Bulls Begin Big Month With Home Test Against Temple on Thursday
NEXT GAME:Â USF (4-4, 2-2) vs. Temple (5-3, 2-2)
DAY/TIME:Â Thursday/8 p.m.
LOCATION:Â Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV/RADIO:Â ESPN/USF Radio Network:Â
Over the Air:Â WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &Â
Digital:Â
Bulls Unlimited
SERIES:Â Temple leads, 3-2
GAME NOTES:Â
USFÂ
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 4, 2019 – After going 3-1 in October, the senior-led Bulls are looking to build more momentum in a month that will define their season.
During the four-game home stretch, USF will play three straight times at Raymond James Stadium, starting with Thursday night's test against Temple that will be televised on ESPN.

"We're definitely looking at it as an opportunity to go out and play on a national scale, a national stage, and show what this defense can do, and what this whole team can do," said senior defensive end
Greg Reaves (Bradenton, Fla.). "We're just trying to play a full, complete game."
Fresh off a bye week, USF is mostly healthy and motivated to earn the program's fifth straight bowl berth. Accomplishing that feat would be super impressive considering the Bulls will be going up against a gauntlet of tough conference competition.
USF's next four opponents are a combined 27-7 on the year and 14-4 in The American – Temple (5-3, 2-2), No. 17 Cincinnati (7-1, 4-0), No. 19 Memphis (8-1, 4-1) and UCF (7-2, 4-1). Head coach
Charlie Strong and the Bulls know starting off November in stride is important against an opponent also coming off an open date.
"Our main focus right now, and our total concentration, is on Temple," Strong said. "We need to go out and just play well."
USF hasn't played at Ray Jay since all the way back on Oct. 12, a 27-23 win over BYU, and the Bulls can't wait to see the home fans once again.
"We get that little bit of extra juice," said senior right tackle
Marcus Norman (Sebastian, Fla.). "… You feel it when you're at home. You get a little extra intensity and you play just a little bit harder at home. I feel that's really gonna help."
Takeaway Train Rolling Along
Strong's Bulls headed into the bye week leading the nation in takeaways and they're now tied for second in the FBS with 20 through eight games.
Before the open date, USF registered multiple takeaways for the fifth time this season in a
45-20 victory at East Carolina on Oct. 26. Senior defensive end
Greg Reaves (Bradenton, Fla.) accounted for one of those takeaways when he returned an interception 48 yards to help set up a score during USF's 35-point first half.

"It was a really great moment for me, especially it being my senior year and my first-career interception in college," Reaves said. "I just remember at the end of the play, I was dead tired and being surrounded by my teammates. It was an awesome experience."
Reaves is one of 10 USF players credited with at least one takeaway this season while the Bulls as a whole have a takeaway in every game so far. USF will attempt to keep the streak going Thursday against Temple, which is tied for 99
th nationally with 15 turnovers this season.
Evolution of USF's QB Position
USF's victory at ECU showcased the skills of three different quarterbacks on the Bulls' roster.
Redshirt freshman starter
Jordan McCloud went 9-for-12 for 102 yards and two touchdowns on top of rushing for 49 yards in just the first half. The Tampa native who turned 20 on Monday has battled through numerous injuries that started in the SMU game (Sept. 28) and still ranks seventh in the conference in pass efficiency (125.1). Â

Recruited as a quarterback, freshman
Jah'Quez Evans moved to receiver after the second week of fall camp but has been explosive for the Bulls behind center as a wildcat QB. The Atlanta native has averaged 11.1 yards per carry and had a breakout performance at ECU, racking up 99 yards on just six attempts in the second quarter before leaving the game with an injury.
"He's gonna get his play at quarterback. The thing about him is he changed the game for us up at East Carolina," Strong said. "… He's very athletic and can throw the ball when we need him to throw the football. It's just good when we talk about a change of pace, that's what he is."
Strong said Evans is "coming along" since his injury at ECU but USF hasn't made a decision on his availability for Thursday. With or without Evans, the Bulls know they also can get production from backup
Kirk Rygol. The sophomore from Fort Mill, S.C., has scrambling ability and a strong arm that has helped the walk-on complete 11 of 20 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in four games of relief.
Dynamic, #BayMade Duo at Tight End

Heading into the season, USF knew it could count on three-time Mackey Award candidate
Mitchell Wilcox.
The senior from Tarpon Springs, Fla., currently leads the team in receiving yards (254, 16.9 ypc) and touchdown catches (4) in addition to solid blocking ability that has Wilcox projected as the No. 6 tight end prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft by Mel Kiper.
"He's a mismatch for anyone," said Strong of Wilcox, who will celebrate his 23
rd birthday on Thursday.

Opponents also have to be well aware of junior tight end
Jacob Mathis, who leads all USF receivers with six catches of 20-plus yards this season, one ahead of Wilcox. Mathis (Tampa) ranks second on the squad in receiving yards (195, 16.2 ypc) after posting 12 catches, two for scores, in the past six games.
"Now with Mathis coming on, it's really helped our offense," Strong said. "… It's just fun to see how he's coming along. I told him it's there, it's just a matter of us getting it out of him."
Bulls Bits
- MORE ON USF-TEMPLE SERIES: Temple has a 3-2 lead in its all-time series with USF but hasn't had any success on the road. USF has won both meetings in Tampa and cruised past the Owls, 43-7, in their last trip to Raymond James Stadium in 2017. Temple dropped a 44-23 decision in its game at Ray Jay against USF in 2015.
CRONK ON A ROLL: After registering 1,121 yards in 2018, Jordan Cronkrite heated back up in October with 511 rushing yards, averaging 127 yards per game and 6.8 yards per carry. The senior back from Miami needs 412 more rushing yards this season to become the fourth Bull in program history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Reaching the milestone also would help the Bulls have a 1,000-yard rusher for the sixth straight season.
HORNS UP RALLY ON WEDNESDAY: Gear up for game day by attending the next Horns Up Rally that's set for Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. at Ulele (1810 N. Highland Ave in Tampa). Horns Up Rallies are a series of free USF fan gatherings taking place at locations around the Bay area prior to USF home football games in 2019. Learn more HERE.
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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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