The South Florida football team led Houston 28-26 at halftime Saturday, but ultimately wasn’t able to get the job done against the Cougars, running out of gas and simply being unable to keep up with the high-powered Houston offense.
Houston had seven drives that ended with a touchdown, and not a single one lasted longer than three minutes. Additionally, the Cougars ran five or fewer plays on six of those drives, with the lone exception coming on their second offensive series of the game, where they ran seven plays. Here are a few positives and negatives that came out of the defeat for USF.
Good — Brian Battie
The biggest positive coming out of Saturday’s loss was the play of sophomore running back Brian Battie. The Sarasota native logged three first-half touchdowns — two via a pair of kickoffs he returned to the house — and showed off his big-time play ability.
Since his arrival to USF, Battie has consistently made the most of his opportunities with the ball in his hands. He averages 6.2 yards per carry this season and has recently begun making noise as a kick returner.
He now owns the program record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season, and in a career, with three.
Bad — Defense
Scoring 42 points against a Houston team that ranked in the top-20 in multiple defensive stats heading into the game, including first in the nation in sacks, typically would’ve meant success for USF.
But a poor showing on defense for the Bulls, specifically allowing 646 total offensive yards, erased USF’s chances at an upset.
Junior quarterback Clayton Tune finished 21-of-26 for 385 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Complimenting him was a run game that finished with 261 yards and four touchdowns at 6.7 yards per carry.
Good — Andrew Stokes
After some great performances to begin the year, freshman punter Andrew Stokes logged another impressive game Saturday.
The Australian native was called to punt five times and averaged 44.2 yards per boot. Of his five punts, four pinned the Cougars inside the 20 and one traveled for over 50 yards.
Bad — Second-half Performance
The Bulls have led Tulsa, Temple, ECU and now Houston at halftime this season, but only have one win to show for it in such games.
Coach Jeff Scott spoke about what he thinks the main issue is, citing his team’s lack of defensive depth, and he may have a point. Scott and his staff have attempted to bring in their own guys on defense over his nearly two-year term as coach, but it's about 50/50 in terms of players that were recruited as part of the last regime, and now the current one.
The hope is that Scott and Co. will be able to fill out the roster with another offseason on the horizon, but until then, the Bulls must figure out a way to win games where they are in the driver’s seat.
Good — Timmy McClain
Although he threw two interceptions, one in garbage time, freshman quarterback Timmy McClain did virtually everything he could do against Houston to keep USF in the game.
It seemed as if on every play the true freshman was making something happen with his feet and looking down the field for a receiver to break open. His play extension ability directly led to two of USF’s touchdowns.
The two interceptions are his first since Week 1 against NC State. Aside from a couple of fumbles, McClain has kept the ball out of harm’s way for the majority of his time under center so far this season.
Bad — Rushing Attack
A strong suit for USF all season long has been its success on the ground. From junior Jaren Mangham to sophomores Kelley Joiner Jr. and Battie, the Bulls have had strong performances from their backs multiple times this year.
Against Houston, however, the aforementioned trio combined for only 14 carries and 53 rushing yards. If the Bulls are going to get a win over their next three games, they’ll likely need more production from their running backs.
