Three USF players to know against the Gators

Heading into week two of the season, the Gators are set to square off against the in-state Bulls in Tampa.

USF is a program that went just 1-8 a season ago under then first-year head coach Jeff Scott, who was formerly the offensive coordinator for the Clemson Tigers. Week one didn’t exactly go as planned for a team trying to find some positives to build on losing to NC State 45-0 in Raleigh while giving up over 500 yards of total offense. I expect more of the same this weekend as Florida should get an easy win in a USF “home” stadium that will likely have more Gator fans in attendance than Bulls.

Nonetheless, here are a few players to watch out for on the South Florida roster who will need to have big games if they want to keep the game close.

The North Carolina transfer was named the starter heading into the season but had a less than stellar opener going 7-of-20 for just 41 yards and an interception while also adding 23 yards on the ground on five carries. However, about midway through the second quarter, he gave way to true freshman Timmy McClain, who we will talk about later in this article.

Although Fortin didn’t play the whole way, coach Scott reiterated that Fortin will continue to be the starter for their week two matchup against the Gators. Look for him to try and bounce back with a much better performance in front of the “home” crowd after a very lackluster first career start.

As mentioned above, the true freshman from Sanford, FL stepped in and saw his first action very early in his college career, taking over for Cade Fortin in the second quarter of their matchup against NC State.

By the numbers, McClain had a slightly better outing completing seven of his 13 passes for 126 yards but also throwing two interceptions. He also carried the ball four times for 16 yards on the night.

Although Fortin will remain the starter for the matchup against the Gators, coach Scott did say McClain will definitely play in week two. The Bulls are still trying to find out who their starter will be for the rest of the season, so both guys will be looking to improve on their week one performances to try to cement themselves as the guy moving forward.

The transfer from Auburn who is a former wide receiver turned safety might be the most talented player on the Bulls defense and he showed that week one with seven tackles and an interception, proving to be one of the lone bright spots of the evening for South Florida.

Being a former receiver, Hill has excellent ball skills and will be looking to make a play on the ball any time it’s thrown his direction. Emory had a couple of errant throws against FAU, and if he does that again, look for Hill to take full advantage of that.