While shoppers tackled each other for the best deals on Black Friday, the USF football team found reason to hold their heads high despite not qualifying for a bowl game.
Although they lost the “War on I-4” 16-0 to the University of Central Florida (8-4) in the season finale, the Bulls (4-8) accomplished feats not seen in nearly half a decade, some never seen.
In 2014, the Bulls doubled last year’s win total (2), had their fourth 1,000-yard rusher in school history (Marlon Mack), had their first wide receiver collect over 2,000 career yards (Andre Davis) and won their most conference games since 2010 (3).
The Bulls honored 20 players on Senior Day before they took the field for the last time in 2014, including their team captains, linebacker Reshard Cliett, kicker Marvin Kloss and WR Davis.
“I appreciate them for helping to set the foundation of what the USF football program is going to be about,” Head Coach Willie Taggart said, talking about his departing seniors.
The team will welcome back many contributors next season. Underclassmen, like Mack, shined in their short time under Taggart’s tutelage, who is still implementing his system at USF.
“A lot of people looking from the outside, they don’t know what it takes to build a program,” Davis said. “It’s definitely hard to get a program going, but Coach T definitely has the program going in the right way.”
Mack is a strong candidate for the American Athletic Conference’s freshman of the year. The running back averaged 86.7 rushing yards per game and scored nine times, more than doubling the Bulls’ rushing touchdowns from last season.
The quarterback situation remains a question as Taggart has started three different QBs this season (Mike White, Steven Bench and Quinton Flowers). The QBs have struggled to put points on the board and rank 122nd in the nation with an average of 17.2 points per game. All three QBs will return in 2015.
“They’re good football players,” Taggart said. “They’re young. They hadn’t played a lot. They hadn’t gotten a lot experience and that’s going to come.”
On defense, 10 of the team’s 13 leading tacklers will return, including sophomore LB Nigel Harris, who leads the nation in forced fumbles (5) and leads the team in tackles for loss (9.5).
“We just gotta come together next year and build off of this foundation that the seniors set for us this year,” Harris said.
The Bulls’ defensive underclassmen forced 14 of the team’s 20 takeaways on the year. Junior defensive back Jamie Byrd tied with sophomore Johnny Ward for the most interceptions on the team (2). Byrd also led the team in tackles with 95.
“We just gotta keep grinding away,” Byrd said. “That’s all it is. Taking it one day at a time. Take this spring and summer one day at a time and get better and get ready for the next season.”
Although no one on the team is content with the final record, the players and coaches understand that these are growing pains necessary to make them better in the future.
The 2015 season will mark the Bulls’ third year under Taggart. He know he’s facing an uphill battle but said he wants to win at USF.
“My vision for this program is to win multiple championships in a first-class manner,” Taggart said. “That’s what we want to build it to. That’s what we’re going to build it to.”
