By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Matt Floyd has been on USF's campus for only three months, so it's all the more surprising the quarterback was the breakout star of Saturday's spring game at Raymond James Stadium. The freshman threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, mostly against the Bulls' No. 1 defense. "All my friends back home are getting ready for prom, getting their last-minute ACTs in to get into college," said Floyd, who graduated early from Milton High in December. "It was a good thing for me to come in, get with the team and in with the team chemistry. We're all one here. It was good for me to learn the offense, compete with Bobby (Eveld) and B.J. (Daniels) and make them better while making me better at the same time. Overall, it's been a lot of fun. I love it, and I'm so glad I came in early."
Floyd completed 20 of 34 passes, including a 70-yard touchdown to Derrick Hopkins. He stepped in earlier than expected when Eveld took a shot to the jaw on the scrimmage's first play. He went 6-of-7 for 75 yards on his opening drive, which ended when WR Victor Marc fumbled into the end zone.
"I thought (Floyd) had great vision," offensive coordinator Todd Fitch said. "He missed one or two things, but his vision and his composure … I was really impressed with him. I liked his coolness."
Really poor
With just two touchdowns to show for 25 possessions, coach Skip Holtz, left, said he was disappointed by the passing game, both the inconsistent passes and high number of drops.
"It was pretty discouraging watching the passing game," Holtz said. "I think it was very discouraging. I thought the way we executed the passing game was really poor. I didn't think we caught the ball very well, and I certainly didn't think we threw the ball very well.
"We definitely have to get better at that if we're going to have any shot as an offensive football team."
On the opening play, Derrick Hopkins dropped a deep pass from Bobby Eveld that hit him in stride. And Sterling Griffin, who later caught an 11-yard touchdown, let a deep pass from B.J. Daniels slip through his hands.
Daniels and Eveld went a combined 13-pf-36 with two interceptions, and much of Daniels' time came against the No. 2 defense.
Low turnout
After seeing spring game attendance increase five years in a row, topping out at 6,405 last year despite rain, Saturday's crowd was significantly down, an announced 2,493, the Tampa Sports Authority said. The 2 p.m. kickoff — previous games were played at night — likely contributed to the low turnout.
Because Raymond James Stadium is booked next weekend for an equestrian event, USF could not book the spring game as a culmination of spring practice.
The Bulls will hold a "Green and Gold Bowl" scrimmage on campus Saturday, so some fans might choose to attend that instead.
This and that
RB Darrell Scott had only four carries before pulling a muscle in his leg. Coach Skip Holtz said he will be out for a few weeks, including Saturday's scrimmage. … Redshirt freshman Deonte Welch matched the team high with five catches. … FBs Armando Sanchez (Northeast High) and Chris Breit (Plant High), both of whom switched from linebacker at the start of spring drills, had two catches.