USF's Daniels ready to write next chapter

His legs are sore from running all over, through and around Florida State last Saturday, and it's a wonder his back isn't sore from all the people patting him there. And forget about all the text messages congratulating him for his play during the University of South Florida's 17-7 victory against the Seminoles.

B.J. Daniels lost count of how many he received.

"A lot," he said with a smile.

Yeah, it was quite a debut for the Bulls' freshman quarterback, as he wrote an improbable first chapter at FSU in what promises to be an electrifying career for the Bulls.

Great job, kid. Now it's over.

Big East play begins for USF on Saturday at Syracuse. If we didn't know that from the schedule we could still easily tell by the demeanor of Coach Jim Leavitt as he inhaled a couple of slices of pizza prior to his weekly media briefing Tuesday.

"They're good, so good," Leavitt said with a voice that was borderline trembling - partly because he's always paranoid about the opponent and partly because Daniels has to lead a team into a Big East stadium for the first time.

"We definitely have to move on," Daniels said. "The Big East is more important. The Big East is what we talk about all summer and spring, and that's our focus now. I'll treat it just like I did last week - stay focused and try to help out the team."

Taking over for injured Matt Grothe in Tallahassee, you could say he helped a little bit. Daniels used his legs (23 carries, 126 net yards) and arm (215 yards, two touchdowns) to baffle the Seminoles in their own house. But that was his first start, and perhaps FSU was caught unaware of what Daniels can really do. Syracuse at least will have a full tape to study.

"He's got to get better. He's got to improve everything he does - his management of the offense, his throws, and certainly his decision-making," Leavitt said. "Yes, people will see him on film and what he can do.

"As the year goes on, people will try to do some things to defend him, but B.J. also will have more reps (in practice and games) to get better. He'll have to deal with more situations. Hopefully that will make him better. That's the challenge of it all on both sides. B.J. knows that to be a great quarterback, it's not one game."

He does present problems, though. If you stack the line to stop his runs, he has the arm to go deep. Just ask freshman wide receiver Sterling Griffin, who caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from Daniels in the second quarter to put the Bulls ahead 14-0.

"Coaches were telling us that the things we were running in practice, (FSU) was going to have trouble with," Griffin said. "Like on the scrambling, they'd get mixed up and not know who to cover. The adjustments were just crazy for them. They were worried about all the players. We had receivers going short, receivers going deep. They didn't know who to jump or stick with.

"B.J. is just an amazing athlete. He can do it all. He can run, he can throw, he can throw the deep ball, the short ball, and his release is so fast. He can do it all."

When they returned to work Monday night, offensive coordinator Mike Canales was paying particular attention to how Daniels handled all the acclaim he has gotten since Saturday. He got his answer near the end of practice when it came time to run.

"One of the linemen said, 'Hey, B.J., you gonna run with us?' He said, 'Heck yeah' and put his helmet on and ran with them. That's what it takes to play this position and to have the leadership qualities you're looking for in a quarterback. Everybody has to believe they can play for him. And they will play for him if he shows the extra effort, that he cares about the players."

There is a long way between where the Bulls are now and where they want to be, and we'll stay cautious because USF has had trouble putting a full season together in recent years. With that in mind, it's encouraging that while B.J. Daniels is grateful for the accolades because it means he played well, he is otherwise unaffected because there is so much work yet to do.

Still, it's hard to resist thinking ahead at least a little bit to what the kid might do. As coming-out parties go, the one he had at Florida State will be hard to top. The fun part will be watching him try.