TAMPA – Two months ago, when senior Matt Grothe was lost to a season-ending knee injury, USF’s coaches were adamant that they wouldn’t scale back the Bulls’ offense for redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels.

But after Daniels piled up 445 yards of total offense in the Bulls’ 34-22 win against Louisville on Saturday, those same coaches conceded part of Daniels’ comfort against the Cardinals came from a decision to simplify things.

"We’ve kind of tried to narrow down his reads a little bit," offensive coordinator Mike Canales said after Saturday’s win. "Say just go (to pass option) one to two and then take off and go, because you can make explosive plays, instead of trying to force the ball in. That’s something he’s really done. We’ve had to do some things to help him."

Though Grothe led the Bulls (7-3, 3-3) in rushing in all three of his seasons as starter, Daniels has shown himself to be even more of a game-changing runner, rushing for more than 100 yards in four of the last eight games. USF coach Jim Leavitt acknowledged Saturday that the offense is "a lot different" under Daniels, and getting everyone in the same direction has been an ongoing process.

"Mike and him, the whole deal, they have to get on the same page. They’ve got to get together," Leavitt said, putting his two fists together as he described the two (check out the 11:00 mark on his postgame presser). "We’re evolving into an offensive system that we’re trying to develop right now. … I know what I want, and we’re going to get there. We’re taking steps there. We’re learning together. If we get on the same page, this offense can be extremely explosive. We’re getting closer, but we’re not there yet."

Canales also credited Daniels’ calm in the pocket to the time he spent preparing for the game. Daniels, who played on USF’s basketball team last season, didn’t attend the Bulls’ home opener Monday because he was busy watching tape of Louisville.

"His preparation – I think he was up in the film room until 11:15. I had to get him out of there. 'Get out of here. Go home!' But he was determined to come out and play well this week," Canales said. "When he goes, we go obviously, a little bit."

Daniels, who had three first-half turnovers in USF’s 31-0 loss to Rutgers, said he had a better sense of what he was up against with Louisville. "The picture as far as the defense was a little more clear," Daniels said.

Daniels had 34 pass attempts and 22 carries without a turnover, something that has gone hand in hand with his team’s success in his seven starts. He led USF on five scoring drives of 70 yards or longer – the Bulls had four such drives in the previous five games – which was welcomed by USF’s defense.

"The offense played great," safety Nate Allen said. "They were able to get it rolling, and that helped us out as a defense. Eighty-yard drives and everything, that was good."