USF (1-2; 0-0 American) vs. Rice (2-1; 0-0 American)
Saturday, Sept. 23 • 4:00 P.M. • Raymond James Stadium (65,000) • Tampa, Fla.
SURFACE: Bermuda Natural Grass
TV: ESPNU: Jay Alter (PXP) & Rene Ingoglia (Analyst)
AUDIO: 102.5 FM & HD 2/TuneIn - Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: First Meeting
IN TAMPA: First Meeting
IN HOUSTON: NA
LAST TIME: NA
VS. AAC: 30-50, 11th season
AAC OPENERS: 5-5, lost 4 straight
LAST: L, 28-48, to ECU in Boca Raton
USF GAME NOTES
Through three weeks, head coach Alex Golesh said he's pleased with his team's effort. "We're playing really, really hard and there's a lot to be proud of there,'' he said. The defense has improved each week and looked downright dynamic against Alabama.
But the Bulls' offensive execution?
That's another matter.
Fixing that is Golesh's biggest priority as the Bulls (1-2) open their 11th season of American Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium against the Rice Owls (2-1), one of six AAC newcomers in 2023.
"I think we're still off with our offensive execution,'' said Golesh, whose team is coming off a 17-3 defeat against the No. 10-ranked Crimson Tide, where USF's offense moved inside the Alabama 30 twice but and benefited from a fumbled punt to notch a field goal but never made a serious run at the end zone. "We're continuing to grow there, but we are not clicking, certainly anywhere where we should be. That's the challenge to our guys and that's the challenge to us as coaches.
"It's causing negatives. It's certainly causing sacks. At times, we're winning on the perimeter and we're not holding up on the O-line. At times, we're holding up on the O-line and not winning on the perimeter. We're running it effectively, well enough to give us a chance to be able to throw it like we need to. We're just not executing full-tilt. Offensively, it all has to come together.''
Golesh said one offensive area must clearly improve — production on first-down plays. Against Alabama, USF averaged just 2.6 yards on 35 first-down snaps — and 18 of those were for 2 yards or fewer (including nine pass attempts that weren't completed).
"The ability to create positive yardage on first down is absolutely critical,'' Golesh said. "I think you're hitting it on the head. The result of that first down is how you're able to pick up (momentum) and get the drive going.
"When we got it going, we moved the chains and stayed ahead of it. When we threw an incompletion, it's hard to reset and pick it up because you're not on tempo. It's absolutely critical.''
Quarterback Byrum Brown has been the catalyst for much of USF's offensive success. He's responsible for 15 touchdowns in his first five starts (including the last two of 2022), while leading the nation in quarterback rushing yards (269 yards and four touchdowns) this season. Meanwhile, Florida transfer Nay'Quan Wright has produced 210 rushing yards (and a 5.1-yard average).
Defensively, one week after creating five turnovers against Florida A&M, the Bulls had five sacks against Alabama, the program's greatest total since 2019. Three of the sacks were by nickel back Daquan Evans, who was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year and Bednarik National Defensive Player of the Week.
USF's defense will be challenged by a Rice offense that combined for 955 yards in victories against Houston (43-41 in two overtimes) and Texas Southern (59-7). Quarterback JT Daniels, a former five-star recruit who is on his fourth college team (along with USC, Georgia and West Virginia), has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 805 yards and eight touchdowns.
"They're really, really multiple, so his ability to play under the center, in the gun and in multiple formations and shifts … that's what having a veteran quarterback does for you,'' Golesh said. "There's a million different things they're able to do. So, we've got to be really, really sound in what we're doing defensively.''
Golesh only looks at past games for analysis — without dwelling on what happened — and the chance to improve. He doesn't look beyond the next game because it's always the most important game.
But clearly, the stakes are raised with the AAC games at hand.
Last Saturday night, Golesh called it a "new season'' and said, "Now we've got a chance to get everything we wanted, which is to hold the trophy up at the end of the year. Are we ready for that? We'll find out. But the one thing I'm proud of is our kids will keep fighting and keep swinging. They believe in what we're doing.''
With six new AAC teams (also Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas and UTSA) and seven first-year coaches in the league, Golesh said it's difficult to get a feel for what's ahead.
"It's really hard to give an overall view until the end of the season because that's when you can look back and reflect,'' Golesh said.
For safety Logan Berryhill, though, Saturday's priority is obvious. And that priority will remain unchanged.
"It's one game at a time, but we've got to continue to push and find ways to close these games out,'' Berryhill said. "We've let some games get away from us. Now it's time to close them out.''
–#GoBulls–
