South Florida (7-3; 4-2 American) at UAB (3-7; 1-5 American)
Saturday, November 22 • 3:00 PM • Protective Stadium (42,354) • Birmingham, Ala.
SURFACE: Field Turf
TV: ESPN+:Pete Sousa (P-by-P) & Forrest Conoly (Analyst)
RADIO: Q105 FM & Bulls Unlimited (digital)
SERIES: 2-2, last, W, 35-25 in Tampa in 2024
IN TAMPA: 1-1, last, W, 35-25 in Tampa in 2024
IN BIRMINGHAM: 1-1, Last L, 56-35 in 2023
LAST TIME: USF won 35-25 in Tampa in 2024
VS AMERICAN: 42-60,
AMERICAN HOME GAMES: 23-26, last: W vs. UTSA, 55-23
AMERICAN ROAD GAMES: 18-31; last: Lost last two
SOUTH FLORIDA GAME NOTES
BULLSEYE COACHES SHOW
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — And now they play on.
The USF Bulls, after last week's disheartening 41-38 loss at Navy, can still earn a 10-victory season, even though the biggest goal (contending for an American Conference championship) has been all but mathematically eliminated.
Head coach Alex Golesh said the Navy disappointment was fully addressed. All the grievances were aired. Now it's time to move forward.
"The great thing about football is you get a chance to prepare for a game and play a game the next week,'' Golesh said. "And that's exactly what we're doing.''
The Bulls (7-3, 4-2 American) will travel to the UAB Blazers (3-7, 1-5) at Protective Stadium, seeking momentum for a fast finish. UAB is led by interim head coach Alex Mortensen, who took over after the firing of Trent Dilfer. The Blazers immediately upset Memphis 31-24 following Dilfer's dismissal, but have since lost three straight games.
Here are the keys for USF to defeat UAB:
1. Finish — Two-way meaning here.
After having so many lofty goals yanked away, the Bulls must finish their season in the right way by winning the final two regular-season contests, then capturing the bowl game as well.
The Bulls must also finish their drives. They must finish their tackles. Don't do anything in a halfway fashion. Forget the past. Don't consider the future. Respond with USF's most complete game of the season. That should be the goal.
"It still lingers a little bit because of the opportunities we had,'' defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said. "Getting back on the field will be a big help. This is like our confessional, to get back out there. We look back at last week (against Navy) and say, 'Man, that wasn't us.' So, we'll be excited to get a chance to kind of cleanse ourselves of that feeling.''
"It's the same bunch of guys and we are resilient,'' offensive coordinator Joel Gordon said. "The leaders are leading, and the young guys are watching. There's a lot of pride in the way we're going to finish this out. I'm encouraged by the approach.''
2. Pressure Kitna — If UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna starts — and there's every indication he will — USF's defense will be tested. In USF's 35-25 victory against the Blazers at Raymond James Stadium, Kitna passed for 384 yards (33-for-56) and UAB gained 485 total yards.
Despite all the UAB yardage, the Bulls erased a 12-point, third-quarter deficit. USF collected four sacks and 10 tackles for a loss, helping to transform the game's momentum. USF's pressure could also help an area where the Bulls have excelled — forcing turnovers. The Blazers have 17 turnovers (and a minus-11 turnover ratio).
Kitna, who appears back in form after missing most of three straight games with an injury, is averaging 39.7 pass attempts in his seven full starts. Last week against North Texas, Kitna was 26-for-45 with 281 yards.
"If you let him (Kitna) get comfortable back there, he has a big, long arm,'' Orlando said. "You've got to hurry him and make him antsy. We'll have to do some different things against him because he's an experienced quarterback with an arm like any NFL guy.''
3. Lean On The Running Game — No need to make this overly complicated.
UAB's rushing defense ranks 119th nationally (allowing 190.4 yards per game and 26 rushing touchdowns). USF has registered seven straight games with at least 200 yards rushing while ranking 11th nationally in rushing (224.2 yards per game).
North Texas took advantage of UAB's weakness last week. Freshman sensation QB Drew Mestemaker attempted only 25 passes because running back Caleb Hawkins (27 rushes, 189 yards, five touchdowns) did most of the work.
"We always want balance, but if you can run it, that makes it easier to pass it,'' Gordon said. "I credit the offensive line for our ability to consistently run it. We didn't run it to our standard (against Navy) and that hurt us, but I believe we're ready for a productive game. Running it effectively has been a huge key to our success.''
4. Byrum Brown (Of Course) — There's no doubt UAB's defense has spent plenty of time trying to figure out how to neutralize Bulls QB Byrum Brown.
Good luck.
Brown is on pace to become just the 12th Football Bowl Subdivision player ever with 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season (four of those players won the Heisman Trophy and eight finished in the top three of Heisman voting). He also has four straight 100-yard rushing games (one off the all-time USF record). With 841 yards rushing on the season (the only player in the nation with 2,500 yards passing and 800 rushing), Brown is looking to become the Bulls seventh 1,000-yard rusher in a season (accomplished 10 times).
There is no doubt that Brown is having one of the best seasons of any quarterback in the nation. He should add to his impressive numbers against UAB.
"Byrum is Byrum,'' Gordon said. "We've talked about it all year. He is having a great season and I know he's very intent in finishing the right way.''
–#GoBulls–
