GAME 9: Bulls vs. Pirates
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000) • Greenville, N.C. • Friday, Nov. 6 • 7:30 PM
TV: ESPN2 – Play-by-Play: Jason Ross Jr.; Analyst: Tyoka Jackson
RADIO: Q105FM & Bulls Unlimited (digital) – Play-by-Play: Jim Lighthall, Analyst: Joey Johnston Sideline: Rock Riley
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Regardless of who starts at quarterback … or whether the offense can awake from its slumber … or whether the defense can maintain its recent lights-out standard of play … the University of South Florida Bulls have a singular mission when they travel to East Carolina for Friday night’s American Conference game on ESPN2 against the Pirates.
It’s about winning.
For the Bulls, as they enter November’s four-game stretch run, winning is the only thing.
“We’re in a good spot, not a great spot, but a good spot,” head coach Brian Hartline said during his Tuesday news conference. “I think you’re seeing all the work that has been put in from Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five … and now it’s showing up. Nothing happens by chance. Everything is deliberate and on purpose. Although it’s not (happening) right away, it’s coming, as long as you keep going.”
The Bulls (6-2, 2-2) and Pirates (4-4, 2-2) are part of the league’s bottleneck of six teams with two conference defeats. UTSA (7-1, 4-0) and North Texas (6-2, 4-0) lead the pace, followed by Memphis (7-2, 4-1), which is South Florida’s opponent in ESPN’s Thursday night showcase game on Nov. 12 at Raymond James Stadium.
If the right things happen and the Bulls can win out, beginning with Friday night’s game at ECU, there’s a possibility of climbing back into the mix for a berth in the league’s championship game.
“I think we’re in a spot to go do some great things,” offensive tackle Michael Wooten said. “You know, just having that in our mind, it can really push us to be great.”
“Where we are now … we (think we) control our destiny,” safety Tavin Ward said. “We just go into each week one-and-zero. We can’t worry about too far ahead or else we’ll lose sight of what’s in front of us.”
What’s in front of South Florida is a Pirate team that relies on its defense, ranked 48th nationally (allowing 336.4 yards per game). In last week’s 17-9 win against Temple, the Pirates allowed just 249 total yards and had three second-half interceptions.
Meanwhile, the Bulls have stayed afloat despite scoring just three offensive touchdowns in their past two games (both victories). Starting quarterback Michael Van Buren was injured during the second quarter of Saturday’s 30-10 home win against UAB, giving way to Luke Kromenhoekwho sparked the Bulls with 92 yards rushing, including runs of 42 and 25 yards.
Asked about South Florida’s outlook at quarterback for Friday night’s game, Hartline said, “We’ll have one.” He didn’t specify whether Van Buren would be available, deferring to the official American Conference injury report, which will be released a few hours before kickoff.
But no matter who takes the snaps, Hartline said South Florida’s offense must play much better than in recent weeks, particularly in the passing game, which produced just 46 yards against UAB. Where can the Bulls improve?
“In every facet of it (passing game),” Hartline said. “I think we’ve got to protect better. We have to throw and catch better. In my mind, the pass game also has the ability to minimize TFL’s (tackles for a loss), so you throw the ball away, manage it a little better, don’t take sacks. We’ve kind of been a nemesis of all those (factors).
“They don’t always hit on the same day, but we’ll have opportunities for some routine plays, and either we don’t throw and catch it well or we (allow a) sack in two seconds, so the quarterback can’t get it out of his hand. If you’re struggling, if you have some adversity, you can kind of move and make it work. But when it happens that fast, the quarterback can’t fix anything, so we’ve got to get better at that. I think (the issues) are all over the board.”
South Florida’s defense has helped to cover up many of those issues with elite performances. That includes three defensive touchdowns over the last two games, when the Bulls permitted just 10 offensive points, an average of 202 total yards and 80 total rushing yards.
The Bulls, ranked 24th nationally (allowing 306.6 yards per game), have allowed just 116 total points (an average of 14.5 per game), the lowest eight-game total in program history.
“The defense has been awesome,” Hartline said. “You win championships with defensive play. The (great) teams I’ve been a part of, it’s all based on the defense. They’re hungry … and that (defense) is definitely our M.O. right now for sure.”
“It’s honestly amazing to have a defense like that,” Wooten said. “Honestly, it’s a blessing. We’ve got to do our part (offensively) and clean a lot of things up. But when you get the defense playing like that to take some stress off your back, it’s a great feeling.”
Source: gousfbulls.com
