South Florida offense remains a mystery

[USFishin]

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

South Florida offense remains a mystery

By Brian Bennett

ESPN.com

Having trouble figuring out what to make of these South Florida Bulls? You're not alone.

USF has looked pretty strong on defense, but its offense has been all over the map. First up was a 59-point outburst against an outclassed FCS team (Stony Brook). Then came a five-turnover effort at Florida that featured a lot of zone-read runs after leading receiver Dontavia Bogan got hurt early. Last week, the Bulls lined up in the I-formation and pounded the ball 44 times on the ground to slip by Western Kentucky by 12 points.

South Florida currently ranks second in the Big East in scoring, but does anybody really believe it has the second-best offense in the league? How good is it?

"You haven't got a real clean picture of where we're at because of injury and because of the people we've played," offensive coordinator Todd Fitch said. "I think it's something that will continue to evolve."

Fitch and head coach Skip Holtz didn't want to pass the ball much last week with Bogan out again and an inexperienced corps of receivers. But that could soon change. Bogan is expected back this week against Florida Atlantic, and Sterling Griffin could make his season debut off a dislocated ankle injury this summer. Getting them back, and perhaps eventually A.J. Love (spring ACL injury), could make a big difference.

"I think it will boost the psyche of the passing game for our quarterback and receivers," Fitch said. "Dontavia has played some and I think he'll jump right back in and not miss a beat. For Sterling, it's going to take him a little time to get game ready. But just being part of the rotation when he gets back gives the quarterback some comfort to say, 'These are guys I've thrown to, so let's go.'"

Fitch said he and the coaching staff are still figuring out the best sets and formations that will help B.J. Daniels excel as a passer. And Daniels is still learning the finer points of the game. The sophomore threw four interceptions at Florida and another one last week at Western Kentucky. He still needs to figure out when to throw the ball away when a play has broken down.

"The biggest learning curve for him is how to play the position," Fitch said. "He has played on natural athletic ability all his life. Last year he was thrown in the fire and just had to survive.

"His first instinct is to try and make a play, but there's a fine line there and that's where he's learning on the job. He's going to make plays; I'm not worried about that. But once he can eliminate the negative ones, we'll have something special."

Once that happens, and South Florida gets healthy at receiver, perhaps we'll all have a better idea of just how good the Bulls truly are.

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[bulldozier1]

I didn't get to watch the game sat. Watch the replay last night, and fell asleep. What I could remember was not good.