Tice, McCants Happy to Be Back in USF's Up-Tempo Attack
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, AUG. 17, 2017 – USF Football is nearly a week away from unleashing its accelerated, up-tempo attack on opponents with two very important Bulls back in the arsenal.
Senior running back
Darius Tice and go-to, junior receiver
Tyre McCants – now both healthy – are excited about helping the Bulls build off their record-breaking 2016 season that saw the offense set nearly 40 team and individual records.
"I'm lucky and blessed to be back here with my teammates," said Tice, who received a medical redshirt for 2016.
Bulls fans know just how beneficial it is to have a 205-pound locomotive like Tice in the mix, especially after seeing what the Miami native did last season before breaking his ankle against Florida State. Tice averaged 5.6 yards per carry and racked up a career-high 120 yards in his first start against Northern Illinois in week 2.
Tice needs just 126 more rushing yards to reach 1,000 in his USF career and he's looked even more explosive through 19 practices this fall.
"He was so fortunate to get the opportunity to come back and do it again. He's taking advantage of that," running backs coach
Shaun King said. "He's very focused and understands how fortunate he is. You can see it, there's a different bounce in his step."
Aside from bringing his relentless running style, Tice hasn't stopped upping his game in the leadership department. The fifth-year Bull always makes a point of giving younger players valuable advice during practice and uses his fun-loving attitude to make sure everyone is upbeat on the field.
"He's just a great, overall guy," McCants said. "If you're down, he's always going to pick you up. He's always going to bring you along and he's never going to leave anybody behind."
Like Tice, McCants is determined to leave defenses in the dust now that he's healthy after missing the spring with a sprained foot.
"I missed out on a lot of action. I missed out on a lot of details and I missed out on the team bonding that we do out here," McCants said. "It just feels great to be back outside and back with the team. Being back out there making plays is a great feeling."
McCants has shown no rust in fall practices, making difficult catches look easy with his soft hands, and he's stretching the field with confidence after becoming a true deep threat last season. The Niceville, Fla., native averaged 15.4 yards per catch in 2016 with four touchdowns grabs, including a career long 65-yarder against SMU.
New offensive coordinator
Sterlin Gilbert has given McCants plenty of work in the slot, which gives USF an intimidating figure at the spot since he lines up at 5-feet-11 and 235 pounds.
"That's obviously a position we like him in," Gilbert said Thursday. "He's able to apply pressure on people with his size and it's kind of a mismatch with either nickels or DBs out there."
McCants has embraced his slot role and now that he's fully healthy, running away from the competition won't be a problem despite being much larger than defensive backs.
"I like being a bigger body and using it to my advantage," he said. "I don't think it really ever holds me back speed-wise."
Offense Getting Ready for Season Opener
With each practice, USF's dynamic offense continues to get sharper this fall with the Aug. 26 season opener at San Jose State approaching fast.
"I can see their focus starting to go on San Jose State, and that's where it should be – the back end of camp and going into the season and prepping for an opponent," Gilbert said. "I've just seen that improvement with our guys."
Quinton Flowers and the rest of USF's talented players on offense should be in great shape under the guidance of their new coordinator once game time arrives. Gilbert averaged 505.3 yards and 36.8 points per game with his last four offenses at Texas (2016), Tulsa (2015), Bowling Green (2014) and Eastern Illinois (2012-13).
USF players initially started working with Gilbert in the spring and the Bulls have seemed to hit the accelerator even more this fall while perfecting the up-tempo attack.
"A lot of things have rolled on from spring to now and we're not really taking steps back," senior center
Cameron Ruff said. "Running backs are getting the calls quicker, wide receivers are lining up quicker. The offensive line knows what they are doing and (Flowers) is just being a phenomenal leader on the field. With his leadership and the way the offense is going, I think the sky is the limit for us."
Bulls Bits
- USF students should be on the lookout early next week for GoUSFBulls.com announcements regarding USF Athletics improving their overall game day experience at Raymond James Stadium. News will include new tailgating options and a new 100-percent mobile student ticketing system that will drastically reduce the number of steps needed to register for game admission.
- Fans make your calendars for Tuesday, Aug. 22, when they can hear head coach Charlie Strong talk about the season during The USF Football Radio Show. The event will take place from 6-7 p.m. at World of Beer on East Fowler Ave. (near the USF campus). Attendees wearing USF gear will receive their choice of a free pretzel, flatbread or draft beer. Learn more about The USF Football Radio Show HERE.
Up Next
USF is back at the Morsani Complex for practice Friday morning before fall camp comes to a close on Saturday. Practices are closed to the public.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF finished the 2016 season ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll with a school-record 11 wins following the program's fifth-ever bowl victory in the Birmingham Bowl. The Bulls' 11-2 record marked the fifth-best winning percentage in FBS football in 2016 and one of just 11 teams to reach 11 wins. USF set nearly 40 team and individual records in 2016, including team records for total yards (6,650), rushing yards (3,714), touchdowns (77) and scoring (569). Junior quarterback Quinton Flowers was named the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led a school-record 10 players named to the all-conference team, six of which, including Flowers, will return in 2017.
Purchase tickets for the upcoming season by following the USFBullsTix.com link HERE.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
- #GoBulls -
