Louk's Closer Look: Bulls Return to Ray Jay Saturday
NEXT GAME: South Carolina State (2-0) at USF (0-2)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/6 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV/RADIO: ESPN3/USF Radio Network (1250-AM), Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: First meeting
GAME NOTES: USF
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
By JIM JOUK
Voice of the Bulls
TAMPA, SEPT. 12, 2019 - The Bulls will have only two "first-time" opponents in 2019, and one of them is up this week. The South Carolina State Bulldogs are coming to town with a 2-0 record. This will be USF's only FCS opponent of 2019.
Here's a little information on the Bulls and their Week 3 opponent:
South Carolina State will become the sixth team from the state that the Bulls have played, following Clemson, South Carolina, Wofford, Citadel and Charleston Southern. The Bulls are 9-2 against the state of South Carolina.- South Carolina State's 2019 wins are over Wofford and Lane College. Wofford had been ranked in the top 10 in the FCS when the Bulldogs beat the Terriers, 28-13, in Week 1.
- The Bulldogs' first game was in 1907 and they've been in the MEAC since 1971. They've played in 13 bowl games, going 6-7. Their most recent bowl appearance was in the Heritage Bowl in 1997.
- Three NFL Hall of Famers played their college ball at South Carolina State - Harry Carson, Marion Motley, and Deacon Jones.
- South Carolina State set an unusual record on Nov. 19, 2016 when Joe Thomas, Sr. carried the ball for a 3-yard gain against Savannah State. Thomas was 55 years old at the time, and is believed to be the oldest player to appear in a Division I college game.
The 54-yard pass play to Mitchell Wilcox against Georgia Tech last week set two milestones. Wilcox became the 14th receiver in Bulls history to go over 1,000 career yards, and he passed Sean Price for the all-time lead in tight end receptions at USF.- The Bulls rank third nationally in tackles for loss at 12.0 per game.
- Bulls punter Trent Schneider is averaging 48.5 yards per kick. That leads The American, and is fifth-best nationally.
- Charlie Strong and South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough coached together as assistants at South Carolina. Pough has 127 career wins, two off the South Carolina State record.
This will be a 6:05 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. TV will be on ESPN3. Our radio coverage begins at 4 p.m. with our first pregame hour exclusive to USF Bulls Unlimited through the free iHeart radio app. We'll start on AM 1250 WHNZ at 5 p.m. Soon the games will move to 95.3 FM and AM 620.
We'll have a good opportunity to see the adjustments the Bulls coaching staff put together after last week's game in Atlanta. Next week is a bye week, and then the conference season starts with SMU coming to Tampa on Sept. 28.
It's always good to be home at Raymond James Stadium, and this game is a chance for the Bulls to get back on the winning track. Your continued support of the program is always appreciated.
Hope you enjoy the game. Horns Up!
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 –
