The South Florida Bulls are watching a once-promising football season slip away. And the most frustrating part is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
USF had a chance to beat East Carolina. The Bulls and Pirates were tied at 17 late in the fourth quarter. All they needed was one defensive stop to give themselves a chance to win. They couldn’t get it.
East Carolina moved into field goal range and kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired, sending the Bulls home with a 20-17 loss. It was another close game. Another missed opportunity. Another week of wondering what has happened to the USF offense. Sound familiar?
We have been watching the same thing for most of the season. The Bulls lost a close game to Temple. They had their chances against East Carolina. Their other loss came against UTSA, one of the best teams in the American Conference.
I can accept the UTSA loss. Right now, the Roadrunners are simply a better football team than USF. But Temple and East Carolina? Those are games the Bulls should have found a way to win.
Instead, USF keeps finding ways to lose games that are theirs for the taking. And the biggest reason is an offense that has become painfully predictable.
The Definition of Insanity? Watch the USF Offense
There is an old saying about the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That pretty much describes the South Florida offense.
Week after week, we see the same plays, the same mistakes, and the same results. Run the football into a crowded line. Throw a short pass that doesn’t gain enough yards. Face third-and-long. Punt. Repeat.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to establish the running game. Football teams have been doing that for decades. But when the other team knows what is coming, and you cannot make them pay for it, something has to change.
Against East Carolina, the third-down play-calling was atrocious. The Bulls converted just one of 10 third-down opportunities. You are not going to win many football games with that kind of performance.
Third down is where an offense earns its money. It’s where a quarterback makes a big throw, a receiver finds a way to get open, or a running back fights for the yards needed to keep a drive alive. USF couldn’t do enough of those things against East Carolina. And this wasn’t some isolated game. This has become the identity of the Bulls offense.
We keep hoping something will click. We keep waiting for that breakout performance. We keep thinking this will finally be the week when the offense puts everything together. But hope is not an offensive game plan. And at some point, you have to stop doing what isn’t working.
Brian Hartline Was Supposed to Bring Something Different
When USF hired Brian Hartline from Ohio State, fans had every reason to be excited. Hartline came from one of the best college football programs in the country. He had been part of championship teams. He had coached in big games. He knew what a successful offense should look like.
At Ohio State, Hartline built a reputation as one of the nation’s top wide receiver coaches. He helped develop NFL talent and later moved into offensive coordinator duties.
USF fans weren’t expecting Ohio State overnight. But they were expecting a modern offense that could score points, make big plays, and put pressure on opposing defenses. Instead, we are watching an offense that looks stuck in neutral. And that is shocking. There is no other way to put it.
Hartline knows what good offensive football looks like. He has spent years around it. So why aren’t we seeing it at South Florida?
Week after week, Hartline talks about good practices and the need for better execution on game day. Execution certainly matters. But when the same problems show up every Saturday, it is no longer enough to point to execution.
Coaches are responsible for putting players in positions where they can succeed. If something isn’t working, change it. If a play isn’t producing yards, stop calling it. If defenses are taking away your strength, find another way to attack. Right now, the Bulls aren’t getting enough of it on offense.
Tim Beck’s Offense Is Not Getting the Job Done
Hartline brought Tim Beck to South Florida to run his offense. The two had worked together at Ohio State, and there was a level of trust between them. There is nothing wrong with hiring someone you know and trust. Coaches do it all the time.
Beck also brought experience as a college offensive coordinator and head coach. His time at Coastal Carolina ended with his dismissal during the 2025 season. But experience and friendship don’t win football games. Results do. And right now, the results aren’t good enough.
USF operates largely out of a spread offense that relies on the running game, quarterback movement, short passes, and occasional deep throws to keep defenses honest.
The idea is simple. Establish the run, force defenders closer to the line, and then create opportunities downfield.
When it works, it can be difficult to defend. But when the running game struggles and the passing attack cannot stretch the field, everything becomes harder.
Defenders move closer to the line because they aren’t afraid of getting beaten deep. Running lanes disappear. Short passes gain three yards when the offense needs eight. The quarterback ends up trying to make something happen on third-and-long. And another drive ends with a punt. That is the offense we have been watching.
It is not exciting. It is not productive. And it certainly isn’t what USF fans expected when Hartline arrived.
At some point, Hartline has to look at Beck and ask a difficult question. Is this really the best offense we can put on the field?
The Numbers Tell an Ugly Story
You don’t have to be a football expert to recognize that the Bulls are struggling. Just look at the numbers. USF is averaging approximately 316 yards of total offense per game.
The passing attack is producing just 168 yards per game. The running game, supposed to be the strength of this offense, is averaging about 148 yards. Those are troubling numbers for a team that was supposed to take a step forward.
Army and Navy run offenses built around the ground game. They aren’t trying to throw the football 35 times every Saturday. USF isn’t supposed to be that kind of team.
Yet the Bulls are producing passing numbers closer to those run-heavy programs than to the balanced attacks fans expected from Hartline.
Against East Carolina, quarterback Luke Kromenhoek completed 17 of 21 passes for 179 yards. Running back D.J. Crowther rushed for 111 yards. Those are respectable individual performances. But the Bulls managed only 329 total yards and 17 points. They also allowed three sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The problem isn’t simply that players aren’t making plays. The offense isn’t producing enough chances for them to make plays.
Are We Watching One of the Worst USF Offenses in School History?
That’s a question nobody expected to be asking when Hartline was hired. But here we are.
The 2013 Bulls under Willie Taggart remain the standard for offensive struggles at South Florida. That team averaged roughly 255.5 yards and just 13.8 points per game. USF scored only 11 offensive touchdowns in 12 games. It was a painful season to watch.
This year’s Bulls aren’t quite at that level. But the fact that we can even compare the two offenses should tell you something. USF’s 2026 passing average is only about a yard better per game than that 2013 team’s mark.
13 years have passed. The game has changed. Offenses have become faster and more creative. Rules have made it easier to throw the football. And the Bulls are still struggling to move the ball through the air. That is unacceptable for a program trying to compete for an American Conference championship.
The Defense Deserves Better
Here is what makes this season so frustrating. The Bulls have a defense good enough to win football games. It has kept USF competitive when the offense has struggled. It has created turnovers, pressured quarterbacks, and given the Bulls chances to win.
The defense hasn’t been perfect, though. Against East Carolina, it failed to get the final stop. The Pirates converted a third-and-17 with 16 seconds remaining, setting up Andrew Conrad’s 55-yard game-winning field goal. That cannot happen.
But let’s be fair. The defense held East Carolina to 20 points. That should be enough to win a college football game. USF shouldn’t need its defense to play almost perfectly every week to have a chance. And that has become the problem.
The defense keeps giving the Bulls opportunities. The offense keeps wasting too many of them. If the offense were even average, how different would this season look?
Maybe we’re talking about a team fighting for a conference championship instead of one hoping to salvage its season. That’s what makes this so difficult to accept. The opportunities were there. USF didn’t take advantage of them.
Hartline Says Everything Is Being Evaluated.
Following the East Carolina loss, Hartline addressed the growing frustration surrounding his program.
“Everything is up for evaluation,” Hartline said during his post-game press conference.
He also acknowledged that USF has not met expectations.
“The expectations of where we need to be are not there right now,” he said.
Hartline also made it clear that he isn’t interested in using his first season as an excuse.
“I do not like excuses,” he said. USF fans aren’t looking for excuses either. They want answers.
They want to see an offense that can move the football, score touchdowns, and win close games.
And they want to know that the coaching staff recognizes what isn’t working and is willing to make changes. Hartline says everything is being evaluated. Now it’s time to see what that evaluation produces.
A Bowl Game Isn’t Enough Anymore
USF is 6-3 and bowl eligible. That is an accomplishment, especially with a first-year head coach. But let’s not pretend that reaching a bowl game was the ultimate goal. USF has been to bowl games before.
The program was supposed to be moving beyond simply qualifying for postseason play. Fans want to compete for conference championships. They want to see the Bulls become a program that can beat the best teams in the American. They want meaningful football games in November.
Instead, the Bulls are 2-3 in conference play, and their championship hopes have all but disappeared.
Three games remain. Memphis comes to Raymond James Stadium. Then USF travels to Florida Atlantic before finishing the regular season at home against Tulane. There are no easy wins on that schedule. Not with this offense.
The Bulls could still finish 9-3 and win a bowl game to reach 10 victories. But that train feels like it left the station weeks ago. Right now, I have a hard time seeing USF win another game unless something changes on offense. And changes need to happen quickly.
Can Tim Beck Survive This Season?
This is the question Hartline may have to answer when the season ends. Can he bring Tim Beck back in 2027 if the offense keeps struggling? I don’t see how. Not without major changes.
Beck was hired to build an offense that could compete in the American Conference. So far, that hasn’t happened.
I’m not suggesting that Beck is solely responsible for every missed block, dropped pass, or poor decision. Players have to execute. But coaches have to adjust.
And when the offense keeps producing the same disappointing results, the person calling the plays has to be held accountable.
My guess is that Beck will not return in 2027 if things continue this way. That is not a report that a change is coming. It is my assessment of where this program stands. Hartline has too much riding on the future of USF football to enter another season with an offense that looks this bad.
What Does USF Do Now?
First, Hartline needs to take a serious look at the offensive game plan. Not just make a few small changes. A real evaluation.
What are the Bulls doing well? What isn’t working? What plays give their players the best chance to succeed? Then build the offense around those answers.
The Bulls don’t need to become Ohio State overnight. They need to become a competent offensive football team. That is not too much to ask.
Hartline also needs to decide what kind of offense he wants USF to run. Does he want a power running attack? A balanced spread offense? A faster system that uses the quarterback’s mobility and creates more opportunities downfield?
Whatever the answer is, the Bulls need an identity.
Right now, I don’t know what that identity is. And judging by the results, I’m not convinced the coaching staff has found it either.
The Time for Excuses Is Over
Brian Hartline can be a successful head coach at South Florida. His background, recruiting experience, and years at Ohio State give him a strong foundation.
But being a successful assistant coach and building a winning program are two different jobs. Now he is responsible for everything. The offense. The defense. The coaching staff. The game plans. The results.
And the results on offense aren’t good enough. USF fans have every right to be frustrated. They bought into the excitement surrounding Hartline’s arrival. They believed the Bulls were ready to take another step forward. Instead, they are watching an offense that struggles to score, struggles to convert third downs, and struggles to finish games. The Bulls are not going to win every Saturday. But they should look prepared.
I expect the coaches to make adjustments when something isn’t working. And I expect a team with this much talent to put more than 17 points on the scoreboard against East Carolina.
The defense has done more than its share to keep this season alive. Now it’s time for the offense to do the same.
If nothing changes, the Bulls aren’t just going to lose a few more football games. They’re going to waste a season that could have been something special. And that would be the biggest disappointment of all.