Bulls Eye Third Straight Win Saturday at Navy
NEXT GAME: USF (3-3, 1-1 in AAC) at Navy (4-1, 2-1 in AAC)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.
TV/RADIO: CBS Sports Network/USF Radio Network:
Over the Air: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: Tied, 1-1. Bulls won last meeting, 52-45, in 2016.
GAME NOTES: USF
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 14, 2019 – USF built more momentum last Saturday with a
comeback victory over BYU, but the Bulls didn't celebrate long because of their next tall task.
USF (3-3, 1-1) eyes its third straight win in the program's second conference road test of the season Saturday at Navy (4-1, 2-1). The Midshipmen also have won two straight and rank sixth nationally in time of possession (34 minutes per game) thanks to their effective triple-option attack on offense.
"It's tough because of how they play and what they do. You have to turn the page and get ready," head coach
Charlie Strong said Monday. "What we did yesterday was we put that (BYU) film away real quick because of what we have to get ready for on defense."
For continued success Saturday, Strong said it will be important for USF to put Navy in third-and-long situations as much as possible. The aggressive Bulls have been in the backfield often this season, ranking first nationally in tackles for loss (10.3 per game) after tallying 13 against BYU.
"That's what we gotta continue," Strong said. "That's what you like to do is get them behind the chains and we've done a really good job."
Sports Source Analytics ranks USF's defense third nationally in its "Defensive Mayhem" department, with the Bulls registering a TFL, sack, interception or fumble on 16.8 percent of plays. While the defense is wreaking havoc, coordinator
Kerwin Bell's #PlayFastScoreFaster offense is starting to rev up its engine, averaging 409 yards and 37.5 points during the winning streak.
Solid production has been powered by the ground game that's generated 556 yards and six touchdowns in the past two outings. Keeping the rushing business booming would certainly benefit the Bulls in their third meeting with Navy, which limits opponents' opportunities with 61 runs of their own per game (5.4 ypc) this season.
"We've got to take advantage of every possession that we get," Strong said. "It's really critical that we get off to a really good start and move the football down the field because they're gonna take the ball. If you allow them to grind it out, they're gonna grind it out."
Offensive Line Paving the Way for Productive Ground Game
Jordan Cronkrite was named to The American's weekly honor roll Monday after rushing for 158 yards and two touchdowns against BYU.
The senior from Miami was a 1,000-yard rusher last season and he's returned to form in the past two games, averaging 153 yards and 6.65 yards per carry.
"He's an outstanding player," Strong said.
The Bulls as a whole have averaged 278 rushing yards during their winning streak and Strong said there's no secret to success. Big guys up front have carved out large holes for Cronk and fellow senior
Trevon Sands (Miami), who has averaged 7.5 yards per attempt the past two games.
"We're just putting our hand in the dirt and coming off the football," Strong said.
Another huge game on the ground would be extra special Saturday considering Navy is the ninth-best team in the nation at defending the run. The Midshipmen have limited opponents to an average of just 86.0 rushing yards through their first five games.
"They're doing a lot of slanting and moving," Strong said. "They're attacking with eight guys in the box and they're forcing you to throw the football."
Sanders Excelling in Kick Return Game
Bulls fans know they can't take a quick break from the action when USF is getting the ball back because of what
Bentlee Sanders is doing on special teams.
The sophomore defensive back from Tampa is averaging 29.2 yards per kick return this season, good for 10
th in the FBS, after a 151-yard performance against BYU.
"The field is opening up where he has a lane," Strong said.
Sanders has been electric the past two games, breaking off two 60-plus yard gains, and he's closing in on
J.R. Reed's USF single-season record of 31.7 yards per kick return in 2003.
Strong credits unselfish Bulls, like
Brock Nichols (Naples, Fla.) and
Frederick Lloyd (Tifton, Ga.), for their ability to provide crushing blocks that create openings for Sanders to zoom through.
"You got a ton of guys that are running down there and they're just being effective," Strong said.
Bulls Bits
MORE NOTABLE DEFENSIVE STATISTICS: On top of leading the nation in tackles for loss (10.3 per game), USF's defense ranks fourth in the FBS in both turnovers forced (15) and fumbles recovered (9). One notable development is USF moving up to No. 18 in sacks (3.17 per game) after getting to the QB 11 times in the past two games. The Bulls' six sacks against BYU were the program's most in a game since totaling six against Chattanooga on Sept. 1, 2012.- USF-NAVY SERIES: Saturday will mark the third meeting between USF and Navy and first matchup since the Bulls' 52-45 victory in Tampa back in 2016. USF is seeking its first-ever win at Navy after falling to the Midshipmen, 29-17, in Annapolis, Md., on Oct. 31, 2015.
SCHNEIDER'S LEG IS A WEAPON: Junior Trent Schneider earned more much-deserved love from Strong after breaking his own program record by averaging 52.8 yards on five punts against BYU. The Australian's 61-yard boot from the Bulls' own goal line with 1:09 to play helped pin the Cougars at the own 26-yard line, which was a huge help on the game-sealing final drive. Schneider currently ranks 13th nationally in yards per punt (45.7), which is on pace to top USF's season record of 44.4 yards set by Mattias Ciabatti in 2014.- BARNETT UPDATE: Coach Strong said backup quarterback Blake Barnett "won't play" Saturday at Navy. The senior from Corona, Calif., has been hampered by a high-ankle sprain he suffered late in the SMU game on Sept. 28 after throwing touchdown passes on three straight drives.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
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– #GoBulls –
