South Florida (1-0; 0-0 American) at No. 13 Florida (1-0; 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, September 6 • 4:15 P.M. • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548) • Gainesville, Fla.
SURFACE: Natural, Bermuda Turf Grass
TV: SEC NET: Dave Neal (P-by-P), Fozzy Whittaker (Analyst) & Morgan Uber (Reporter)
RADIO: Q105 FM /Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: Florida leads 3-0
IN TAMPA: Florida leads 1-0
IN GAINESVILLE: Florida leads 2-0
LAST TIME: UF 31, USF 28, in Gainesville, 9/17/2022
VS SEC: 2-9, wins at Auburn (2007) & vs. South Carolina (2016) - Birmingham Bowl
VS RANKED: 12-40
LAST VS. RANKED: W, 34-7 vs. #25 Boise State, 8/28/25 LAST ROAD RANKED WIN: W, 23-20 at #16 Notre Dame ('11)
USF GAME NOTES
It's an important game … because it's the next game.
Head coaches say that all the time. USF's Alex Golesh is no different. Tuesday morning, during his weekly news conference, that's how Golesh initially previewed the Bulls' upcoming trip to Gainesville for Saturday's meeting against the No. 13-ranked Florida Gators before a sold-out crowd at The Swamp.
But even Golesh knows this game has extraordinary juice — along with great importance for both programs.
The Bulls (1-0) are coming off a dominating 34-7 victory against then-No. 25-ranked Boise State, the program's first win against a ranked opponent since 2016. USF, with a chance to go 2-0 for the first time since 2018, is shooting for its first football triumph against the Gators. And on Sept. 13, USF gets another chance at an in-state rival by traveling to No. 5-ranked Miami.
Meanwhile, after a fast finish in 2024, the Gators (1-0) won their fifth straight game by defeating Long Island University, a Football Championship Subdivision opponent, in a no-sweat 55-0 outcome. Following USF, the Gators' schedule picks up major steam with a pair of road games, the SEC opener at LSU, then a trip to Miami.
For now, it's USF at Florida — and that's plenty.
"It's a huge game for us because it's the next game,'' Golesh said. "It's a huge game for us because it's an in-state team. It's another opportunity on national TV to go showcase what we've built and where we're going.''
Saturday, the Bulls are going to one of college football's most storied venues.
Since 1990, the Gators are 184-38 (.828) at The Swamp for the third-best home-field winning percentage behind Ohio State (211-27-1, .885) and Oklahoma (182-34, .843).
USF will play against a team, not a stadium, but Golesh acknowledged the importance of UF's home-field advantage.
"The environment is a huge part of the preparation,'' Golesh said. "You can't make it solely about that, but the crowd noise is real. I've been there (as a coach at Tennessee) and a chunk of our team has been there (during USF's 2022 visit to Gainesville, a heartbreaking 31-28 defeat, and transfers that played there for other teams). The majority of our staff has been there.
"It certainly affects how you operate, specifically on offense. Our job as coaches is to prepare our guys to not allow that to be a factor. That's part of the home-field advantage and we've got to make sure it isn't a factor in how we play.''
Handling The Swamp's atmosphere — and every aspect of facing the Gators — will be of particular interest because it's a potential growth moment for USF's program. How will the Bulls build upon an emotional and physically demanding victory against Boise State?
USF's defense was outstanding against the Broncos, forcing three turnovers and four times stopping Boise State on fourth-down plays. Linebackers Jhalyn Shuler (career-high 14 tackles) and Mac Harris (eight tackles) played like veteran leaders. The secondary, paced by cornerback De'Shawn Rucker (11 tackles) and free safety Tavin Ward (eight), was poised and fundamentally sound.
USF's offense was opportunistic enough, taking advantage of Byrum Brown's punishing running attempts at quarterback and making some big plays in the passing game. Chas Nimrod, a transfer from Tennessee, had three receptions for 96 yards, including a 55-yarder on a deep ball that jump-started USF's offense.
But the biggest play of all occurred in the third quarter, when the Bulls led just 10-7. True freshman quarterback Locklan Hewlett snuck into the game on a fourth-down punt formation and stunned the Broncos by completing a 45-yard touchdown pass to Keshaun Singleton. It was a game-breaking moment.
"If you talk to your players about leaving it all out there and you preach that approach in recruiting, if you don't do things like that (take calculated chances) when you have the opportunity, then what are we talking about?'' Golesh said. "Not that we do those things carelessly. We study them and practice them. And when we have chances like that, things that we believe will work, we're going to be aggressive. That's how we're going to play it.''
Similarly, that's how the Bulls will approach the Gators, who are led by sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway (referred to as a "generational talent'' by Golesh), a fleet of talent at the skill positions, a veteran offensive line and a defense that has allowed an average of 10.4 points over its last five games.
"That Florida team has a ton of momentum,'' Golesh said.
But here's another opportunity for USF.
The Bulls, with soaring confidence after defeating Boise State, believe they have the right approach. They have nothing to gain by being tentative — or by dwelling on the season-opening victory against the Broncos.
"If you're going to take a breath and enjoy anything that happened a week ago, you're going to get your brains beat in,'' Golesh said. "It helps that you're playing a really good opponent. But I also think we're mature. We're an older football team with a bunch of younger guys who are (also) playing ball. That's the cool thing about having older guys is you can point to successful things and say to the younger players, 'This is how we handle it.' ''
USF players seem eager for the chance at another potentially program-defining moment.
"It's going to be an easy game (to prepare for emotionally) because they have athletes, just like we have athletes,'' Singleton said.
"It's always a great environment, a sold-out crowd, a good student section,'' said nose tackle Devin Lee, a Vanderbilt University transfer who will play against the Gators for a fourth time. "We're looking forward to it. We'll be ready to go.''
It's an important game.
It's the next game.
And it's another awesome opportunity for USF.
–#GoBulls–
