The South Florida Bulls have a huge challenge ahead of them this week: a trip to Miami to take on the fifth-ranked Hurricanes.
For the first time since 2018, the Bulls are ranked in the top 25. They debuted at No. 18 this week in the AP and No. 23 in the Coaches Poll.
The Bulls are coming off two victories against ranked opponents (Boise State and Florida), and will look for a third straight win at Miami this weekend. The Bulls are 1-6 in their history against the Hurricanes, with their only win against Miami coming in the 2010 season, a 23-20 OT win.
The Bulls’ 18-16 win at Florida, the biggest win in program history, marked the first time they beat a ranked opponent on the road since 2007 when they beat West Virginia in Morgantown, 21-13.
Last season, Miami beat USF 50-15 in Tampa, but these are not the same old Bulls.
A couple of things have contributed to the Bulls’ 2-0 start this season. Number one, they are not turning the ball over. The Bulls do not have a turnover yet this season. Number two, the Bulls ensure they get points when they enter the red zone. The Bulls are 7/7 inside the red zone this season. Another key factor for USF will be ensuring attention to detail and composure this weekend against the 2-0 Hurricanes.
Coach Alex Golesh talked about those aspects of the game in his weekly press conference. “It will be another week of us being able to handle the travel, being able to handle the crowd noise, and being able to handle the environment. It was certainly good to get that one under our belt last Saturday and to be able to say, ‘Man, we handled that well. But here’s where we could’ve handled it better, and to be able to teach off of that.’
Another key to the team’s early success this season has been its coachability. “Our kids are really, really easy to coach,” Golesh said. “We’ve got 33 seniors, a bunch of older guys who have played a bunch of football. And I knew all along that if those guys could be our best leaders, on top of being our best players, we’d have a chance to do some really cool things.”
Miami is led offensively by Georgia transfer Carson Beck at quarterback. Beck was 24-3 as a starter at Georgia and has already made an enormous impact at Miami. Through two games with the Hurricanes, Beck is 42-for-54 with 472 yards passing, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He has also gone 185 consecutive attempts without an interception, going back to last season at Georgia.
Golesh had high praise for Beck and the Miami offense. “That quarterback, he’s really, really good. That kid’s a winner. And that doesn’t happen by accident. He’s big. He’s tall. He has a twitchy release, a really impressive deep ball.”
“They’re big at running back. Their offensive and defensive lines are truly on another level. The linebackers and the secondary are all elite. Really good on special teams. They are impressive to watch.”
Miami knew they had to get better on defense to take that next step, and hiring defensive coordinator Corey Heatherman has undoubtedly helped. Through two games, the Canes are allowing just 13.5 points per game.
Miami has a strong defense and a very good secondary, but USF quarterback Byrum Brown and the offense will test Miami’s defense.
Another key to a successful trip will be halftime adjustments. Coach Golesh and the coaching staff have done an outstanding job adjusting at halftime and coming out aggressively in the third quarter. The Bulls outscored Boise State 14-0 in the third quarter of the season opener, and outscored Florida 9-0 in the third quarter last week in Gainesville.
The Bulls’ +90 scoring differential in the third quarter over the last two seasons is good for fifth place among FBS schools.
Miami and USF have a +4 turnover margin this season, and both teams have not lost a turnover. Ball security could also be a factor in this game. The Bulls will need to keep the Miami pass rush away from Brown, as this will be the closest thing to an NFL rush that Brown will see all season.
Author’s Prediction
The Hurricanes are favored by 17.5 points, which is much too high. I am riding the Bulls in a 27-24 upset win at Hard Rock Stadium this week.