USF (0-1; 0-0 American) vs. Florida A&M (1-0; 1-0 SWAC)
Saturday, Sept. 9 • 7:00 P.M. •  Raymond James Stadium (65,000) • Tampa, Fla.
SURFACE: Bermuda Natural Grass
TV: ESPN+: Drew Fellios (PXP) & Patrick Murray (Analyst)
AUDIO: 102.5 FM & HD 2/TuneIn - Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads 4-0
STREAK: USF, 4 straight
IN TAMPA: USF leads, 4-0 
IN TALLAHASSEE: NA
LAST TIME: USF won, 38-17, 3rd game of 2021 season
VS SWAC TEAMS: 1-0
HOME OPENERS: 22-4, lost last two to BYU & Florida
USF GAME NOTES

There's a universal belief in college football — a team's largest improvement is shown from the opening game to the second game. So, under that thinking, the USF Bulls are poised to put on a much more polished and effective show when they face the Florida A&M Rattlers on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.

There were plenty of positives in USF's 41-24 season-opening defeat at Western Kentucky — a deceptive margin because it was a one-score game in the final minutes — but also some obvious areas where the Bulls must play much better.

"I think we will show great improvement,'' offensive coordinator Joel Gordon said. "There were so many variables that were new across the board for our football team in general. First off, with so many new players, much of our team had never played together against another opponent. And it was a pretty good opponent.

"Still, we gave ourselves every opportunity to be in the game, if not win the game. But the margins are so small that if you make mistakes in key areas, it's going to flip very fast. So bottom line, we've got to get better.''

Here are four areas to watch closely for the Bulls.

1. The Pass Rush
This has been a major point of emphasis for the Bulls, who struggled to create defensive pressure in recent seasons. Against WKU, the Bulls had no sacks and that's not acceptable for defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

"Our mission is always to get to the quarterback, hit him, bother him, get him on the ground,'' Orlando said.

USF's No. 1 game-plan objective was to stop WKU's running game and make the Hilltoppers into a one-dimensional passing team, and that was generally successful. But Hilltoppers quarterback Austin Reed, operating on very quick rhythm, mostly didn't allow the Bulls to disrupt the passing game.

"We wanted to affect the quarterback,'' head coach Alex Golesh said. "I thought at times we did and at times we didn't. We mixed it up between bringing pressure and playing coverage, allowing them to take some vertical shots. I thought we played aggressive and very physical.''

But the sacks must eventually happen.

Orlando said Reed's experience and savvy was the bottom line. Against a less-accomplished quarterback, Orlando said he's confident that the Bulls would've put up some sack numbers.

"I thought Lloyd (Summerall), Jason (Vaughn) and (Tramel) Logan, there were a handful of times when they beat their guys clean, but they couldn't get to him (Reed) before he threw the football,'' Orlando said. "There was a frustration level. Look, that kid is going to throw the ball on time. I do think he also went to a few check downs because he started to hear and feel the pressure. At times, we had some really dynamic stuff on the edges.''

Even when the sacks totals are low, Orlando said he studies quarterback hits because that also affects the passing statistics. Early in the game, despite the absence of sacks, Orlando said he felt that was a factor.

Overall, Reed was 29-of-50 for 336 yards. But in the first half, when the Bulls led 17-7, Reed began 8-for-22 and the subpar passing percentage, according to Orlando, was at least in part attributable to USF pressure that didn't show up on the stat sheet.

2. Turnovers And Takeaways
Against WKU, the Bulls had three turnovers and the Hilltoppers had none.

It sounds simplistic to look at that statistic and call "ballgame,'' but that's probably on the mark.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Byrum Brown threw two interceptions and had the ball stripped from his grasp during a late-game sack that produced WKU's tack-on touchdown.

Brown's first interception was a great athletic play by WKU's Desmyn Baker and set up the Hilltoppers' first scoring drive.

The second pick was much more egregious. In the fourth quarter, the Bulls trailed 31-24. It was the 12th play of what could've been a 91-yard touchdown drive. But on first-and-goal from the WKU 4-yard line, Brown was intercepted in the end zone by Aaron Key at the 12:23 mark.

"I tried to fit it in a window and shouldn't have forced it,'' Brown said after the game. "There were a lot of plays I'm pretty sure everybody on the team wishes they had back. That was definitely one for me. I just have to take that, learn from it and get ready for next week.''

That sentiment was echoed by Gordon.

"We've got to get better and learn from it,'' Gordon said. "It's got to be about taking what the defense gives you. And if they don't give you anything, you've got to be willing to make the best decision for that play and get us to the next play so we have another chance. In a long game, when the mental and physical fatigue sets in, you can't let that turn into bad decisions. We've got to finish our drives.''

Orlando, who has 18 seasons of defensive-coordinator experience at seven different stops, prides himself on having units with prolific takeaway and scoring totals. He said he believes the takeaways will eventually come.

Against WKU, there were at least two occasions when a takeaway nearly occurred — a tipped ball that just eluded safety Logan Berryhill and a point-blank opportunity by cornerback Jayden Curry.

"We should've had a couple of explosive (defensive) plays,'' Orlando said. "I just want us to cut loose and not be that team that's always a half-yard away from making a big play. It didn't happen (in the first game), but I can promise you this. We have some really good playmakers back there who know how to track the football. I just want them to relax and cut it loose. We'll learn from it and keep pushing forward. That's part of learning how to win.''

3. Protecting The Passer
Brown was sacked five times, but sometimes did a decent job of reacting to duress, improvising and contributing to his 160-yard rushing total. At other times, though, he appeared rushed and wasn't accurate on short pass attempts.

Gordon said USF's offensive line will continue to grow. The unit is a patchwork quilt of experience — sixth-year left tackle Donovan Jennings, new left guard Andrew Kilfoyl, new starting center Mike Lofton, transfer right guard Zane Herring (Florida State) and transfer right tackle R.J. Perry (Tennessee).

"Overall, I say it was lackluster,'' Lofton said. "It was poor. Five sacks … that's on us. That's on the big guys up front. That shouldn't happen.

"You got to be able to protect the quarterback. I know we ran the ball well (374 yards), but at the end of the day, you got to protect the guy who's throwing the ball back there because he's the leader, the team leader. If the quarterback doesn't have time, then we're not ever scoring points.''

Golesh said the offensive line must protect better, but he said the responsibility for passing-game effectiveness should be shared by the tight ends, running backs and receivers.

"I thought Byrum got a little bit antsy there and probably felt more pressure at times than there really was,'' Golesh said. "But when you get hit a couple of times, you feel that, especially as a young guy, so we've got to protect better.''

Overall, Golesh was pleased with Brown's competitiveness, calling him a "tough-ass dude'' and saying "I'll ride with Byrum any day of the week, anywhere in the country.''

Brown had 25 rushing attempts, more than Golesh anticipated, and there's always concern when exposing the quarterback to constant contact. Golesh was impressed with Brown's ability to make defenders miss and avoid big hits.

Brown, an 18-year-old making only his third college start, rushed for 179 yards last season, including a 109-yard effort against UCF. His mobility and production can't be ignored, but Brown said he knows he must exercise good judgment.

"I think it's a weapon,'' Brown said. "But there are times where I do need to just calm my feet, hit the pass and throw the pass. I'll continue to evaluate it and see what I can do better.''

4. Attention To Detail
FAMU is a winning program. The Rattlers, coming off back-to-back nine-victory seasons, enter with a 10-game winning streak following a 28-10 triumph against Jackson State at last week's Orange Blossom Classic in Miami.

USF, as Golesh has pointed out, must learn how to win. The Bulls have an 11-game losing streak. Golesh made it clear there will be no "moral victories'' or celebrations over playing it close. "The objective is to win the football game,'' he said.

So, the Bulls must do all the little things, including staying away from penalties, which became a big thing last week (11 penalties for 100 yards against WKU).

It hardly matters that FAMU is a Football Championship Subdivision program. Each season, there are notable FCS upsets of Football Bowl Subdivision programs, but not so far (FBS was 42-0 against FCS in the opening week).

Golesh has experienced it first-hand. As a tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator in 2016 at Iowa State, he saw the Cyclones upended 25-20 against FCS member Northern Iowa.

Since FAMU's historic 16-13 shocker against the Miami Hurricanes on Oct. 6, 1979, the Rattlers are 0-28 against FBS competition, including four defeats against the Bulls (by an average 39-point margin).

Since its FBS transition season in 2000, USF is 32-1 against FCS competition.

But all of those numbers are rendered irrelevant without superior attention to detail.

As Golesh said, "Who are we to take anybody for granted?''

"You've got to be ready to play,'' Golesh said. "And I think our guys will be really hungry to play and show some improvement.''

–      #GoBulls –