Looking ahead to Saturday, there is doom on the horizon. Raymond James Stadium is preparing itself to come under attack from a group of Pirates. Some of the worst scallywags this side of the Atlantic.
Or it’s just the East Carolina Pirates. Either way, destruction is coming.
On Saturday, the South Florida Bulls will host ECU and they’ll be underdogs to say the least. They have a one-dimensional offense thanks to a quarterback who couldn’t hit a tank with an accurate pass. They have a young, talented defense that gets torched at times thanks to a lack of experience. They’re a team coming off a two-win season a year ago and just hoping to make a bowl this season.
Then there’s ECU. Its 49th-ranked rushing attack, averaging 185.8 yards per game, would be enough on the plate of the young Bulls defense. Unfortunately, that’s not even the scary part. No, the scary part is the 4th-ranked passing attack, averaging 395.6 yards per game. The Pirates’ offense is 9th in the nation with 43.6 points per game. They hung 70 on North Carolina. They hung tight with a strong SEC program in South Carolina, procuring their only loss (33-23 in Week 2). These Pirates are fearsome and they’re here to take Tampa by storm.
Surely, there has to be something USF can do to not only hold off the vicious Pirates, but best them on Saturday? Actually, there are five things:
1. Control the Clock
What’s one way to shut down a high-octane offense? Keep it off the field. USF knows that it can’t go blow for blow with the Pirates, so the goal should be to try to control the clock with the ground game. Give Marlon Mack and the other backs as much as they can handle in an effort to pound away at the Pirates’ defense.
That being said, East Carolina’s run defense is quite good – they’re 17th in the nation in yards per game allowed at 106.4. So if the Bulls are going to win this game on the ground, they’re going to have to earn every yard they get. Of course, part of controlling the clock will also mean…
2. Give White Easier Throws
It means that White has to be on his game and not this below-50 percent passer he’s been all season long. Part of the scheme should be to give him easier throws to work with; build his confidence a bit and let him improve on his accuracy without putting him into positions where he can turn the ball over.
Screens, bubble screens, slants and any other short route should become the go-to options in the passing game. Remember, the idea isn’t to beat the Pirates through the air. The idea is to keep the chains moving, chew up clock and keep the defense on the bench. Without a competent QB, that likely won’t happen.
3. Under Pressure
The Pirate offense begins with Shane Carden. He is the catalyst, completing 64.8 percent of his passes so far this year for 1,879 yards, 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His 156.8 passer rating tells you just how good he is.
With an offense like ECU’s, the key is going to be to get pressure on Carden. Not every pass rush needs to get home, but the front seven needs to let Carden know they are coming for him. Hit him at every possible opportunity and send pressure from every angle. Worst case is that Carden and the Pirates light up the scoreboard, but that was pretty much predicted anyway. Might as well take a shot at disrupting any ebb and flow the offense has.
4. One Dimensional
Part of the problem with facing an offense like ECU’s is that it is fairly balanced. Sure, Carden and the passing attack is lighting it up, but the Pirates are getting a quality effort out of their backfield as well.
If USF hopes to have a snowballs chance in hell on Saturday, it needs to make ECU as one-dimensional as possible. Shutting down the running game would make things easier for the back seven and allow them to focus on the passing game only.
Breon Allen is the Pirates’ leading rusher with 380 yards, but ECU has more than capable runners in Chris Hairston and Marquez Grayson, plus Carden can be a threat himself (three rushing touchdowns on the year). If the Bulls can get the jump on the Pirate ground game early, they can make life that much easier on themselves. Then again, they’d still have to deal with the nation’s 4th-best passing attack.
5. Be Aggressive, B-E Aggressive
In a game like this where one side is the obvious underdog, sitting back and waiting to be picked apart won’t get you very far. The goal should be simple: cause as much chaos as possible and hope that it’s enough to tip the balances back to a more favorable point.
That said, the Bulls should be as aggressive as they possibly can be. Trick plays, exotic blitzes, maybe even a fake or two. Anything and everything that could possibly result in a better shot to win should be done on Saturday. Passive coaching is not how you earn an upset.
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