Behind Enemy Lines: South Florida

For just the second time in Florida football history, the Gators will take on the South Florida Bulls. The Gators prevailed, 38-14, vs. USF in 2010 thanks to 139 yards and one TD from RB Jeff Demps and a 172-yard, two TD game (18-for-31) by QB John Brantley.

Gators Territory teamed up with Bulls Insider to give Florida fans a better look at Florida's week two opponent.

Benjamin McCool: I think Fortin will stay in the game as long as he is playing well. Scott and staff made the decision to start him over the course of two camps and numerous practice performances. His rough start at NC State could be chalked up to many things, like not having played in a couple of years, for example. So, I think they’ll give him a leash in this game for at least a half. That is, unless they can’t move the chains at all or he turns the ball over a lot. The fan base is ready to move on, so there is a lot of support for Timmy McClain to get a lot of reps. I also think that whether or not Fortin stays in depends on how the game is going overall, not just on his performance. If the game is close late, but some chance, and they think they might pull out the upset, they’ll probably stick with Fortin longer than they would if the game is a blowout.

Ben: He’s very well respected amongst the fan base. Most folks are trying to be patient with him, because they love the culture stuff that he is doing for the program. At the same time, however, they do hold him responsible for several of the worst losses in program history, as well as the worst season in program history. The patience will wear thin, though, if he and his staff can’t find some wins on the schedule this year. There is a widespread view that USF can’t afford to be bad at football while this latest realignment is taking place. If the Bulls season looks like last season, the honeymoon will be over.

Ben: There are a lot of transfers who were expected to make an impact, but their first game of the season went so badly, hardly anyone stood out. At wide receiver, Yusuf Terry from Baylor and Demarcus Gregory from Ole Miss were expected to have an impact, along with true freshman, Jimmy Horn Jr. Horn is dangerous out in space with good speed. Xavier Weaver is a deep threat at receiver. I do suspect from what we saw in week one, relying on slot receiver, Bryce Miller, and tight end, Mitchell Brinkman for quick passes to move the chains. At running back, Colorado transfer, Jaren Mangham and Oregon transfer, Darrian Felix were expected to really improve the running game, but neither had more than eight carries against NC State, when the Bulls struggled in the run game. On defense, Dwayne Boyles and Antonio Grier, linebackers, bring a veteran presence. The secondary is the most improved unit for the Bulls. They return Mekhi LaPointe, Vincent Davis, and Christopher Townsell, but added Hill (Auburn), Will Jones II (Kansas State) at safety and Christian Williams (Miami), and TJ Robinson (Rutgers) at defensive back.

Ben: Not very well. NC State’s tandem of Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person each racked up over 100 yards to contribute to 293 total rushing yards for the Wolfpack in the opener. The Bulls have struggled with the run for several seasons, but are especially disadvantaged if the backs are big. So, with guys like Malik Davis over 200 pounds, I’d expect USF to give up a lot of yards to. However, the Gators seem to run more than pass, and that could actually improve the defensive ability to stop the run, with less concern being paid to the pass.

Ben: They have to keep it close. In their past several games, they have been blown out. However, those games don’t always start that way. USF has been competitive early in most games. What tends to happen, and what happened at NC State, is the lack of production on offense wears out their own defense, allowing their opponent big plays which result in scores. Then, they become less dynamic on offense as they try catch up on the scoreboard. You and you’re readers have seen this before. If the Bulls can keep it close early, say within a couple of touchdowns at halftime, they can build some much needed confidence going into the second half. Two big plays and the game could be up for grabs. If the Gators get up three or four touchdowns early, there isn’t much the Bulls could do to win. They aren’t built for comebacks, especially against the caliber of personnel they will see from Gainesville on Saturday.