Connecticut News, Raphielle Johnson, South Florida News, Uncategorized

SOUTH FLORIDA – UCONN FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Which Bulls step onto the field Saturday in season finale vs UConn?

By Raphielle Johnson

One of the biggest enigmas in the Big East, both this season and in years past, has been the USF Bulls. When fully motivated and focused on the task at hand Jim Leavitt’s team can beat anyone. But on days when they show up flat they can lose to anyone, and sometimes the results can be downright embarrassing. What will their mindset be at Rentschler Field: play out the string or attempt to close the season on a high note? It’s bound to be an emotional Senior Day and the Huskies have played good football the last two weeks. But they’ll have to account for the loss of MLB Greg Lloyd Jr. (knee); Scott Lutrus slides over from the “Husky” to the middle and redshirt freshman Jory Johnson takes his place.

Offense

QB 7 B.J. Daniels (RFr.)

12 Evan Landi (RFr.)

RB 3 Mo Plancher (Sr.)

4 Mike Ford (Jr.)

HB 43 Richard Kelly (Jr.)

21 Demetrius Murray (RFr.)

Daniels is a dual-threat quarterback who may have a better arm than the injured Matt Grothe; he leads the Bulls in rushing and has thrown twelve touchdown passes to nine interceptions. But the decision-making has been spotty at times and that could be something that the Connecticut defense can take advantage of. Plancher is the only other player with more than 100 carries on the season, averaging 4.6 yards per rush. Ford will also see some reps in the backfield and he’s been banged up for a large portion of the year. Kelly and Murray will be in on plays that require a fullback (i.e.-short yardage).

X 2 Carlton Mitchell (Jr.)

1 Jason Sherman (Jr.)

H 87 Jessie Hester (Sr.)

80 Patrick Richardson (So.)

TE 82 Ben Busbee (Sr.)

85 Andrew Ketchel (Jr.)

Y 81 Dontavia Boggan (Jr.)

9 Theo Wilson (Sr.)

Z 11 A.J. Love (Jr.)

17 Sterling Griffin (Fr.)

The top five receivers for the Bulls in regards to receptions are all averaging at least 10.6 yards per reception. Carlton Mitchell leads the team with thirty receptions and four receiving touchdowns. Boggan, who also has four touchdown catches, averages 13.7 yards per receptions. A.J. Love can be a big-play threat similar to Mitchell, averaging 18.8 yards per reception with a pair of touchdown receptions. Sterling Griffin is another speedster and there’s also the dependable veteran in Jessie Hester. The tight end position isn’t used much in the passing game but if it is Busbee will likely be the receiver.

LT 63 Jamar Bass (Jr.)

55 Jeremiah Warren (So.)

LG 55 Jeremiah Warren (So.)

73 Damien Edwards (RFr.)

C 62 Sampson Genus (Jr.)

66 Kevin McCaskill (So.)

RG 79 Chaz Hine (So.)

61 Zach Hermann (Jr.)

RT 64 Jake Sims (Jr.)

74 Mark Popek (RFr.)

The offensive line came into the season as the big question mark and they haven’t been as shaky as projected, leading an offense that ranks fourth in the Big East in rushing offense. But they have given up thirty sacks on the season, so Lindsey Witten and company could get to Daniels provided they get USF into long-distance downs. If they can open up lanes for Daniels and the running backs it could be a long night for a defense that has struggled with tackling in space this season.

Defense

LE 90 Jason Pierre-Paul (Jr.)

58 David Bedford (Jr.)

NT 46 Corey Grissom (RFr.)

97 Terrell McClain (Jr.)

DT 91 Keith McCaskill (So.)

98 Aaron Harris (Sr.)

RE 95 George Selvie (Sr.)

41 Patrick Hampton (So.)

Pierre-Paul and Selvie are two of the more dangerous pass rushers in the Big East despite their combined total of nine sacks; they’ve also combined for 22.5 tackles for loss. They’ve got speed and the ability to turn well-drawn plays into a quagmire. But the Bulls are young inside, which could be an area for Connecticut to attack in the run game. USF ranks seventh in the conference in rush defense while Connecticut has the Big East’s third-best rushing offense. Terrell McClain is a player to watch when he’s on the field with his four tackles for loss.

SAM 11 Sabbath Joseph (Jr.)

57 Jacquian Williams (Jr.)

MIKE 42 Kion Wilson (Sr.)

55 Mike Lanaris (RFr.)

WILL 49 Chris Robinson (Sr.)

36 Sam Barrington (Fr.)

The linebackers could be the key in regards to the success of the Connecticut rushing attack. Wilson leads the team with ninety-eight tackles and has the athletic ability to run from sideline to sideline. As a matter of fact all three linebackers can get to the football quickly, and Chris Robinson has seven tackles for loss on the season. Joseph is fourth on the team in tackles (46) and also has four pass breakups and three forced fumbles to his credit. They can run and they can make plays; Zach Frazer and company will need to avoid mistakes with the football in all phases of the game.

LCB 2 Quenton Washington (So.)

22 George Baker (RFr.)

SS 1 Jerrell Young (So.)

16 Mistral Raymond (Sr.)

FS 5 Nate Allen (Sr.)

16 Mistral Raymond (Sr.)

RCB 3 Jerome Murphy (Sr.)

6 Kayvon Webster (Fr.)

NB 6 Kayvon Webster (Fr.)

12 Jon Lejiste (RFr.)

The secondary ranks among the best in the conference, playing a major role in a defense that’s the conference’s best against the pass. Nate Allen is second on the team in tackles (72) while also leading the Bulls with four interceptions. As a team the Bulls have twelve interceptions while giving up just twelve passing touchdowns. Jerome Murphy is third on the team with 62 tackles and also has three interceptions (six pass breakups). The younger members of the secondary aren’t as active in regards to the numbers but they aren’t lacking for speed. Look for offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead to call plays aimed at Quenton Washington and Jerrell Young as a result of their relative inexperience.

Special Teams

K 32 Eric Schwartz (Jr.)

P 25 Delbert Alvarado (Sr.)

KR 81 Dontavia Boggan (Jr.)

3 Jerome Murphy (Sr.)

PR 23 Faron Holmes (Jr.)

This is the area in which the Bulls have struggled this season, with the tone being set by the loss of kicker Maikon Bonani before the season even began. Schwartz hasn’t been terrible in handling the kicking duties, making nine of thirteen field goals with a long of fifty yards. But punting has been a bit more of an issue with Delbert Alvarado averaging forty-one yards per punt and USF ranks sixth in the conference in net punting. And for a team with so much speed it’s a surprise that they’re so poor in the return game, ranking 8th in the Big East in kick return average and 7th in punt return average.

They’re also in the bottom half of the conference in punt and kick return average, which could mean opportunities for return specialists such as Mike Lang and Robert McClain. Both teams lack much of a separation when it comes to turnover margin but the Huskies have improved in that area as the season has progressed. Which USF team shows up at The Rent will play a major role in the direction of the game.