TAMPA, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2022) – Fans hoping the leadership change in the South Florida football program would bring a change in the results on the football field got a sad awakening Saturday when South Florida (1-9, 0-6 American) came up short in its latest attempt to win a conference game.
The eighth straight program to emerge victorious over USF was Southern Methodist (6-4, AAC). The final score was 41-23.
The Bulls now hold the worst record in program history as they scramble to turn this team around in the two games of the 2022 season. Interim head coach Daniel Da Prato found little success against the Mustangs on both sides of the football.
Here is a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from USF’s loss to SMU.
GOOD – Brian Battie
Brian Battie did it again. The Bulls star tailback had his third straight 100-yard rushing game – his fifth of the season – running for 145 yards on 26 carries (5.6 ypc). Battie is now 137 yards away from becoming the tenth Bull to have a 1,000-yard rushing season.
Battie had five carries of ten or more yards picking up seven first downs.
It’s no longer a surprise when he gets the ball. What is surprising is what he has accomplished despite injuries across the O-Line throughout this disastrous season.
Battie’s 863 yards rushing ranks third in the AAC. He leads the conference in all-purpose yards (1,504).
BAD – USF Passing Attack
The Bulls cannot strictly rely on the swiftness of Battie to move the ball downfield. The USF passing game has been below average all season. Saturday, before leaving the game with an injury, sophomore quarterback Katravis Marsh was having a bad day. He completed just 39 percent and threw one touchdown and one interception.
Marsh targeted just six players today, the most consistent being junior wideout Xavier Weaver. Weaver had four catches for 60 yards. Thirty-two of those yards were on a touchdown catch up the middle late in the second quarter.
GOOD – Dwayne Boyles
The Bulls senior linebacker is having as good a season on defense as Battie is having on offense.
Dwayne Boyles posted his sixth-straight game leading the team in tackles (nine). He now has a career-high 90 tackles on the season to go with nine tackles for loss, both lead the team. Boyles is 11 tackles shy of a top 15 season at USF (No. 15 Javan Camon, 101, 2004) and becoming the 16th player in program history to have 100 tackles in a season. Boyles could become the first player to have a Top-15 tackle season at USF since Auggie Sanchez (2015 & 2016).
BAD – USF Defense (other than Boyles)
It’s no surprise SMU surpassed 40 points this game, as the Bulls have allowed that all season.
The USF run defense was non-existent this game. They allowed SMU backs to pile up 273 yards and three touchdowns. Mustang running backs Camar Wheaton and Tyler Lavine each ran for 112 yards.
After today’s game, the Bulls defense now allows 220.1 rushing yards a game. That ranks last in the AAC.
The Bulls can change defensive coordinators all they want, Ernie Sims is currently serving as interim defensive coordinator for the second time in as many seasons, but until there is a talent upgrade on defense USF fans will not see improvement on defene.
UGLY – Second Half
The Bulls have significantly struggled finishing games this season. Down 17-7 USF scored ten points to tie the game 17-17 and go into halftime with momentum.
However, that did not carry over into the second half. The Mustangs scored 24 consecutive points in the second half, including a Tanner Mordecai-to-Jordan Kerley pass/catch/run for a 70-yard touchdown, to blow this game wide open.
The only points for the Bulls in the second half came on a desperation pass by third-string quarterback Byrum Brown on their last drive of the game.
