The University of South Florida Bulls welcome the Cincinnati University Bearcats to Raymond James Stadium on Saturday. The Bearcats are in the midst of an 8-1 (5-0) campaign, while the struggling Bulls are hoping to get one win closer to bowl eligibility with their 4-5 (2-3) record. Cincinnati is currently ranked #17 in the country. Victory will be an uphill battle for the underdog Bulls at home, but winning is not out of the question. Here’s some keys to a USF win.

1. Protect the football. The Bulls have been pretty good at doing this all season, ranking 17th in turnover margin. However, Cincinnati is even better, ranking 11th with a turnover margin of 0.89 to the Bulls 0.67. The Bearcats have 13 interceptions, tying them for 7th in the nation. Defensive back, Ja’von Hicks, leads the team with four.

2. Establish the run. The Bearcats are not especially vulnerable to the run, ranking 39th in rushing defense and holding opponents to just 136 yards per game. The strength of the Cincinnati secondary amplifies the Bulls’ passing deficiencies (111th, 179 ypg). Also noteworthy is the fact that when they have been able to run, they win. Every game that USF has had more than 200 rushing yards, they have won. The one opponent that has run for more than 200 yards against the Bearcats was #2 Ohio State in a 42-0 beat-down. Run for 200 yards and odds are that USF steals a win.

3. Create turnovers. As mentioned above, the Bearcats don’t give up turnovers easy. In the one game they had more interceptions than touchdowns, they lost (Ohio State).

4. Limit penalties. USF is one of the most penalized teams in the country, averaging over 73 yards per game in penalties, the 123rd average. Cincinnati, however, is dead last, 130th, averaging nearly 80 penalty yards per game. While there hasn’t been a correlation between penalties and wins and losses for either team this season, the Bulls could really help themselves out by playing disciplined football and letting the Bearcats be the team to self-destruct.

5. Protect the quarterback. It has been well established that the Bulls’ have done a poor job of keeping their quarterbacks safe, but it needs to be reiterated once again. USF ranks 127th in sacks allowed with 38. Lack of protection cost senior quarterback, Blake Barnett, what might be his final season of eligibility and has contributed to numerous injuries to freshman quarterback, Jordan McCloud. In their loss to Temple, the offensive line allowed McCloud to be tackled nine times, one shy of a program record. The Owls are a little better in the sack department than the Bearcats, but Cincinnati still ties for 37th in the country with 24 sacks on the season.