Key USF Defensive Players to Watch

This week, "The War on I-4" will be played between the USF Bulls and the UCF Knights at the Bounce House in Orlando.

Author:
Marc Miceli
Publish date:
Nov 24, 2021 2:45 PM EST

ORLANDO - This matchup is one that all of the UCF community has been looking forward to all season. The Knights have allowed 374.1 yards per game compared to the Bulls 488.4 yards per game. Not only does USF allow more yards per game than UCF, but they also allow 36.3 points per game compared to UCF who allows 26.3 points per game.

An interesting point to note is that on November 21, USF Athletics tweeted that their football program parted ways with defensive coordinator/safeties coach Glenn Spencer. Despite these circumstances, USF’s defense is led by multiple upperclassmen in each position group. Here are some key statistics that UCF fans should be aware of going into Friday's game.

USF Linebackers

Senior linebacker Antonio Grier leads the Bulls with 76 total tackles this season. Against Desmond Ridder and the Cincinnati Bearcats, he ended the game with a season-high 14 tackles. In addition to leading the Bulls in tackles, Grier also leads the Bulls with three total sacks on the season.

Grier has stepped up and created big plays for his team but, perhaps the most prominent play he made was against Tulsa when he intercepted Davis Brinn and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. That play is the only defensive touchdown that USF’s defense has scored all season.

In addition to Grier, another important linebacker for the Bulls is senior Dwayne Boyles. Boyles is second on the team in tackles with 60 this season and he also has forced two fumbles against the Bearcats.

Earlier this season against Cincinnati, the Bearcats were in a goal-to-go situation and on 4th and 1 a fumble was forced and Boyles recovered it to stop the Bearcats from scoring. The one-two punch of both Grier and Boyle has been very consistent for the Bulls all season and they will look to continue that against the Knights on Friday.

Defensive Line

USF’s defensive line includes two senior defensive tackles in Thad Mangum and Blake Green, as well as junior defensive end Jason Vaughn. Mangum has 32 total tackles, and three tackles for loss. He recorded his season-high for tackles with five against North Carolina State and Florida.

Blake Green, USF, Defensive Tackle
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Green has recorded 2.5 sacks and 30 total tackles on the year. Green recorded a sack against Houston’s quarterback Clayton Thune which set up a Houston punt and then led to an 11-yard touchdown run by freshman quarterback Timmy McClain. In addition to Mangum and Green, Vaughn recorded 19 total tackles, one-half a sack, and one forced fumble.

USF’s inability to create sacks and tackles for losses are some of the reasons why USF has struggled on the defensive side. They have only nine sacks this season as a unit which is ranked 128th, and 43 tackles for loss which is ranked 127th. Struggling to get tackles for loss against their opponents has led to them giving up 210.4 rushing yards per game.

Expect to see heavy usage from UCF’s running backs including senior Isaiah Bowser, if he is healthy enough to return from his leg injury. If Bowser is unavailable to suit up on Friday, expect the Knights to utilize a combination of sophomores in Johnny Richardson and Mark-Antony Richards.

The Secondary

USF’s secondary features three players who have very similar season statistics. One of them is senior safety Vincent Davis, who since coming to the Bulls back in 2018, has shown improvement in his ability to tackle as a cornerback.

This season, Davis has recorded 58 total tackles and a pass deflection. Similarly, senior safety Mekhi LaPointe has 53 total tackles, two pass deflections, and two interceptions this season. One of his interceptions came against Emory Jones and the Florida Gators where he returned it 50 yards, setting up a USF field goal on the next drive.

Another player to watch out for in this secondary is junior cornerback Daquan Evans, who like Davis and LaPointe, has 53 total tackles, a fumble recovery, and three pass deflections. Evans’ fumble recovery came against the No. 2 team in college football at the time in the Cincinnati Bearcats on their first offensive play of the game.

For more about the Bearcats, go here: Cincinnati’s Case for the College Football Playoff

As a whole, the USF secondary is not doing a good enough job of forcing turnovers and pass deflections. That is allowing opposing receivers to make catches downfield which is a reason why USF’s defense has allowed 278 yards per game. That ranked 122nd nationally. Having your defensive backs be the leaders on your team in tackles is rarely a good recipe for success.

It will be interesting to see how they plan on neutralizing the Knights who average 410 yards of total offense per game this season, 220 of those yards being through the air. What does all this mean?

In examining USF’s defense, there's little doubt that UCF should not have a problem scoring points against the vulnerable Bulls’ defense on Friday.