After this past Saturday’s beatdown at the hands of the North Carolina State Wolfpack, an embarrassing 49-17 drubbing in front of the home crowd, this feature could probably go on and on for a while about what needs improving.
Unfortunately, this column can’t stretch on for eternity, so we’re going to focus on one area that needs improvement heading into next week’s action for the USF Bulls.
In case you haven’t been watching the last three weeks, the area in desperate need of improvement is the heinous, atrocious passing game. It exists only in theory; scholars and adventurers have sworn to have seen it despite a serious lack of evidence.
The effort on Saturday against NC State was the worst to date and that’s saying quite a bit: Mike White, the embattled starter, completed just four of his 16 attempts for 82 yards, with 75 of those coming on one play on the Bulls’ first possession. So really, the day looks like this: 3-of-5 for seven yards. On paper, you’d think USF starting an actual Pop Warner quarterback; an eight-year old who keeps throwing the ball behind his linemen because that’s all he can do. And honestly, White’s performance wasn’t far off of that.
On the season, it’s just as bad: White is 14-of-43 (32.6%) for 275 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Sadly, he leads the team in yards per attempt at just a shade over 6. Backup Steven Bench saw action in the second game, but was just as bad having gone 15-of-37 for 172 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
What’s the issue? Why is USF’s passing attack so anemic?
The offensive line actually isn’t all that bad; it’s tied with a bunch of other teams for 54th in the nation in sacks allowed, having given up five through the first three games. Obviously, it could be better but it’s not like White is staring down the barrel of a death blitz every snap.
The running game is also actually pretty decent. Sure, it ranks 81st in the nation at 149 yards per game, but that’s in the face of stacked boxes unafraid of the USF passing attack. Leading rusher Marlon Mack has almost 400 yards through three games, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Imagine where his numbers would be if teams even respected the Bulls’ passing attack, let alone feared it. Mack is doing what he’s doing of late with no hope of gaining significant yardage.
Part of the issue no doubt comes down to White’s lack of experience (he is a sophomore, after all), but it’s clearly his woeful accuracy. Receivers could stand to get a little better separation, but it’s his job to be accurate with the ball and deliver it in a place where only they can catch it. The bad part is that he’s delivering it in a place where no one can catch it. With the lax coverages that come from selling out to stop the run, White is facing the optimal scenario when throwing the ball and still can’t make much out of it.
If the Bulls’ passing game is ever going to get on track, White is going to have to improve on his accuracy significantly. Even jumping to around 50 percent could make them dangerous enough to get teams to back off the run, opening up holes for Mack and the backs as well as opportunities to use play action in an effective manner.
Until that happens, the USF offense will be in a ton of trouble.
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