Fall Previews 10 of 63: South Florida

South Florida:

Head Coach: Willie Taggart (6-18)
2014 Record: (4-8, 3-5 American)
Basic Offense: Multiple
Basic Defense: Multiple
Starters Returning: 13
Offense (6): Brynjar Gudmundsson, G (12); Marlon Mack, RB (12); Sean Price, TE (9); Thor
Jozwiak, G (8); Kennard Swanson, FB (5).
Defense (7): Jamie Byred, S (12); Eric Lee, DE (12); Auggie Sanchez, LB (12); Nigel Harris, LB
(11); Johnny Ward, CB (7); Devin Abraham, S (6); Nate Godwin, S (9).

Offense: 

The Bulls head into the 2015 season with questions at quarterback with last season's starter Mike White gone. Senior Steven Bench (49-100/611/3TD) and sophomore Quinton Flowers (8-20/111/0TD) head into fall camp nearly even on the depth chart with the former Penn State transfer Bench seeming to hold a slight lead. Flowers, a 4-star recruit that saw action in six games also brings a running aspect to his game with the ability to take the ball for a score on any play. Neither quarterback is fully what the Bulls want offensively so expect both to see playing time this fall but Bench getting the first chance to start this fall.

Marlon Mack

As unsettled as the race is at quarterback, the running back slot is very settled with Doak Walker Award Watch List honoree Marlon Mack (202/1,041/9TD) making all 12 starts as a freshman. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as well with 21 catches in 2014 allows him to be the workhorse back Taggart tends to love from his time at Western Kentucky. Junior Darius Tice (40/104/0TD) is no slouch in the backfield and will likely see time as a fullback and tailback in the system. Mammoth fullback Kennard Swanson (9/28/0TD) the majority of the reps as the blocking back but the Bulls coaching staff will find a way to get Mack and Tice on the field together on several plays.

In true Taggart fashion, the tight end has become a huge weapon in the South Florida offense with senior Sean Price (14/207/0TD) ending the season with a 14.8 yards per catch average. Price, a starter for nine games last season, has the size and skill to be a top level tight end in the AAC. Redshirt freshman Elkanah Dillon had an impressive spring and is currently second in line at tight end, ahead of senior Marlon Pope (1/10/0TD). The Dillon and Pope competition should be an interesting one as the offense hopes to get tight ends more involved in the rushing and passing games.

The Bulls have an interesting group of wide receivers heading into the 2015 season with Austin Aikens (WKU transfer) and AJ Legree (Kentucky transfer) become eligible to play. Junior Rodney Adams (23/323/2TD) looks to be the starting slot receiver this fall after finishing 2014 as the team's third leading receiver. Legree, the SEC transfer, has been impressive during his time for South Florida and should be an immediate impact receiver as the Z-receiver. Sophomore Ryeshene Bronson (3/85/1TD) made two starts in 2014 and showed promise with a 75-yard touchdown reception but needs to be ready to step forward in 2015. Chase Whitehead could also be an impact player as a reserve at the slot receiver position.

Brynjar Gudmundsson

Senior Brynjar Gudmundsson returns for one final year in a career that has seen him start 24 games overall. Gudmundsson started the first nine games of the season at right tackle but was moved inside to right guard late in the season. It is expected for the 6-4, 305 pound senior to stay at right guard this fall. Junior Dominique Threatt looks to be the backup at that position. Thor Jozwiak (13 career starts) looks to solidify the other guard position, giving the Bulls a strong middle of the line that will help an inexperienced center this fall. Jeremi Hall, at 6-5, 345 pounds, is a mammoth player backup for Jozwiak. Sophomore Cameron Ruff (1 career start) made a start at left guard but should easily slide in betwen Jozwiak and Gudmundsson at center this fall with redshirt freshman Michael Galati finding a role as a backup. Junior Kofi Amichia started the final two games of the season at right tackle but looks to be moving across the formation and taking over at the all important left tackle position. Redshirt freshman Benjamin Knox at 6-6, 287 pounds, should give the junior a battle for the starting spot. Senior Mak Djulbegovic is penciled in as the starter at right tackle with junior Clavion Nelson as the backup but junior college tackle Glen Bethel should also be in the fight for playing time with in the fall.

Defense:

Senior defensive end Eric Lee (28 tkl, 6 tfl) leads the way for a South Florida defense that gave up 182.9 yards on the ground per game. Lee is a solid player at 6-3, 248 pounds but can get pushed around by some of the bigger offensive lines. Backing up Lee is sophomore Mike Love, a player that saw playing time in three games but is still a big of a question mark heading into the fall. Defensive tackle Derrick Calloway (30 tkl, 5 tfl, 3 sacks) was a surprise in 2014 with his ability to be a disruptive force in the middle. He went from reserve to starter in the final three games of the season. Redshirt freshman Kevin Bronson will back up Calloway but does not have the physical build yet and must grow into the position. At the other tackle spot is sophomore Deadrin Senat (18 tkl, 0.5 tfl) and his 6-1, 300 pound frame. Senat is not the type of player to make stops in the backfield but instead clog of the lanes for linebackers to fill. He was good at that job as a freshman and should get even better this fall. Senior 300+ pounder James Hamilton (5 tkl, 1 tfl) should be able to find his spot in the rotation and could even see playing time at both defensive tackle spots.

Nigel Harris

At linebacker, the Bulls return two of the top four tacklers on the team last season that combined for 143 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. Weakside linebacker Nigel Harris (77 tkl, 10.5 tfl, 2 sacks) led the team in tackles for loss and was one of the best players in the nation at forcing fumbles with six on the season. Harris is a big play linebacker that may sometimes forgo the easy play to make an impact play. Senior Tashon Whitehurst (49 tkl, 5 tfl, 2 sacks) is listed second on the depth chart but could easily move to different spots on the field and play a variety of positions on the front seven. His versatility guarantees playing time heading into the fall. Middle linebacker Auggie Sanchez (66 tkl, 2 tfl) was a good player, making all 12 starts as a true freshman. Sanchez is expected to take the next step forward and become more of a leader on the field this fall. Senior LeGrande Harley (23 tkl, 0.5 tfl) will also see some playing time in the middle. At the hybrid end/linebacker spot is another sophomore in Josh Black (7 tkl, 1 tfl, 1 sack). The hybrid linebacker/defensive end is on the light side to play on the line regularly but should be able to give the Bulls an athletic pass rusher. Senior Zack Bullock (4 tkl) will back Black up.

Jamie Byrd

The Bulls have experience on the back end of the defense led by senior Jamie Byrd (95 tkl, 2.5 tfl, 2 INT), a player that made all 12 starts and led the team in tackles after joining the team from the JUCO ranks. Byrd is as entrenched as a starter as any player on the team heading into the 2015 season. Junior Jalen Spencer saw action on special teams but must overcome his injury prone nature to earn playing time behind Byrd. At one of the safety slots is one of the best competitions of the fall with sophomores Tajee Fullwood (5 tkl, 1 tfl) and Devin Abraham (34 tkl, 3 tfl). Either could win the position battle but both will see playing time this fall and give the Bulls a boost of young experienced talent. At the other safety position is junior Nate Godwin (72 tkl, 1 tfl). The 5-10, 202 pound safety is good versus the run game and must be able to give good support to the rest of the secondary versus some of the high flying offenses of the AAC like East Carolina and Cincinnati. Junior Hassan Childs (2 tkl) brings limited experience as the backup. The Bulls bring a pair of juniors in Lamar Robbins (21 tkl, 3 tfl, 1 INT) and Johnny Ward (36 tkl, 1 tfl, 2 INT) to start at the two open cornerback slots. Both are large corners in the physical mold of Richard Sherman with both topping 6-0 for their heights. Sophomore Deatrick Nichols (8 tkl) and Redshirt freshman Mazzi Wilkins back up the duo and should see limited playing time this fall.

Special Teams: 

The Bulls have a solid punter returning for the upcoming season in senior Mattias Ciabatti. The 6-0, 189 pound punter averaged 44.4 yards per punt with a long of 62, 22 inside the 20 yard line, and 18 over 50 yards. Redshirt freshman Eric Briggs, a local Florida product, will back him up this fall. At kicker, the Bull look to replace Marvin Kloss with sophomore Emilio Nadelman. The 5-6 kicker attempted three kickoffs in 2014 with one of the three being a touchback. If he can hit the 50% touchback ratio from Kloss in 2014, he will be a huge weapon. Senior Michael Hill is the backup with neither to have tried a field goal attempt in a game.

Overall:

Given two years of leeway to get the program how he wanted it, 2015 is put up or shut up time for Willie Taggart and the South Florida Bulls. It will not be an easy task with a tough non-conference slate that includes trips to Maryland and Florida State while hosting Syracuse and Florida A&M as well as getting Navy, East Carolina, and UCF on the road.

The Bulls start with a home game versus Florida A&M that should build confidence with a blowout win. FAMU is coming off of back to back 3-9 seasons on the FCS level and should pose no challenge for South Florida. With a 1-0 record, the Bulls should lose in weeks two and three with trips to Florida State and Maryland. Florida State is missing a starting quarterback but is coming off of a FBS playoff semifinal appearance last season. Maryland played South Florida in Tampa last fall and came out with a 24-17 win. The chance for an upset is there but South Florida has to be much more dynamic on offense. The road does not get any easier for the Bulls with back to back home dates versus AAC rival Memphis followed by a visit from Syracuse. The Tigers, under head coach Justin Fuente, are rolling and should win their third straight game over the Bulls. Syracuse is much improved and should eek out a win over South Florida to send the Bulls to a disappointing 1-4 start.

A much needed two game respite comes on October 17 with games at UConn and home versus SMU. The Bulls should win both and move to 3-4 on the season with another tough stretch left in the season. Trips to Navy and East Carolina seem like automatic losses with the inability to score at the rates of either team and dropping the Bulls to 3-6. A visit from Temple is a chance for a win with the Bulls wanting revenge for a 37-28 loss in 2012. I think this is the upset South Florida gets to temporarily keep their bowl hopes alive at 4-6.

Those hopes will be crushed by visiting Cincinnati in the following week with the Bearcats way too strong offensively to let South Florida hang around. With a chance to get a fifth win and improve on last season's total, the Bulls would have to find some offense sorely lacking to upset UCF on the road. It is possible but not likely with USF ending a second straight season at 4-8.