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USF's Blackwell positively hates negative impact

The QB practically obsesses over not making mistakes, and that's why he's among the nation's best.

By PETE YOUNG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 26, 2001

TAMPA -- He definitely doesn't need any help on this one, but he gets it anyway.

His brother, Ryan McBride, a freshman at Lakewood High, dogs him about it. The South Florida coaches harp on it incessantly, of course.

But outside forces can't compel quarterback Marquel Blackwell to despise negative plays -- sacks, interceptions, fumbles, etc. -- any more than he already does.

Blackwell hates sacks and fumbles -- hates them. But he reserves a special place in his loathing bin for interceptions. They hound him and gnaw at him. He can't forget them, he won't let them go.

Three days after Blackwell completed 37 of 46 passes, including all 13 he attempted in the second half of USF's 42-12 win over Southern Utah, what was foremost on his mind?

"I still think about throwing that interception," Blackwell said. "The big thing with me is, I don't like to turn the ball over. The coaches stress to us, limit the turnovers and mistakes and we'll be fine.

"Interceptions, man, they bug me so much."

Fortunately for Blackwell's sanity, he is a mistake minimizer. Like a 1980s Honda Civic, his breakdowns are few and far between.

"He's a very poised guy in the pocket," said Rod Smith, USF's passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "He understands what we're trying to do. He's the centerpiece. He makes it all go.

"He knows that if he has a bad day, then we're going to have a bad day."

The first thing people notice about Blackwell are the big numbers. Operating the no-huddle, shotgun offense installed full time this season, he ranks second in the nation in pass attempts (318), third in completions (182) and ninth in yards (1,901). He also ranks second nationally among quarterbacks with eight rushing touchdowns.

His outsized statistics are impressive, but it's the more obscure numbers that yield a better measure of Blackwell's worth. His negative-play ratio is exceptional.

Blackwell, a junior, rarely gets sacked (nine times in 318 passes, once every 35.3 attempts), rarely fumbles (three in a combined 386 passes and rushes) and rarely throws interceptions (nine, one every 35.3 attempts).

While his interception ratio is good, it was even more impressive as a freshman and sophomore. The past two seasons Blackwell threw 14 in 558 attempts, once every 40 passes.

"I think I've had more interceptions this year than in my high school career (at Dixie Hollins) and my two years playing here, and it's really bugging me," said Blackwell, who has thrown more than one interception just three times in 29 games. "My little brother Ryan, he's giving me a hard time about it."

The offensive line deserves credit for Blackwell's impressive stats, especially the sacks. But his penchant for avoiding the pass rush and his recognition of when and how to throw away the ball has kept the Bulls out of dreaded long-yardage situations.

"Our biggest thing is, we throw the ball on time," Smith said. "When you don't, you get the sacks, negative plays, turnovers.

"Even if we don't do a good job up front or something goes wrong in the (pass pattern), we still throw it on time. Throw it away, go to the next play."

Blackwell seems to have a sixth sense, knowing when to move up in the pocket, roll out or take off, and he has a knack for releasing the ball just in time.

"We pound that, I pound that into him every day, the importance of not taking a loss," Smith said.

"With this system, it's a lot of timing routes," Blackwell said. "A lot has to do with me reacting and doing whatever I can to put us in a better situation for the next down."

Smith, who was at Clemson last season, altered USF's attack to mimic Clemson's, and Blackwell has made the difficult adjustment to the shotgun and no-huddle without a hiccup.

"He's just got great pocket presence," Smith said. "I've been around (Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback) Shaun King and I coached Woody (Dantzler) at Clemson, and to me he's a mixture of those two.

"He runs better than Shaun, and he throws better than Woody. ... The best part is, it's between the first and second year (in this offense) that you make the most improvement."

Strong words, but for Blackwell, it's all about getting better, and winning.

"The biggest thing for me is, I enjoy winning. I've won all my life," Blackwell said. "When you look at stats, that's just showing selfishness. I'll take whatever stats come. I look more at the negative stats, such as interceptions, than anything else.

"I just try to do whatever it takes to win. Everybody likes winners."

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