The University of South Florida Bulls are still looking for their first win against an FBS foe this season. Their last minute loss to Tulsa a week ago was painfully reminiscent of last years’ game against this week’s opponent, Temple. In very similar fashion, the Bulls lost a game they had led for a long time, at the end. This year’s Temple is sitting at 3-3 with a conference win over Memphis and a bad loss to Cincinnati in their last outing. The Bulls seemed to be improving on a weekly basis, but the Tulsa game looked like a big setback. Fortunately, the Bulls are actually favored in this one, but nearly a field goal. Here’s what they need to do for the win.
1. Run the ball. Temple has allowed over 150 yards to every opponent they have faced except Wagner. Rutgers rushed for 220 yards and Cincinnati ran for 279 yards against the Owls. USF has plenty of options in the ground game to keep Temple off balance.
2. Spread the ball around. Looking at Temple’s #8 ranking against the pass, one would think this doesn’t make sense as a winning strategy. However, closer review shows this to be a misleading stat. Memphis threw for more than 300 yards on the Owls and Cincinnati passed for 263 yards in their blowout win, a game they didn’t really need to pass in. The Bulls have a handful of weapons at receiver and Timmy McClain needs to make sure he’s moving the ball around.
3. Stop the run. This cannot be stated enough. USF really struggles against big backs due to size issues. They must figure out a way to stop the run that doesn’t wear out the defense. If they can do this one thing, they will be in a very good spot for the win.
4. Find the interception. Mathis has been careful enough with the football to keep interceptions down. However, he will be throwing the ball a lot on Saturday and there will be opportunities for turnovers. Win the turnover battle, win the game.
5. Keep the pedal down. The Bulls were very close to getting a win last week, but played conservatively in the second half against a Tulsa team that refused to quit. USF needs to score and score and score some more. Where their defense is right now just can’t be depended on to run out the clock in games. They need to pile up the points to ensure the victory.
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