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One team studied film, found and exploited weaknesses, and designed a masterful gameplan on Saturday, and unfortunately, it was not the team coming off a bye with two full weeks to prepare.
If you've been reading these breakdowns, you know about the weakness this team has defending the play action all year. Turns out, USF took things a step farther, realizing the play action struggles were merely a symptom of the Orange's inability to handle misdirection of all sorts.
The Bulls burned the SU defense time and time again with creative misdirection. The play action was effective for 7-for-10 passing for 177 yards and one touchdown, but they also mixed in an effective zone read that was responsible for almost all of the 281 rushing yards. They also went to wide receiver screens, fake wide receiver screens, double reverse passes, basically anything to get the defense moving one way and then going the other way. And it all worked, to the tune of 7.8 yards per play, the worst performance of the season this year.
Three big things jump out that should terrify you if you're an SU fan:
1. South Florida showed an entire playbook on how to beat this defense
Again, we all knew about the play action passes, but you can't run that over and over again. But you can run those alongside an assortment of misdirection runs, screens, pump fakes, etc. all day, every day against this team. That's exactly what the Bulls did, and that's exactly what every team left on the schedule is going to do as well.
2. USF didn't have to outwork the Orange
They made it look easy. It wasn't just missed tackles or tremendous individual efforts by the home team. South Florida was in open space all day, with the Syracuse defense almost always a step or two behind. They put players in better position to succeed, and they basically just had to catch and run into the end zone.
3. Preparation is becoming a major concern for Syracuse
For the second-consecutive game, Syracuse came onto the field, following a big touchdown from its offense, with just 10 players on the field.
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Both times, the Orange scored to make the score 24-17. Both times they came out for a crucial stop with the game probably hanging in the balance. Both times they couldn't even get 11 guys on the field.
In the LSU game, it cost them a timeout. In the South Florida game, it cost them a 9-yard run that may not have been as long if all four defensive linemen were on the field.
When you combine these mental errors with the defense's inability to get lined up against Central Michigan (resulting in a timeout that let the Chippewas map out the game-tying play), we're starting to see a troubling trend.
Let's break down the rest of the game below.
First Quarter
| DRIVE 1 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 12:15 | 1st and 10 | USF 20 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Delayed Blitz (rush 5) | PA Pass | Deep Middle | Incomplete | Deep ball overthrown, 1 on 1 coverage |
| 12:09 | 2nd and 10 | USF 20 | 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and MLB Blitz (rush 6) | Designed pass, run | Right | 6 yard gain | WR screen turned into QB run, Cordy Tackle |
| 11:41 | 3rd and 4 | USF 26 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB and MLB Blitz (rush 6) | WR Screen Pass | Left | 10 yard gain | 3 WRs left with 2 covering made it easy to block screen, Cordy Tackle |
| 11:17 | 1st and 10 | USF 36 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 17 yard gain | Zone read left, Williams Tackle |
| 10:54 | 1st and 10 | SU 47 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | No gain | Thompson Tackle |
| 10:23 | 2nd and 10 | SU 47 | 1 RB, 4 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 2 yard gain | Bennett Tackle |
| 9:46 | 3rd and 8 | SU 45 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 2 LB, 5 DB | N/A | Pass | Left | 1 yard gain | Morgan, Cordy Tackle |
| DRIVE 2 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 7:05 | 1st and 10 | USF 47 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB Blitz (rush 5) | PA WR Screen Pass | Right | 21 yard gain | PA fake left, pass short right, wide open, Arciniega Tackle |
| 6:42 | 1st and 10 | SU 32 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 2 yard gain | QB keep on zone read up middle, Bennett Tackle |
| 6:14 | 2nd and 8 | SU 30 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 1 yard loss | Zone read option, pushed wide, Hudson Tackle |
| 3rd and 9 | SU 31 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | LOLB, MLB, ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Pass | Right | Incomplete | Taylor hurried QB out of pocket, rushed throw off target | |
| DRIVE 3 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 4:00 | 1st and 10 | USF 21 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 6 yard gain | Simmons Tackle |
| 3:39 | 2nd and 4 | USF 27 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 2 yard gain | Franlin Tackle |
| 3:00 | 3rd and 2 | USF 29 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Designed pass, run | Middle | 4 yard gain | Thompson blew up blocker, QB took off under pressure, Hodge Tackle |
| 2:32 | 1st and 10 | USF 33 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 8 yard gain | Taylor Tackle |
| 1:58 | 2nd and 2 | USF 41 | 1 RB, 4 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | WR Screen Pass | Right | 6 yard gain | Holding USF, 10 yards from spot, was wide open from the start though |
| 1:34 | 2nd and 6 | USF 37 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 5 yard gain | Thomas Tackle |
| 0:53 | 3rd and 1 | USF 42 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 5 yard gain | Zone read, QB keep up middle, Whigham Tackle |
| 0:28 | 1st and 10 | USF 47 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB Blitz (rush 5) | Pass | Right | Incomplete | WR wide open, but caught out of bounds |
| 2nd and 10 | USF 47 | False start, 5 yard penalty | |||||||
| 0:21 | 2nd and 15 | USF 42 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA WR Screen Pass | Right | 56 yard gain | PA Fake left sucked all 3 LBs, and held safeties, no one touched WR until Cordy Tackle |
USF Play Calls: 10 runs, 10 passes
Defensive personnel: 18 base defense, 2 subpackages
Blitzes: 11/20(55%)
We should have been very worried after this quarter, even though it ended 0-0. Misdirection was killing the Orange defense, with three big plays (17, 21, and 56 yards) all coming off either zone read, or zone read play action passes. The defense was biting every which way, and it finally burned them on the last play of the quarter, which would set up an early score in the next period for the Bulls. South Florida was 2-for-3 on play action passes for 77 yards in the first. Ouch.
Second Quarter
| DRIVE 3 (cont.) | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 15:00 | 1st and Goal | SU 2 | 2 WR, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 1 yard gain | Zone read, QB keep, Clark Tackle |
| 14:21 | 2nd and Goal | SU 1 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 1 yard TD | Zone read, handoff broke outside for TD |
| DRIVE 4 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 3:45 | 1st and 10 | USF 25 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Right | 7 yard gain | Scissum, Simmons Tackle |
| 3:15 | 2nd and 3 | USF 32 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Shovel Pass Jet Sweep | Left | 1 yard gain | Cordy Tackle, great open field hit |
| 2:58 | 3rd and 2 | USF 33 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 3 yard gain | Zone read, QB keep up middle Taylor Tackle |
| 2:30 | 1st and 10 | USF 36 | 1 RB, 4 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Designed PA Pass, QB Run | Left | 3 yard gain | Almost immediately pulled down and ran left OB |
| 2:03 | 2nd and 7 | USF 39 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB Delayed Blitz (rush 5) | Pass | Middle | Incomplete | Winfield pass breakup, almost INT in double coverage |
| 1:56 | 3rd and 7 | USF 39 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Sack | 10 yard loss | Thompson demolished LT for sack |
| DRIVE 5 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 1:32 | 1st and 10 | SU 25 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB Blitz (rush 5) | PA Pass | Left Seam | Incomplete | Hodge hit QB in face as he threw over WR |
| 1:27 | 2nd and 10 | SU 25 | 1 RB, 4 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 6 yard gain | Designed QB draw, Simmons Tackle |
| 1:19 | 3rd and 4 | SU 19 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 7 yard gain | Designed QB sweep, Cordy Tackle |
| 0:45 | 1st and 10 | SU 12 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 1 yard gain | Raymon Tackle |
| 0:14 | 2nd and 9 | SU 11 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | PA Pass | Right | 8 yard gain | Scissum Tackle in bounds kept USF from running another play before FG |
USF Play Calls: 7 runs, 6 passes
Defensive personnel: 13 base defense, 0 subpackages
Blitzes: 8/13 (61.5%)
The defense settled down after the immediate touchdown to start the quarter. The passing game was mostly invisible in the 2nd, as Flowers mostly opted to run, either on designed keepers and zone reads, or under duress from the SU pressure. If not for a botched special teams play giving USF easy points at the end of the quarter, this would have been a nice rebound after an ugly end to the first.
Third Quarter
| DRIVE 6 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 15:00 | 1st and 10 | USF 25 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Left | 5 yard gain | Hodge Tackle |
| 14:34 | 2nd and 5 | USF 30 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 6 yard gain | Scissum Tackle |
| 14:10 | 1st and 10 | USF 36 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and Safety Zone Blitz (rush 5), RDE in coverage | Pass | Right | 13 yard gain | Franklin, Cordy in on pressure, QB srambles right, finds hole in zone, Bennett Tackle |
| 13:55 | 1st and 10 | USF 49 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 15 yard gain | Zone read, QB keep, Winfield Tackle |
| 13:27 | 1st and 10 | SU 36 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Right | 11 yard gain | Handoff, QB faked WR screen left to freeze safeties, Scissum Tackle |
| 13:13 | 1st and 10 | SU 25 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and Safety Blitz | Run | Middle | 25 yard TD | Untouched into end zone, juked out Scissum, LBs looked hesitant waiting for QB to keep |
| DRIVE 7 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 10:23 | 1st and 10 | USF 25 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | 5 yard gain | Hodge Tackle | |
| 10:23 | 2nd and 5 | USF 30 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Left Seam | 33 yard gain | QB faked WR screen left, froze safeties, Cordy Tackle |
| 10:03 | 1st and 10 | SU 42 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and Safety Zone Blitz (rush 5), RDE in coverage | PA Pass, double reverse flea flicker | Deep Left | 42 yard TD | Double reverse flea flicker, all defensive backs came up, WR was open in end zone |
| DRIVE 8 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 7:27 | 1st and 10 | USF 19 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 3 yard gain | Scissum Tackle, big hit |
| 7:02 | 2nd and 7 | USF 22 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Sack | 6 yard loss, fumble | Slayton sack, forced fumble, Hodge recovery |
| DRIVE 9 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 5:41 | 1st and 10 | USF 25 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 9 yard gain | Defense played with 10 men (only 3 DL), Cordy Tackle |
| 5:22 | 2nd and 1 | USF 34 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | PA Pass | Right | 21 yard gain | QB scrambled out of pocket, found WR uncovered |
| 5:03 | 1st and 10 | SU 45 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 45 yard TD | Zone read handoff, Winfield, Whitner missed tackles |
USF Play Calls: 9 runs, 5 passes
Defensive personnel: 14 base defense, 0 subpackages
Blitzes: 7/14 (50%)
If not for the fumble, this may have been one of the single-worst quarters of defense under Scott Shafer. You know what, even with the fumble it may have been that bad. South Florida gained 222 yards on 14 plays for an average of 15.9 yards per play. More than half of the plays (8) went for 10+ yards, and more than a third (5) went for 20+. Once again, it was all misdirection, with zone reads, play action, pump fakes from screens to deep passes, and one amazing double-reverse flea flicker. If the Orange D can't hold off on biting on a standard run fake, how could they possibly hold off on a double reverse. South Florida knew what they were doing in this quarter, and exposed nearly every weakness Syracuse has this year. What a beatdown.
Fourth Quarter
| DRIVE 10 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 14:48 | 1st and 10 | USF 18 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 6 yard gain | Whigham Tackle |
| 14:34 | 2nd and 4 | USF 24 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | No gain | QB keep on zone read, Franklin Tackle |
| 3rd and 4 | USF 24 | Holding, 10 yard penalty wipes out play | |||||||
| 13:43 | 3rd and 14 | USF 14 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | LOLB and LCB Blitz (rush 5) | PA WR Screen Pass | Left | 18 yard gain | Bennett missed tackle at line, broken for big play |
| 13:19 | 1st and 10 | USF 32 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 5 yard gain | Slayton Tackle |
| 12:56 | 2nd and 5 | USF 37 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and Safety Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 6 yard gain | Bennett Tackle |
| 12:26 | 1st and 10 | USF 43 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 1 yard gain | Franklin Tackle |
| 11:53 | 2nd and 9 | USF 44 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | WR Screen Pass | Left | 9 yard gain | 3 WR left to catch and block 2 defenders, Arciniega Tackle |
| 11:16 | 1st and 10 | SU 47 | 3 RB, 2 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 13 yard gain | Zone read handoff with lead blockers, Simmons Tackle |
| 11:01 | 1st and 10 | SU 34 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA Pass | Right | Incomplete | Pressure by Simmons and Thompson, good coverage, rushed throw |
| 10:54 | 2nd and 10 | SU 34 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and Safety Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Right | 8 yard gain | Ran away from the blitz to the open side of field |
| 10:34 | 3rd and 2 | SU 26 | 1 RB, 4 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 2 yard gain | Zone read handoff, Holding penalty, 10 yards from spot |
| 10:08 | 3rd and 10 | SU 34 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA Pass | Right | Incomplete | Personal Foul on Whitner, 15 yard penalty |
| 10:02 | 1st and 10 | SU 19 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 17 yard gain | QB keep on zone read, Scissum Tackle |
| 9:44 | 1st and Goal | SU 2 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 2 yard TD | QB keep on zone read, untouched |
| DRIVE 11 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 7:36 | 1st and Goal | SU 9 | False start, 5 yard penalty | ||||||
| 7:36 | 1st and Goal | SU 14 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LCB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Shovel Pass | Left | 14 yard TD | Just a bunch of ball watching and no tackling on this play |
| DRIVE 12 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 4:55 | 1st and 10 | USF 35 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 12 yard gain | Whitner Tackle |
| 4:19 | 1st and 10 | USF 47 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA WR Screen Pass | Right | 11 yard gain | 2 WRs right for 1 defender, play action held rest of defense, Whitner Tackle |
| 3:44 | 1st and 10 | SU 42 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 4 yard gain | Franklin, Bennett Tackle |
| 3:00 | 2nd and 6 | SU 38 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 2 yard gain | Raymon Tackle |
| 3rd and 4 | SU 36 | Delay of game, 5 yard penalty | |||||||
| 2:11 | 3rd and 9 | SU 41 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | ROLB and MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 11 yard gain | Hit 4 yards short, broke tackles for first, Thompson Tackle |
| 1:21 | 1st and 10 | SU 30 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB and MLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 1 yard gain | Bennett Tackle |
| 0:36 | 2nd and 9 | SU 29 | Victory Formation | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Kneel Down | 2 yard loss | Kneel Down |
USF Play Calls: 16 runs, 6 passes
Defensive personnel: 20 base defense, 2 subpackages
Blitzes: 10/22 (45.5%)
OK, let's just get this out of the way first. The personal foul penalty on the first USF drive of the quarter was atrocious. That being said, the Orange completely gave up after it, and it showed. They had already allowed 13 plays on that drive, and barely tried to touch the Bulls rushers on the next three plays, which resulted in 33 yards and two touchdowns over the next two drives, and put the game away. You could see they were beaten down, and just opened up pathways for South Florida to run. The coup de gras came on the final drive, where the running back was stuffed four yards shy of the first down, but just outworked multiple Orange defenders to will himself to the first down. It didn't matter at that point, but it was symbolic of the game as a whole.
... Let us never speak of this game again.