After taking down the Florida Atlantic Owls in Week 1, the Florida Gators head south to battle the South Florida Bulls. The Alligator reached out to Richard Silva, the Sports Co-Editor of the USF Oracle, to learn more about the USF program and his expectations for this season. Here is what he had to say:
What should Florida fans know about USF’s offensive and defensive attack, respectively?
Silva: Offensively, Florida fans should know that USF has yet to find a starting quarterback. Heading into the season it looked like sophomore Cade Fortin was the slam dunk choice, but coach Scott pulled him after five drives against NC State in favor of freshman Timmy McClain. McClain stayed in the game from about the 10-minute mark in the second quarter to late in the third, where Fortin was eventually put back in. Scott mentioned in a press conference today (Tuesday) that the plan all along was for both of them to see time, but not for McClain to receive as much time as he did. He mentioned how he was only supposed to see the field in some select packages. McClain is a dual-threat quarterback, and Fortin is a bit more pro style, so it'll be interesting to see how they are played against Florida. Scott said he expects both to see the field.
Defensively, I actually think they held up quite nicely against NC State until they were on the field way too much and ran out of gas. I would say a big thing to keep an eye on is the secondary. USF had a few transfer defensive backs come in during the offseason and a pair of them are now going to miss significant time. Freshman Will Jones who came over from Kansas State tore his ACL two days before the NC State game, and sophomore Christian Williams from Miami suffered a high ankle sprain in the game and will be out "for a little while," according to Scott. They're pretty deep in the secondary, but those were two guys that were likely going to make impacts this season.
Head coach Jeff Scott came from Clemson. What has his presence done for the program and have you seen progress in the program over the last few seasons under Scott?
Silva: I think Scott is saying all the right things, and he has helped USF with the whole indoor practice facility thing (groundbreaking is Wednesday). He was dealt a pretty bad hand last year with COVID and injuries, so fans should probably give him a pass for year 1. In terms of progress, I think it's too early to tell. If USF can win 4+ games this season and establish a quarterback for the foreseeable future, I'd be willing to say progress has been made.
What are the realistic expectations for USF this season as a whole? Do you think they’ll meet those expectations?
Silva: I think anywhere from 0-6 wins is in the realm of possibility, but I personally have them going 4-8. NC State and Florida is a tough way to open the season, but they have Florida A&M in game three, Temple in game seven and Tulsa in game eight, which are all realistically winnable. If they can pull off an upset against any of the other eight remaining teams aside from the aforementioned three, I'd be happy.
Obviously, Week 1 did not go as planned with the 45-0 loss to NC State. How do the Bulls bounce back with a better performance against the Gators, and what things do they need to improve upon?
Silva: Stopping the run defensively, and establishing the run offensively. There were a lot of three and outs and short drives against the Wolfpack, which kept the defense on the field way too long, and they got gassed. Complimentary football will be huge. Capitalizing on any and all chances will also be huge — no drops, missed throws, etc.
Who is one player on the USF roster whom Florida fans should know — whether for their play or their story?
Silva: Keep an eye on junior wide receiver Xavier Weaver. He hasn't really had a breakout season yet, but I suspect it may be coming. He's got decent size and a huge catch radius, Scott has even compared [him to] Deandre Hopkins, who he worked with at Clemson. Obviously, he wasn't calling Weaver Hopkins, but rather saying their skill sets were similar and comparable.
Who is one player, either offensively, defensively or both, that could be the “X-Factor” for USF Saturday?
Silva: I would say it's got to be Fortin. It's the obvious choice and a copout of an answer, but it's true. If he can find success, I would have to think the offense would have success as well.
Game and score prediction
Silva: Florida wins 49-14
Thanks to Richard for doing this piece. Be sure to follow @USFOracleSports and @USFOracle on Twitter, as well as @Rich_Silva18 for more Bulls content. Saturday’s game begins at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
Contact Michael Hull at mhull@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Hull33.
Michael Hull is a fourth-year journalism sports & media major and a sports writer at The Alligator. He hosts the weekly sports podcast and has worked on staff for five semesters. In the past, Hull has served as the sports editor, the men's and women's golf beat writer, the volleyball beat writer and the football beat writer.
