While the USF football team may not be familiar with any of the Florida A&M players who will take the field against them Saturday at Raymond James Stadium, they’ll be all too familiar with the style of offense the Rattlers will run.
Both teams employ an up-tempo offense that coach Willie Taggart said isn’t too different from the style of play the Bulls have adopted.
“(The current FAMU coaching staff) ran up tempo at Buffalo and we’ll expect that,” Taggart said at Tuesday's presser. “It’s fast, like we’re trying to do at times. We’ll be ready for it, our guys have a lot of preparation for it from spring and training camp.”
Senior defensive end Eric Lee said the reps the defense has received against this type of offense has given them a unique advantage for the season opener.
“That’s obviously a perk, making sure we see formations, plays and things we’ve seen from camp is an advantage in the sense of repetition,” Lee said. “Seeing something more than once, getting a feel for it, making sure our fits are right, making sure we’ve got good reads, puts us in a more comfortable and confident standing going up against FAMU on Saturday.”
Lee, who was voted as captain of the defense by his peers, said the defense will be will be playing with something to prove Saturday.
“We always have something to prove and that should be the statement of our defense regardless of we go against,” Lee said. “It’s not about them, it’s about us and having that mentality that we have to be the best to win and it’s on us.”
While the defense will be looking forward to seeing something they’ve gotten used to, Taggart and receiver Rodney Adams were buzzing with excitement over how the Bulls’ offense will look under the lights in Week 1.
“We ran (spread) in high school and and Toledo,” Adams said. “For us to switch offenses here to a spread, it’s a lot more comfortable than what we were running last year. We’ll see on Saturday how we can execute with it.”
Adams, the likely candidate to fill former receiver Andre Davis’ shoes, said much of the Bulls’ big-play ability in this offense will come as a result of Quinton Flowers’ dual-threat ability.
“With teams loading the box, that opens up for the faster guys outside like Chris Barr, Ryeshene Bronson and myself,” Adams said. “We’ll have a lot of plays made downfield.”
And despite the fact that Flowers threw only a limited amount of times in his time on the field last season, Adams couldn’t say enough about the sophomore’s arm.
“He has a great arm,” Adams said. “He has a cannon on him.”
But Flowers’ success will rely on the hands of his receivers — a group that includes two true freshman and two redshirt freshman.
Adams said the team’s switch to a spread offense has enabled players to make an impact faster due to its simplicity.
“A lot of high schools run a spread offense and for young guys to come into a pro style means they won’t know what is what,” Adams said. “One play is a paragraph, so it’s hard for them to learn everything in the offense. Going back to a spread, it’s easier for them to learn and they can play early and play fast.”
One of those young players is true freshman Chris Barr, who earned the starting job as the slot receiver.
“He’s a really fast guy in the slot position,” Adams said. “Next to the linebackers, I don’t think a linebacker can touch him with his speed and quickness.”
The Bulls will try and utilize their own speed and quickness Saturday against the Rattlers when Taggart will enter a season with a new coaching staff, new schemes and the same old expectations — just win.
Notes
OL transfer Glen Bethel will not be with the Bulls — at least for the fall semester.
Taggart confirmed that senior QB Steven Bench will get snaps Saturday.
“It’s a long season and we gotta get guys ready to play,” Taggart said. “You look at teams throughout this past season and you never know when you’ll be called upon.”
All three RBs will see reps Saturday, with Mack leading the bunch, followed by Tice and Johnson.
Quote of the day: “Everything until now has been peaches and cream, it’s been good. Everyone’s been smiling and excited. I’m ready to see this football team when things get tough, how we’re gonna respond then when things get tough. It’s gonna happen, it’ll probably happen in this game Saturday. Are we gonna walk the other way? Or are we gonna be excited when adversity comes our way?” — Taggart on the Bulls facing adversity for the first time in the 2015 season.
Both teams employ an up-tempo offense that coach Willie Taggart said isn’t too different from the style of play the Bulls have adopted.
“(The current FAMU coaching staff) ran up tempo at Buffalo and we’ll expect that,” Taggart said at Tuesday's presser. “It’s fast, like we’re trying to do at times. We’ll be ready for it, our guys have a lot of preparation for it from spring and training camp.”
Senior defensive end Eric Lee said the reps the defense has received against this type of offense has given them a unique advantage for the season opener.
“That’s obviously a perk, making sure we see formations, plays and things we’ve seen from camp is an advantage in the sense of repetition,” Lee said. “Seeing something more than once, getting a feel for it, making sure our fits are right, making sure we’ve got good reads, puts us in a more comfortable and confident standing going up against FAMU on Saturday.”
Lee, who was voted as captain of the defense by his peers, said the defense will be will be playing with something to prove Saturday.
“We always have something to prove and that should be the statement of our defense regardless of we go against,” Lee said. “It’s not about them, it’s about us and having that mentality that we have to be the best to win and it’s on us.”
While the defense will be looking forward to seeing something they’ve gotten used to, Taggart and receiver Rodney Adams were buzzing with excitement over how the Bulls’ offense will look under the lights in Week 1.
“We ran (spread) in high school and and Toledo,” Adams said. “For us to switch offenses here to a spread, it’s a lot more comfortable than what we were running last year. We’ll see on Saturday how we can execute with it.”
Adams, the likely candidate to fill former receiver Andre Davis’ shoes, said much of the Bulls’ big-play ability in this offense will come as a result of Quinton Flowers’ dual-threat ability.
“With teams loading the box, that opens up for the faster guys outside like Chris Barr, Ryeshene Bronson and myself,” Adams said. “We’ll have a lot of plays made downfield.”
And despite the fact that Flowers threw only a limited amount of times in his time on the field last season, Adams couldn’t say enough about the sophomore’s arm.
“He has a great arm,” Adams said. “He has a cannon on him.”
But Flowers’ success will rely on the hands of his receivers — a group that includes two true freshman and two redshirt freshman.
Adams said the team’s switch to a spread offense has enabled players to make an impact faster due to its simplicity.
“A lot of high schools run a spread offense and for young guys to come into a pro style means they won’t know what is what,” Adams said. “One play is a paragraph, so it’s hard for them to learn everything in the offense. Going back to a spread, it’s easier for them to learn and they can play early and play fast.”
One of those young players is true freshman Chris Barr, who earned the starting job as the slot receiver.
“He’s a really fast guy in the slot position,” Adams said. “Next to the linebackers, I don’t think a linebacker can touch him with his speed and quickness.”
The Bulls will try and utilize their own speed and quickness Saturday against the Rattlers when Taggart will enter a season with a new coaching staff, new schemes and the same old expectations — just win.
Notes
OL transfer Glen Bethel will not be with the Bulls — at least for the fall semester.
Taggart confirmed that senior QB Steven Bench will get snaps Saturday.
“It’s a long season and we gotta get guys ready to play,” Taggart said. “You look at teams throughout this past season and you never know when you’ll be called upon.”
All three RBs will see reps Saturday, with Mack leading the bunch, followed by Tice and Johnson.
Quote of the day: “Everything until now has been peaches and cream, it’s been good. Everyone’s been smiling and excited. I’m ready to see this football team when things get tough, how we’re gonna respond then when things get tough. It’s gonna happen, it’ll probably happen in this game Saturday. Are we gonna walk the other way? Or are we gonna be excited when adversity comes our way?” — Taggart on the Bulls facing adversity for the first time in the 2015 season.
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