Takeaways, highlights, notables, sights, sound bites and learning experiences from USF's 49-12 road defeat at No. 5-ranked Miami, and a look-ahead to Saturday afternoon's home game against South Carolina State.
The Quick Read
* It bears repeating: USF's No. 1 goal this season is to win the American Conference championship. Despite the disappointment of what occurred at Hard Rock Stadium, the Bulls coming out of the ranked-opponent stretch of Boise State-Florida-Miami to start the season at 2-1 must be classified as a great success.
* USF's running game needs to find its footing after the challenges of a rigorous non-conference schedule. It's difficult to get anything going with the production the Bulls had against Miami (27 carries, 40 net yards, 1.5-yard average, 9-yard long). It should be noted, Miami owns the nation's No. 15 ranked rushing defense.
* What happens in September sometimes doesn't translate to November. But the Miami Hurricanes look like a College Football Playoff team (and maybe a championship challenger). With two large running backs, an offensive line that averages 329 pounds, a fleet of receivers and a quarterback named Carson Beck who is a pure winner, the Hurricanes will present major problems to the Florida Gators, the Florida State Seminoles and everyone they face.
* Not a major surprise to see USF tumble out of the national rankings. But the Bulls are still receiving 83 votes (two spots out of No. 25). If USF gets back on a roll — and there are a pair of prime standalone Friday night viewing opportunities (Oct. 3 vs. Charlotte, Oct. 10 at North Texas) — it could jump right back in the polls.
* Does any other program's special teams unit have players the caliber of place-kicker Nico Gramatica and punter Chase Leon? Doubtful.
Game Takeaway
You can analyze USF's 49-12 defeat against the Miami Hurricanes a number of ways. But let's cut to the chase.
Listen to USF LB Jhalyn Shuler:
"They were really good. And we were not (in that game).''
USF's defense came in allowing just two touchdowns in two games (on short-drives of 39 and 20 yards). It surrendered seven TDs against the Hurricanes, who had drives of 75, 85, 75, 25, 91, 75 and 57 yards en route to 576 total yards.
Bulls QB Byrum Brown (20-for-36 with 274 yards) connected on some explosive passing plays – including completions of 53 and 43 yards to Chas Nimrod, but got no help from the running game in the explosive department.
In the end, the result was non-debatable. But so was USF's resolve.
"For us as a program, that was obviously humbling,'' head coach Alex Golesh said. "We've got to be able to reset and play the next one. I will say this: The way that these guys handled the second half, the way that they fought, the end result wasn't what we wanted, and it certainly isn't what we expect as a program. But I am proud of the stinking fight of that group. I am proud of the resiliency of that group. Ain't nobody pointing the finger. Ain't nobody blaming anybody.
"Ultimately, my job is to have us more ready to play than that. I failed tonight. I'll own that, and I'll be better. As a program, we will be in that situation again, maybe this year, maybe next year. But whenever we are going to be in that situation again, my job is to make sure that we're more ready than we were tonight.''
Golesh said "we just didn't look like us'' in the first half. But afterward in the locker room, Bulls players said they were encouraged by the collective reaction. And Golesh said he expects the program's leadership to kick in.
"I want to see out of them (the same thing) since we got going in January … hold the entire program accountable for elite process daily, hold the entire program accountable for how we work daily, for how we grow as a program in terms of leadership, accountability, connection,'' Golesh said. "And then demand that we play with precision, speed, focus, violence, like you're supposed to. And I truly believe they will.''
As Brown said in the aftermath, "Funny enough, (the reaction) was the same way that we react to a win. We'll learn from it, then go to the next game.''
"Nothing is going to change, like the way we love each other, the way we play for each other,'' Shuler said. "That's the biggest difference between us this season and the previous seasons. I was part of that 1-11 team (in 2022), so I've seen when stuff goes bad and what happens. But we're staying together and preparing the way we know. We're keeping everything exactly the same.''
The Big Play
Miami led 28-6 in the third quarter, but USF, suddenly showing signs of life, mounted one of its most promising drives, getting to fourth-and-3 at the UM 9-yard line. A touchdown and a two-point conversion would've made it a two-score game. But on fourth down, QB Byrum Brown was stuffed for just a 1-yard gain by Reuben Bain and Chase Smith. The Hurricanes then drove 75 yards in eight plays to make it 35-6. And that was that.
Game Balls
CB James Chenault, who had his second interception this season (and his third career pick). Chenault is the first USF player since Christian Williams in 2021 to have interceptions in back-to-back games.
PK Nico Gramatica, who hit field goals of 45 and 28 yards, making him 7-for-8 this season (the only miss was a 58-yard attempt at Florida). Gramatica is also 6-for-6 on PATs.
LB Mac Harris, who had eight tackles, one sack, one tackle for a loss and one memorable collision with Hurricanes RB Mark Fletcher Jr.
DB Jarvis Lee, who had his first career interception.
P Chase Leon, who averaged 48.2 yards per kick with two surpassing 50 yards and two downed inside the 20.
WR Christian Neptune, a freshman who had a career-best seven receptions for 32 yards and a 12-yard touchdown reception.
WR Chas Nimrod, who had four catches for a career-high 128 yards.
LB Jhalyn Shuler, who had eight tackles (seven solo).
Notable Numbers
3 — Amount of first-quarter points scored by USF in the first three games.
9-15 — USF's all-time record against ACC teams. The Bulls have beaten Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State and Syracuse.
11 — Number of consecutive games in which USF's defense has forced a turnover, the fourth longest active streak in FBS football.
24.8 — Average yards per catch this season for WR Chas Nimrod, who has 10 receptions and ranks No. 14 in FBS football in yards per catch. USF's single-season record (minimum 20 receptions) is 23.3 by Clif Dell in 1998.
28-1 — USF's record against Football Championship Subdivision opponents since becoming a full Football Bowl Subdivision team in 2001.
46.5 — Average yards per punt for Chase Leon, who had seven 50-plus-yarders on his 15 punts. Leon stands 14th in FBS football in yards per punt.
102 — Length of the lightning delay (in minutes) when both teams were pulled off the field with Miami leading 14-3 early in the second quarter.
252 — The program-record number of consecutive pass attempts by QB Byrum Brown without an interception. Brown's streak ended on a failed tight-end screen that was picked off by Miami's Bryce Fitzgerald.
2028 — Season of USF's next game against the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium to complete the two-for-one scheduling arrangement against UM.
The List
USF is 11-2 all-time against teams from the state of South Carolina.
5-0 — Charleston Southern.
2-1 — The Citadel.
1-0 — Clemson.
1-0 — South Carolina State.
1-0 — Wofford.
1-1 — South Carolina.
Next Up: South Carolina State
The South Carolina State Bulldogs (2-1), an FCS program from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, will visit Raymond James Stadium for a noon matchup on Saturday afternoon. S.C. State is coming off a wild 55-41 victory against winless Bethune-Cookman University (which scored 28 points in the fourth quarter). Bulldogs QB Ryan Stubblefield was 21-for-35 with 286 yards. The Bulldogs were 9-3 last season. It was the first year for head coach Chennis Berry, who took Benedict College to a pair of NCAA Division II Black College playoff bids. S.C. State can stack up with any program in terms of distinguished football alumni. Former Bulldogs include LB Harry Carson, DE Deacon Jones and DB Donnie Shell — all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
–#GoBulls–
