Believing Bulls Hoping to Break Through on Big ESPN Stage
GAME 6 MATCHUP: Tulsa (1-1, 1-0 in AAC) at USF (1-4, 0-3 in AAC)
DAY & TIME: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV: ESPN
RADIO: Over the Air: 1250-AM WHNZ &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 3-0
TICKETS:
USFBullsTix.com, 1-800-Go-Bulls
GAME NOTES: USF |
Tulsa
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 20, 2020 – A quick turnaround after a tough loss isn't killing the vibe of a rebuilding Bulls program truly believing it will eventually break on through, back to the sweet side of the win column.
USF has a huge opportunity to do just that Friday night and a national ESPN audience will be watching when the Bulls take on Tulsa in their Moffitt Fight Cancer Game at Raymond James Stadium.
"Friday night, all the cameras are on us," said star safety
Mekhi LaPointe (Tampa). "It feels good to really represent our school and represent our program."
USF nearly made Bulls Nation really proud last weekend in a nail-biting thriller at Temple. After erasing an early deficit, head coach
Jeff Scott's squad took a 21-17 advantage into halftime and led by 11 late in the third quarter of what turned out to be a heartbreaking 39-37 setback in the City of Brotherly Love.
"I was so proud of the guys and how they played. We're 1-3 on the road, 13-point underdog, put everything into it all week long and before we look up it's 10-0. It's eight minutes to go in the first quarter," Scott said. "I think if you pause that and you let that play, a lot of different places, it's 45-3 at the end. Our guys continued to play all game long."
Instead of folding when Temple recaptured the lead at the end of its 19-point late-game surge, the resilient Bulls stuck together in the fourth quarter and nearly forced overtime. Quarterback
Jordan McCloud (Tampa) orchestrated a 12-play, 72-yard drive that was capped off by
Leonard Parker's tough 1-yard touchdown run with just 1:03 remaining.
"The easy thing to do is say, 'Oh, here we go again,' and all that, but I really haven't seen that from our guys," Scott said. "That's a group that made a huge stride."
Unfortunately, a potential game-tying two-point conversion didn't go USF's way, but the overall experience of producing in crunch time is still being discussed by players this week.
"Everybody is really pumped up about that," said starting running back
Johnny Ford (Miami). "Imagine if we come next game and just keep doing it, (keep) repping it, we're gonna be unstoppable."
That type of team confidence – even during a four-game skid – is a prime example of a program staying positive and valiantly pushing forward during a unique year filled with adversity for college football teams across the country.
"I just feel like we've been building the right way this season. When we do get over the hump, I don't think that we're gonna go back down and start over," Scott said. "I really think there's some solid foundation with the way these guys have continued to believe."
Instead of dwelling on their current spot in the standings, the Bulls are embracing the scramble of preparing for a quick turnaround with hopes of a beautiful result on Friday night.
Beating Tulsa would really make a statement, considering how well the Golden Hurricane played in a close loss to No. 11 Oklahoma State and then shocked No. 11 UCF with a comeback victory the last time out on Oct. 3.
"It's uncommon the way that this group continues to believe despite a very ugly record," Scott added. "That gives me hope, not just for how we can finish this year, but big picture-wise for the program that we are making strides, even though we haven't been able to get the victories that we want."
Explosive Ford Good to Go After Injury Scare
All-around playmaker
Johnny Ford (Miami) gave Bulls fans a big scare when he went down with an injury near the end of the final touchdown drive at Temple last Saturday.
Worry not.
"I feel confident in my ankle. I feel like it's getting better with the training staff helping me. I came out today feeling like myself," Ford said Tuesday, even adding, 'If we could have played today, I'm ready."
That's very good news dished out by the most explosive Bull of the 2020 season to this point. USF's top rusher is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and he's leading the team with four total touchdowns and 685 all-purpose yards, good for 20
th in the FBS (137 ypg).
Oh, yeah, and speedy Ford also ranks 12
th nationally with an average of 26.7 yards per kickoff return after producing his third 40-plus yard special teams play of the season at Temple.
"I think he's bought in completely and has been rewarded for that success," head coach
Jeff Scott said. "He's a big part of our offense right now. We started him last week (at running back) for the first time and really felt like he kind of earned that on the field and off the field."
LaPointe Has a 'Knack' for Finding the Ball
Head coach
Jeff Scott can't wait to see what
Mekhi LaPointe does next.
After missing two games, the junior safety made a huge impact in his return to the starting lineup. At Temple, he hauled in his team-leading second interception of the season in one-handed fashion, broke up another pass and finished with five tackles.
"LaPointe is just a guy that finds the ball. The ball finds him," Scott said. "It just feels like he's gonna get an interception every single game. Some guys just have a knack for that."
LaPointe certainly did during his junior prep season with Armwood High School when he led the state with 10 interceptions. Yes, you read that right.
So far in new defensive coordinator
Glenn Spencer's scheme, the Tampa native has already doubled his previous college career pick total in just three games this season.
"It's just going in every day and learning the system," LaPointe said. "You gotta put in extra time after practice, some extra film, to really get it down. But in the end, it will pay off."
Tirelessly trying to get better at your craft certainly has its rewards.
LaPointe led the nation in safety position production before his two-game stretch away from the action. Pro Football Focus currently has him ranked fifth among nearly 200 FBS safeties with an overall defensive grade of 80.8.
About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 23rd season (20th at the FBS level) in 2019. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 14 All-America selections and 29 first-team all-conference selections and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft. USF has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program record six straight appearances from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
- #GoBulls –
