TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels insists it won’t be a big deal for him personally when he returns to his hometown of Tallahassee to face No. 18 Florida State in his first college start.
The confident red-shirt freshman will lead the Bulls into Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, taking over for injured Big East career total offense leader Matt Grothe.
“I didn’t expect it to happen this way, but it really is just another game to me, no matter where it’s at,” said Daniels, who didn’t budge when reminded of what beating the Seminoles could do for USF’s young program.
“I’m going back home, playing in front of friends and family. That’s exciting. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he added. “But to me, it is just another game. I say that because the Big East is most important as far as we’re concerned.”
conference hopes two weeks before the team’s league opener at Syracuse on Oct. 3.
Coach Jim Leavitt concedes there may be better places to break in a new starting quarterback than in a hostile environment like Doak Campbell, however he and offensive coordinator Mike Canales believe Daniels is up to the task.
“The kid’s built with confidence. He exudes it. You can see it. It just shines on his face,” Canales said of the former Tallahassee Lincoln standout, who grew up cheering for Florida State but was not was recruited by the Seminoles.
Daniels was a two-sport star who also wanted to play basketball in college. He turned down scholarship offers from dozens of schools who wanted him to play football only, eventually selecting USF over Memphis from the group open to allowing him to play both sports.
A threat to run as well as throw, Daniels’ style is similar to that of Grothe, who made 41 consecutive starts for the Bulls. Grothe threw for 8,669 yards and 52 touchdowns, while running for 2,206 yards and 23 TDs.
Leavitt thinks Daniels is more elusive, and maybe even faster, than Grothe.
“He’s always had the confidence. He’s always acted as if he’s the No. 1 guy, which is what you hope all your quarterbacks do,” Leavitt said, adding he’s not concerned about how the 19-year-old will handle the atmosphere surrounding his first start.
nds of things,” the coach said. “You just go out and do the best you can and not feel like he’s got to do it all by himself.”
In three games as the backup this season, Daniels showed why Leavitt is confident the offense will continue to grow.
In addition to completing 12 of 15 passes for 179 yards and two TDs, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound quarterback ran 15 times for 133 yards and three TDs.
“He’s been waiting for the opportunity to present itself,” Canales said. “In terms of his mind-set, I don’t think (starting) will faze him a bit.”
“As far as going back home, he knows everybody on the team. He’s been around those guys, worked out with them all summer long. … I think he’s excited about the opportunity to play against kids he played with and grew up with in the neighborhoods in Tallahassee.”
Daniels said there are no hard feelings about not being recruited by FSU, which already had current starter Christian Ponder in its program and was pursuing other top prospects at the position two years ago.
Grothe has been at practice this week and plans to do all he can to assist his replacement as the season progresses.
“I told him just calm down and play your game. He knows how to play football, everybody knows that,” the senior said. “He’s going to do some incredible things while he’s here and win us championships.”
and summer training camp. He appreciates the support he’s received from Grothe, who replaced Pat White as the Big East’s career total offense leader two weeks ago.
Canales said the Bulls will not streamline their game plan to help the young quarterback’s transition.
“We’re not going to take a step back. We don’t want to put the reigns on him. We want to be able to unleash and let him go,” the offensive coordinator said. “When you’ve got someone who’s talented, you’ve got to let him go.”
Add A Comment