USF-Louisville Extra Points

Posted Nov 22, 2009 by Scott Carter

Updated Nov 22, 2009 at 03:37 PM

Before we totally forget about USF’s 34-22 win over Louisville on Saturday and start looking ahead to Miami, let’s take one final look back at the Bulls’ much-needed win over the Cardinals.

Here are some final thoughts:

* Please remember I’m a little new to the world of Jim Leavitt, so I was quite surprised with the tone at the start of his postgame press conference yesterday. He spoke for several minutes about being disappointed, which is rare for a coach whose team just racked up 538 yards of total offense. He backed off the criticism a little, but overall, you could tell he wasn’t that happy with the way the Bulls played. Leavitt knows more about the X’s and O’s of football than I, so I’ll take his word for it. Personally, other than the second-quarter lapse, the Bulls looked pretty good to me, especially the play of quarterback B.J. Daniels. Coach, if you read this, please don’t run over and headbutt me next time we see other.

* Oh, about that headbutt Leavitt delivered on Saturday to fire up the Bulls. Senior safety Nate Allen said it worked, so hard to second-guess the ploy. But dude, at least put a helmet on next time to save your face from looking like Mike Tyson’s punching bag.

* The up-and-down ride of freshman QB Daniels peaked on Saturday. Daniels passed for a career-high 304 yards, ran for a career-best 141, improving to 4-3 since replacing the injured Matt Grothe as USF’s starter. Daniels is a dangerous threat, no doubt. Once he gets more seasoned, he could be scary good.

* Daniels needs more help from the running game. Mo Plancher gained 68 yards on 17 carries, but you get the idea that opposing defensive coordinators don’t fret too much over the Bulls’ backfield other than Daniels.

* The Bulls were 9 of 17 on third-down conversions, a big improvement from the 2-for-12 performance at Rutgers. Third downs will be a key against Miami.

* After getting a punt blocked at Rutgers, the Bulls allowed a blocked field goal and a punt return for a touchdown against Louisville. The special teams has some issues that must be ironed out quickly to be in top form against the ‘Canes.

* The Bulls had three sacks against Louisville, but they’ll need to pressure Miami’s Jacory Harris regularly to avoid letting him hang in the pocket and deliver passes with that soft touch of his.

* If the Bulls rack up 538 yards of total offense against Miami, I like their chances. However, Leavitt does have some legitimate concerns the Bulls must address in pratice this week to beat the Canes and record another historic win in the program’s history.