Flowers touts 2015 Syracuse as game that turned things around

Junior quarterback Quinton Flowers is the unquestioned leader of USF. He accounted for 403 of USF's 658 yards aganist Northern Illinois on Saturday. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACOB HOAG

This time last year, USF football was a program seemingly on the decline. A sluggish 1-3 start for the Bulls following a subpar 4-8 record in 2014 almost marking the end of  the Willie Taggart era.

Enter Quinton Flowers.

With 330 total yards and 3 touchdowns, USF junior quarterback Quinton Flowers had the type of signature game that would separate him as the leader of the Bulls’ young Gulf Coast offense.

“It all goes back to when Coach T gave me the ‘go’ word,” Flowers said after Wednesday’s practice.

“I did what I was expected to do…what my team was looking for, and we came out with the victory.”

Since then, Flowers and the Bulls have ridden the momentum of that win all the way into their return game Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

Including that win, USF has won 9 of their last 11 since their win against the Orange, while Flowers play has made him a Davey O’Brien Award candidate as the nation’s top quarterback.

Adjusting to speed

Although they train everyday alongside the 10th highest scoring offense in the country, USF defensive coordinator Raymond Woodie said it isn’t as easy as lining up against the Bulls’ Gulf Coast offense.

“It’s not easy, it’s different,” Woodie said. “Their scheme is faster than ours. So, I mean, it’s not easy. We see tempo, but not that tempo.”

Mack is Back

Injured running back Marlon Mack was seen wearing a green, full contact practice jersey for a second straight day Wednesday.

Mack, who did not play in the win against Northern Illinois, is only 252 yards from becoming the all-time leading rusher in USF history.

While certain that Mack will likely see at least some action Saturday against the Orange, the same cannot be said for other Bulls on the team’s injury list.

According to Coach Woodie, junior defensive tackle Bruce Hector (ankle) is “doing the necessary things to be ready” for Saturday’s matchup with Syracuse. The status for sophomore safety Khalid McGee (ankle) also remains day-to-day.