USF Stony Brook Thoughts

• First off, the “New” Field Entrance was a total cluster ___ (You fill in the blank) Although I did like the fog and people got pumped, but to quote the movie Big Daddy, “We wasted the good surprise on you!” Which is exactly what happened when the coach and 4 captains ran out with a minute or two before the rest of the team came out.

• Dontavia Bogan (2 Catches 74 yards 1 TD), looks the part as the Senior wide out who is going to carry the load. It was evident from the first play where he stiff armed a DB to the ground and took it about 50 yards to the house. Way to step up on his part.

• BJ Daniels (15-22 264yds 2 TDs)  looked solid and definitely gave off the vibes that this is his team and he is going to run it. He didn’t look to run unless he absolutely had to and did a nice job looking for other receivers and not forcing passes into coverage. In fact he was so efficient and effective I honestly barely even noticed him. He did a very good job in this game and has developed nicely in the offseason with the new system and coaching staff. I would like to see more downfield passes, but this was only the first game of the season and its way too early to criticize the offensive playcalling (I’ll wait till next week, haha)

• Stephen Bravo-Brown (4 for 48 yards), I can guarantee that this kid will be playing a lot this season. Good hands, good moves. He has definitely impressed the coaching staff and it is very easy to see why. I got about 5 different text messages saying either, “Who is 80?” or “Bravo-Brown is legit.” I don’t know how he didn’t get much love coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas, but damn, I am quite glad to have him here.

• Special Teams-Wow, punts on both sides for USF were absolutely terrible. But the fumbles on the catches have to be the worst. Faron Hornes, the returner who had 2 fumbles on punts, was brought in here as a Punt return specialist last season, I kid you not. Walk on Johnny Sitton had a nice return but then fumbled it next time up. Terrance Mitchell (T-Rex) called 2 fair catches and caught them both. I’d bet on Sitton or T-Rex being there next week. You can’t give away possessions like that, especially against a team like UF.

• Running backs were a big question mark coming into this game, all but Mo Plancher are really young and haven’t had much play time (if any). Bradley Battles got the start, but he didn’t do too much in the game with only 4 carries for 14 yards. The player that I really felt was a contributor and thought did a great job was Demetrius Murray (10 carries 46 yards and 3 catches for 57, 1TD) , he showed a solid all around game, found good running lanes, soft hands to catch the ball and some shifty moves to make defenders miss. I seriously see Murray becoming the starting back in the next few weeks based on the all around game that he showed today. Marcus Shaw showed a lot of explosiveness and good speed, but this is tough to gauge as his carries were against a AA team who was down by 40 points in the fourth quarter. Mo Plancher was simply more of the same, consistent, but nothing to make you jump out of your seat for. I doubt he’ll be much of a factor with the strong showings of Murray and Shaw.

• The biggest surprise of the game has to go to Walk on QB Bobby Eveld. Eveld came into the game during the 2^nd half and it didn’t really feel as though he was a true freshman walk on. He showed nice pocket presence and promising arm strength. It’s easy to see why the coaching staff has decided on him being the #2 QB over Jamius Gunsby (Who will be red-shirted). Eveld went 9-12 for 119yds and a TD. There weren’t any bad decisions and he dumped it off to the RB when he knew that he didn’t have any more time. It is reassuring to know that if he had to come into the game, he could manage the offense til Daniels were back.

• The defense rotated a lot of players so it is diffficult to single out one player. The group as a whole played fairly well. Fundamentals were definitely preached quite a bit this off season and it shows, the Dline got a few tipped passes by getting those hands up. Nice group tackling and wrapping up. Secondary got beat here and there. But anytime you are allowed to score 52 unanswered points, your defense did one hell of a job. It was good to see 4 interceptions put up by the defense. This should be a more consistent defense from week to week. They should be able to use their speed to mask their size, (to a degree of course) and hopefully that will allow them to slow down most of the offenses that they will face this year. The biggest part is that even late in the game the guys coming off the bench for USF were still contributing to pass deflections, solid tackles and INTs. So it is very reassuring to know that with an injury there is some depth in each spot.

• I liked how this team didn’t freak out or hit the panic button after being down early to Stony Brook. A lot of composure and 52 unanswered points. That is a hell of a statement and way to step up.

• Watching this game in person, showed in so many ways that this coaching staff has been preaching fundamentals first and foremost. It has definitely shows and after being a little worried about the UF game, I seriously see this game being a close game that can go either way, with USF having more than just a fighting chance. I’m not a betting man but USF being 17 point underdogs is just Crazy. Especially considering how the teams came into week one , so bet against that spread boys and girls.

• More will be coming up this week as we get closer to seriously the biggest game in USF’s short history.

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