Bulls Eye Crucial Win on Senior Day
NEXT GAME: USF (4-6, 2-4) vs. No. 18 Memphis (9-1, 5-1)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/4 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV/RADIO: ESPNU/USF Radio Network:
Over the Air: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: Memphis leads, 5-4. USF won last meeting, 49-42, at Memphis in 2016
PURCHASE TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
GAME NOTES: USF
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 18, 2019 – After coming close to upsetting No. 17 Cincinnati, highly motivated USF still has a lot to play for against another ranked opponent at Raymond James Stadium.
Head coach
Charlie Strong's Bulls plan to leave it all on the field in an attempt to knock off No. 18 Memphis in Saturday's home finale that kicks off at 4 p.m. Success on Senior Day would set up a huge War on I-4 matchup with rival UCF on Friday, Nov. 29 in Orlando (8 p.m. start).
"We've got two games remaining and the key thing is just get to a bowl game. You gotta do it for our seniors," Strong said Monday. "We have a really unbelievable group of seniors, 17 of them. This group has done a really good job of representing this university and playing at a high level."
A majority of USF's senior class helped the program extend its bowl game streak to four straight seasons last fall. Seniors who suited up for the program prior to this season were a part of the Bulls' winningest four-year stretch in school history (36-15, 70.5%) from 2015-18.
Bulls set to be saluted on Saturday include
Kirk Livingstone (DE, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.),
Mitchell Wilcox (TE, Tarpon Springs, Fla.),
William Atterbury (RG, Clearwater, Fla.),
Marcus Norman (RT, Sebastian, Fla.),
Greg Reaves (DE, Bradenton, Fla.),
Nico Sawtelle (LB, Jensen Beach, Fla.),
Jordan Cronkrite (RB, Miami),
Blake Barnett (QB, Corona, Calif.),
Trevon Sands (RB, Miami),
Stanley Clerveaux (WR, North Miami),
Patrick Macon (Memphis, Tenn.),
Devin Studstill (S, Riviera Beach, Fla.),
Darius Slade (DE, Montclair, N.J.),
Trent Shaw (LB, Lutz, Fla.),
Kyle Trina (WR, Tampa),
Hal Roberson (OL, Tampa) and
Matt Nelson (OL, Ocala, Fla.).
"I just appreciate everything they've done for this university, and I'd just love for the fans to come out and support because it's Senior Day," Strong said. "It's a good way to send them away the right way and we need to go play well."
Saturday will mark the first time since 2014 the Bulls have faced consecutive ranked FBS opponents. USF is determined to earn the school's first win over a ranked foe since 2016 after almost accomplishing the feat last Saturday. Taking a lead in the fourth quarter, the Bulls fell on the final play of a 20-17 loss to Cincinnati despite outgaining the Bearcats by a 438-278 margin.
The heartbreaking loss brought the close-knit Bulls even closer together heading into another big opportunity for the program.
"I told our team, we gotta go have this one because in order to get to the next one, we gotta go win this one, get in the race and try to go to a bowl game," Strong said.
Disruptive Defense Keeps Making Noise
Perhaps the biggest development of the 2019 season is the way the USF aggressive defense has delivered.
With at least one takeaway in every game this season (five with two or more), the Bulls are tied for third nationally in turnovers gained (22), one more than their entire 2018 season total.
USF also ranks fourth in the FBS with 8.9 tackles for loss per game and has recovered the fifth-most fumbles (12) thanks to a heads-up play against No. 17 Cincinnati by junior defensive tackle
Kevin Kegler (Madison, Fla.).
Last week's game also marked the seventh time the Bulls have held an opponent below its season total offense and scoring averages this year. Cincinnati came to Tampa averaging 406.2 yards and 32.7 points, but the Bearcats managed just 278 yards and 20 points (all in the second half) against the Bulls.
"If you watch this defense, especially the last two or three weeks, it has played very well," Strong said. "The first half was a total team effort, just the way they played, the way they ran around and had some big hits. They had some sacks, had (the Bearcats) pinned back there on the goal line and didn't let them out."
Cronk Moves Up the Chart
Star running back
Jordan Cronkrite will certainly receive a loud Senior Day ovation for making the most of his time with the program.
For starters, the Miami native posted the sixth-best rushing season in USF history in 2018, totaling 1,121 yards as a first-year Bull on the field.
"It's been fun to watch him and what he's done," Strong said. "He came in here as a transfer (from Florida) and had to sit out a year."
Last Saturday, Cronkrite kept making Strong proud by moving up to eighth on USF's all-time rushing list with 1,808 career yards in Green and Gold. He needs just 10 more yards to grab sole possession of seventh place on the Bulls' career rushing chart and another big performance could help him close in on another awesome milestone.
Heading into this Saturday's meeting with Memphis, Cronk needs 313 more yards to become only the fourth Bull in school history to register multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. USF has had a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the past five years.
"I'd love to see him get to 1,000, if we can get him there," Strong said. "It's gonna take some really big runs. These next two games are gonna be really critical for him."
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.
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
– #GoBulls –
