USF (1-5; 0-2 American) vs Tulane (5-1; 2-0 American)
Saturday, Oct. 15 • 4:00 P.M. • Raymond James Stadium (69,457) • Tampa, Fla.
SURFACE: Bermuda Grass
TV: ESPNU: Beth Mowins (PXP), Kirk Morrison (Analyst) & Stormy Buonantony (Sideline)
RADIO: 102.5 FM/102.5 HD 2
AUDIO STREAM: TuneIn - Bulls Unlimited 1
SERIES: Tulane leads, 2-1, won last 2
IN TAMPA: Tulane leads, 1-0, Won 41-15 in 2018
IN NEW ORLEANS: Tied, 1-1
STREAK: Tulane has won 2, Won 45-14 in 2021
LAST USF WIN: 34-28 at Tulane in 2017
ON HOMECOMING: 14-11, lost last 2
USF GAME NOTES
USF's first home game since Sept. 10 — exactly 35 days – Saturday afternoon's homecoming meeting against the Tulane Green Wave at Raymond James Stadium is primarily about one thing:
How will the Bulls respond?
For the second time this season, the Bulls led in the fourth quarter on the road against a nationally ranked opponent, but eventually succumbed to No. 24 Cincinnati, 28-24, in last Saturday's American Athletic Conference game.
Don't call it a moral victory. The correct term might be confidence-building defeat. The Bulls went blow-for-blow with the Bearcats – who hadn't lost a home game since 2017 – and USF was on its way to one of the season's most monumental upsets until they failed on a late fourth-and-1 opportunity from the Cincinnati 25-yard line.
The operative question: What next?
If the Bulls (1-5, 0-2 AAC) can play well while toppling conference-leading Tulane (5-1, 2-0 AAC), then the competitive defeat at Cincinnati will be remembered as a building block in a potential USF turnaround.
USF doesn't want a repeat of its 31-28 defeat at No. 18 Florida on Sept. 17. Brimming with confidence after taking the Gators to the wire — even after the probable victory was unraveled by USF mistakes — the Bulls' follow-up was a 41-3 trouncing at Louisville.
So, the response against Tulane could be an important milestone in Head Coach Jeff Scott's building process, not to mention a major boost as USF heads into its bye week and the last half of the season that doesn't included the three top 25-ranked opponents the Bulls faced in the first half.
"We played our best games this season on the road in great environments at Florida and Cincinnati,'' Scott said. "What we've got to be able to do is play at a high level each and every week.
"We did not respond well to the heartbreaking loss against Florida. The next week, we came out against Louisville and physically and mentally we weren't ready to play. The game at Cincinnati was very similar to our game at Florida because in both cases we had a chance to pull something big off in the fourth quarter. We've got to learn from what happened between Florida and Louisville and make sure that doesn't happen between Cincinnati and Tulane.''
Bulls quarterback Gerry Bohanon doesn't want it to happen, either.
"We're taking it one day at a time, putting that (Cincinnati) game in the past and not letting it linger around and affect us mentally,'' Bohanon said. "I know we fell short, but we have to understand the opportunity we have up next.''
Tulane, which defeated USF 45-14 last season in New Orleans, is off to a strong start with AAC victories on the road at Houston and vs. East Carolina. The Green Wave has the nation's 15th-ranked defense (286.2 yards per game) and the 74th-ranked offense (396.3).
"We've got to stay on the details,'' offensive coordinator Travis Trickett said. "We've got to work harder and work longer (in practice). I think that's how you get ready to play your best.''
"We started with a good week of practice and our leaders are setting the pace,'' defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. "We just have to keep progressing, keeping putting good plays together and keep getting better.''
Defensively, USF's improvement has been hampered by a flurry of injuries to the likes of defensive tackle Rashad Cheney (broken ankle, out for the season), linebacker Antonio Grier (hand) and several in the secondary (which will start its seventh different combination of players during Saturday's seventh game).
USF's defense must figure out a way to slow down Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt, who has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 1,231 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. In last week's 24-9 win against East Carolina, Pratt passed for a career-high 326 yards.
Trivia Time
What former USF assistant coach led Tulane to a 12-0 record in 1998? (Answer below).
Looking Ahead
After facing Tulane, USF will head into its bye week. On Oct. 29, the Bulls travel to Houston (3-3, 1-1). The Cougars are in their bye week and will travel to Navy next Saturday before facing USF.
Trivia Answer
In 1998, quarterback Shaun King (a former USF assistant coach) led Tulane to a 12-0 record and a Liberty Bowl victory against BYU. King set the NCAA FBS record for passing efficiency (183.3) and finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting.
– Go Bulls –
