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USF's Tresey Ready To Roll With Bulls Defense

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By BRETT McMURPHY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 5, 2009

TAMPA - New University of South Florida defensive coordinator Joe Tresey isn't concerned about having less than a week to prepare for the start of Bulls spring practice.

"I only have five days, we have to rock and roll," Tresey said Thursday in a teleconference. "We're going Tuesday. We'll get in what the kids can execute. We'll rock and roll. We're ready to go."

Tresey, 50, was fired after two seasons at Cincinnati. He didn't get into specifics about what changes the Bulls defense will have with Tresey as opposed to former defensive coordinator Wally Burnham.

"I'm sure it will be different," Tresey said. "I'm not Wally Burnham. He developed a philosophy. I'm a different individual. It will be a little different. We're both 4-3 guys, we're still running the 4-3."

Tresey said he wants his defenses known for several things.

"You have to be 110 percent," Tresey said. "You have to love what you do. You have to play with great effort.

"When you get more specific, we need to be great in communication, great in tackling, we have to play fast, have to be able to be good on third downs, in the red zone and scoring defense. That's the bottom line: you have to outscore them."

Tresey did not want to get into details about his firing from Cincinnati.

"It's history," he said. "There's my perception the way everything went down. I was looking at things a certain way, he [Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly] was looking at things a certain way. It's in the past. Everyone has an opinion. I think it's done with. I'm moving forward, he's moving forward."

Tresey said even though he was dismissed from the Bearcats, USF's game with Cincinnati will be about the teams and not him.

"There's gonna be some thoughts about it," Tresey said. "It's South Florida playing Cincinnati. It's not Joe Tresey playing Cincinnati. We [USF] haven't beat Cincinnati in three years, we need to beat Cincinnati.

"I don't care who you're playing, you need to turn the tables and get this thing going."

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928

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