Florida Football Opponent Report: Scouting the South Florida Bulls

Florida dispatched Florida Atlantic with relative ease in Week 1, but the performance didn’t go a long way to solidify quarterback Emory Jones as the guy going forward. Jones tossed two interceptions and struggled in the passing game as the team had to rely on a behemoth 400-yard performance from the rushing attack.

While a Group of Five opponent like the Owls should have been no match for the Gators, it’s worth remembering that FAU boasted one of the best defenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision a year ago.

UF’s opponent this week can make no such claim. Florida travels to Tampa for a bit of an odd road game against South Florida at Raymond James Stadium as part of a two-for-one series, and the Bulls have a fairly bleak outlook moving forward.

The USF football program has existed since 2000, and aside from a solid stretch from 2006-10 where the team won no less than eight games each season, there hasn’t been much notable in that span. The Bulls appeared to have turned a corner under coach Willie Taggart in 2016, when they finished with 11 wins and ranked in the final AP Top 25 for the first time.

Taggart left to take the Oregon job after that season, but South Florida replaced him with an experienced coach in Charlie Strong. That seemed to work, as the team went 10-2 in 2017 and finished ranked yet again. But the Bulls were being surpassed by their rival in Orlando. UCF was just two years removed from a winless season, but they went undefeated in 2017, and Strong couldn’t keep up.

READ: That one time Florida faced USF on the college football gridiron

The team fell to 7-6 in 2018 and then 4-8 in 2019, leading to Strong’s firing. USF brought in longtime Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott in for what appears to be a lengthy rebuild.

The team went 1-8 last year, with the lone win coming against the Citadel in Scott’s debut. The first outing in 2021 wasn’t nearly as successful, as the team was blanked 45-0 at NC State. This Bulls team shouldn’t present as much of a challenge as the Owls did last week, but here’s what you need to know about them.

NEXT: A quarterback controversy

Florida isn’t the only team who has an unclear quarterback situation after Week 1. In fact, it can get a lot worse. South Florida had a sub-par offense last year, averaging just 365.3 yards per game and ranking 103rd in the FBS in points per game with 23.1.

Last year’s starting quarterback, Jordan McCloud, transferred to Arizona after what was actually a solid season, all things considered. Taking his place in Week 1 was Cade Fortin, a North Carolina transfer who saw limited action last season due to injuries.

But Fortin was not effective in that game. He finished 7 of 20 for 41 yards and an interception, and he struggled with accuracy on downfield passes. In the second quarter, Scott turned things over to true freshman Timmy McClain, a three-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class.

McClain is much more dynamic with his legs, but he too wasn’t effective passing the ball, going 7 of 13 for 126 yards and two picks. Still, given his athleticism, it seems likely that he’s the passer the Gators will face on Saturday.

After Florida’s secondary struggled a bit in Week 1, it should feast against a hapless Bulls passing attack. USF does return some talent at receiver, as two of last year’s three leaders in receptions, Bryce Miller and Latrell Williams, return. However, they totaled just 327 and 260 yards last year, respectively. New in the starting lineup is junior Xavier Weaver, who had just 10 catches last year but led the team in receiving against NC State with two catches for 73 yards.

READ: 10 things you should know ahead of Florida’s visit to USF

On the ground, the Bulls are a bit better, but they were not effective against the Wolfpack. They return last year’s leading rusher in Kelley Joiner Jr., but he saw only three carries in Week 1, taking a backseat to Darrian Felix and Jaren Mangham. Felix finished with eight carries for 21 yards, while Mangham took his five carries for 26 yards.

The strength of the offensive unit is an experienced offensive line that features entirely seniors and graduate students in the starting group, headlined by left tackle Donovan Jennings, a potential NFL prospect. Despite a shutdown defensive performance from NC State, that unit didn’t allow a sack all game.

NEXT: A favorable matchup for the run game

As bad as the Bulls’ offense was last year, the defense was even worse, and it doesn’t appear to be fixed much in 2021. The Bulls allowed 441.4 yards per game last year, ranking 95th in the FBS, and their scoring defense was even worse.

They allowed nearly 40 points per game, finishing ranked 122nd in the nation. Against NC State in Week 1, USF gave up 293 yards on the ground, allowing 100-yard days for Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr.

In other words, this South Florida defense is just what the doctor ordered for a Gators offense looking to sharpen things up before a game against Alabama.

The strength of the defensive unit is, much like on offense, a veteran group in the trenches. USF generally has three down linemen in defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer’s scheme, and all three are upperclassmen. The star of that group is graduate Thad Mangum, who transferred in from Wofford for the 2020 season and finished with 37 tackles, four for loss.

The linebacker group is also solid in coverage, led by Andrew Mims, who had 14 tackles against the Wolfpack, and Dwayne Boyles, who led the team in tackles for loss last year with six.

In the secondary, there are some questions. The team returns the two best defensive backs from last year in Daquan Evans and Mekhi LaPointe, who led the team with three and two interceptions, respectively, last year. But the other two starting spots are filled by transfers.

READ: Gators Wire’s staff predictions for Florida vs. USF

Christian Williams is starting at corner opposite Evans, and the Miami transfer has seen only sporadic action during his college career. At strong safety is Matthew Hill, a transfer from Auburn who picked off NC State’s Devin Leary on an underthrown ball in the opener.

This team was actually average against the pass last year, ranking 60th in passing yards allowed per game with 229.1, and the Bulls only allowed three more yards than that through the air last week. They’re not as good as Florida Atlantic was, but this secondary could be capable of complicating things for Jones again. Expect the Gators to look once more to attack on the ground early and often.

NEXT: Overall thoughts

For a bit, this looked like a South Florida team that was trending in the right direction. But, as is life when you’re in the G5, their stud coach got hired away, and the Bulls were sent back to the drawing board.

It’s still far too early to evaluate Scott’s tenure considering the situation he signed up for, but the fact remains that this just simply isn’t a very good football team right now.

USF was below average on offense and defense last year, and Florida has favorable matchups all over the field in this one. After rushing for 400 yards last week, the most during coach Dan Mullen‘s tenure, the Gators backfield is likely licking its chops ahead of this game.

Jones needs to play a lot better, and he has a big-time opportunity to do so. Though pass defense was one of USF’s few relative strengths last year, even its best performance will pale in comparison to what awaits the Gators in the Swamp next week when Alabama comes to town. If Jones is going to take a step forward before that game, it has to happen right here, right now.

PHOTOS: A look at Florida football’s only game against USF

Luckily for UF, even if Jones’ struggles continue, South Florida shouldn’t have enough juice offensively to keep this one competitive against the new and improved Florida defense, which was very solid against USF last week.

The Gators’ pass rush will make the Bulls O-line work for it if they want to put together another sackless performance, and as long as Florida doesn’t break containment and allow a big rushing day for McClain, it just might be able to hold South Florida off the scoreboard for a second week in a row.

In a “road” game that will likely feature a majority-Florida crowd, expect the Gators to roll to 2-0 ahead of their biggest home game in years.

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