Strong Named to "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List
TAMPA, OCT. 18, 2018 – USF head coach
Charlie Strong has been named to the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List for the second straight season.
Strong was one of 20 coaches nationally named to the list and one of three from the American Athletic Conference, joining Luke Fickell of Cincinnati and Josh Heupel of UCF. All three teams are undefeated and nationally ranked members of the The American's East Division.
Strong was earlier also named one of 17 coaches on the midseason watch list for the Bobby Dodd Trophy, presented to the coach of the year.
Now in its 33rd year, the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award recognizes the country's top college football coaches for their contributions both on and off the field. The Coach of the Year Award is the only college coaching honor selected after all bowl games are concluded and is voted on by the National Sports Media Association. The winner will be announced live on Jan. 9, 2019 during the awards dinner and ceremony at the Post Oak Hotel in Houston.
Strong improved to 16-2 as the Bulls' head coach as USF (6-0; 2-0 American) is just one of just eight remaining unbeaten teams in FBS football. The Bulls are 6-0 for the second straight season, just the third time in program history, and moved into the Top 20 for the 31
st time in program history this week, checking it an No. 20 in the Amway Coaches Poll and No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll.
USF ranks 15
th nationally in total offense (487.3 ypg), while ranking fifth in tackles for loss (8.8 tpg) and 13
th in sacks (3.17 spg). The Bulls achieved bowl eligibility on the earliest date in program history with their Oct. 12 victory at Tulsa and are bowl eligible for the fourth straight season.
USF returns to Raymond James Stadium, where it has won 19 of its last 22 games, on Saturday for a 7 p.m. homecoming clash with UConn (1-5; 0-3 American). The Bulls have won six straight games against the Huskies and will be looking to equal the program's best-ever start by improving to 7-0 for the second straight season.
The Bulls are 34-6 in their last 40 games, a mark that is tied with Oklahoma for the fourth-best mark nationally over each team's last 40 contests and trails only Alabama (38-2), Clemson (36-4) and Ohio State (35-5).
Saturday's game will be televised by CBS Sports Network and can be heard live on the USF Sports Network (820AM; iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited).
Season and single-game tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls, visiting
www.USFBullsTix.com or in-person at the USF Ticket Office (Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center) Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
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