Trib: Bulls' defense fires on all cylinders against FAU

[USFishin]

Bulls' defense fires on all cylinders against FAU

By ADAM ADKINS | The Tampa Tribune

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Florida Atlantic Xavier Stinson loses his helmet as he is hit by University of South Florida Mark Joyce during the 1st quarter Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.

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University of South Florida defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said this week he had been pleased with the amount of pressure the Bulls had been putting on opposing quarterbacks, even if the results weren't showing up on the stat sheets.

Saturday, the Bulls continued that pressure - and this time the stats were there to back it up.

USF, which entered the game with three sacks through its first three games, tied a school record with seven sacks in a 31-3 pasting of visiting Florida Atlantic in front of 38,434 fans at Raymond James Stadium. Seven different players got in on the action, including all four starting defensive linemen.

"They usually come in bunches, and they did tonight," Snyder said of the sacks, by linemen David Bedford, Terrell McClain, Cory Grissom, Craig Marshall, Ryne Giddins and Patrick Hampton and safety Jon Lejiste.

In addition to keeping the Owls out of the end zone, USF's defense also forced three turnovers while holding Florida Atlantic to 208 yards of offense, nearly 130 below the Owls' average and their lowest total this season.

The best news, though, was that the Bulls' defense wasn't the only unit that played well. The offense turned in a solid, balanced attack on its way to racking up 291 yards, and the Bulls' special teams had more bright moments than struggles, including a first-quarter touchdown on a blocked punt.

All in all, it was certainly the type of performance the Bulls (3-1) were hoping for with the start of Big East Conference play beginning this week.

"This was probably one of the most complete efforts really we've played so far this season," Bulls coach Skip Holtz said. "So many good things in this game, so many positive things to build on. There's a lot of excitement in that locker room right now."

USF forced a turnover on Florida Atlantic's opening drive when linebacker Jacquain Williams tipped a Jeff Van Camp pass and safety Jerrell Young got underneath it for his first career interception, which set the Bulls up at the Owls 31. Five plays later, senior running back Mo Plancher (20 carries, game-high 93 yards) put the Bulls on the board with a 5-yard run.

The Owls' third drive ended when Quenton Washington blocked a punt, and Armando Sanchez scooped it up and returned it 11 yards to put the Bulls ahead 14-0 at the 1:35 mark of the opening quarter.

"I thought that was really big," Holtz said of getting a couple of early scores. "It gave everybody a little breathing room where you didn't feel like every play was going to be the difference in the game."

The Bulls next struck on their opening possession of the second half, when quarterback B.J. Daniels (14 of 19, 155 yards) and receiver Dontavia Bogan connected on a 38-yard touchdown pass on a flea-flicker to make it a 21-3 game. The catch moved Bogan, who finished with team highs in receptions (five) and receiving yards (66), over 1,000 yards receiving for his career.

Maikon Bonani, who replaced starter Eric Schwartz at kicker for the second consecutive game after Schwartz missed wide on a 35-yard attempt in the second quarter, connected on a 46-yard field goal at the 6:21 mark in the third quarter to put the Bulls ahead 24-3. The Bulls' final score came via Plancher, who scored on a run from 1 yard out at the 12-minute mark in the fourth quarter, a touchdown drive that came after USF recovered its first fumble of the season.

"This is what we wanted, to be clicking on all cylinders - offense, defense, special teams - especially rolling into the Big East," Daniels said. "I think we did a good job as a team on executing, and this is definitely what we wanted coming out of this game."

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"This is what we wanted, to be clicking on all cylinders - offense, defense, special teams - especially rolling into the Big East," Daniels said. "I think we did a good job as a team on executing, and this is definitely what we wanted coming out of this game."

And we really need to still step it up now.