Saturday afternoon in Annapolis, Maryland, USF’s football season metaphorically ended with a thud, without any hope of playing for the AAC Championship or earning a berth in the College Football Playoffs. The Bulls lost a close one to Navy, 41-38, to end their dream season.
The Bulls were burned in the passing game and gashed in the running game, as Navy was able to move the ball at will, racking up 524 yards of offense. The Bulls allowed three explosive plays against Navy as the Midshipmen scored on runs of 76 and 64 yards. They also had an 82-yard pass play to set up another score. Allowing explosive plays has been the Bulls’ achilles heel all season, and it is magnified against quality competition.
Once again, the Bulls proved to the nation that, when it comes to conference play, they have some work to do to reach the same level as Navy, Memphis, and Tulane. As Alex Golesh wraps up his third year at USF, he is 21-15 overall, but just 1-5 against the big three of Navy, Memphis, and Tulane, and 2-4 against teams ranked in the top 25.
If you look at the three games USF has lost this season, they allowed 49 points to Miami, 34 points to Memphis, and now 41 points to Navy. The defense has struggled to get a stop when needed at critical points in games this season. The defensive miscues are magnified against quality competition. Outside of the Miami game, the Bulls’ offense has put enough points on the board to win these games.
Alex Golesh has done a fantastic job of changing the culture at USF and recruiting the right ‘culture fit’ players to come to the university. But some questions need to be asked. Is it time for a change at defensive coordinator?
USF may need to open up the purse strings and bring in an “expert” on the defensive side of the ball to get this team to contend year in and year out. Think Bryant Haines of Indiana, Corey Heatherman of Miami, Jim Knowles at Penn State, and Matt Patricia of Ohio State. Someone with an excellent defensive pedigree and that level of expertise.
Can Alex Golesh and the coaching staff coach this team to play at an elite level against quality competition and contend for a championship? USF has had outstanding offenses under Golesh the last three seasons; it’s the defense that has not kept pace with the offense. Alex Golesh is an offensive-minded coach. He coached the offense at Tennessee before coming to USF. Offense is rarely the problem with this team.
To have an $8-$10 million roster and not be able to beat at least one of the top teams in the conference is inexcusable. Is Alex Golesh the James Franklin of the AAC? Franklin was 4-26 against top-25 competition at Penn State and had a reputation for not being able to win the big game. Golesh is an excellent recruiter who can win a lot of games and possibly take a team to a certain level. Think 8-10 wins every year, but never be able to take the program to an elite level that is a championship contender year in and year out.
A check of the AAC standings will show that there are four teams ahead of USF in the conference standings: Navy, Memphis, Tulane, and East Carolina.
USF sits at 7-3 on the season with a road game at UAB and the season finale at home against Rice on Thanksgiving weekend to wrap up the season.
After the loss to Navy, offensive linemen Cole Best said in his post-game press conference that there is still a lot to play for. Let me say, nothing excites the fan base like a berth in the Bahamas Bowl or the Birmingham Bowl, right? The Gasparilla Bowl would be the best destination for a USF bowl game. It’s played at Raymond James Stadium, and you could count on a lot of USF fans attending.
There should be a lot of introspection this offseason as to why USF cannot seem to get over the hump against the big three of Navy, Memphis, and Tulane. USF has good players on the defensive side of the ball. Mac Harris, Jhalyn Shuler, Fred Gaskin, and Tavin Ward have been outstanding. So, if the players are good enough, you have to talk about coaching.
A season filled with promise and a chance to make history will now be looked at in the annals of history as just another good season. But another dagger in the heart of USF fans.