USF LB Lattimore making huge strides

Posted Aug 21, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Aug 21, 2011 at 02:37 PM

When thinking back to USF’s victory over Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl to close the 2010 season, most fans likely recall the MVP performance of quarterback B.J. Daniels. There was, though, a player on the other side of the ball who also had a pretty good day for the Bulls.

Linebacker DeDe Lattimore put the finishing touches on his first season as a starter with one of his best games of the year. He led the defense with nine tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and half a sack, in that 31-26 win over the Tigers.

Like Daniels, who had his second pass attempt of the game intercepted, Lattimore overcame an early gaffe. According to defensive coordinator Mark Snyder, Lattimore busted the first call of the game, but the way he rebounded after that with a complete performance was a testament to how much he’d grown throughout the season.

“You could see that he matured and played a little bit more. By the time we got to that game he was a lot more comfortable than he was at the beginning of the season, and that’s just continued to carry over,” said Snyder, who said the performance gave Lattimore a big confidence boost.

“That was great carryover for DeDe coming out of that bowl game, and it’s showing out here big time right now.”

You can read the rest of the story on Lattimore, which appeared on Sunday’s Tampa Tribune, HERE.