By PHIL NEARY
Tribune correspondent

TAMPA – After Thursday’s practice in shorts, USF coach Skip Holtz pointed out that last year the Bulls were at the bottom of the Big East in several special teams’ categories.

Holtz said special teams remain an area of concern, and one that he will be watching closely in Friday’s scrimmage, the third and final scrimmage of fall camp.

“It’s just like offense and defense,’’ Holtz said. “You’ve got to spend time on it. That’s definitely an area where we have an opportunity to turn and improve on. We’re going to need to if we’re going to be a good football team.’’

There will also be an emphasis on getting the first- and second-teamers prepared to play a game, and eliminating some of the mental mistakes that often pop up in the season opener.

“First game you always have those 10-man penalties where I’m on the field, you call punt, and I run off and I didn’t hear you call punt,’’ Holtz said. “I’m just trying to get them in the flow of the game and how special teams work in the offense and defense aspects of it. When we get a stop on defense, I have to stay at them on punt returns, those types of things.’’

DEFENSIVE DEPTH: The lack of star power on defense is a popular storyline entering the season, but it’s not one that has USF’s coaching staff concerned.

“I like the guys that we have,’’ Holtz said. “I don’t think we’re there. All of a sudden our defense is being tested a little bit more than they were early and I’m not sure we didn’t have a little bit of a false sense of security about how good we were on defense.’’

The Bulls sent five defensive starters to the NFL after last season, including the 15th overall pick in DE Jason Pierre-Paul, and lost a few reserves to graduation.

“Bobby Bowden used to say, ‘I’ve got three tailbacks,’ (and) it just means (he) doesn’t have one great one,’’ Holtz said. “We don’t have the Pierre-Paul. We don’t have that guy who can play 80 snaps for us and be a first-round draft pick so to speak. We may have to do it by committee.’’

BEVY OF RETURNERS: The competition to return kicks remains competitive entering the final stretch of fall camp.

Senior Faron Hornes, sophomore Lindsey Lamar, redshirt freshman Jonny Sitton and freshman Terrence Mitchell have all worked returning punts.

Mitchell, senior Dontavia Bogan, Lamar, and sophomore Kayvon Webster are candidates to return kickoffs. Holtz said Mitchell, recruited as a cornerback, could be a good option at one or both because of the depth at cornerback.

“It’s not because he isn’t doing well (at cornerback), it’s because you have (senior) Mistral Raymond, Kayvon Webster, and (Quenton) Washington. You’ve got some guys who are playing pretty well (at cornerback) right now,’’ Holtz said.

BULL BITS: Freshman QB Jamius Gunsby practiced Thursday after missing all week due to a groin injury suffered in Saturday’s scrimmage … Lamar tweaked his shoulder during Thursday’s practice, according to Holtz, but isn’t expected to miss extended time.