Adkins: Five things to watch for with the Bulls

[Brad]

Five things to watch for with the Bulls

By ADAM ADKINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 28, 2011

1. CONSISTENCY FROM DANIELS

Junior quarterback B.J. Daniels had an up-and-down 2010, but there’s plenty of optimism that he’ll be much more consistent this year. Daniels, in the same system for the first time in his collegiate career, believes being focused solely on football the entire offseason will pay dividends, and coaches have been impressed thus far, noticing a more mature and polished player.

2. GREAT SCOTT!?

Darrell Scott once was considered the nation’s top high school running back, but things didn’t pan out for him at Colorado. Since coming to USF, however, coaches and players have been thoroughly impressed with what they’ve seen in practice, and the question that remains is whether Scott can reach his full potential on the field with the Bulls.

3. TAKE IT AWAY

As good as the USF defense was in 2010, finishing in the top 22 nationally in both total defense and scoring defense, producing turnovers is one area where there’s room for improvement. The Bulls 20 takeaways were tied for 72nd nationally among 120 FBS programs, and their five fumble recoveries were tied for the fourth fewest.

4. SHORT WEEK TESTS

Playing on national TV certainly has its benefits, but oftentimes it presents some additional challenges with a short week to prepare. The Bulls have four games this season that fit that bill, all against Big East Conference opponents, and two are against the teams picked ahead of USF in the preseason Big East media poll – West Virginia and Pittsburgh, the latter of which serves as the Bulls league opener on the road five days after facing UTEP.

5. SHORE UP DEPTH CONCERNS

As the Bulls went into preparations for their season opener, there were still some concerns regarding the team’s depth at a few positions – offensive line and cornerback being atop the list. Answers will need to be found, but the good news is a not-so-daunting slate of nonconference games after Notre Dame offers some additional time before Big East play begins.

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[Apis Bull]

That's fair

[BullyPulpit]

I love that the GREAT SCOTT! tagline is gaining traction.

[Apis Bull]

It was actually. "Great Scott?"

[smazza]

all valid

[BullyPulpit]

It was actually. "Great Scott?"

! followed by a ?...I stopped quoting after the ! I for one am confident that Scott is going to have a breakout season.

[crambone]

Nice read.

[thatboykane]

is it saturday yet?

[GaUSFBull]

Good article.  We've gone over a ton of times about how important BJ's play is this year, but #3, getting turnovers will be huge this year.  Hope our DBs are a bunch of ball hawks this year and hope our front seven can cause some fumbles throughout the season.  Nothing pumps up a defense more than getting turnovers and scoring points.