Behind Enemy Lines: Florida Week
It was a rough start for the University of South Florida Bulls' football team in their opener against NC State. There will be no time for looking back, however, as the Bulls open their home season hosting the #13 University of Florida Gators. The Gators convincingly beat FAU in their opener, 35-14, last week, but the game showed that Florida might be vincible. To get a better idea of what to expect when these two teams take the field, we went Behind Enemy Lines with Gators Territory's Nick de la Torre.
BI: Florida head coach, Dan Mullen, says he has no quarterback controversy, but he’s planning to use Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson at quarterback. Why is he playing two, similar quarterbacks in succession if he’s confident in his starter? Do you think there is a chance that one or the other will play exclusively, going forward?
NT: Jones has been waiting a long time for this moment. He was Dan Mullen's first quarterback signee and he's patiently waited behind both Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask. I believe there's a sense of loyalty from Mullen towards Jones because Jones has been loyal to him and the program. Now, college football is a zero sum game and, at the end of the day, Mullen gets paid a lot of money to win football games. Jones and Richardson are very similar. Richardson is the future of the Gators but I don't think he's demonstratively better as a passer than Jones at this point of his career. He had a great game against FAU but Mullen is sticking with Jones and Jones. Both quarterbacks will continue to play. With the transfer portal changing the landscape of college football you need to keep players happy, so Richardson will have several series of his own every Saturday. The only way I can see Florida going to one quarterback exclusively would be because of injury or if Jones starts playing so poorly that Mullen's hand is forced.
BI: The Gators are coming off a closer-than-expected bout with FAU. While the Owls’ scores did come late in the game, Florida didn’t look like the #13 team in the country. Do you think they’re rusty or do they have some real issues, and if so, what are they?
NT: I think there is some rust that shows in the first game of the season. Florida's defense was much better in the opener than numbers would show and certainly better than the dumpster fire of 2020. The Gators had nine penalties, several that extended FAU drives, but made adjustments in the second half. In the thrid quarter they gave up just 39 yards and didn't allow a third down conversion before taking out their starters and allowing FAU to score twice. Offensively, Florida had a miscommunication that resulted in a turn over on downs and an interception in the red zone, that kept the game closer than it should have been. While the game finished 35-14, it easily could have been 49-0 or 49-14 and we'd be having a much different conversation.
BI: Following the trip to Tampa, Florida plays host to a team from Alabama. Is there any chance USF can catch the Gators looking ahead, especially given the Bulls’ poor showing in the opener.
NT: If I'm being honest Florida has probably been looking at Alabama film since they lost the SEC Championship Game. The local media asked a defensive player about FAU prior to the opener and it didn't seem like they knew much about their opponent. Again, a defensive player was asked this week about what he had seen on film of USF and, other than that the BUlls used two quarterbacks, he didn't have much in the way of an answer. So, despite the whole, "one game at a time, every opponent if important" spiel that gets regurgitated by every player, yes, I do think Florida is overlooking USF and I think they looked past FAU in the opener as well.
BI: This is the first time Florida will play the Bulls in Tampa. How do the players, fans, and university feel about playing there?
NT: There's a ton of excitement from the fan base. Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville are huge Gator alumni bases and any time your team comes to your city it's exciting. Two players, in particular, are very excited about playing in Tampa. Redshirt seniors Zach Carter (Hillborough) and Malik Davis (Jesuit) have both been bombarded with ticket requests. Carter's mom told him she needed him to find 30 tickets for the game, and Carter thinks that number is around 40 now. This is a really cool opportunity for USF to host a SEC team but I think Florida and their fans are getting just as cool of an opportunity to see their team in a new location.
BI: Who should USF fans look out for on game day? Who will shine on defense? Offense? Anyone you expect to put on a surprise performance?
NT: We've touched on the quarterbacks but Florida's offense will be run-oriented. Last week Richardson led the way rushing but Malik Davis was really impressive as well. Davis will need to manage his emotions playing back at home but he could have a huge day Saturday. Carter is coming off of a three sack performance against FAU and is the player to watch on that side of the ball. One more player to watch is Xzavier Henderson. The receiver is also returning punts for the Gators and is electric.