So here's why we always seem to drop a game or two each year to "lesser" teams

[Rizman]

"USF football...playing up or down to our competition since 1997" - Shoop (and half the other people i know)

we're not the only team that does it, but it's one thing we're pretty consistent about

As I said earlier in this thread, I don't understand why people say this.  What teams or games were we such a clearly better team where we played down to their level for a full game and ended up losing?  I certainly don't see this on a consistent basis.  Maybe 1 or 2 games since the 2002 season.  Anything else is more a fantasy based on what some of the fans hoped we would evolve into.  I am curious to which games and why people say this.

People are talking about POTENTIAL, not what level of output we put in at that game.  USF potential against UConn was to blow them out but this is the amazing thing about sports you just don't know how things are going to work out and as humans we secretly enjoy that.  Look at WVA meltdown versus Pitt at home.  Should that have happened no should they have killed Pitt yeah. 

Enjoy this season, because I am sure USF will have its ups and downs and lets just hope for more ups.

[usfgrad84]

"USF football...playing up or down to our competition since 1997" - Shoop (and half the other people i know)

we're not the only team that does it, but it's one thing we're pretty consistent about

As I said earlier in this thread, I don't understand why people say this.  What teams or games were we such a clearly better team where we played down to their level for a full game and ended up losing?  I certainly don't see this on a consistent basis.  Maybe 1 or 2 games since the 2002 season.  Anything else is more a fantasy based on what some of the fans hoped we would evolve into.  I am curious to which games and why people say this.

People are talking about POTENTIAL, not what level of output we put in at that game.  USF potential against UConn was to blow them out but this is the amazing thing about sports you just don't know how things are going to work out and as humans we secretly enjoy that.  Look at WVA meltdown versus Pitt at home.  Should that have happened no should they have killed Pitt yeah. 

Enjoy this season, because I am sure USF will have its ups and downs and lets just hope for more ups.

]

That's what I am talking about.  A lot of people create false expectations by reading into the hype of our own team and underestimating the opponents.  No way anyone should have gone into the UCONN game expecting a blow out.  Not when they had the #3 or 4 defense in the country at that point and ended up in the top 12.  They also had 2 of the best running backs in the Big East.  It was more a matter of playing an evenly matched team (despite what many want to think) than us being a superior team.  This is the case in most of the games that people will cite as examples.  I hate UCONN, but let's face it, they still were Big East co champs this year.  No way anyone should have expected us to be blowing them out.  Rutgers was a preseason top 10 team.  We shouldn't have expected a blowout in that game and Cincinnati was a pretty good team as well.  I am just as guilty of wearing the green and gold goggles, but if you step back and look at things objectively, there are a lot closely matched teams in this conference right now and there will be games that come down to making fewer mistakes and the winner be determined by executing a play or two during every game.  This year playing experience will be in our favor. 

[smazza]

If you watch FAU and UConn again, you'll see a very similar theme. The guys sort of show up in the first half and then wake up in the second half. At FAU, playing conditions were good so they could execute the game plan and pull out a victory. At UConn, the crazy weather made it impossible to count on every play, not to mention all the other things that went on with self-implosion.

Though, I would say that in those two games, FAU was the better than UConn.

We have always been a defensive football team, i.e., the defense carries the team. When the defense is soft (guys don't get focused quickly enough), we fall behind and then that puts more pressure of the offense. And if the guys on offense aren't sharp, little things hurt and big things put the team in a bigger hole (turnovers).

My point is that I don't expect our guys to be 100% every game; they are only human. But there's no reason another team should start carving us up on the ground or in the air all of a sudden. If you look at our losses, you'll remember that helpless feeling that our defense can't stop anyone. Of course, they do adjust and then they do end up stopping the other team's attack. But those porous periods have always cost us in the end, more than I care to remember.

Of our three losses (the Sun Bowl was not a loss; it was a brutal beating), Rutgers was fine in terms of showing up, but the refs stole that one. Cincy was questionable because we were not focused (how many turnovers?), and UConn was a complete breakdown after losing the #2 ranking.

Am I pointing the finger? NOPE. I love my Bulls.

All I'm saying is that if we somehow can maintain our intensity and focus week-in and week-out, we can do greater things.

failing to perform idue to weather is ridiculous

both teams play under same conditions

[JerseyBull06]

I'm not talking about games like UConn, but games like FAU last season. FAU was better than people expected, but that game still should not have been as close as it was through the first half. Football is a game of any given sunday(or saturday), but with USF the quality of play (calls, intensity, execution, etc) varies more from week to week more than it should. I'm the last person who expects a blowout like the UCF game every week, but I would not agree that USF plays at a consistent level every week either...that's what I mean when I say we play up or down.

[BullsOnThaRize8]

it's not all about coaching it's not all about concentration but its a combination. Uconn...Many of you had to be sitting at the screen yelling like me because of our lack of an adjustment to the screen. How many times can a team run the screen and blow us up. Fau...Fau the wind kept grothe from throwing like he would normally, and their offense exposed our defense with the play action roll out. Then they would hand it off to that fullback or whatever. I think that regardless of how good we are or anyone is teams can struggle. It isnt that the guys aren't concentrating or bringing it but other teams hang around and execute well.

Key to those games this year and all of them. Don't turn over the ball. We won't underestimate anyone with leavitt as our coach believe that he won't let them. Less penalties that back us up for no reason..just execution.

[Bullpride08]

Ok.  Deep cleansing breath.

We don't have enough talent to win every game unless we play our best game.  The fact that we won so many games last year is a testament to our hard work and focus.  The staff and players did a great job. 

This year the overall talent will be better, and it will be better each year for the next three or four years.

Patience, grasshopper, patience.

Exactly, this will be the first year we'll have a starting line-up on both sides of the ball dominated by upperclassmen.  We haven't had that since 2002 and 2003. 

[smazza]

it's not all about coaching it's not all about concentration but its a combination. Uconn...Many of you had to be sitting at the screen yelling like me because of our lack of an adjustment to the screen. How many times can a team run the screen and blow us up. Fau...Fau the wind kept grothe from throwing like he would normally, and their offense exposed our defense with the play action roll out. Then they would hand it off to that fullback or whatever. I think that regardless of how good we are or anyone is teams can struggle. It isnt that the guys aren't concentrating or bringing it but other teams hang around and execute well.

Key to those games this year and all of them. Don't turn over the ball. We won't underestimate anyone with leavitt as our coach believe that he won't let them. Less penalties that back us up for no reason..just execution.

seems like we underestimated oregon

[Bullpride08]

I'm not talking about games like UConn, but games like FAU last season. FAU was better than people expected, but that game still should not have been as close as it was through the first half. Football is a game of any given sunday(or saturday), but with USF the quality of play (calls, intensity, execution, etc) varies more from week to week more than it should. I'm the last person who expects a blowout like the UCF game every week, but I would not agree that USF plays at a consistent level every week either...that's what I mean when I say we play up or down.

FAU played a tough first half.  They were as fast a defense as Auburn and came at us with everything they had, oh and they've got one helluva experienced coaching staff.  So do the Gators think they suck because their score at the half last year against FAU was 27-20, IN GAINESVILLE?  FAU was a good team and caught us off guard in the first half, just like they did with UF.  Their pass defense was exceptional as many teams found out since they led the nation in INT's.  We tinkered a bit to much passing, then in the 2nd half committed completely to the run and dominated them.

[BullsOnThaRize8]

I can't say we underestimated oregon. It doesn't make sense. Did we prepare wrong? yes. Did we expect roper to be that good? No but no way we thought they were bad. 1 guy was not the reason they were 2nd in the nation. It takes a team. Their defense is extremely good regardless of dixon being on the field. Their offense has j.stew who is an unbelievable back who gives more than most teams can handle. He was a better ray rice. We were outcoached out lots of stuff but we did not underestimate oregon. I think our fans underestimated oregon. Myself included.

[usfgrad84]

I'm not talking about games like UConn, but games like FAU last season. FAU was better than people expected, but that game still should not have been as close as it was through the first half. Football is a game of any given sunday(or saturday), but with USF the quality of play (calls, intensity, execution, etc) varies more from week to week more than it should. I'm the last person who expects a blowout like the UCF game every week, but I would not agree that USF plays at a consistent level every week either...that's what I mean when I say we play up or down.

This is exactly why this is a silly argument.  First of all we won the FAU game by 2 TDs.  What makes the argument silly is now we are not talking about playing consistently from game to game, but because a pretty decent team played us closer than expected for a half of football we were inconsistent? 

Just because a team does some things that we didn't expect doesn't mean we played inconsistent. Maybe their Hall of Fame Head Coach, that has won a couple of national championships may actually know what he is doing and came up with a good game plan.  I think we did a pretty good job of adjusting in that game.  They took away our passing game and we adjusted and ran the ball.  We had two guys go over 100 yards with one of them almost going for 200. 

For me, the argument about losing games we were supposed to win comes down to 2 things.  Fans thinking we are better than we are sometimes/underestimating the opponent and the maturity of the team because of so many underclassman the past few years.  By the way, talking about immaturity and the FAU game.  Ford was not allowed to play because he blew off some classes that week.  That was a big statement of maturity and learning to properly prepare for a game and do what is necessary when a team is counting on you.  Same with Murphy before the Rutgers game.