Overview of USF vs. Miami

[cygnus34]

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GENERAL OVERVIEW

USF finished 2009 with an 8-5 record, and Miami blew out the Bulls in Tampa, 31-10.

Nine starters return on offense, but the defense was hard hit with the losses of Jason-Pierre-Paul (16.5 tackles for losses, 6.5 sacks), George Selvie (9.5 tackles for losses, 3.5 sacks), Chris Robinson (nine tackles for losses, 2.5 sacks), Nate Allen (85 tackles, four interceptions), Jerome Murphy (four interceptions) and Kion Wilson (team-high 105 tackles, nine for losses). USF also will miss its top receiver, Carlton Mitchell, who had 40 receptions for 706 yards.

USF has a brand new coaching staff headed by Skip Holtz. He brings in six new assistant coaches with him, including offensive coordinator Todd Fitch and defensive coordinator Mark Snyder. A couple of coaches have Cane ties - former UM lineman Kevin Patrick is the defensive tackles coach, and former UM linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves is the defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator.

The team will utilize a spread offense that emphasizes evenly mixing the run and pass, and USF is installing a 4-3 defensive alignment.

This is a team that has gone to five consecutive bowl games.

OFFENSE OVERVIEW

The offense is led by quarterback B.J. Daniels, who threw for 1,983 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions last year. He added 772 rushing yards and nine more scores.

The top returning running back is Mo Plancher, a sixth-year senior who ran for 581 yards and five touchdowns last year.

At wide receiver USF has back Sterling Griffin (265 yards, two scores) and Dontavia Bogan (305 yards, four scores). A big injury suffered in the spring: WR A.J. Love tore his ACL during the spring game, and it's unclear if he will be able to play at all in 2010. Last year he was second on the team with 489 yards and four scores.

The entire offensive line returns. Last year the line helped open running lanes to the tune of 4.4 yards per carry, and USF quarterbacks were sacked 26 times.

DEFENSE OVERVIEW

The defense lost several big-time players from a year ago, with the top four tacklers gone. No returning player has more than one interception.

Up front end Craig Marshall is coming off a year in which he had four sacks, and tackle Terrell McClain had five tackles for losses in 2009.

At linebacker Sabbath Joseph is the team's top returning tackler - he had 48 tackles last year, four for losses.

In the secondary Mistral Raymond is a walk-on who started at safety last year and had 40 tackles and one interception. Former UM commitment Kyavon Webster will also move into a full-time starting role after notching 30 tackles and an interception last year.

THE MATCHUPS

There will be plenty of players that know each other from both teams in this game, so in that sense it's a rivalry game. Last year was the first meeting between the two, and UM hopes to have a similar outcome to the thrashing the Canes gave the Bulls in 2009.

If Miami is going to run away with this game it will have to take advantage of a defense that is replacing a number of starters. The inexperienced group doesn't have much proven talent.

The USF offense is a veteran group with playmaking ability, and a key here will be to keep mobile quarterback B.J. Daniels bottled up so he can't hurt the Canes with his running ability.

[Rizman]

Hey we won't have a running QB like we did the previous year.

[Cow Pie]

That is a fair assesment... much better then the Gayturd article where it basically read something like... "Gaytor win, Gaytor great, Bull bad"

[79 Bull]

Why is this on the travel board?  I was hoping someone found a great deal on a hotel for Thanksgiving weekend.

[Fold FB Invest in BB]

Except last year was not the first meeting. We also got spanked in 2005 in the rain at the OB.