GoUSFBulls.com Johnston's Keys To The Game: Bulls vs. Owls

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Johnston's Keys To The Game: Bulls vs. Owls

October 14, 2023

 

Joey Johnston Athletics Senior Writer

It's an in-state battle, but the USF Bulls have had very little in common with the Florida Atlantic Owls, who visit Raymond James Stadium for Saturday afternoon's homecoming game.

Until now.

The Bulls (3-3, 2-1 AAC) now share the same league with the Owls (2-3, 1-0 AAC). USF needs a strong rebound from last week's humbling 56-35 defeat at UAB, while FAU is coming off its first AAC victory, a 20-17 home decision against Tulsa.

"Sometimes in football, just like in life, you need something to wake you up a little bit,'' head coach Alex Golesh said. "It's going to be very interesting to see how we respond.''

In USF's football infancy, Howard Schnellenberger, the father of FAU football, was a regular visitor to Tampa. He observed the progress of the Bulls and took lots of notes. FAU's football debut was 2001 (four seasons after USF began). The Bulls and Owls have met just four times with the last meeting in 2013.

First-year Owls head coach Tom Herman said there's a separation between the two programs, even referring to FAU as "little brother.''

"We're going to go in with duct tape and bubble gum and try to figure out a way to compete with them,'' Herman said.

It's a nice try, but Golesh's week-by-week psychology demands that the Bulls never overlook an opponent. Especially now that USF needs to erase the memory of a shellacking at UAB.

Here's how the Bulls can get back on the winning track:

 

Slow Down LaJohntay Wester  

The FAU wide receiver, a 5-foot-11, 168-pound product from Palmetto High School in Manatee County, has become the Owls' all-time leading receiver while leading all Football Bowl Subdivision pass-catchers (52 catches for 499 yards). He also averages a national-best 20.5 yards on punt returns.

Looking for an entertaining "game within the game?''

If Wester is covered by USF nickel back Daquan Evans, perhaps the team's best defensive player, that's a matchup to watch.

"He (Wester) is one of the top receivers in the country,'' Golesh said.

"He's the real deal,'' said Bulls defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, who was an FAU assistant (along with USF defensive line coach Kevin Patrick) last season. "We need to be aware of wherever he is at all times. He lines up at slot the majority of the time, but they'll put him at X-receiver. They'll put him in the backfield, create some fly sweeps for him, trying to get 12-13-14 touches for him.''

FAU has other weapons, such as Larry McCammon, who rushed for 130 yards last week, and quarterback Daniel Richardson, who stepped in when Casey Thompson suffered a season-ending knee injury.

But Wester is the primary target for USF's defense.

And speaking of defense …

 

Defense Must Rebound  

It was a disheartening performance at UAB, when the Bulls surrendered 608 yards and eight touchdowns (including scores of 75, 61, 49 and 58 yards).

USF must return to its disruptive, sure-tackling ways, which characterized the defense's early season improvement.

"We've looked at everything from A to Z in the program … and we can't let last week's game beat us again,'' Orlando said. "What sometimes happens is everybody pointing fingers, but I didn't get a sense of that at all.

"I sensed that we're eager to get back on the field. It was a lot of guys who want to get things corrected. We have to do it, but that approach was good to see.''

Golesh said USF's best players didn't play well at UAB — and that includes the defensive players. Orlando said he believes the defense overall was hesitant against the Blazers — and that will be exposed against the Owls, too, so the Bulls must adjust.

Following UAB's third drive, Orlando pulled all the defensive players together on the sideline to look in their eyes and urge them to pick up the pace. He hadn't done that all season, but there hadn't been a need.

"This all falls on me,'' Orlando said. "The physical preparation, the schematic preparation, the emotional preparation, that falls on the coordinator and I've got to do a way better job.

"If you have a competitive spirit and you get a result like that, you can't go to sleep at night. You wake up and just think it's like a bad dream. Your heart is racing out of your chest. … So, we are eager not to have those feelings again.''

 

On The Run

Quarterback Byrum Brown has become one of the AAC's most dynamic players while rushing for 460 yards, second among FBS quarterbacks.

Overall, offensive coordinator Joel Gordon said USF's running game has been "inconsistent.''

"There are times when we get everything dialed in and we look like a really good team running the football,'' Gordon said. "And there are times when it's one guy off and we get thrown for a loss of 2 yards. And it looks like we're not good at all.

"There have been times when we've run the football and there was no answer for it. So, it's about being consistent and learning how this offense works. We're working on progress and we know we have to be better.''

Last week, USF's three primary running backs (Nay'Quan Wright, K'wan Powell and Michel Dukes) combined for 69 yards on 20 carries (including a 27-yard run). An injury plagued offensive line has likely contributed to the lack of production.

"I feel like it starts with the first drive,'' center Mike Lofton said. "You know, setting the tone off early and then playing like that through all four quarters. It starts with us up front. We've got to come off the ball and show our dominance early so we can set the tone for the rest of the game.''

 

Next-Game Mentality

Golesh said he "sounds like a broken record'' when discussing USF's next-game mentality (or next-play mentality), which he does every week. But it's true.

The Bulls are 3-3 at the season's midpoint. They can't get back the woeful game at UAB. If the Bulls win their remaining home games (FAU, Temple, Charlotte), they will be bowl eligible.

But that is looking ahead. And that isn't USF's mentality. It needs to be all about taking care of FAU at homecoming.

"At some point, you've got to shut it off and not listen to what everybody else is saying because what really matters are the coaches and your teammates because they're holding you accountable,'' Lofton said. "You've got to put forth your best effort because what you see on the film is a reflection of yourself.''

Defensive tackle Rashad Cheney said he's so determined to establish a singular focus that he deleted his Twitter account.

"You can get caught up in it and we're human beings at the end of the day,'' Cheney said. "We have to keep up our good habits and that means concentrating on the next game.''

–#GoBulls–

[Cat941]

The Bulls are 3-3 at the season's midpoint. They can't get back the woeful game at UAB. If the Bulls win their remaining home games (FAU, Temple, Charlotte), they will be bowl eligible.