BadgerBlitz.com' brings back its All-Out Blitz weekly series, where you can find everything you need to know about Wisconsin's next opponent. We kick it all off with South Florida.
QUICK PROGRAM FACTS
Head Coach: Charlie Strong (10th year as a head coach, third at South Florida)
17-8 record as USF head coach
South Florida All-Time Record: 153-11 (includes three seasons in FCS from 1997-99)
South Florida All-Time FBS Record: 133-98
2018 Record: 7-6 overall, 3-5 AAC
Rankings: N/A
Series vs. Wisconsin: 0-1
In South Florida: 0-0
WHEN SOUTH FLORIDA HAS THE BALL
This will be one of the major storylines and question marks for Wisconsin on Friday night inside Raymond James Stadium. Just what the Bulls' rejuvenated scheme will throw at the Badgers will be something to watch. USF hired Kerwin Bell as its new offensive coordinator in the offseason, whose Division II Valdosta State program racked up 523.9 yards and 52 points per game last season.
South Florida boasts key players at particular skill positions in quarterback Blake Barnett, running back Jordan Cronkite, converted slot receiver Johnny Ford and highly-touted tight end Mitchell Wilcox.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard acknowledged the difficulty in preparing for an opponent like this and how his defense will have to adapt.
"Early college football is tough," Leonhard said on Tuesday. "There's a lot of change whether it's personnel, and obviously in this case, different coordinator, so you're trying to match. You're trying to see what he did at Valdosta [State], what South Florida was good at, the talent coming back, and you're just trying to piece it together.
"You know you're not going to have all the answers, and if you are trying to go by what you've seen on tape, you're probably going to miss something. You really have to get your guys dialed in to what our rules are. Who are we, what are we going to do, what's the plan, and what are your adjustments because more than likely, something is going to show up that you haven't prepared for. You have to be able to make adjustments early in the season because there's not a whole lot of tape and obviously none from the 2019 season. It's just getting your guys prepared for hopefully more than they can throw at you and seeing what they can handle."
WHEN WISCONSIN HAS THE BALL
Wisconsin will face a South Florida defense that has experience on the line but will be missing its starting middle linebacker on Friday night. Six of the eight players listed on the defensive line two-deep are either juniors or seniors, led by defensive ends Greg Reaves (team-best 89 tackles in 2018) and Kirk Livingstone (10 tackles for loss, four sacks).
However, news broke earlier this week that senior middle linebacker Nico Sawtelle (neck and shoulder) will be out in dealing with a previous injury that resurfaced last week. Oklahoma State transfer Patrick Macon will likely take the place of Sawtelle.
In the defensive backfield, the name to watch very well may be cornerback Mike Hampton, who finished ninth in the FBS last season in passes defended (1.4 per contest, 18 total).
UW's passing attack looked much improved during fall camp, and that could provide some offensive balance. There are two questions pertaining to that heading into Tampa. First, will what media saw during August practices carry over when it matters the most during the season -- and secondly, will the Badgers need to be balanced against the Bulls?
USF, which based off of its released game notes runs a 4-3 scheme, gave up 247.5 yards per contest on the ground in 2018. Wisconsin averaged over 270 rushing yards per contest last season, and despite having to reload with four departed "regular" starters, still boasts All-American candidate Tyler Biadasz, a lock down left tackle in Cole Van Lanen, and of course, the Doak Walker Award-winning and Heisman-caliber standout Jonathan Taylor running behind them.
If South Florida sells out against the run, quarterback Jack Coan will need to stretch the field to keep Charlie Strong's defense honest. The junior signal caller has weapons in the passing game to make that happen with tight end Jake Ferguson and a quartet of wide receivers that include A.J. Taylor, Kendric Pryor, Danny Davis and the newly eligible Quintez Cephus.