UF-USF: A Clean Efficient Game Should Get The Gators An Easy Win At The Swamp
"After struggling to get anything going on the ground or through the air last week against Kentucky, Richardson will be looking to duplicate his last performance against the Bulls and regain the confidence that he admitted was lost versus Kentucky."
BY LOREN MEADOWS
GatorBaitMedia.com Football Analyst
After Saturday’s depressing loss to Kentucky, Billy Napier stated, “a loss gives you a chance to hit the reset button.” Fortunately, that button is wrapped in a green and gold bow with the letters USF on it. The Gators are in the Swamp and under the lights for the third straight weekend in what should be an opportunity for the program to right the wrongs that plagued them a week ago.
USF comes to Gainesville, with a record of 1-1. The loss, a week one beatdown suffered at home to #12 BYU, was followed by a 42-20 win at home against FCS foe Howard University. In 2021 the Gators beat the Bulls 42-20 on the hills of explosive plays by both Emory Jones (now at Arizona State) and Anthony Richardson. Richardson had a coming-out party of sorts against USF last year to the tune of 3-for-3 passing for 152 yards at two TDs along with four rushes for 115 yards and a TD. Most memorable of Richardson’s performance last September was the 80-yard dash that showcased his top-end speed and big-play ability. After struggling to get anything going on the ground or through the air last week against Kentucky, Richardson will be looking to duplicate his last performance against the Bulls and regain the confidence that he admitted was lost versus Kentucky. Many teams position games like this on their schedule in order to reassess where they are as a team both mentally and physically. After emotional games versus Utah and Kentucky, a familiar foe enduring their own challenges is made to order.
USF Offense: South Florida employs a fast-paced offensive attack directed by first-year offensive coordinator Travis Trickett. To run the new look offense the Bulls have turned to Baylor Transfer Gerry Bohannon (#11, 6-3, 226), who passed for 2,200 yards and 18 touchdowns while running for another nine. Bohannon has a skill set similar to that of Richardson and can be tough to bring down in the open field. While Bohannon has yet to throw a touchdown pass this season, USF may possess one of the American Conference's best receiver combinations in Xavier Weaver (#10, 6-1, 180) and Jimmy Horn Jr. (#5, 5’9 174), a potent pair from the Orlando area that have combined for 18 catches over the first two games. Horn, the smaller of the two, is also a factor in the return game. Along with the threat of Bohannon on the ground, the Bulls utilize the trio of Jaren Mangham (#0, 6-2, 231), Michael Dukes (#2, 5-10, 197), and Brian Battie (#21, 5-8, 165), a consensus All-America kick returner in 2021. Mangham is the elder statesmen of the group and accounted for both Bulls touchdowns against the Gators last season. The early reliance on the run game is supported by the experienced center-guard-left tackle combination of Brad Cecil (#74, 6-4, 294), Demetrius Harris (#64, 6-3, 315), and Donovan Jennings (#73, 6-5, 312). All are in their final year and have played side by side for most of the last four seasons.
It will be interesting to see how Florida reacts to the hurry-up attack the Bulls will employ. While he has not shown it at USF yet, Bohannon is an able passer who could cause issues if the Gator pass rush does not get home. While Patrick Toney and company utilize “creepers” to confuse the offense it will be interesting to see how Bohannon reacts due to his familiarity with the system from his time at Baylor. Could the absence of Ventrell Miller play a role? The Florida defense should be able to handle the line of scrimmage against a team looking to run the football and gather chunk plays through the air. This should create third-down situations that allow Brenton Cox Jr., Gervon Dexter, and Antwaun Powell-Ryland to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback.
USF Defense: Veteran defensive coordinator Bob Shoop inherits a defense that finished 123rd nationally in 2021. Similar to their offense, South Florida will look to create “a full court press” on the field and apply constant pressure for 60 minutes. To make this plan work, USF has turned to the transfer portal to improve its anemic defense. Missouri transfer Jatorian Hansford (#28, 6-4, 265) has become an instant playmaker at defensive end. The middle linebacker position will be manned by Minnesota transfer DJ Gordon IV (#8, 6-1, 220) who has recorded 12 tackles in the first two games. Defensive tackle Rashawn Yates (#6, 6-3, 282) recorded a tackle for loss against the Gators in 2021. In the secondary, two Kansas State transfers will man the corners: Will Jones II (#7, 5-9, 191) and Amaris Brown (#9, 5-10, 197), who have been standouts for a unit looking to improve on South Florida’s 53.12% opponents passing success rate that ranked 129th nationally.
In last year’s game, Florida rolled up 666 yards offense on a sloppy field in Tampa. Based upon that and the first two games, look for the Bulls to get off the bus blitzing Saturday night. After watching Anthony Richardson struggle through the air against Kentucky the USF defense will look to capitalize on that pressure by creating turnovers and feasting on an offense in search of its true identity. The Gators will counter with zone run schemes and a substantial size advantage on the offensive line as well as the receiver positions. The opportunity for the big play is there for the Gators as USF has given up over 400 yards of total offense against both BYU and Howard. Shoop has this unit improving, but a clean, efficient, game plan should allow the Gators to move the football consistently.
The Skinny: Billy Napier stated “the big focus for our team is to be consumed with improvement,” challenging himself and his coaches to “do our best work for the players.” The effect of that attitude should be on display Saturday night against USF. The score is not as important as the type of game the Gators need to play: Clean, penalty free, and efficient in all three phases. Anthony Richardson needs to find balance in his fourth full start as a Gator, allowing his athleticism to lead him while he grows with confidence in Billy Napier’s offense. USF head coach Jeff Scott has hired new coordinators in an effort to give his program more life. As one opposing American Conference assistant stated, “they are going to improve and still be bad overall, but the depth is coming along.” In many ways this is very similar to the Gators as there is visible improvement in most areas, with the long-term effects to be determined. However, despite last week's issues the Gators are further along than the Bulls top to bottom and now have more than 130 plays to examine how to enrich Richardson’s development. The pace of play will be good prep for the road trip to Knoxville September 24th. The elusive Richardson touchdown pass happens early, the defense turns the Bulls over twice. Wright, Johnson Jr., and Etienne rush for a touchdown each.
Prediction: Florida 34 USF 10
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