The motto for USF football defense this season: If you're juiceless, you're useless

We know what USF's defense went through last football season (spoiler alert: enough ups and downs to cause queasy stomachs). And the new season approaches, faithful followers of USF football seem to believe the remedy is not that complicated.

A big story line in the buildup to this season is that the Bulls need more quarterback sacks this season if they’re to improve on last year’s 7-6 record.

They had 20 during the regular season, which works out to about 1.5 per game.

And you know what that means, right? The defensive line has to win more battles this season and get to the opposing passer before he completes a pass.

While that might be a general belief, defensive line coach Kevin Patrick has another idea, one that might seem counter-intuitive at first in today’s pass-happy game.

His players “earn” the right to rush the passer by first stopping the run, which is a huge point of emphasis for the Bulls as summer drills continue.

“I tell the guys, even today, again, you know, I want you excited about stopping that run more than you are about rushing the passer,” he said.

Think it through.

If they can force opponents into long-distance situations on second and third down, it all but forces opponents to throw. When that happens, it’s supper time for defensive linemen!

“Listen, nobody liked rushing the passer better than me,” Patrick said.

That is true.

As a defensive end at the University of Miami, earned AP First-team All-America and Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1993. He started on national championship teams in 1990 and 1992. And in ’93, he was Miami’s MVP and finished his career with 23 sacks.

That was the fifth-highest total in UM history.

Obviously, he had that know-it-when-you-see-it juice as a player. As a coach, he demands nothing less from his Bulls.

“(He says) if you’re juiceless, you’re useless,” senior defensive tackle Decarius Hawthorne said with a laugh.

The lack of juice and togetherness doesn’t seem to be a problem for this Bulls team.

For instance, when defensive end Michael Williams II was asked if he’d be surprised if Coach Patrick put on a helmet during practice, he laughed for a second and then said, “I would, but I wouldn't, but I wouldn't.”

He added, “But knowing K.P. like every chance he gets, if I give him a helmet, K.P. will step in there every time, and he’s gonna come off that ball, and he’s gonna hit you hard.”

But there’s no doubt that many who view the USF program from the outside – which, obviously, is the vast majority of people – have reduced the outlook for the coming season to a simple theory: If the defense holds up its end, the Bulls can accomplish great things.

We look at the scorched pass defense in 2023, which was next-to-last in NCAA rankings, and imagine what even a marginal improvement could mean for 2024. If the guys up front can apply more pressure, it helps the secondary control the passing game a little more.

But when I asked Patrick about that, he seemed surprised.

Actually, that’s a good thing.

“I've never heard it's not talked about in our locker room. Guys are just going to hold up our end. It's always a team,” he said.

“When you get the team bad series, you just got to step up and vice versa. But I haven't heard any of those things. I don't listen to the news.”

That speaks to the tunnel mentality USF has maintained since the days following Syracuse's 45-0 blowout in the Boca Raton Bowl. Don’t look back, don’t listen to the chatter, keep moving forward, and get a little better every day.

Oh, and when practice time comes, stop the run and bring the juice.

Because, you know, without that, you’re useless.