The USF Bulls hit the road on Saturday to play what will be their most challenging conference game to date, when they travel to Memphis to face the 5-1 Tigers.
Memphis may be without its starting quarterback in the game, but USF can’t take them lightly. Starting quarterback Brenden Lewis was injured in the Tigers’ loss to UAB, 33-31, a loss that gave the Bulls sole possession of first place in the AAC.
It has been a long time since the Bulls have beaten Memphis anywhere. The last time USF beat Memphis, Quinton Flowers was under center as the Bulls pulled off the win in Memphis 49-42 at the Liberty Bowl. USF has lost four straight games against the Tigers, including last year’s 21-3 loss in Orlando. That game was moved to Orlando due to the devastation from Hurricane Milton in the Tampa area.
When Lewis got injured last week, Memphis finished the game with freshman AJ Hill at quarterback. He threw for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his college debut.
The Bulls are coming off their fourth straight win, a blowout win over FAU, 48-13.
The Bulls have not slowed down one bit on offense. The Bulls enter this conference showdown as one of the best offenses in the country. USF is averaging 537 yards of offense per game, which is 14th in the country. USF also boasts the 7th-best scoring offense in the country, averaging 41.7 points per game.
Outside of Miami, this Memphis defense may be the best the Bulls have faced this season, and definitely the best defense they will have seen so far in conference play. The Tigers are giving up just 335 yards per game, good for 40th in the country.
USF’s defense has not been too shabby this season either. The Bulls are giving up 378 yards per game and 23 points per game.
Memphis offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said this week that South Florida is “by far the best defense we’re going to play this year.”
Bulls head coach Alex Golesh doesn’t necessarily buy into the hype that this is the biggest game of the season so far. At least if he does, he is not letting it out publicly. Golesh says that this is a big game, not because of the opponent, but because it happens to be the next one on the schedule.
Golesh acknowledges that his team is banged up at the midpoint of the season: “Everybody is beat up. Everybody is hurt. Everybody is tired. But it’s the end of October and you’re playing meaningful football games. It’s the only opportunity we have in front of us. I try not to build up one game over another. As we’ve seen continually this season, it doesn’t matter who you are, if you don’t play well, you can get beat.”
Memphis may be without its starting quarterback, but it is loaded at the other skill positions. The Tigers present defenses with an option look, and they also boast an outstanding run game, led by Sutton Smith, who has rushed for 480 yards and six touchdowns this season. Greg Desrosiers Jr. has also run for 389 yards and five touchdowns this season. As a team, the Tigers rank No. 15 in the nation, running the ball for an average of 221 yards per game.
It’s been a long time since USF has been in a position to make a statement and control its own destiny in the AAC. Alex Golesh doesn’t buy the fact that this one game is a “statement game”.
“I don’t think you make statements in one-game sets. I think you make statements by just being really, really consistent and playing to the best of your ability every week. But I do know it’s our next one. It’s the only one. There are no ‘do-over’s’ and there are no ‘my bad’s.’ We’ve got to continue playing high-level football and showing we can do it, week-in and week-out, week-in and week-out, again and again.”
Author’s Prediction
FanDuel has USF favored by 5.5 points in this road matchup. This will be a tight game until the very end.
I think the USF offense will put a ton of pressure on the Memphis defense, as they have done to their opponents all season, and will be able to move the ball at will.
The defense should be able to slow down the Tiger running attack and force Memphis into a passing game.
I like USF to win 35-25 and solidify their chances of a conference championship.