USF GAME NOTES vs. Navy
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 24, 2016 – Now tied for first in The American's East Division, USF is anxious to bounce back on national television this Friday.
Willie Taggart's Bulls look to get back on the winning path against No. 22 Navy at 7 p.m. Friday in Raymond James Stadium. Fans out of town can catch the game on ESPN2.
“We've got a challenge ahead of us that we're excited about and look forward to taking it on,” said Taggart on The American's weekly teleconference.
USF (6-2, 3-1) is now tied for first in the East Division with Temple (5-3; 3-1) after falling to the Owls, 46-30, in Philadelphia last Friday. Taggart broke some great news about the Bulls on Monday, when he said quarterback Quinton Flowers will be “good to go” against Navy. Flowers exited the Temple game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury after accounting for 277 total yards and three touchdowns.
Having Flowers back in action this week will help against red-hot Navy, which recently took sole possession of first place in the West Division. The Midshipmen (5-1, 4-0) put up 42 points in a win over Memphis last Saturday, two weeks after knocking off defending league champ Houston, 46-40.
“I think they have a system where there's a great synergy between their offense and defense of playing together and how they want to play,” Taggart said. “They let you make a mistake, and you can't make many mistakes because you don't get many possessions against Navy. Every possession's got to count.”
Learn more about USF's tough test against Navy by checking out the Bulls' weekly news conference Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for a link to watch the press conference in progress.
Weekly Radio Show set for Monday Night
Taggart's weekly radio show takes place Monday from 7-8 p.m. at Beef 'O' Brady's inside the Marshall Student Center on campus.
Fans can submit questions for Taggart on Twitter (@USFFootball) or on the USF Football Facebook page HERE. The radio show will air on 820-AM.
Gulf Coast Offense Still Among Nation's Leaders
USF's three nation-leading streaks were snapped at Temple, but the Bulls still rank highly in a number of offensive categories.
Taggart's Gulf Coast Offense is 11th in the FBS in scoring offense at 42.4 points per game. USF ranks 12th in rushing offense (255.5 yards per game) and 21st in total offense (487.1 yards per game).
USF still has the top scoring offense in The American, while Navy ranks fifth with 33.8 points per game. USF is second in The American in rushing offense, behind only Navy (293.2 yards per game).
Friday is USF's Salute to Service Game
USF plans to honor past and present military members throughout Friday's Salute to Service game at Raymond James Stadium.
Get to your seats by 6:30 p.m. to watch the Para-Commandos Parachute Team make a jump into the stadium. Grove Financial Hero of the Game, Captain Bob O'Neill, will conduct the pre-game coin toss. O'Neill is a Pearl Harbor survivor that served in World War II, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Fans also will get to see in-game video board presentations that include Jeff Sargent being recognized as USF's 2016 Tillman Foundation Scholar. Learn more about the prestigious honor HERE.
The USF Football program is in its 20th season overall and 17th at the FBS level. The Bulls have made seven bowl appearances, including every season between 2005-10, and have four bowl game victories. USF has produced 14 All-America selections, 25 NFL Draft picks and reached the No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press Poll in 2007.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
