TAMPA, Fla., (Oct. 13, 2023) – South Florida (3-3; 2-1 AAC) will need to quickly refocus after it’s tough loss in Birmingham last week when it welcomes the Florida Atlantic Owls (2-3; 1-0 AAC) to Raymond James Stadium on Saturday for this year’s homecoming game.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 on ESPN2.
This is the fifth time these teams have met on the field, but the first as members of the American Athletic Conference, with USF leading the series 3-1. FAU got the better of the Bulls 28-10 the last time they played in 2013. Bulls head coach Alec Golesh and his team look to rebound from last week and get the Bulls first homecoming win since 2019.
“Sometimes I think you need someone to wake you up a little bit. I don’t know if we ever thought we had arrived, I’m super cautious of that, of people telling us how good we are, you’re doing things we haven’t done in a while, man you gotta reset and just play the next one,” said Golesh during Tuesday’s presser.
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FAU OFFENSE
The Owls will aim to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers this week, most notably junior receiver LaJohntay Wester, who leads the American Athletic Conference in catches by far with 52 and ranks second in the conference in yards.
South Florida will need to do better containing explosive plays to slow down the FAU passing attack and Wester, who has gone over 100 receiving yards three times in five games this season. The Bulls rank ninth nationally in tackles for loss (8.5 per game) and second in the AAC in sacks with 16 and will need to use that pressure to shut down the big plays that have haunted them.
Senior running back Larry McCammon III leads this unit on the ground, totaling 367 rushing yards along with three touchdowns this season, including a career-high 130 yard outburst last week against Tulsa. The Bulls have struggled against the run the last two weeks, allowing 246.5 rush yards per game after allowing just 88 yards per game in the first four games of 2023.
At quarterback for the Owls is junior Daniel Richardson, playing in relief of Casey Thompson who will be out for the rest of the year after tearing his ACL.
Richardson has thrown for 520 yards and two touchdowns since taking over in week three, although he has thrown an interception in each of the three games he has played in. The Bulls have four interceptions in six games this season and will look to add to that total on Saturday.
FAU DEFENSE
On defense, the Owls are anchored by senior linebacker Jackson Ambush, the leading tackler on the team with 36. This unit has had a hard time stopping the run this year, allowing an average of 165-yards per game.
The Bulls and freshman quarterback Byrum Brown will look to take advantage of this, as they come into this game with one of the nation’s top ground games. Brown has led the way, rushing for 466 yards through six games, good for second most among quarterbacks in the country.
FAU has been able to force turnovers this season, as graduate defensive back Jarron Morris leads this unit with two interceptions, along with 27 tackles and a forced fumble, and sophomore corner Jayden Williams has contributed two fumble recoveries and a pick.
The Bulls have been prone to turnovers in 2023 and will need to take care of the ball against this defense.
JACK’S SUMMARY
After last week’s letdown, the Bulls look to defend home field against an in-state opponent, and one that could end up being a new rival after FAU joined the AAC this season. South Florida has lost three homecoming games in a row and will look to change its luck this weekend in more ways than one.
The key to this game for the Bulls will be to limit explosive plays, which have been a problem this year for Todd Orlando’s defense. If they can take advantage of their ability to get offenses to go backwards, they can take some of the pressure off of the secondary and linebackers.
I think that South Florida will respond with a big day running the ball on Saturday, sending the fans home happy with a 31-21 victory.
