Bulls1181 Posted July 29, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 170 Content Count: 5,722 Reputation: 366 Days Won: 8 Joined: 08/03/2011 Share Posted July 29, 2012 http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/college-football-rapidreports/19676527/usf-3-reasons-for-optimism3-reasons-for-pessimism If college football experts judged South Florida on nonconference wins alone, the Bulls would likely be considered the top team in the Big East over the last five years. Since the start of the 2007 season, South Florida has wins over Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Auburn, Clemson and Notre Dame in nonconference games. Inside the conference, however, the Bulls were shellacked by more than 30 points against previously 4-5 Rutgers (2008), dropped a close loss to a then-Connecticut team below .500 in the league (2009) and opened the Big East schedule with an inauspicious 44-17 defeat to unranked Pittsburgh last year. The loss to the Panthers was the first of four consecutive conferences losses that eliminated any chance the Bulls had of earning a spot in the BCS. Coach Skip Holtz's team will strive for more consistency in 2012. Optimism – Daniels better than ever Senior QB B.J. Daniels is on pace to break the league's all-time record for total yards. Daniels has slowly transformed from an athlete who can easily escape pressure to a sound decision-maker. Holtz points to several situations in 2011 when Daniels faced an oncoming rush and calmly spotted his hot read wide open. Like the rest of his team, though, Daniels' numbers were up-and-down last year. He sprinkled a 408-yard, 3 TD performance against Cincinnati with clunkers against Miami and Uconn. Expect to see a steadier Daniels in his senior season. Solid receiving corps Wide receiver Sterling Griffin is considered by many experts to be one of the most underrated receivers in FBS. The group as a whole may be one of the most underrated in the nation. Griffin bounced back from a dislocated ankle two years ago to finish with 43 catches and 3 TDs. Besides being stronger and more physical, Griffin has dramatically improved his knowledge of defenses according to Holtz. Griffin will be complemented by a group Holtz said could be his best receiving corps since he arrived at South Florida in 2010. Griffin will be joined by a trio of returnees in Deonte Welch, Andre Davis and Terrence Mitchell. The Bulls also add Chris Dunkley, a transfer from Florida and D'Vario Montgomery, a rangy receiver, who ranked 19th at his position in the Class of 2012 by recruiting guru Tom Lemming. Opportunistic Defense The defense was highly rated in 2011 finishing the season ranked 24th in efficiency, according to footballoutsiders.com and 21st against the run. The website projects the Bulls to rank 28th in defensive efficiency in the upcoming season. DE Ryne Giddins is menacing on the outside and the linebacker corps of DeDe Lattimore, Mike Lanaris, Sam Barrington and Mike Jeune might be the best in the conference. CB Kayvon Webster could be USF's top defensive prospect for the NFL Draft. Pessimism – Crumbling under the pressure As the 2011 season wore on, each loss for USF seemingly stung worse. The Bulls dropped three conference games by a combined 12 points and lost 6-3 to in-state rival Miami. USF will need to be better in crunch time, especially on the road in critical matchups against Louisville and Cincinnati. Lack of depth The Bulls need some newcomers to emerge on the front four. Giddins must receive some help on the other side or he will face constant double and triple teams throughout the season. Tevin Mins, a 6-3, 250-pound transfer from Navarro (Texas) Junior College may provide assistance. Mins opened his career at Texas. Senior DT Cory Grissom's status is uncertain after he fractured his ankle in the spring. Sophomore DT Elkino Watson must build on a promising freshman season, while mammoth freshman DT James Hamilton (6-2, 330) must contribute right away. The Bulls ranked 32nd in first-quarter defensive efficiency, according to footballoutsiders.com, but just 60th in the fourth. Challenging early schedule Before September ends, USF will face three tests against Nevada, Rutgers and Florida State. The first two are challenging since Holtz's team will travel nearly 3,000 miles to Reno and then will only have four days to prepare for the Scarlet Knights. If USF drops all three, the team could lack motivation for the remainder of the season. If the Bulls enter October with only one loss, they could contend for a league title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieRayBull Posted July 29, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 6 Content Count: 50 Reputation: 7 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/19/2011 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Nice article. If you think to Holtz' first year hear and how the receiving corps has transformed from "the land of misfit toys" to all the talent and depth we have now, you have to be impressed with his recruiting efforts and coaching. One of my biggest reasons for optimism this year is the senior leadership. I think we have a strong group that will be hungrier than last year and won't allow any underclassmen to slack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DELdaBull Posted July 29, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 86 Content Count: 17,061 Reputation: 1,429 Days Won: 19 Joined: 09/15/2005 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Let's see how this year goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usfbullrider Posted July 29, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 64 Content Count: 3,222 Reputation: 387 Days Won: 8 Joined: 07/30/2011 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Didn't have high expectations last year. This year expectations should be high with all these seniors. The bad thing about being a bull is that every year college football gurus expect us to steamroll the Beast and put us on a pedestal before we actually accomplish anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted July 29, 2012 Group: Admin Topic Count: 13,332 Content Count: 97,087 Reputation: 10,858 Days Won: 469 Joined: 05/19/2000 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I'm not so complicated. My three reasons for optimisim: New seasonNew classOlder Returners My three reasons for pessimism: Calendar has not changedConference playSee #1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smazza Posted July 29, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 9,898 Content Count: 66,091 Reputation: 2,434 Days Won: 172 Joined: 01/01/2001 Share Posted July 29, 2012 optimisim new season players have another year under their belt new players in the mix pessimisim past qb play the last couple of years coaching past defense when they had to stop the other team--they couldnt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizman Posted July 29, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 2,345 Content Count: 21,365 Reputation: 922 Days Won: 10 Joined: 01/02/2007 Share Posted July 29, 2012 optimisim new season players have another year under their belt new players in the mix pessimisim past qb play the last couple of years coaching past defense when they had to stop the other team--they couldnt New Season new team new positives new negatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralSpringsBull Posted July 30, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 23 Content Count: 393 Reputation: 33 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/19/2004 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I completely agree with Steve Mazza's analysis. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeG Posted July 30, 2012 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,984 Content Count: 19,737 Reputation: 3,854 Days Won: 174 Joined: 07/17/2003 Share Posted July 30, 2012 fool me once.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted July 30, 2012 Group: Member Topic Count: 7 Content Count: 2,305 Reputation: 120 Days Won: 6 Joined: 11/29/2010 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I refuse to buy into any sort of hype like I did last year. I will simply take each week one win at a time. That early part of the schedule sucks, but maybe it will be exactly what we need. Get the tough games out of the way early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now