In three games as USF's quarterback, redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels has established himself as a dual-threat passer, with two 100-yard rushing games that have him as the Bulls' leading rusher.

And while he's shown he can run, Daniels said this week that if he had a choice, he'd prefer to drop back and throw the ball more often.

"I'm the type of quarterback that can run. I don't like to run," Daniels said. "If we have 10 plays, I'd like to pass at least seven of those 10. Even when I was in high school, I've never had a 1,000-yard rushing season. I always wanted to buy time and make the big play to help out."

Daniels went over 100 yards in his first two games taking over for injured starter Matt Grothe, but Syracuse's defense appeared to try to take his scrambling ability away from USF's offense in Saturday's 34-20 Bulls win. Daniels had three carries for 2 yards in the first half, finishing with 32 yards on 10 attempts.

"As far as them trying to contain the edges, I'm glad they did, because I get to sit back there and spread the ball out to other people," Daniels said.

Despite playing sparingly in the first two games, Daniels is USF's leading rusher with 291 yards, and that total ranks him ninth nationally among quarterbacks in Division I-A. In the Big East, he ranks eighth overall, and only one of the players above him in the rushing leaders is averaging more than his 6.1 yards per carry.

Daniels will have his hands full trying to run the ball next week against Cincinnati, whose defense leads the nation in tackles for loss. In five games this season, the Bearcats' opposing quarterbacks have combined to rush for minus-59 yards, with none finishing with more than 18 yards.