Holtz, Bulls seek to crank up offense

Posted Aug 15, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Aug 15, 2010 at 08:53 PM

By Phil Neary
Tribune correspondent

VERO BEACH – After evaluating film of USF’s first scrimmage, Bulls coach Skip Holtz offered a bit of praise for the offense on Sunday despite its sluggish showing on Saturday.

“I thought the offensive line did some positive things,’’ Holtz said following Sunday afternoon’s practice. “Our defense is throwing a lot at us. They’re twisting, blitzing, and moving, not really staying stagnant. The defense knows where they’re going.’’

Holtz said quarterback B.J. Daniels’ inconsistent day was a result of many things, including dropped passes and missed reads. Holtz and Daniels had a long talk after the scrimmage to discuss some of the miscues.

USF spent much of Sunday’s practice working on the passing game.

“We just have to go back to the drawing board,’’ Holtz said. “We’re not going to re-invent the wheel, not throw everything out we’re doing. B.J. had a bad day and he was frustrated. He made some great reads and then maybe overthrew it. And then he’d turn and maybe miss a read. And then he’d turn and make a read and it’d be dropped.’’

The Bulls are scheduled to hold their second scrimmage of camp on Saturday in Tampa, and much of this week will be spent on trying to get the offense up to speed with the defense.

“The defense is ahead of the offense, probably as they are all over the country,’’ Holtz said. “Offenses are trying to get in the rhythm, get the right read and especially when you’re dealing with a couple young quarterbacks in a new system, you’re going to have some of these growing pains.’’

LANDI’S ROLE: Despite not catching a pass in Saturday’s scrimmage, Holtz said redshirt sophomore receiver Evan Landi graded out the highest of all the receivers and has been the most consistent receiver in camp.

“The way he’s blocking, the way he knows what he’s doing, his spirit, his attitude, his competitive nature, his toughness – he’s doing great,’’ Holtz said.

Landi, recruited as a quarterback, is currently a starting receiver. But Holtz said Sunday the staff is going to start working him in with the quarterbacks from a mental standpoint in case he has to juggle positions. Holtz said he’ll have a final decision after the next scrimmage.

“I’m still going to keep him at receiver,’’ Holtz said. “I just want him to get some of the mental work that goes with the (quarterback) position. We may just give him a couple (reps), but at this point it’s not a wholesale move. He’s a receiver and we’ve got to be able to turn and do both with him.’’

“What we have to evaluate right now is do we put him back there and have him play backup quarterback as well, kind of like we did when we had a modified practice schedule in the spring. We’ve got to make a decision (in regard to) how fast the young quarterbacks are going to come around and how far they are from being ready to play.’’

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: Despite having good fortune on the injury front during the scrimmage, Holtz said it’s getting to a point where the players are feeling the grind of camp.

“We pushed this team a little bit to the edge (Saturday),’’ Holtz said of the 152-play scrimmage. “We created a little adversity to them. They’re sore, they’re tired probably about ready to go home at this point.’’

BULL BITS: The first depth chart of the fall is expected to be released Monday. The team has its second two-a-day of camp … Holtz said he appreciated the hundreds of people who showed up at Saturdays scrimmage three hours from Tampa. “Our fan base is excellent. We just want to let them know how much we appreciate them.’’ Redshirt sophomore cornerback George Baker worked returning kicks on Sunday.