It’s been three long seasons since the USF Bulls last made the postseason. The 2010 incarnation of the Bulls managed to go 8-5, topping notable foes Rutgers, Louisville and Miami (Fla.) on their way to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte (NC) where they would defeat Clemson, 31-26.
This year, USF is eying a return to bowl season with a slew of talented underclassmen permeating the roster and they’re already a third of the way to that goal, going 2-3 on the young season. They’ve had an ugly loss (NC State) and two surprisingly close losses (Maryland, Wisconsin) as well as a couple of close victories.
In the quest to make it back to bowl season, one burning question has emerged through the first five games of the season: can quarterback Mike White get the job done and help lead the Bulls to that all-important six-win mark?
So far, the answer is unequivocally, resounding, emphatically NO.
Through five games, it would be a compliment to call White’s performance abysmal. Of the 126 quarterbacks that qualified, White’s 99.7 passer rating is 123rd in the nation, only ahead of Louisiana-Lafayette’s Terrance Broadway, Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton (who sounds like a ‘50s movie star) and Hawaii’s Ikaika Woolsey.
While his 7.0 yards per attempt isn’t the worst in the world (tied for 72nd), his accuracy absolutely is. He’s completed 32 of his 80 throws on the year, good for just 40 percent. That puts him dead last among qualified quarterbacks and a full five percent behind the next-to-last, Andrew Hendrix of Miami (Oh.). And now you see where the issues are.
The first thought is to look at White’s supporting cast, but there you will only find talent. Running back Marlon Mack is having a huge freshman campaign, with 536 yards and five touchdowns. There is a talented collection of receivers that will only get better when Andre Davis shakes off the injury bug, and the line has been doing a respectable job to keep White as clean as possible in the pocket.
Simply put, White fails to hit his receivers in stride or put it in a place where only they can get it. Like any quarterback, he struggles with pressure and, at 6-foot-5, isn’t mobile enough to get himself out of trouble.
With White, it could be as simple as him being a young quarterback and having to A.) work through the nerves and B.) get himself the requisite number of reps. He’s got a big arm and showed better accuracy in high school, so it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility to think that he could turn it around. Whatever his issues are, however, White is not the man to lead the Bulls back to a bowl game in 2014.
Unfortunately for USF, that man may not be on the roster. Backup Steven Bench has been just as middling overall in his limited time in the lineup, though he does provide a bit more of a running threat than White.
For this season, the Bulls’ postseason hopes fall on the arm of White. Four more wins, Mr. White. That’s all you need.
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