Spring scrimmage notes

Posted Mar 27, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Mar 27, 2010 at 05:04 PM

Hey folks, spent the afternoon over at USF checking out the first scrimmage of the spring for the Bulls.

The biggest surprise was the lack of parking spaces when I showed up. The second-biggest surprise was the number of people waiting in line to enter the gate leading to the practice fields.

Check out Sunday’s edition of The Tampa Tribune for my story about the players and coaches discussing the atmosphere at Saturday’s scrimmage.

As far as the team goes, here are some notes from the scrimmage:

—USF coach Skip Holtz said “it was great for us to get all this on film.’’ Holtz plans to spend tonight and Sunday with his staff watching the film and finalizing the team’s depth chart, which he said will be released on Monday.

—Starting QB B.J. Daniels missed the first portion of practice to visit his critically injured roommate in the hospital. Daniels’ roommate was injured in a serious car wreck and Holtz gave him to option to miss Saturday’s scrimmage to visit his friend. Before Daniels showed up, the Bulls spent most of the practice with walk-on QB Ryan Eppes leading the offense. Most of the plays were runs, and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch liked the way the offensive line blocked and RB Demetris Murray ran. Fitch also singled out receiver Dontavia Bogan for having a strong scrimmage.

—Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said his unit was called for way too many penalties and plans to continue to work on preventing those mental mistakes. What he liked was the way the secondary came up and hit. Snyder said if the secondary can prevent the long pass and hit the way it did Saturday, the Bulls will be in good shape come fall.

—Sophomore LB Sam Barrington remains limited due to a shoulder bruise but Snyder is hopeful that he can return to non-contact drills Monday as he continues to recover.

—Holtz said RB Aston Samuels (ankle) and OL John McGhin (head) were the only injuries during Saturday’s scrimmage. He said it’s too early to know if either player will miss any significant time.

—The Bulls ran 131 plays during the scrimmage, giving the coaches ample material to dissect the rest of the weekend as they finalize the spring depth chart.

—DE Craig Marshall made a nice hit and fumble recovery late in Saturday’s scrimmage.

—Fitch said one of his goals Saturday was to get a better grasp on how each offensive player might fit into the rotation, using the TE spot as an example. For instance, Fitch sees Richard Kelly well-suited for the H-back role, Jeff Hawkins as a strong blocker and Isaac Virgin as an early candidate to be a playmaker at that position.

—Found it interesting Holtz took the time to speak to the crowd before the scrimmage, informing them that Daniels would be late and reminding them to wear plenty of sunscreen. Needless to say, the fans appreciated Holtz taking the time to say hello.

—Last but not least, the crowd at Saturday’s scrimmage was estimated at around 1,000.