It’s the biggest game in years for USF this weekend at Raymond James Stadium.
It’s the Sunshine State Showdown with the Miami Hurricanes, a game that USF fans have circled on their calendar since it was announced.
Miami comes to Raymond James undefeated with a 2-0 record and ranked number eighth in the country, while the Bulls are 2-1 and unranked.
Miami-USF History
The last time these two teams met was 11 years ago in Tampa, and Miami won 49-21.
Miami has won 5-of-6 against USF, with the Bulls’ only win in the series coming in 2010, a 23-20 win in Boca Raton.
Tickets for this game are in demand more than tickets for last season’s Alabama game. That game drew a sellout crowd of 65,138 to Raymond James.
The Bulls have proven they can play with anyone in the country and will get another opportunity to show that against Miami on Saturday.
The Bulls Must Contain Their Emotions
With over 60,000 people looking on at Raymond James Stadium, the Bulls must play smart and not let emotions get the best of them.
Coach Alex Golesh addressed that with the media this week. “We talk a lot about having emotional intelligence. You’ve got to play with emotion, but you can’t play emotionally. I think if you play emotionally, things go out of whack, and I think it becomes about something other than the person in front of you that you’re competing against.”
With Miami, it starts with quarterback play. Cam Ward has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country early on, and the Bulls must contain him if they want to win this game.
Ward came in through the transfer portal and has been Miami’s best quarterback since Stephen Morris.
Coach Alex Golesh talked about Ward and what he brings to the Miami program. “This is a guy that has started 47 games in college football. That guy has answers. He’s obviously highly intelligent. So in terms of getting the protection right, in terms of recognizing looks and in terms of being able to get the ball to the playmakers — 47 is a lot of games. And so affecting him is where it would start.”
Golesh didn’t stop there. “He’s really special, I mean, man, he can make every throw on the field. He moves around in the pocket extremely well, really confident. You watch all three games, and it’s a really, really confident young man. Without knowing him, he looks like he’s got incredible command of the offense, and everybody’s in sync.”
Ward is first in the NCAA in touchdown passes with 11, second in passing yardage with 1,035, fourth in pass efficiency at 209.3, ninth in yards per completion at 15.9, and 10th in completion percentage at 65/89 for 73 percent.
Keys To A Bulls Win Against Miami
The Bulls’ front seven must pressure Cam Ward and get him out of his rhythm. That is the number one key for the Bulls to win this game.
Give him many looks, get him off his rhythm, and get him moving around in the pocket. That is one of the big keys for the Bulls to win this game.
Ward is not a threat to run. He is, first and foremost, a pocket passer. Ward has run for just 248 yards in his career, averaging just 0.9 yards per carry.
Ward is a Heisman candidate, and the Bulls faced another Heisman candidate just two weeks ago at Alabama in Jalen Milroe.
However, USF has their own star quarterback in Byrum Brown. For the last two seasons, Brown has been the spark plug for the Bulls offense.
As Brown goes, so goes the Bulls offense. Brown has passed for 448 yards this season, completing 56% of his passes, with two touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Where Brown excels and can put pressure on the defense is with his legs. He has rushed for 254 yards this season, with two touchdowns and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
The Bulls did a great job for three quarters containing Millroe before letting him bust loose in the fourth quarter.
Key number two is playing for four quarters. Hopefully, the Bulls have learned from the Alabama game that you have to play with the same effort in the fourth quarter as you do in the first three quarters.
Bragging Rights For The State Of Florida
Bragging rights in the state of Florida are up for grabs. When the Bulls win this game, this will be the biggest win in history in non-conference play.
This will be a close game, but the Bulls have learned from the error of their ways. They understand the importance of playing for four quarters.
When the dust settles, I like the Bulls to win 24-21 and claim their rightful place as the best team in Florida (sorry UCF).