USF co-offensive line coach Mike Simmonds responded to accusations from a Florida State defensive lineman that Bulls right guard Zach Hermann was trying to take him out with a low block in Saturday's game, saying Hermann's play was was "absolutely" a legal block.

FSU freshman Jacobbi McDaniel injured his right knee late in the first half Saturday when Hermann rolled into his right knee after quarterback B.J. Daniels had run upfield for a 7-yard gain. McDaniel, who later returned to play against USF, may not be able to play against Boston College this week because of the injury.

"I was looking downfield, and he like faked like he was going to go off
and then came back down (into my knee)," McDaniel told Warchant.com. "For him to do
that - and the play is way downfield - I feel like he was trying to
take me out. And that ain't the way you play the game. If you're going
to take me out, take me out fair."

The report called the play a "cheap shot," but Simmonds defended Hermann's actions, saying the block was executed the way the Bulls are coached.

"Hermann did exactly what we teach him to do," Simmonds said. "We're taught to not let him retrace back to the play. We teach the cutoff. It's a totally legal play. ... It's a one-on-one cut block. Totally legal. What (McDaniel) did was, once we punched to clear him, he just kind of quit playing. We're not going to quit playing. We've got to play to the whistle. We cut him. He was just kind of getting lazy, and we cut him.

"We don't teach anything illegal. Anybody can look at the tape, can
send it to the Big East office. Any official is going to tell you
that's a legal block."

A cut block, or block below the waist, is considered an illegal
"chop block" if the block comes from the side or behind a player, or if
the player is engaged with another player and thus defenseless. USF's offense was flagged for two illegal chop blocks and FSU was penalized for one during the game. McDaniel told Warchant.com that Hermann later taunted him about the injury.

"The thing that made me really mad," McDaniel told the site, "was when I came
back in the game, he started talking, like, 'How was your break,
honey?' And I was like, 'Are you serious, man?' I guess some players
play that way. But down the road, they're going to get what they
deserve."

Simmonds himself was injured in the
fourth quarter when FSU's Kevin McNeil hit Daniels late out of bounds,
sending both players hard into Simmonds on the sidelines. McNeil was
flagged 15 yards for a personal foul, and Simmonds said he separated
his AC joint in his left shoulder and may face surgery.

NOTES: Leavitt said running back Jamar Taylor, out six weeks with a
sprained knee, is scheduled to resume running next week, a first step
toward practicing again. Leavitt said that if Taylor can't return soon,
he can redshirt and return in 2010 with two years of eligibility. ...
Leavitt said it's more likely that sophomore safety Jerrell Young, who
has missed three games with a broken right forearm, will return for
USF's Oct. 15 game against Cincinnati and not Saturday at Syracuse.