South Florida coach Jeff Scott closely evaluated his quarterbacks this week as the Bulls prepared to host Florida A&M in a nonconference contest Saturday night in Tampa, Fla.
Cade Fortin has started the first two games and completed 12 of 18 passes for 91 yards in last weekend’s 42-20 loss to Florida. Timmy McClain relieved him in the second half last week and led the Bulls to 17 points, completing 4 of 10 passes for 83 yards.
“We’re not going to name a starter right now,” Scott said this week. “Obviously, we’ve evaluated and learned some things from this last game. Really, we are challenging all the quarterbacks in that room to have a great week and see just who does the best job for the game plan this week.”
Katravis Marsh completed his only attempt in his first appearance last week. Ridge Jacobs has not played.
“We’ll put somebody out there first and if they do well, they’ll be the starter,” Scott said. “If they don’t, we’ll continue to give guys opportunities until somebody steps up and takes the job, which needs to happen here pretty soon.”
The Bulls (0-2) have lost 10 consecutive outings, but Scott thinks the second-half play against the Gators could be a pivotal point in their season after a 45-0 thumping by North Carolina State in the opener.
Interceptions by safeties Mekhi LaPointe and Brock Nichols sparked the second-half surge against Florida. Jaren Mangham scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards, and Xavier Weaver had two catches for 68 yards along with a 45-yard punt return.
Florida A&M (1-1) also showed some progress in its second game, bouncing back from a 7-6 loss to Jackson State to register a 34-7 win over Fort Valley State. The Rattlers scored 27 points in the second half.
“The defense played phenomenal for two weeks in a row, creating turnovers and collecting some sacks,” FAMU coach Willie Simmons said. “We still have a lot of work to do offensively. Need to fine-tune the details and play more consistent upfront.”
The coaches know each other well, as Simmons and Scott were teammates for three years at Clemson.
“We came in the same year (1999) in the same class,” Scott said. “He was a quarterback and I was a wide receiver.”
