter who was behind center.  They used the QB who's skill set best fit the particular package/play they where in because neither was a complete QB in that system at that time.  Leak was a pocket passer with very little scrambling/running but had a firm grasp on the playbook, Tebow was at that point more of a change of pace when they needed wheels at the QB position and he was still learning the playbook.  BJ is dangerous and needs to see the field no matter what kind of day Matt is having, just in small doses.  If we used your logic with BJ on that UF squad they are far less successful because you lose many of the plays that Tebow and only Tebow could have made at the QB position that year.   

[E.T.]

Twice Greg referred to "tonights" game ...  ???

...

That begins with senior Matt Grothe, a fourth-year starter who should become the Big East's career leader in total offense tonight. Texas' Colt McCoy is the only active quarterback in Division I-A football with more career wins.

But Leavitt also wants to look ahead to promising redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels, who threw his first touchdown in last week's win against Wofford and is expected to play more in Saturday's game at Western Kentucky. Daniels, like Grothe, is a dual threat capable of confounding opposing defenses with his running and passing.

"B.J. needs to play," Leavitt said this week, suggesting he might play as early as the first half tonight. "He needs to play a bunch. He's too good not to play."

...

[Guest]

Twice Greg referred to "tonights" game ...  ???

...

That begins with senior Matt Grothe, a fourth-year starter who should become the Big East's career leader in total offense tonight. Texas' Colt McCoy is the only active quarterback in Division I-A football with more career wins.

But Leavitt also wants to look ahead to promising redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels, who threw his first touchdown in last week's win against Wofford and is expected to play more in Saturday's game at Western Kentucky. Daniels, like Grothe, is a dual threat capable of confounding opposing defenses with his running and passing.

"B.J. needs to play," Leavitt said this week, suggesting he might play as early as the first half tonight. "He needs to play a bunch. He's too good not to play."

...

It says in Greg's blog the story will be running in Saturday's Times.

[Guest]

This story excites me. I check online every day to read things like this.