Game 3 Preview: Bulls Ready for First Road Trip
MATCHUP: USF (2-0) vs. Illinois (2-0)
WHEN: Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Soldier Field, Chicago
TV: Big Ten Network,
CHANNEL FINDER
Bay Area channel listings - Dish: 590 (HD: 5445); Hopper: 405-4; DirectTV: 610-1 (SD/HD); AT&T: 694 (HD: 1694); Verizon Fios: 330; Frontier Vios: 330; Spectrum: 820 (1192 HD)
USF GAME NOTES
By JIM LOUK
Voice of the Bulls
TAMPA, SEPT. 13, 2018 - The Bulls gave us another wildly entertaining game last Saturday, beating Georgia Tech, 49-38. Down 10 points at the end of the third quarter, the team showed some serious resolve, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the win.
Bulls fan will probably look back at this game and remember not one, but two Terrence Horne kickoff return touchdowns, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
But as I look back, I'll also remember the game for not one, but two trips into the injury tent.
Ronnie Hoggins made both of them, both late in the game, and returned each time to make big plays on the field with the game on the line. That kind of leadership and toughness was apparent in a lot of areas for the Bulls last Saturday.
Also apparent was the team's discipline. Last year, the Bulls averaged 9.6 penalties per game, one of the worst marks in all of college football. Through two games this year, they've committed 5.0 penalties per game, just outside of the top 30
best performances in the nation. Success will follow if the Bulls can keep that up.
Now, the first road trip is at hand, as USF will travel to Chicago to play Illinois, a team it beat, 47-23, a year ago. Here are a few notes on our next game, as the Bulls try to knock off yet another Power Five opponent:
- USF fans may notice a few familiar faces on the Illinois sidelines. Rod Smith, who ran USF's passing game and was later a Bulls offensive coordinator, is now the Illinois offensive coordinator. And head coach Lovie Smith has former Buc Hardy Nickerson on staff as his defensive coordinator.
- The Bulls opened the 2001 season on the road, traveling to DeKalb to play Northern Illinois. That's the one and only time they've played in the state of Illinois prior to Saturday's game.
- Illinois is 2-0 on the season, with wins over Kent State and Western Illinois. The Illini had to come from behind to win in both games.
- The first Illinois football team took the field in 1890. Its most recent Big Ten Championship came in 2001, and its most recent bowl game appearance was in the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl, where the Illini lost to Skip Holtz and Louisiana Tech.
USF's 2017 win over Illinois was, to date, the only time the Bulls have beaten a Big Ten team. USF is now 6-1 in its last seven games against Power Five teams, with four consecutive wins.
The game will be telecast on the Big Ten Network. We'll get started on the radio side at 1:30 p.m. EST. You can hear it on AM 820, as well as 96.7 FM in Hillsborough County and 98.3 FM in Pinellas County. As always, we're available worldwide on USF Bulls Unlimited through the free iHeart app. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. local time, 3:30 in the east.
We're expecting a good amount of Bulls fans to join us in Chicago. We're looking forward to seeing everyone there and also back at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. for ECU.
Horns up!
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.
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
- #GoBulls -
