In Game The TBP Official In Game Thread: USF Bulls vs Rice Owls

[MikeG]

Welcome to

TheBullsPen.com's

Game 4

South Florida Bulls

(1-2, 0-0)
vs
Rice Owls
(2-1, 0-0)

September 23, 2023

4:00 PM EST- ESPNU

CANCER AWARENESS GAME presented by: Moffitt Cancer Center

Reversible Bucket Hats for First 10,000 Fans

Raymond James Stadium     Tampa, FL

Link to prediction contest

This will serve as our official  in game thread for in game discussions and commentary.  Stand alone topics should still be posted in a new thread.  The board functions work well on mobile phone, tablet or desktop.  The BullsChat chat room is also available.

 

 

GAME DAY vs. Rice Owls

USF will open its 11th season of American Athletic Conference play by hosting one of the six new AAC members that joined in 2023 as Rice comes to Tampa for the first-ever meeting between the programs. The Owls, formerly of Conference USA, are riding a two-game win streak into their first AAC game. USF will look to snap a four-game losing skid in AAC openers that dates to a Sept. 22, 2018 victory over ECU (20-13) in Raymond James Stadium. This will be the first home AAC opener since a 48-21 loss to SMU in 2019. USF was supposed to open the 2022 AAC season at home vs. ECU, but the game was moved to Boca Raton due to Hurricane Ian and USF lost 28-48 to the Pirates in FAU Stadium, 240 miles from the USF campus in front of a sparse crowd in the first relocated game in program history.

OWLS FLOCK TO RAY JAY: Rice is the first of three teams USF will play in 2023 with an Owl mascot. Also on the docket are home games vs. FAU and Temple, all conference foes.

DEFENSE RISING: USF’s new defense under coordinator Todd Orlando turned in one of their top defensive performances in years in a 17-3 loss to No. 10 Alabama. For the second straight game, USF posted four or more sacks, logging five, the most since 2019, and Bama’s 17 points were its fewest in a win since 2016 and fewest in a regular season non-conference game since 2007. The Tide had three at the half, the fewest since a 2021 game at Auburn. The Tide’s 82.56 pass efficiency rating was its lowest since 2009 and USF forced UA to go 5-of-15 on third down and punt eight times. Alabama was 42-0 vs. regular season non-autonomy league opponents entering the game with an average margin of victory of 40 points and just two games decided by fewer than 24 points. The Tide scored at least 31 in all but one of the previous games. USF held the Tide to 310 yards, its lowest offensive production since posting 300 yards vs. Mississippi State on Oct. 22 of last year.

 

 

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

TV: ESPNU: Jay Alter (PXP) & Rene Ingoglia (Analyst)
RADIO: 102.5 FM/102.5 HD2
AUDIO STREAM:  TuneIn -Bulls Unlimited  LISTEN

USF RADIO NETWORK
FLAGSHIP: 102.5 FM & 102.5-HD2 (BAY AREA), TUNEIN RADIO (DIGITAL) - BULLS UNLIMITED; Jim Louk, play-by-play Sam Barrington, analyst Joey Johnston, sideline
PREGAME SHOW (2 HRS PRIOR TO KICK): Jim Lighthall & Darek Sharp
BULLSEYE: USF COACHES SHOW Thursdays: Bulls Unlimited (audio), Youtube, Facebook

TheBullsPen.com: Major In Game Twitter Feeds   Football Page 
Bulls on Social Media
Twitter: @USFFOOTBALL
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Hashtags:  #ComeToThe Bay, #StayInTheBay

USF official site:  Football - USF Athletics (gousfbulls.com)

Rice official site: Football - Rice University Athletics (riceowls.com)

 

 

Live Stats

South Florida Game Notes - South Florida Depth Chart - South Florida Stats

Rice Game Notes - Rice Depth Chart - Rice Stats

GoUSFBulls.com GAME DAY CENTRAL

 

Go Bulls!

 

 

[MikeG]

as of Sunday 5:55pm

[MikeG]

Bulls Open American Conference Play Saturday vs. Conference Newcomer Rice

September 20, 2023

Joey Johnston Athletics Senior Writer

Story Links

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 11^th 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.''

[Brad]

[Triple B]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

Am I the only one having to open that in another tab to see it?

[Brad]

What browser?

[Triple B]

Firefox

[Friscobull]

Not afraid to jinx this, I like our chances! #Go Bulls!

[Rocky Style]

4 hours ago, Friscobull said:

Not afraid to jinx this, I like our chances! #Go Bulls!

Everyone wants this to happen.  Who thought the Rice game would be this dramatic?

[Triple B]

8 hours ago, Rocky Style said:

Everyone wants this to happen.  Who thought the Rice game would be this dramatic?

Uncle Ben ...