The Good, Bad & Ugly from South Florida’s win over Rice
TAMPA, Fla. (Sep. 24, 2023) – Junior wide receiver Naiem Simmons had a career-high eight catches and 272 receiving yards and redshirt freshman quarterback Byrum Brown posted the second-highest passing and total offense (517 yards) marks in program history in a South Florida (2-2; 1-0) win 42-29 over Rice (2-2; 0-1) Saturday in an American Athletic Conference game at Raymond James Stadium.
The victory marks the first conference win for South Florida since Oct. 23, 2021 (Temple) and is also the first time the Bulls have started 1-0 in conference play since the 2018 season.
Simmons broke the USF single-game record for receiving yards highlighted by a 49-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and multiple big chunk plays. The receiver and his quarterback linked up on plays of 40+ yards five times on the day.
Trailing by one at the half, the Bulls used explosive plays in the second half, took a six-point lead with 2:07 left in the third quarter and never trailed again outscoring the Owls 29-15 in the second half.
THE GOOD: PASSING GAME
A weakness for this team through three games in 2023 turned into their greatest strength Saturday, having one of the most effective days through the air in the program’s history. Brown shrugged off the inconsistencies that he experienced to start the year and lit up the Owls defense, slinging the ball for 427 yards – 291-yards in the second half – two touchdowns and no interceptions. This is the breakout game that many Bulls fans have been expecting and asking for from Brown, and it seems that not only has he found a groove, but he has singled out hi stop target in this receiving corps.
Simmons was targeted eight times and caught each pass. His big play ability was a key factor to the Bulls being able to open this game up offensively, and it seemed he and Brown were on the same page all night. The pass protection is still a struggle, as pressure was still an issue early in the game, although the offensive line only allowed one sack.
THE BAD: DEFENSE
From one angle, the defense played a great game. They held a high-scoring Rice offense to 29 points, completely shut down the run and ten Bulls took part in 11 tackles for a loss. However, when Rice attacked through the air, the Bulls found themselves unable to slow down J.T. Daniels and Luke McCaffery. In just three quarters, Daniels threw for 432 yards, and McCaffery also had a big day, hauling in nine catches for 199 yards. This duo torched South Florida’s defense until Daniels’ departure due to an injury limited their offensive capabilities. Running back Dean Conners was effective, as well, catching the ball out of the backfield, catching six passes for 98-yards, with most of the yards coming from an 80-yard touchdown catch following a Nay’Quan Wright fumble at the one yard line that went into the end zone for a touchback.
While not a terrible game for this defense like in the past few seasons, they did just enough to hold Rice back and give the Bulls offense a chance to go out and win this game.
THE UGLY: PENALTIES
Penalties have been a problem for the Bulls this season, and this problem flared up again Saturday. Two unsportsmanlike conduct flags and a block below the waist could have significantly impacted South Florida’s chance to win, and other than against Alabama, this team has been undisciplined at times and needs to clean things up. Penalties after the play like unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct only hurt the team, like the multiple taunting calls that have gone against the Bulls after they just made a big play. If this team wants to turn the corner as a winner, it needs to clean up these penalty issues.