Bulls looking to stifle No. 13 ‘Noles

FSU running back Dalvin Cook torched USF last year with 266 yards on the ground. PHOTO BY MATTHEW PASKERT/FSVIEW

With three national titles and eight conference titles in its 69-year history, No. 13 Florida State has one of the more impressive program resumes in all of college football.

For the third time in program history, No. 13 Florida State (2-1) comes to Tampa to visit the Bulls with USF looking for a 4-0 start under fourth year head coach Willie Taggart.

With the Bulls making their first appearance on the national stage in 2016 at noon on ABC, Taggart said this platform has his Bulls fired up to cast a bright light on a football program celebrating only 20 years of existence.

“I told our guys, this is why you come to college,” Taggart said.

“You wanna be on the national stage, you wanna play in big games, and let the whole country see you. Got a great opportunity this week. I shouldn’t have to say anything to get them fired up this week; you’re on national TV. The entire country gets to watch you…you don’t even have to have cable to watch this game, you just need some rabbit ears.”

Mack Stacks Up

Marlon Mack, who returned to the Bulls’ backfield last week after sitting out against Northern Illinois with a concussion, needs only 136 yards to surpass Andre Hall as the all-time leading rusher in USF history.

“It would be great for me,” Mack said.

“That’s one thing I can do…to put on my wall for my kids in the future. But, it’s just a record. Somebody’s probably gonna break it after me; we’re pretty young at this program. It is what it is.”

Stopping No. 4

After getting ejected for a call that was at the time deemed “helmet-to-helmet targeting” during last year’s matchup with FSU in Tallahassee, junior linebacker Auggie Sanchez says he watched the end of that game in the locker room on his cell phone.

After the Bulls lost their leading tackler due to that third quarter penalty, Florida State running back Dalvin Cook went on to have the second most rushing yards in Seminoles’ single-game history, with 266.

It was from that day that Sanchez and the Bulls realized that the key to stopping the Seminoles was to stop Cook.

“You gotta stop ‘4’,” Sanchez said.

I think everyone goes out there not wanting ‘4’ to beat you. That was our mindset last year, and he beat us…He beat us last year by himself; him and that offensive line killed us…He’s a sure-fire first round (NFL) pick, and he’s gonna make a ton of money…He just does a lot of things a lot of people can’t do.”