http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/f...ep/2203111
TAMPA — Watershed moment or mirage? Turning point or a tease? No one knows for sure.
Only the ensuing weeks will determine the significance of USF's historic 38-30 comeback victory Saturday at Tulsa. If the Bulls do a figurative face plant in their last five games, the win might be deemed an aberration. If they reach a bowl, most will reflect on the win as the day USF rounded the corner. For now, the state's gubernatorial race might be easier to call.
So too might the long-term potency of the Bulls' run game. But suddenly, it's eliciting the type of daylight unseen around here in years.
From Marlon Mack's cutbacks to D'Ernest Johnson's cameos, one can see it possibly shaping up into the best in program history.
"Those guys are giving you a glimpse of what they can do," coach Willie Taggart said Tuesday. "I mean, you look at it, we're still not running it as much as we'd like … but if we can have the production we are having, I'll take that as well."
While the Bulls clearly have had some bellcow-style backs (i.e. Andre Hall, Dyral McMillan) and have oozed mobility at quarterback (i.e. B.J. Daniels, Matt Grothe) in the past, their current backfield depth might be unprecedented. The top 10 rushing seasons in school history occurred in 10 different years.
This season, Mack (727 rushing yards, eight touchdowns) is churning downhill toward the school's fourth 1,000-yard season, and Taggart — not to mention most players — keep insisting there's minimal drop-off on the rest of the depth chart.
Johnson (5 feet 10, 207 pounds) has 106 yards on 30 carries. Sophomore Darius Tice, whose tweaked knee opened the door for Mack to start the season opener (and run for 275 yards), has 16 carries. And Taggart is enamored with the promise of 253-pound redshirt freshman FB Kennard Swanson (five catches, 100 yards).
"They've got four or five running backs that run the ball hard and run well," said Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville, who has tutored an NFL-bound back or two (Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown) in his career.
"Their running game brought 'em back last week. … Of course their passing game brought 'em all the way back, but you've still got to be able to run the football, and it's pretty impressive to watch all their running backs — not just (Mack) — run."
On Saturday, while Mack (19 carries, 130 yards, two TDs) was taking a blow or two on the sideline, Johnson (six carries, 33 yards) was administering them. A four-star recruit from Immokalee and onetime Gators commitment, his one-handed fourth-quarter snag of a Mike White pass thrown well behind him set up Andre Davis' 15-yard TD catch the very next play.
On USF's final scoring drive, capped by a Marvin Kloss chip-shot field goal, Johnson gained 32 yards on five carries.
"Oh, man, D'Ernest is a talented kid," senior TE Mike McFarland said. "He's great, he's a hard worker just like Marlon Mack. All of our backs are hard workers. … They're just a talented group of guys. They're willing to work, it's crazy."
Crazy good might be lurking on the horizon.
"That's the beauty of having those guys, any one of them can come in the game and we don't have to minimize our game plan," Taggart said. "All those guys understand it and can operate it, and are different styles of runners."