The University of South Florida Bulls football team is headed to Cincinnati to face their second top 25 opponent in just three weeks. The #15 Bearcats posted a blowout win over Austin Peay, 55-20, in their first game and followed that up with a solid 24-10 win over Army in their second game. The Bearcats have talent all over the field and will be a tough challenge for the 1-1 Bulls, who experienced the most lopsided loss in program history, 52-0, in their last outing against then #5 Notre Dame. A tough challenge still presents opportunities for victory. Here are some keys to securing the upset.
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1. Throw the ball.
Austin Peay completed passes for 213 yards against Cincinnati. For perspective, the Bulls’ quarterbacks combine for 227 yards through two games. If USF has some success throwing the ball, they’ll be able to get some things done on the ground, also. Through two games, the Bulls have ran the ball 72 times, compared to 54 pass attempts.
2. Stop Gerrid Doaks.
This one is likely to cause some head scratching. The 6-0, 230 pound senior running back is just fifth on the team in rushing yards, with 43, and even last season, he was just third on the team in rushing yards. So why stop Doaks? Cincinnati has scored 11 touchdowns through two games. Five of those belong to Doaks. He has three rushing touchdowns and two touchdown catches. Even though he’s listed as running back, he is tied for the most catches on the team (5) and is the top receiver with 124 receiving yards. He has clearly become a go-to guy that the Bulls’ defense needs to keep eyes on.
3. Contain Desmond Ridder.
The junior quarterback is a true dual threat, finishing 2019 with 2,164 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and the second best rushing total, 650 yards and five touchdowns. This far into the season, he has passed for 454 yards and four touchdowns. He has just 43 rushing yards, but with the level of the competition they’ve played, he has not needed his feet to bail out his team. He’s Cincinnati’s biggest offensive threat and he’s protected by a big and strong offensive line. If the Bulls contain Ridder, their odds of winning go up tremendously.
4. Create turnovers on defense.
One of the few bright spots for the 2019 Bulls was the ability to create turnovers. They ranked 10th in fumbles gained and 15th in total turnovers gained (24). The Bearcats lost just three games, last season. In all three, they lost the turnover battle.
5. Limit penalties.
In 2019, the Bulls ranked 125th in penalties, nationally. Through two games, they’ve shown a great deal of improvement, tied for 23rd with just 45 penalty yards per game. This is significantly better than Cincinnati, who is averaging 62 yards per game. With the Bulls as three touchdown underdogs, they’ll need every advantage to pull off the upset.
