UW’S OPPONENT AT A GLANCE: SOUTH FLORIDA
Offense
South Florida averaged 35.6 points per game in its first seven games last season, all victories. The Bulls slipped to 20.2 points per game in their final six games, all losses.
Head coach Charlie Strong responded by hiring a new offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach (Kerwin Bell) and a new offensive line coach (Jeremy Darveau).
Bell was the intriguing hire. The former quarterback at Florida, who was named SEC player of the year in 1984, had been the head coach at Division II Valdosta State for the last three seasons. Bell compiled a 27-7 record during that time and led the Blazers to the national title in 2018.
Valdosta State ran a spread attack that featured the pass and run equally and could go at a frenetic pace or one more leisurely. The Blazers led the nation in scoring (52.0 ppg), ranked second in first downs (341) and finished fourth in total offense (523.9 ypg). They scored 728 points, the most in NCAA Division II history, and rolled up 7,334 yards (3,676 rushing and 3,658 passing). Bell inherits plenty of talent at South Florida.
Quarterback Blake Barnett joined the Bulls last summer as a graduate transfer from Arizona State and won the job in camp. He completed 61.1% of his passes for 2,710 yards last season but had almost as many interceptions (11) as touchdowns (12).
Bell’s system is more quarterback friendly, however. And Barnett has several experienced weapons in senior running back Jordan Cronkrite (1,121 yards, nine TDs), sophomore running back Johnny Ford (787 yards, eight TDs), senior tight end Mitch Wilcox (43 catches, 12.6-yard average) and sophomore wide receiver Randall St. Felix (33 catches, 20.6-yard average, four TDs). Three full-time starters return on the line, senior right tackle Marcus Norman, sophomore center Brad Cecil and sophomore left guard Demetris Harris. Sophomore Donovan Jennings, a reserve left tackle last season, has moved to right guard. Senior William Atterbury, who has 23 starts at right guard and four at right tackle, takes over at left tackle.
Defense
Third-year defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary didn’t need a review of the 2018 season to appreciate the Bulls’ No. 1 deficiency: stopping the run. South Florida allowed an average of 247.7 rushing yards per game last season. Only seven other FBS teams allowed a higher mark. Opponents recorded 2.8 rushing touchdowns per game (36 in 13 games) and 12.3 rushing first downs per game (160 in 13 games). One reason behind the ugly numbers was youth. Seven freshmen got at least one start last season and 10 players overall made their first college start. “I think our run defense is sounder than it was last year,” Jean-May told gousfbulls.com “Guys understand where they need to be and they’re straining to get there.”
Size and strength also were issues. South Florida’s top five defensive tackles last season averaged just 276 pounds. The projected starters this season – juniors Kelvin Pinkney and Kelvin Kegler – are 305 pounds and 294 pounds, respectively.
The Bulls no doubt will try to slow UW’s Jonathan Taylor. With Taylor averaging 7.1 yards per carry and 168.8 yards per game, UW finished seventh nationally in rushing at 273.4 yards per game. UW’s line will also have to control senior ends Greg Reaves and Kevin Livingstone. Reaves had to switch to middle linebacker after six games last season because of injuries. He finished second on the team in tackles (89). He recorded four sacks, seven hurries and 14 tackles for loss at end in 2017. Livingstone recorded four sacks, five hurries and 10 tackles for loss last season.
Special teams
Place-kicker Coby Weiss and punter Trent Schneider were solid in 2018. Weiss hit 15 of 18 field-goal attempts, with the misses from 44, 40 and 34 yards. His long kick was just 38 yards. Schneider, from Sydney, Australia, averaged 42.9 yards per punt.
That was the No. 4 mark in program history. He recorded 17 punts of at least 50 yards.
Terrence Horne saw his freshman season end after three games because of torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in practice. Before the injury, Horne scored touchdowns on two of his six kickoff returns. He scored on returns of 98 and 97 yards and finished with 264 yards on five returns in a 49-38 victory over Georgia Tech.
Horne has practiced in camp and is expected to play Friday.
The kickers last season had seven kickoffs out of bounds and only 12 touchbacks on 75 attempts. Nevertheless, the coverage unit allowed only 18.9 yards per return, with a long return of 47 yards.